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Hello, my name is Paytre Romanoff. INZARED, that’s my wife, is the
elephant rider with the Romanoff Brothers Circus. She’s really good at
what she does but it wasn’t always that way. There were a few times I
thought she’d fall straight off the elephant (his name’s Cecil). She
wouldn’t have escaped without a lot of injuries if she had.
All
I’ve ever known is the circus. My parents came over from Romania
toting a young bull elephant my Father had bought and raised. The owner
was all for killing the elephant – the mother died in childbirth, but
my Father convinced him to let him buy the baby bull and he nursed it
along.
Sometimes Cecil thinks he’s a person. I used to
sleep with him when I was little. My mother said I’d curl right up in
the hay and Cecil watched over me. I love that wrinkled skin and his
eyes. They look so wise – like he’s been around for generations. He’s
always been easy to handle. Of course, he’s never known anything but
love and my Father trained him when he was still very young. But as
much as I love him, it’s magic to watch him with Inzared.
The
two of them have something very special together. It’s almost as if
one can sense what the other is going to do before they even think about
it. The first time I met Inzared she was still Bertha Maude Anderson, a
girl from Brower’s Gap, North Carolina. She and her folks lived high
in the Appalachian Mountains. The circus hadn’t planned to go there at
all, but I’m sure glad we did. Shandor and Udo (the brothers who own
the touring show) made the decision to swing over to Brower’s Gap and a
couple of the surrounding towns when a some other performances fell
through.
We have to work. If we don’t we can’t keep
doing what we do. You see, I come from a long line of circus
performers. People get the wrong impression sometimes about us Gypsies.
I’ve been spat at, punched, and generally mistreated by some Gajii who
think we’re ruffians. We aren’t. We’re nomads, that’s all. We like
to keep moving and are happiest on the road in our vardo, sitting around
the campfire every night making music and dancing. We don’t cause
anyone harm. All we want to do is perform our shows, make a little
money to get through the lean winter months and move on.
I
have to say that I caused my wife some real heartache. It wasn’t ever
my intent. But the minute I set eyes on that black hair and her
sparkling eyes I was hooked. She came looking for me at first. She
said her Pa let her seek the elephant act out. She came into view and I
froze. I couldn’t think of a single thing to say for a minute.
It
was pretty easy, though. We talked and she petted Cecil. They just
had this “thing” you know. Cecil snuffled her hair and planted some wet
kisses on her with his trunk. Instead of being put off she was
delighted. I liked that. And I liked her. When she said she had to
get back to her family I struggled for a way to get her to stay. It
just happened that she had to deliver eggs to the General Store the next
day
and I persuaded her to come back one more time before we headed out of town. The rest is history.
I
didn’t really intend for her to leave with us. But Mala, who was
riding Cecil in the show, became unable to ride due to an old injury.
I’d just given Bertha a ride on the elephant when I knew no one would be
looking. She was a natural. So when Shandor came to me frantic about
Mala’s injury and having no one to ride, I suggested Bertha. Of course,
he said no right away. We don’t use Gajii in our shows. We don’t even
spend time with them. But Bertha was different. She looked as Gypsy
as I do, with skin tanned from long hours in the fields and that
jet-black hair. She has an exotic look about her and she is totally
unafraid to try just about anything.
Shandor didn’t have
much choice. It was either use Bertha or omit the elephant performance
and that would have been a catastrophe. And it worked. Shandor is
actually the one who gave Bertha the name of Inzared. It means “Queen”
in our language. He meant it as a jab, but she didn’t even notice, she
was so excited. That’s another thing I love about my wife. All she
wants is to see the world, have a little excitement, and she’s pleased
with anything people give her or do for her. She was elated – thought
it was the most beautiful-sounding name she had ever heard. And from
that day on she refused to be called anything else.
When
we finished that first performance I kissed that girl right on the lips.
I had a feeling that I’d marry her, right from the start. We just
belonged together. I was the one who enticed her to leave with us that
very night. Shandor was skeptical, but Inzared told a little white lie –
said she was adopted – and he gave in. She was a little scared but she
was a real trooper. Inzared was sad sometimes, though. She always
missed her home, even though her parents weren’t all that understanding.
She felt that she owed it to them to let them know she was leaving, I
guess. Some nights I’d find her crying and all I could do was put my
arms around her while she cried. But the next morning she’d go right
back to work. She and Cecil concocted some pretty unusual and exciting
acts to perform in the ring. It wasn’t long before the circus was
making good money and all because of INZARED, Queen of the Elephant
Riders.
One of the biggest problems Inzared faced was
some of my relatives. We’re all related here – brothers, aunts,
cousins, but she was an outsider and a Gajii, to boot. A few people
treated her with disrespect but she tried to make everyone like her.
I’ve never seen a girl work so hard. It wasn’t fair for others to treat
her that way, but eventually most of them changed their minds.
It’s
been great talking to you but I really have to take care of Cecil.
We’ve got a show to do tonight and I’ve got to get him ready. Maybe you
could by come another time and we’ll talk some more? If Inzared is
here I’d love to introduce her. I’m sure you’ll love her as much as I
do – she’s a one-of-a-kind woman!
About the Author:
L.Leander is an author who lives in Wisconsin with her husband, Ralph, during the summer months but spends the majority of the year in Mazatlan, Mexico. Ms. Leander is an award-winning singer/songwriter who has also won awards for her needle arts. As a child, Ms. Leander loved the circus, hence, her debut novel, INZARED Queen of the Elephant Riders. The book follows the adventures of an Appalachian girl in 1843 who runs away to join a Gypsy circus and becomes a famous elephant rider.
Connect with the Author:
Amazon Author Page
Video Trailer for INZARED, Queen of the Elephant Riders: http://youtu.be/lQHtsFQGAP0
Website: www.lleander.com
FB Author Page: http://facebook.com/lleanderbooks
L.Leander Blog: http://lleander11.wordpress.com
L.Leander’s Reviews and Interviews: http://lleandersreviewsandinterviews.wordpress.com/
Twitter Handle: @lleander11
Buy the Book at Amazon
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