Veronique cupped her ear. ‘There’s music – you’re right – it’s Cirque!’

 

Sure enough, over the next rise, Central Park had been overrun by magic. Magicians, jugglers, acrobats and clowns, fire-eaters, belly dancers, fortune tellers and stuntmen, all crowded around a massive Big Top. Lions roared, chimps screeched and elephants trumpeted from inside.

 

The air was laced with the sugary tang of candyfloss and hot buttered popcorn. Red-faced children staggered under the weight of multi-coloured lollipops as clowns fashioned dogs, cats, and swords from coloured balloons and older children tried their luck at the coconut shy.

 

Sam heard pellet guns pop and the occasional tin toppled. Shady fortune tellers with painted faces prowled the crowds, plying their mysterious trade.

 

Flames were belched by painted devils, to the tune of startled gasps, as sword eaters raised long blades above their heads, causing Sam to wince when they devoured them.

 

‘This is incredible!’ Joe breathed, heading toward the caged lions.