Seeing Double
“It’s Jolly Solly again!” exclaimed Miriam, eyes wide
Leah Morris was walking briskly up the road toward home, along with her little sister, Miriam. At least Leah was trying to walk briskly. There were still a bunch of mishloach manos packages she’d prepared for her BFFs that needed some finishing touches. But Miriam (dressed up as Queen Esther) kept stopping to look at all the interesting sights in Sunny Lane that bright Purim morning.
“Look! There’s Jolly Solly!” cried the little girl excitedly.
Indeed, the clown could be seen going head-over-heels at top speed, on the other side of the road.
“Yoo hoo, Miriam!” hooted the clown, hearing her voice. Then, seeing her costume, he swung himself upright.
“I say! Her Royal Highness in person! A very good day to you, Your Majesty,” said the clown in a tone of deep respect.
Miriam giggled as he pretended to be so overwhelmed that he almost fell over backward. He caught himself just in time.
“May I offer Your Majesty some candies?” he asked. “Only the best kind, of course.”
Miriam grinned and took some of the famous crackle-poppers.
Then she felt Leah pulling at her hand.
“Sorry, gotta go now, Jolly Solly,” she said.
“Certainly, Your Highness!” replied the clown, with a wink. And off he rushed — on his hands, of course!
Leah and a reluctant Miriam kept walking in the other direction.
“It’s late,” grumbled Leah. “And I’ve still got to curl those ribbons, and tie on the special tags.”
Miriam tried hard to keep up with her big sister. They were almost home, when Miriam suddenly stopped again.
“What now?” asked Leah.
“It’s Jolly Solly again!” exclaimed Miriam, eyes wide.
“Don’t be silly,” said Leah. “We just saw Jolly Solly going the other way. He must be far away by now.”
“But I can see him! Look!”
“Miriam, I know you would like to stay outdoors and have fun. But I really need to get home.”
“He is there! Maybe he did a trick to get here quickly.”
Leah decided to ignore Miriam. She kept walking fast.
Miriam was too out of breath to protest. And she was upset at not being believed. But then she remembered the crackle-poppers. That cheered her up. Within a few minutes, she forgot all about it.
A little later, Leah was taking yet another delivery to a friend. She passed 100 Sunny Lane, and noticed Jolly Solly’s cheerful little car pulling up. The clown leaped out, turning a quick somersault.
I can see why Miriam would like to spend all day watching his tricks, thought Leah to herself. She was about to turn the corner, when the other car door opened — and out jumped Jolly Solly again!
Leah stopped short. How had Jolly Solly gotten back in the car so quickly? She had just seen him leap out? Was she seeing things?
She looked at the driver’s door, where the clown had just come out. There he was! She looked at the other door; there he was, too! She looked dizzily back and forth, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. There were two clowns!
The clowns linked hands and broke out into a funny dance, right there on the sidewalk. Everyone stopped to look. Passing cars pulled over to watch.
“Which is the real Jolly Solly?” called out someone.
The first clown looked at his double, raising his eyebrows up and down.
“Well, if I’m Jolly Solly, then you’re a copycat.”
“And if I’m a copycat, then you’re Jolly Solly.”
They waggled their eyebrows, rolled their eyes, and made such a show of confusion that everyone laughed.
In the end, Jolly Solly’s mother came out and called her son. Then she pointed to the second clown. “That’s my nephew, the spitting image of Jolly Solly.”
As the clowns made their way inside, Leah wiped tears of laughter from her eyes.
“I’ll just deliver this package. Then, I think I need to apologize to Miriam.”
(Originally featured in Mishpacha Jr., Issue 850)
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