One brought the heat. The other brought a cape.
An Entrance for Two
Mateo stepped into the arena with his red cape folded over one arm.
The afternoon sun reached across the sand, and the seats were filled with people waiting for the show. Mateo had practised his entrance carefully: three steps forward, a pause, and a turn towards the gate.
He took three steps and paused.
The gate opened.
Toro came through at a brisk trot, stopped, and tossed his head. Dust rose around his hooves. He stood for a moment, breathing heavily, while the crowd cheered.
Mateo unfolded his cape.
Toro looked towards the far side of the arena.
“That wasn’t in the rehearsal,” Mateo murmured.
The bull moved across the sand, not towards the cape, but towards a wooden panel beside the barrier. He stopped there and pressed his nose against it.
The Other Side of the Arena
Mateo stayed where he was. Toro turned away from the panel, took several steps, then circled back to it.
A keeper named Luis was watching from behind the barrier. Mateo caught his eye.
“What’s behind there?” he called.
“The gate to his enclosure,” Luis said. “They put that panel up this morning.”
Toro nudged the wood again. It shifted slightly but did not open.
The crowd grew louder. Someone called for Mateo to wave the cape. He looked at Toro, then at the panel.
The bull stepped back and scraped one hoof through the sand. Mateo lowered the cape and moved towards the barrier, keeping his distance.
“Can we open the gate?” he asked.
Luis nodded. “I’ll get the panel moved. We need a clear path.”
Mateo raised his hand to the announcer and pointed towards the gate.
Room for an Exit
The announcer asked the crowd to quiet down while the keepers worked. The sound in the arena softened, though a few voices continued to murmur in the stands.
Luis and another keeper approached the panel from the other side of the barrier. They waited until Toro had moved away, then lifted the panel clear and secured the gate open.
A narrow strip of shade appeared beyond it.
Toro stood in the middle of the arena, his ears moving. Mateo remained by the barrier with his cape gathered against his side.
For a moment, no one moved.
Then Toro turned towards the opening. He walked across the sand, passed through the gate, and disappeared into the shade beyond.
Luis closed the gate behind him. A moment later, he looked over the barrier and gave Mateo a nod.
The arena was quiet. Then someone began to clap, and others joined in.
A Cape to Fold
Mateo crossed to the edge of the arena, where Luis was waiting.
“Is he all right?” Mateo asked.
“He’s back in his enclosure,” Luis said. “He’s gone straight to his water.”
Mateo folded the cape once, then again. A little sand had caught along its edge.
Luis looked at the neatly folded cloth. “That was shorter than rehearsed.”
“He knew where the exit was,” Mateo said.
“And the cape?”
Mateo brushed off the sand. “It made an excellent entrance.”
From the other side of the gate came the sound of a bucket being nudged along the ground.
Luis listened. “He’s moved his water again.”
“Does he always do that?”
“Only when he wants it somewhere else.”
Mateo tucked the cape under his arm. “I’ll remember to ask where he wants it next time.”
They walked out together, leaving the last of the dust to settle in the afternoon light.
Livora Gracely ♥
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