When I was eight years old I loved going to that little circus around the corner from my house. Mystic Hallows is the small town I've always lived in, during my childhood I didn't go out that much. Exactly ten years ago, my childhood was wrapped around the magic of a circus. That place made me forget the hard loss of my mother, she had only died a month ago and that place was the only one that made me forget that pain.. Endless Wonders was a spectacle that I, as a child of only eight years old, found captivating.
That exact day when the old television in my living room was showing a commercial for a small circus that was about to open in town is stuck in my head. "Endless Wonders, magic never seen before. What are you waiting for to go with the little ones at home?!" At that moment I couldn't contain my excitement. I know it wasn't just me, there were many children excited about this news. The bad thing about all this is that all the new things don't always come with good surprises…
I remember the first time I saw the main clown, Chuckles. His bright makeup and infectious laughter made a big impression on me. When I was little, Endless Wonders was a magical place where dreams came to life, my safe place. Nevertheless all that excitement and love for the circus one day faded away. That day marked my life, the same TV on which I first saw that Endless Wonders advertisement, is the same one on which I saw the worst news of my life (by that time). My safe place had closed and just like that, without a word, without explanation, it disappeared.
Chapter 2
It was an ordinary day, as I was browsing through the local newspaper, a small note caught my attention. In underlined letters it announced the reopening of Endless Wonders. It immediately gave me chills, and time seemed to stand still for an instant. Childish excitement was layered with nostalgia, the circus that once brought me so much joy was back.
The news did not come from official sources or anything like that, but from a small corner of the newspaper that peacefully went unnoticed. Intrigued by the idea of returning to the past, without thinking, I thought about visiting it again.
I didn't waste any more time and that same night I was the first to arrive at the performance,
but when I returned to the circus after so many years, the magic was gone. The tent, once radiant, now looked old. The funny clowns I remembered now had a strange aura. The lights, once flickering with enthusiasm, now flickered strangely.
Chuckles' act, instead of delighting, generated an uneasy feeling in me.
His laughter, which always infected me, now sounded irritating. I began to notice details that my childlike innocence years earlier had ignored.
Instead of seeing the animals as majestic creatures, I noticed the sadness in their eyes and the confinement in their movements. The jugglers all seemed to perform their acts with a hidden tiredness. The little girl I was, marveling at the fantasy, was now faced with a darker reality.
I must admit that my curiosity crossed the line, my enthusiasm that was almost gone made me venture to take a closer look at the whole circus. The hallways, the backstage, dressing rooms, etc. But of course I had to do it hidden, however I didn't notice that they could close at any moment…
Chapter 3
The dark corners seemed to whisper ancient secrets, but my curiosity overcame any fear, so I was going to continue.
From one moment to the next I stumbled into a locked room. With a creak, the door slid open towards me, it seemed the wood was badly worn and the door was about to fall off.
In the shadiest corner of the room, among dusty costumes and broken mirrors, I found an antique box. I opened it and found a collection of broken toys and old photographs. Among these things I discovered newspaper clippings that told missing stories, unsolved cases of children who never returned home after visiting Endless Wonders.
Each clipping, each photograph, told exactly the same story: children who went to the circus and disappeared without a trace. I really found it creepy but in my childhood I never saw anything like that in any newspaper, I don't know if it was because I was just a little girl or because the circus managed to hide it, the only thing that was clear to me at that moment was that my favorite place had closed for no reason.
Searching among other things, I found an old diary that instantly caught my attention. The pages told the story of a clown, dear Chuckles, whose laughter concealed a dark secret of evil. I didn't quite understand, I had been to that circus many times and had never heard of such a thing, or so I thought....
The writings detailed heartbreaking confessions. My heart was beating so fast and those words confirmed my worst fears. Chuckles, the head clown I once adored, was the principal in a macabre game. Every laugh, every trick, served as a curtain to hide his crimes, using the circus as his perfect disguise.
There was a letter in that newspaper that caught my attention compared to others and it went like this:
“SOS! My name is Lucy, I hope my letter reaches the people of the town before it is too late. We are children trapped in a circus that has become our prison. DO NOT TRUST ANYONE, the head clown is a murderer, probably by the time anyone reads this I am dead. ”
I was shocked at the way the child was already expected to die, a child who could easily have been the same age as me, I was devastated.
I stayed for several minutes analyzing Lucy's letter, our town has always been small, we all knew each other. Thinking about it, it was weird at that moment, I had stopped seeing many people but as an innocent child I just let it go. But... I had a friend named Lucy and she had disappeared out of nowhere, I was just now thinking about it. At that moment I started to cry, how could I have been so stupid not to realize what was happening. Since I knew everything that was going on in that circus I decided it was time to leave, I was too scared to stay there.
I stood up and walked towards the door, however something was wrong. It was as if something was blocking the back. At that moment I panicked and started kicking the door.
After 5 minutes of kicking, I decided to catch some of what was in the room and finally managed to make an hole at the door. Suddenly I see something moving on the other side…
"Hello Ava, long time no see" - said a terrifying voice
“WHO ARE YOU?!” - I screamed
“SHUT UP!!” -Said the thing at the other side
Suddenly I saw something that I already knew, it was Chuckles!! The macabre clown I had just read about.
"Ehh hi Chuckles" - I said trying to hide my fear.
“Don’t think I´m stupid, I know what you have read.”
Suddenly BOOM!!! Chuckles knocked down the door, almost fell on me but I could move before.
“WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME CHUCKLES?!”
"Do you want to do to me what you did to all those kids? Why did you come back? This was my happy place and look what you turned it into." -I said.
“SHUT UP, WAIT. LET ME EXPLAIN” -Said Chuckles.
"Honey, this is not what I wanted. I wanted all children to be happy like you, but there are very cruel children. I wasn't going to let them hurt people like you." -Said trying to sound convincing.
“Wait… did you just call me honey? Only one person used to call me like that and she is DEAD. WHO ARE YOU?! Tell me right now.” -I said crying.
“Yes Ava, I am who you think I am.”- Chuckles said, taking off his clown mask.
“MOM. Mom, is that you?” How is it possible? you’re dead. What did you become? I spent most of my time here to forget your death and this is what you did?” - I said walking slowly backwards.
“Honey, you weren’t going to understand, you were so young and a mother’s pain is bigger than anything. I couldn’t watch you get upset by those dirty little kids. PLEASE TRY TO UNDERSTAND. I’M BEGGING YOU” - Chuckles said.
“You’re out of your mind, I HATE YOU!” - I screamed.
Little by little mom or rather chuckles, because she is no longer my mom was getting closer and closer to me and said the last words I could hear of her;
“Sorry little Ava, believe me this hurts me more than it hurts you. Rest honey.”
PEW, PEW!! It was the last thing my ears heard in that circus room, two shots from my own mother on my chest.
I never understood why she did it, but I know I’ll never forgive her, she ruined the one place I was myself, a happy little girl.
The end.
By Paulina Caballero, Step 9
