"Mommy, it's the Noah's Ark Circus!" a little boy cried out, tugging on the sleeve of his mother's dress. Doll watched the interaction as she paraded down the street with her family, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She thought kids like that were just adorable; their sweet smiles, their bright eyes. 'Hmm, they don't realize how lucky they are to have both their eyes,' Doll thought to herself.
"Doll! Don't be fallin' behind now!" Joker called from the front of the pack. Doll refocused and continued doing flips and delicate dance moves down the road, twirling her umbrella and smiling at the gathering crowds. The circus finally reached an open field and unloaded the wagons. When everything was unpacked the first stringers gathered the other performers together. "Alright everybody, the citizens are wantin' a good show, so let's give it to 'em!" Joker said. The other members cheered and began to get ready for the show. Doll watched as her fellow circus performers busied themselves with setting up tents and placing equipment. She eventually walked away to get her own belongings, which didn't amount to much. A medium chest with her costumes, a small satchel with her more personal items, and a little blue blanket from the workhouse.
As she put the items in their place, she stumbled across a picture of her and her family with Baron Kelvin. They all looked so happy, herself included. She wanted things to go back to the way they were, to the days when she didn't have to hide who she was; after a few years of being a performer, Doll began to feel that her façade was trying to permanently bury her true self. Back at the workhouse, the other children didn't care about her bad eye. Here in the circus if anybody saw it they would cringe in disgust. Doll sighed to herself; there was no time to worry about that, she had a circus to prepare for.
"Hey Doll. Lunch is ready," said Wendy from the entrance to the tent.
"Alright. I'll be right out." Doll changed out of her costume before leaving the tent. As she walked toward where they were serving lunch she heard a strange sound over the air. A series of twinkling notes put together to form a familiar tune that she couldn't help but sing along with. "Build it up with silver and gold, silver and gold, silver and gold, build it up with silver and gold, my fair lady."
"You have a lovely voice my dear," said a voice she didn't recognize. Doll turned to the source of the voice and found the speaker was a man with red orange hair, a top hat, and a box-shaped device that was the source of the music. He stopped turning the crank on the side of the box and the music ceased. Doll had never seen this man or his musical instrument before.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"So I thought to myself, 'How rude of me not to introduce myself.' My name is Drocell Keinz. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance madam." He took the brim of his top hat in his fingers and gave a stiff bow. Doll moved closer to the stranger; he was odd, but she thought he was actually quite handsome. His face had a certain youthful, almost childlike quality to it, something that Doll found quite appealing. But what was he doing back here?
"Have you come to watch the circus?"
"Oh no miss, I'm merely passing through. You see I'm looking for someone."
"Is that so? Who might you be looking for?"
"Somebody special. I wonder if it might be you. So I thought to myself, 'If I could see her entire face, I might be able to tell.'" He reached a gloved hand toward her face and started to brush away her hair.
"No, wait!" she cried out, but it was too late. He had successfully moved the hair away, exposing her bad eye, or what was left of it. Surprisingly he didn't cringe or appear disgusted in the slightest. He just kept gazing at her face, studying every last detail. As the silence continued, Doll felt tears creep into her eyes. Drocell quickly took notice.
"Why are you crying?"
"I bet I look hideous. Why else would you keep staring?" Drocell wiped away the tears gently and used his other hand to gently cup her face.
"So I thought to myself, 'So this beautiful young lady hides half of her face because she thinks she looks hideous. What a shame that is. If only I could show her what I see, maybe she would change her mind.'"
"What are you trying to say? What could you possibly see?"
"I see a very unique face that is like a piece of art in its own right. I wonder how many people have told you that you are ugly to the point where you believe it. It's a true shame, that they can't see how beautiful you really are."
"You think I'm beautiful?"
"Of course."
"Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay and watch the circus? I could ask Joker to let you in for free." Doll suddenly wanted him to stick around so she could get to know him better. Nobody outside of her family had ever given her such a genuine compliment.
"Unfortunately I can't. My master wishes me to find the special person as soon as possible. So I thought to myself, 'I must be on my way.'" He gave Doll's hand a quick kiss and began to walk away from the circus tents, once again turning the crank on his music box and causing the song to float over the air.
Doll ran forward a few steps and called out, "I'll never forget you Drocell! I hope we'll meet again someday!" Drocell turned back and tipped his hat with a smile before he continued on his way. Doll watched him walk away as she put her hair back in its proper place. Maybe someday she would have the confidence to not hide half of her face; maybe that would be the day when she saw Drocell again.
"Hey Doll," Wendy called from a distance, "I thought you were coming to lunch! We got a show tonight, remember? You need to keep up your strength."
"I'm coming Wendy!" Doll responded, and she ran off after her sister. The rest of the day her thoughts were filled with Drocell, the mysterious man who called her beautiful.