Enter the Circus
My name is Lucille O'Grady. I am eighteen years old. I do well in school, and work hard to support myself. I never have much money though but I do the best I can. I want to be a pathologist but that will cost a lot of money. Luckily, I am smart, and scholarships pay for most of my school. Funny, when I think about it, but I never knew my strange love of school would be my fall into the rabbit hole.
When Steve Leonard first asked me out, I told him no. We met in a freshman orientation class six months ago and the friendly (not to mention cute) young man had befriended me when no one else seemed to notice. Steve notices me. After denying him a few times I gave in. How could I resist? Steve is nice, funny, and good looking, although I could do without his supernatural obsession. I am firmly rooted in science so we have never agreed when he insists that such things are real. Yeah right! Ghost, goblins, demons and vampires are no more real than the fictional characters in books and movies. He cares about me though and made a pretty good drinking buddy to boot! I feel lucky to have someone in my life such as him.
I cannot remember how I actually stumbled across it but as soon as I saw the flyer I knew what to get Steve for his nineteenth birthday. I never knew that such a simple act would be the reason for so much heart ache. But for now I get ahead of myself. It is the day of Steve's birthday. I wear a light green Marilyn-Monroe-style dress when I go to pick him up (he says the green goes well with my red hair but I think he just likes the view the dipping neckline provides). Rushing to the door of his apartment I knock hard on the wood.
"Ready?" I ask him when he opens the door giving a suggestive wink. His eyes twinkle when he sees me and he pulls me in for a kiss.
"Where are we going?" he asks me taking my hand as we walk to my car.
"If I tell you it would ruin the surprise," I giggle girlishly, something I rarely do but Steve seems to bring that side out of me. Steve rolls his eyes at me but questions me no further until we stop outside a dilapidated theatre in one of the older parts of the city. The streets are empty and the place is dark but according to the tickets this is the right address.
"We must be in the wrong place," I frown looking down to double check. I never even notice that Steve is staring at the place as though a pink elephant was standing in the window. Not until he reaches over and jerks the tickets from my hands abruptly.
"Hey-"I start but he cuts me off with a simple wave and a smile I cannot quite place.
"No we're in the right place," he informs me handing back the tickets.
"You knew all along?" My face falls flat.
"No," He laughs nervously rubbing his neck as he turns once more to look at the building, "I went to one at this place when I was younger."
"Really?" I stare at him trying to decide if he was telling the truth.
"Well do you want to go get a pint instead?" I ask half heartedly, I secretly have been looking forward to this night. He turns to me and I see the same emotion I could not place before flash in his eyes.
"No," he leans in and kisses me on the cheek, "this is perfect." I smile widely, my dark blue eyes lighting up, glad that I please him.
"Then what are we waiting for?" I ask opening my door and getting out of the car, Steve following suit. I take my place at his side and lock fingers as we walk into the dim dank halls of an old theatre. It is colder than I expect and lacking a coat I move closer to Steve. I do not do it just because I am cold; however, I do it because this place gives me the creeps.
"I think we should go back," I say clutching his hand tightly.
"May I help you?" a voice calls from behind me causing me to nearly jump from my skin, however, Steve does not react.
"Hello," I greet as I turn to see the tallest man I have ever seen towering over me. Although I am fairly short compared to most this man is absolutely enormous. He is so tall his head nearly hit the ceiling!
"We seem to be a little lost," I tell him nervously hardly taking notice that Steve has not turned around, "we're here for the show."
"Of course you are Lucille," He smiles at me as I gawp. How did this strange man know my name?
"Um, would you mind helping me find it?" I ask unsure and reverting back to little girl mode, Steve's presence completely forgotten. I had a tendency to do that when I was nervous. Not hard considering I could pass for much younger than my actual age.
"Follow me," He turns and moves so quickly that I do not have much time to react. Momentarily, I turn to Steve only to find him still staring down the darkened hall behind me.
"Come on," I grab his arm jerking him in the direction the strange man went.
"I have to pee," he states flatly taking off down the hall without another word to me. Annoyed, I chase after the tall man rounding the same corner he had just taken. I barely contain my surprise when I see him standing at the end of the hall, wearing a tall red hat and gloves. Where they actually came from I could only guess. As I stepped closer I notice something about him that I seemed to have missed moments ago. Every since I was young I could feel something from every living thing. They felt like vibrations against my skin, everything gave off a vibration. However, this man's vibrations were quick, so quick that it took me focusing on him to actually feel the hum of his against my own vibrations. Though it is strange I feel unthreatened (but by no means at ease!).
"My friend-"I start to tell him as I hold up the tickets but he waves me off gently.
"It is alright," He smiles warmly taking the tickets, "the shows about to start and you won't want to miss it Lucille." I nearly shiver when he uses my name but decide it is best not to ask just how he knew. With one quick motion he pops the tickets into his mouth and chows down on them as if they were candy. I stare at him with surprise before turning my attention to the curtain directly behind me. He holds the curtain back and I step through cautiously, but when I turn to thank him, he is gone, almost like he had vanished into thin air. Shrugging it off (after all I am at a freak show) I strain to find a seat among the dense crowd. Just where had these people been moments ago when I was lost? Ignoring the improbability of the situations I find a couple of seats near the front of the stage. It would not occur to me until much later how unusual this was considering the size of the crowd. The room went black and I wish Steve would hurry up and come back.
"You know it's going to be alright," I sing below a whisper, another nervous habit of mine but it seems to help and I fall silent once more. The center of the ring lights up and in the center stands the tall man. He did his introduction and the show starts. It was all so fascinatingly strange, and in my eyes artistically beautiful in it designs. By the time Steve found me again the first two acts were over.
"Where have you been?" I snap in a harsh whisper, disbelieving that it would take so long to simply relieve himself.
"I had trouble finding you," my instinct believes that he is lying to me but I do not press it. Instead I turn my thoughts and my body away from him and focus on the show. The next act was an enormously wide man who claimed to have two bellies. From his size I did not doubt it. But only after watching him eat a glass, swallow, and piece it back together in his stomach did I see why he was so freakish. I enjoy the madness of it all. I am a scientist at heart, so to slip so far away from reality is quite pleasing to me. Well it was pleasing at the time I should say, not knowing that my perception of reality would soon be altered permanently. Little blue robed figures clear the stage and in the darkness I see them bring out a goat on a chain.
"Why would they need a goat?" I muse aloud to Steve but he is focusing hard upon the stage, extremely hard. I pout a bit when he ignores me but part of me is pleased by his enthrallment in the show. The stage lights up again and a man stands in the middle. He is no more odd than the rest of his companions albeit his paper white skin. My mother is Scandinavian, making my skin extremely white, however this man makes me seem tan by comparison. His hair is orange, a relatively common feature for this part of the world, and he wears a red cape. That's the only thing about him that caught my attention at first, red being my favorite color; I admire the beauty of the simple garment. Otherwise, he was a plain older man with a long scar down his cheek. When he speaks, his voice is deep and dark, clearly played up for effect. He introduces the crowd to his performing spider. Only then do I see the purpose for the goat when the spider creeps across it biting down on the bleating animal's neck. I watch in fascination as the creature shutters, fall over, and breathe its last breath. I had no problem with the sacrifice, I grew up on a farm, slaughtering animals is a way of life when you have to travel two hours to the nearest market. I hope that the slaughter is not without purpose but I do not dwell on it for long. The tall man plays a whistle and the spider creeps up the man's arm. I get a clearer view of the arachnid's purple and green patterns, beautiful but deadly. Spiders have always been good omens in my mind and I could never
bring myself to kill one when I found it in the house. However, if I saw this one on my wall I would probably try to smash it with the nearest heavy object. Hypnotically, it weaves a web between the lips of the caped crusader as I look on in fascination. When the segment it done, the man takes a bow, and for a moment I swear his eyes flicker up in this direction. Not on me though. His attention was on the man next to me. His attention is on Steve.