Traveling Circus

This is the chapter that I will swear in. nothing major. I really have no idea why it's written like this. I think I was going through something at the time. Idk. But I've had this written for like a while now and just now have I decided to finally post the rest of it.

On the road again. Oh joy just what a sore back needs. Why oh why?

Because you have to get home to your family. You got to get the Rat king's curse off you and go home.

But why must it involve a long journey to places I don't care about? Who cares if the rat is taking over? It's not my problem!

Well if anything you should at least care about you getting home safely. But you do care more than just that. You do care about what happens to these people, think about Froyo and Éclair.

But-but. Ahhh! Why must you always be right?

Because I'm your conscience.

Shut up I know what you are. Why did I ever agree to this stupid quest?

Do we really need to go over this again?

"No!" I accidentally said it out loud. We'd been walking for hours in total silence and suddenly I say 'no' to nothing! When they looked back to see what had happened. I looked down at my feet as I walked as if nothing happened, hoping to God they would take it as 'I didn't hear anything' and they hopefully think 'I must be hearing things'

I went back to my mental conversation with my very irritable self.

"Smooth" said my conscience.

"Shut up nobody asked you," I mentally snapped.

"Don't put that on me. You have to think about why you're really doing this, you still think this is all just a dream and think that when you wake up you'll be normal again laying on the photon."

"That's cause it is, isn't it? I mean that just means that this is all my imagination and this land never existed and neither do the people. So why should I care if the tyrant Rat is taking over it's not real!"

"Is it?" asked the conscience raising and eyebrow

There it was, even I was answering my own question with a question I hated myself. "Isn't it?" I asked desperately. This couldn't be real and even as far as my dreams go this was a long one I suppose.

I felt like my conscience smiled. A strange mixture of mocking amusement and sympathetic knowing that I sometimes gave myself when reading. I now realized how the nutcracker felt and how annoying it was. Plus I no longer wanted that smile to exist it sent a wave of guilt and the sense of 'you don't know what I know' that motherly look all female parents give their kids like 'you're not old enough to understand, I know everything and I will try to teach you but you probably will never get it, because you're not me.' God I was so annoying! Damn it why why why!

"Go to Hell," I finally told it.

"If I go to Hell then you'll have to come to," It said.

"Shut up!" instead of mentally growling at my conscience I said it out loud and not only said it out loud but shouted it, really loudly.

My face blushed when I realized my mistake. Everyone turned around and stared at me. I was more irritated at myself then them but I couldn't help snapping. "What? You all look like you've never had a mental argument with yourself before!" I stormed ahead face burning.

I had no idea where I was going I just knew I had to get away from their judging faces.

As I ran I wiped away tears. Stupid conscience, always being right always logical. Why am I everyone else's very annoying conscience? Now I really hated myself. I vowed I would never be someone's conscience again. That didn't work so well.

I sat on a log and sighed wiping the last of the tears away.

"Sorry" said my conscience. At least I think it was my conscience. I wasn't sure if conscience could apologies.

To be save I looked around. "Who's out there? Are you friend of foe?"

"You must have good eyes and ears to have spotted me so easily," Said a different voice I was sure was not my conscience.

And out from a tree three feet away from me a tall limber woman wearing a strange full-body suit that seemed to match her surroundings so it was hard to focus on her, until she took off her hood then I could see her beautiful face. I had to catch my breath.

"Uh hi!" I tried.

"Hello," The woman said smiling. She wasn't a candy person. I could tell by her almond shaped eyes and chocolate colored skin, button nose and high arching eyebrows that she was something else.

"Um no I didn't see or hear you but um are you a nymph?" I asked. I had read a lot of mythology and it would make sense that in my dreams I would dream of a nymph.

The woman laughed. "No but thank-you, I'm from the circus."

"Circus? What circus."

"Hmm. I don't suppose you've heard of the Rat king?"

I let out a growl, "I hate that Rat."

The woman eyed me, then she smiled, "come, I'll show you."

I stood up to follow but then… strange woman in the middle of the wood? Well if it were a man I might have thought worse but it wasn't plus, duh, it's a dream. I'm was in no real danger… right?

I began to follow her but then I stop, "wait!"

The woman stopped and turned around, "what?" concern danced in her voice.

"my-my friends," Oh God I'd left them in the middle of the field we'd been in, "I don't know where they are!" I suddenly felt panicked.

I turned frantically around but I didn't see anything but wood and the woman.

They hadn't followed me. Perhaps they thought I just ran off and would come back… or I wasn't very far. Oh dear I didn't even know the way I'd come. I felt my stomach churn. I had no way of contacting them. I felt like an idiot. It was stupid to just run off like that. Oh I knew I was going to get heck from Major Mint.

I cracked a small smile at the image of Major Mint yelling at me. I looked around again. Sadness over took me. They'd find me right? If I just stayed… they didn't know where I was at.

I looked at the woman, "My friends," I sat down again and put my hands to my face.

The woman sat beside me and put a hand on my back, "it'll be alright, I'm sure they can fend for themselves for the night."

I looked up at the woman, she smiled kindly, and then I looked around. It was getting dark.

"It's getting late and my shift is almost up," The woman said, "I know where you can get shelter, a good night's rest and you'll be ready to help your friends."

"Shift?" I asked.

"Too many questions right now," the woman stood up. She looked up at the sky, "the rats hunt at night."

Just by the way she said it sent a shiver down my spine. It made the rats seem even more animal like more like wolves than cute little things that are known for chewing wire.

I decided now wasn't the time to think. At all. Not about wolves or rats. Not about following a strange woman I'd just met, and not about never seeing my friends again.

The sun was just a small line of light across the west mountain ranges when we got to the clearing.

The woman had introduced herself as Rain.

Rain pushed away the last few low hanging branches and we stepped out into the clearing.

When I saw what I saw… I couldn't hold back a not-so-little gasp.

E-hehehe! And that's where I'm stopping! I'm sure you can guess what I saw. Don't worry I have many ideas lined up it's just the matter of putting them to paper. R&R. thanks, love you guys!