Ch 7 Of Circuses and Sales
Blue skies. Clear blue skies with a trail of fluffy white clouds. Sechelles could just picture it. She heard the chirping of birds along with the soft noises of animals waking in the morning. It was the sound of a beautiful day. She supposed that she could open her eyes and find out just how beautiful the day was but she found that she couldn't bring herself to do it. She was terrified. The thought of the giant black mass picking her up and its horribly faceless appearance still haunted her mind.
A peek, a peek wouldn't hurt. Just one peek. Sechelles hesitantly opened one eyelid and the scene before her took her breath away. It was better than she had pictured. Green fields filled with tropicbird orchids [1], her favorite. She almost expected tropicbirds to come flying in. The small white flowers scattered among the green hills.
Sechelles looked at the scene in amazement before she realized one small detail. Everything seemed so much…bigger for some reason. She was currently seated in some sort of bench, wearing a simple white dress. She looked at her fingers and bent them. They looked normal enough but somehow she felt that something was wrong with her, terribly wrong.
When she tried to get up she was instantly thrown back. She couldn't quite get up on her own. She tried again but found that she couldn't. It was like something…was pulling her back. She gazed at her fingers once more and tugged at whatever invisible force held her back. It only took a moment for her to see the string. She pulled at the other hand and found another string attached there as well. She looked down to her feet and saw the transparent threads there as well. She frowned. It was almost as if she was…a puppet.
It was then that the full implications hit her. She was not normal sized but doll-sized. Her limbs were attached to some sort of control bar. Her limbs (she had now determined) were not made of flesh, skin and bone but rather of some sort of rubber and plastic. She held her small hands to her mouth and screamed as loud as she could.
This had to be some sort of nightmare. Relax, she told herself. What was the last thing that happened? She remembered running, the phone call, the black mass creature picking her up and then she remembered looking into its eyes and blacking out. Wait- was she dead? She didn't feel dead. She felt anything but dead. She felt alive. She could feel, touch, smell, hear, and see.
It had to be a nightmare. That was it. That was all it was. A nightmare. She just had to will herself to wake up. Any moment she would wake up. Any moment now. If she was patient, it would happen. Any moment now.
After a few minutes of hoping and trying to force herself to awaken, Sechelles sighed and gave up. Nothing. Nothing had happened. Sechelles almost felt tears prick at her eyes. She felt lost, scared….alone. What was worse was that she was stuck in this nightmarish world by herself, all alone.
Sechelles bit her tongue, trying to make herself focus at the task at hand. Escape. She had to free herself of the strange strings that restrained her movement. But how? She first tried to pull at them, hoping that the force would be enough to cause the strings to snap. But after a few minutes of hard effort, Sechelles found her efforts to be in vain. She was getting tired and yet the strings remained strong and firm. She felt panic rise within her once more. She tried to suppress the tears that threatened to run down her cheeks only to find that she couldn't. She hated crying but she couldn't help it. Her situation seemed hopeless. She seemed trapped. She couldn't even get up to walk or stretch her limbs!
After some deep pondering, Sechelles managed to calm herself down. She would find a way out of this. Whenever the situation presented itself, she would escape. She didn't know why she felt this incredible urge to escape but she couldn't help but feel that there was something wrong there. Something wrong with the situation, wrong with the location. Everything felt just…wrong.
Sechelles shook her head vigorously. It was best to keep such negative thoughts at bay. She didn't know how long she would be stuck in this situation. It was best to just make the most of it. Whatever 'it' was.
Sechelles glanced at her surroundings. She had already made note of the beautiful green fields in front of her. She had yet to look at the rest of her surroundings. She turned her head and studied her new environment. It was a drastic change from the scene in front of her. There was neither green glass nor any beautiful flowers of any kind. Instead there was a lifeless, orange, dusty, rocky ground. The ground was covered with scattered caravans and booths. Some booths held large signs with giant bold letters.
As for people, the place was deprived of them. It was quiet, much too quiet for Sechelles' liking. She could hear the distant chirping of birds but that was it. There was no sound of cars stuck in traffic, no children laughing and playing, no dogs barking at each other, no screeching cats and … no Arthur. Sechelles was once more struck with how alone she was. She forced the thought back.
What interested her most was the large cage beside her. It looked large enough to hold a large bear in its confines. Atop the cage was a large sign with large black letters that read 'THE INVISIBLE MAN.' Sechelles blinked in astonishment for a moment before regaining her senses.
An invisible man? She scoffed. There were no such things. Then again she had somehow gained the appearance of a doll so she supposed that anything was possible.
The exhibit next to her captivated her attention for hours. She tried to catch a glimpse of anything that moved in the cage. She held her breath when she saw that a blanket had moved but was disappointed when she felt a breeze pass by her.
She had almost given up on trying to get a glimpse of the invisible man when she heard footsteps. Sechelles straightened herself up and remained alert. She tried to be as still as possible. She didn't really know how to feel but she did feel anxious. Anxious for what she was unaware of.
With her whole body alert, Sechelles tried to listen carefully to the approaching footsteps. A young man emerged from the corner of her eye. He was young, younger than her by the looks of it. The young man wore loose, ill-fitting clothes that threatened to fall at any moment. He carried a bucket with him and approached the cage. Upon reaching the cage, the young man placed the bucket on the ground and leaned close to the cage, his face pressed close to the cold metal bars. He whispered softly. Sechelles had to strain herself to understand what he was saying.
"Hello there. I've come to give you your supper if you promise to behave. Can you do that for me?" the young man whispered gently, his voice soft and without a trace of malice or fear. The young man received no response in return. He frowned at this.
"Are you sleeping? Come now. Wake up. Your supper will get cold if you won't eat it," the young man encouraged gently. This time there was movement and a low grunt emitted from within the cage.
Sechelles gasped loudly, forgetting her promise to herself to keep quiet. The young man glanced once at her direction before turning back to face the invisible man. The young man fumbled through his ill-fitting trousers to search for his keys. Upon finding them he let out a small noise of triumph before turning to the cage once more and opening a small door of the cage. It was small enough to pass food through but not large enough for someone to escape through, no matter how slim they were.
The invisible man snatched the bowl the man gave to him. Sechelles watched in amazement as the bowl miraculously floated in the air. It was as if….it was true! There really was an invisible man. Sechelles felt excitement grip her. She looked on eagerly, observing the invisible man in fascination.
The young man noticed her staring and walked towards her. He gave her a gentle, comforting smile.
"I know you must be confused, being new around here and all," the young man said softly. Sechelles nodded. Perhaps the young man could answer her questions.
"I-I'm not sure how I got…"she trailed off. The young man nodded.
"That's how it is for most people around here. At least, those who are part of the exhibitions," the young man said vaguely with a solemn expression on his face. "No one really knows how they got here; they just appear out of thin air. Like you and him," he motioned to the invisible man nibbling on his food. Sechelles turned to look at the invisible man once more. She felt a strange sort of pity for both him and herself.
Out of thin air, huh? That was perfect. Not only did she not know how she got to be this way, but she didn't know how or when this happened either. Sechelles sighed. The young man gave her a weak smile before turning away.
"Wait! Can't you free us?" Sechelles asked, her face revealing her desperation. The young man shook his head sadly.
"I'm afraid I can't. He'd know and he would drag you back here. No matter how fast you can run or how well you can hide yourself, he'd find you."
"Who is 'he'?" Sechelles asked softly, almost whispering the words. The young man leaned closer to her. "The Spirit Man [2], he collects all the escaped exhibition acts," the man said.
"One more question, if you have the time. What is this place? Where am I?" Sechelles asked, curious now about her location.
"You're, literally, in the middle of nowhere. And welcome to Spiritus Kirkos [3], a travelling caravan circus with exhibitions that are out of this world!" the man said, his voice imitating that of an announcer.
"You mean a freak show?" Sechelles asked horrified. The young man nodded sadly and walked away. Sechelles' body slumped. Not only was she trapped here, she was also an attraction to a freak show for the whole world to see. Great, just great. She really saw no up side to this. 'At least, it couldn't get worse', she told herself.
Sechelles felt her eyelids droop. She wanted to stay alert. She felt ….safer somehow if she was awake and alert. She let herself fall asleep. What was the worst thing that could happen to her when she is asleep? Well, Sechelles could think of plenty of things but she preferred to remain naïve for the moment.
When Sechelles was on the verge of much needed sleep, she felt something hit her leg. She ignored it. She was hit again, this time it was her arm. She ignored it again. She was hit a third time. She ignored it once more. It wasn't until she was pelted with a peanut to the head that she grew angry.
"Who's throwing that?! Show yourself!" Sechelles cried out irately. She was being deprived of her much wanted sleep. She looked around and found no one there. She turned to look at the cage. It was empty, still, seemingly empty. She knew he was in there. Who else could have thrown food at her?
"Well, what do you want?" Sechelles asked, looking straight at the cage this time. She hoped that she was looking in the right direction.
"Quiet! Do you want them to hear you?" the invisible man whispered urgently. Sechelles cocked her head to the side. So he could speak after all.
"What's it to you? I can be as loud as I want-"
"Quiet, Angelique!" Sechelles felt herself go red. How did this man know who she was?
"Listen, I don't know who you think you are but I-" And then it hit her. She glanced sadly at the empty space in the cage.
"Oh, Arthur! You're here! I-I was so worried! Why didn't you say anything? I was so scared and…" she couldn't say anything more. She held her hands to her face and sobbed softly. She felt so…happy that Arthur was here with her. It was a comfort for her to know that she wasn't facing this on her own. Sechelles let the tears cascade down her face. Oh Arthur.
"Shhh," Arthur whispered soothingly. "Everything will be alright, Angelique. You'll see. I'll find a way to get us out of this mess. I promise. Now stop all that blubbering," Arthur said the last part more sternly, though not as sternly as he normally would have. Sechelles nodded and wiped the tears from her face. She didn't feel so scared anymore. Arthur was here and he would make things right. If anything, she knew that he would get them back to normal again and he would find some way to get them home. She sniffled and smiled. She never thought she would be able to smile in a situation like this but smile she did. She could only smile because he was here. And somehow that was enough for her.
Spiritus Krikos was not a normal circus, nor was it your run-of-the-mill freak show. There were some 'real' oddities in the circus. The main attraction that had made Krikos famous was the Huay Chivo[4]. People from countries far and near came to see the creature. It was a rumor among the staff in Krikos that it was the Spirit Man who had found the Huay Chivo preying on a bird. The two had engaged in some sort of combat resulting in the Spirit Man's victory. The Spirit Man had spared the Huay Chivo's life in exchange for its services. The Huay Chivo had violently rejected the offer to which the Spirit Man responded by binding the creature, entrapping him in a magically protected cage and had since used the creature as his main attraction. Some of the more twisted employees of Krikos had admired and praised the Spirit Man's courage and strength while the rest had grown to fear him.
The Spirit Man was a whole mystery onto himself. No one knew much about him beside the odd story that circulated as rumors among the employees. The only person who knew something about the Spirit Man was the psychic, Madame Le Fonte, who had disclosed no information on the subject when asked.
For the most part, most of the attractions were held against their will. The dangerous were caged while the more gentle ones were given more freedom. It was a general rule that no one was to escape Krikos. All who had tried had failed and were punished severely for their actions.
The exhibition subjects were also not allowed to socialize with one another nor were they given any contact with one another. Sechelles considered herself fortunate to have her booth so close to Arthur's. They were within hearing distance from each other and that thought comforted her. She had tried to ask the kinder employees on what the rumors were on how she and Arthur arrived at the circus. She knew that every exhibition had some sort of story behind it and as far as she knew, most had been captured from the wild. She, however, got no answers from the employees. They had all stated that they had no idea as to how she and Arthur became a part of the circus.
Somehow, she couldn't help but feel that the strange black mass had something to do with the whole situation but it wasn't something she could prove. She had tried to ask Arthur about it but all she got was his strange muttering on ghosts and Alfred. Even if Sechelles could not see Arthur half the time (she had discovered that Arthur remained visible while he slept), she could tell that something was bothering him. She had tried to ask him but found that she never really had the opportunity to. She also didn't want to it to seem like she was prying, no matter how curious she was. What Arthur did was his own business. She knew that but she couldn't help but worry for him.
So far, Sechelles and Arthur had been spared the usual crowd that usually settled around the more impressive exhibits. That particular day, however, was different. The crowd that usually flocked to see the more impressive creatures had instead decided to wander outside the circus, exploring the outskirts of it.
In the middle of the afternoon, a decent sized crowd had settled outside Arthur's cage. Some were standing around, whispering among themselves as to whether there really was someone inside the cage. By this point, Arthur had returned to being invisible and refrained from saying anything or doing anything to entertain the crowd. After a few minutes, the crowd lost interest in him and decided to look at Sechelles' booth.
Sechelles had been unaccustomed to have people look at her as if she were a spectacle. She started to rant when she was suddenly pulled up by her strings. She looked up and saw a pair of lifeless gray eyes staring at her. She would have jumped if she could have. The man's appearance was ghastly. His face was a deathly pale color. He wore a large top hat and a black and white pinstripe suit with a gray tie. His black hair was slicked back.
The man's eyes scrutinized her once before pulling on her strings, making her rise. He pulled the curtain of her stall, which exposed her to the curious eyes of the crowd. Sechelles had never seen so many people outside her stall before. She gulped. She had a bad feeling about this.
"Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, gather round! Come see the amazing 'Living Doll,'" the man boomed, his stoic expression changing into an animated one. Sechelles was amazed by the transformation. She wondered who the man was.
The crowd seemed to grow larger by the second as the man continued his announcement. Sechelles grew more nervous by the second. She had never really performed before. She hoped the man wouldn't humiliate her in any way.
Once the man was satisfied with the size of the crowd gathered outside Sechelles' booth, he grabbed hold of her strings once more, lifting Sechelles into the air. Beside her were a dozen marionette dolls, painted with happy expressions on their faces, all wearing white dresses. The dolls rose of their own accord, their strings pulled by invisible force. At the clap of a hand, the dolls danced. Sechelles felt the man manipulate her strings and she, too, danced with the lifeless marionette dolls.
"Now watch ladies and gentleman, as one by one, I cut the strings of each doll. One by one, they will fall while the living doll will dance on," the man said. He held scissors as he manipulated the strings holding Sechelles up. One by one he cut the strings of each doll. Each fell to the floor, motionless as if they had never danced at all. At last, it was Sechelles' turn. The man cut her strings as well. Sechelles let herself fall to the floor, refusing to become a part of the man's game.
The crowd watched attentively, expectantly. They murmured amongst themselves as nothing happened. The man with the top hat frowned. He leaned down and whispered, "Dance, my little doll, or your invisible friend will not fare so well. I wonder how he would do against a hungry viper?" Sechelles turned her head and glanced at Arthur's cage. It was empty, as it always was but she could still feel his presence inside. Her heart clenched at the thought of any harm coming to Arthur. She rose and with the action the audience applauded and cheered. Sechelles thought back and remembered what Arthur had taught her so many nights ago. One step forward, one to the side. She held the memory in her thoughts and thought of Arthur's sweet smiling face. She let the memories consume her every thought until she could no longer hear the cheering crowd, feel the sun striking her face, and smell the cornflowers and wheat. She heard the soft orchestra playing an old waltz that no one had danced in years. She felt a firm, slightly moist hand grasping her own, and a hand on her back. She smelled tea, earl grey tea, peppermint, and green fields. And when she opened her eyes, she could see Arthur dancing with her, smiling at her like she always wished he would. It was just the two of them dancing in their own world.
But the music stopped. The illusion faded and her senses had returned to her. She could hear the crowd cheering once more. She sighed. It was wonderful while it lasted even if it was only a fantasy, one that she could never hope would ever come true.
Sechelles looked up and found the man nodding his head at her. Sechelles nodded back, acknowledging that she had done what was asked of her. She lay back down in her stall as the crowd stood around her, gazing at her with curious eyes. After a few minutes, the crowd grew restless and dispersed save for one man. One man stood rooted to the spot. He gazed at Sechelles with such adoration that it disturbed Sechelles. When there was no one left except for the exhibitions and the man with the top hat, the man stepped forward.
"Yes?" the man with the top hat asked indifferently.
"The doll! She is amazing! How she can move and dance- it is stupendous! It amazes me how you find such interesting creatures, Gustav," the man said animatedly.
Gustav nodded, bored. "It amazes us all," he stated flatly.
The man nodded and continued his animated speech. Gustav humored the man for a few moments before interrupting him.
"Your point, monsieur?" he asked as politely as he could.
"Oh, yes! Sorry about that. You know how much strange exotic creatures fascinate me," the man peered closely at Sechelles. Gustav nodded jadedly as if he had heard the fact numerous times.
"I'm interesting in purchasing her if you were interested in such transactions." Gustav perked up at the offer. His eyes gleamed almost maniacally while his expression remained calm and stoic.
"Why did you not say so from the start? I am always interested in such deals. How much are you willing to pay for her?" The man rubbed his chin for a moment, deep in thought.
"We've been through this before, Gustav. You name the price and I'll match it as I always do. You know that money has never been an issue," the man said amiably, taking out a wallet from his coat pocket.
"I'm afraid I'll have to ask more than my usual price, Mr. White. This doll was not acquired by my usual methods. She was a little more difficult to find," Gustav said softly. Mr. White nodded at this.
"I understand, Gustav. If you like I'll pay you right now. I always carry some currency with me when I come visit. I never know what strange creatures I will find," Mr. White said as he fished through his pockets for something. He smiled triumphantly when he took out two ruby rings. Gustav smiled when he saw the rings and extended his hand to Mr. White. Mr. White carefully placed the earrings in his hands. Gustav inspected the rings carefully before placing them in his pockets.
Gustav nodded at Mr. White. Upon receiving the signal, Mr. White reached for Sechelles and grabbed her by her waist. Sechelles struggled to escape his grasp but found her efforts near useless. When she found that her efforts were in vain and that nothing she did on her own would help, she cried out.
"Arthur! Please help me! Arthur!" she screamed as loud as she could. Mr. White looked at Sechelles with amusement.
"Oh, she can talk as well? Oh, how the wonders cease to end!"
Arthur was asleep when he heard Sechelles' distressed cries. He glanced around him, trying to locate the sound of her voice. He saw her in the hands of some villainous fiend. No one could manhandle a woman like that (regardless if she were a doll or not!)
Arthur pushed against the cage door. He rammed his side into the cage door, trying to get it to open. The few people that had stayed in the vicinity grew alarmed. Arthur ignored the startling cries and continued to ram against the cage. Little by little, he could see the cage gaining distance from the wall it was chained to. Just a little more now.
Arthur glanced back to Sechelles' stall only to find that the man was gone. Arthur searched fiercely around him, trying to locate the man once more. He saw the man walking at a distance. He needed to hurry otherwise he would lose sight of him completely. Arthur put more efforts into his pushes until finally the cage toppled from its block and with a loud bang, crashed to the floor. People screamed as they saw the cage door shaking fiercely. Arthur struggled with the door until finally it gave way and Arthur was able to push it open.
He scrambled to get out of the cage, ignoring the panic that he had caused. Arthur searched for the man once more. He was far away but still within viewing distance. Arthur ran towards him, determined to get Sechelles back.
All the while, Gustav stood by Sechelles' stall, watching as the scene unfolded before him with mild amusement. His new additions proved to be more amusing than he had originally thought. He maintained his stoic expression while he walked back to his trailer. His new additions would not get far, not as far as he was concerned. No one and nothing ever escaped from Spiritus Krikos and these new additions would be no different from the other runaways he had encountered. Gustav leaned back in his chair as he smoked his cigar.
"Red rover, red rover, let Arthur come over."
[1] Tropicbird orchid is Seychelles national flower according to the website I looked at.
[2] I am aware that there is a real life person who is also referred as the 'Spirit Man.' This is not an allusion to that man. I simply liked the name and that's why I'm using it.
[3] Spiritus means spirit and krikos is the ancient greek (?)( well it's greek) word for circus so in English it would mean "Spirit Circus"
[4] The Huay Chivo is a legendary Mayan beast. It is a half-man, half-beast creature, with burning red eyes, and is specific to the Yucatán Peninsula. It is often said to be an evil sorcerer who can transform himself into a supernatural animal, usually a goat, dog or deer, in order to prey upon livestock.
A/N: lots of OCs in this chapter, eh? ^^; Strangely enough, Mr. White reminds of myself a bit. O.o Although probably not in the way you guys are thinking ^^;
Updates: This chapter was written in between the ups and downs of my life and took almost a whole month write. I've been having lots of 'down' periods that unfortunately prevent me from writing. My beta is also heading into finals so she's going to be busy for a while and I dare not post a chapter without her looking at otherwise there would be severe OOC-ness that would have all of you throwing tomatoes and all sorts of rotten food at me. Hang in there for those of you who are still with me. ^^
Once again comments are greatly appreciated. :D
EDIT: anyone who gets the 'Last Unicorn' reference gets a cookie. Oh god, I'm such a nerd xD
