Where Your Nightmares Lie

Chapter 4 | The Audition

We stepped through the large gates and the world behind me melts away. The world of the living and plainness erased by the pure chaos of the Fallen Circus. It was as if the fog had lifted revealing a trove of secrets and saturated colors. I step into a place people have dreamed of going.

We follow a worn dirt path toward the giant striped tents of black and red. The area around is only a vast field of grass and a few yellow dandelions randomly sprouting. In the distance, I can see the large tents with pointed tops and fat bottoms. Wooden carts filled with metal bars, hoops, and various equipment have been laid out across the field as workers work feverishly to unload everything. They are plain men with no such costume which is slightly disappointing.

I begin to see different colored tents of smaller size, all of which are gathered in a large cluster. They must be the living quarters Rikiar was talking about. I catch a glimpse of a folded carousel decorated in gold and unlit light bulbs. I begin to see large empty cages and various carriages without horses attached. It would seem they have just arrived at the site as well. I hope to soon see the circus in its full glory later on.

We pass a large cart filled with odd decorations of gruesome masks coated with diamonds and feathers. I sight a pair of large wings poking out of its side which matches the "Pegasus'" wings.

"Hurry now, we haven't got all day," Rikiar urges, picking up the pace. I jog after him remaining silent and expressionless. How interesting how this works. They truly do travel to each city with all their equipment and belongings. It must be difficult to do so in such a short amount of time. They must have a solid system to follow. Luca would be impressed by such organization. He has always enjoyed this type of thing.

"We are going to the main tent," Rikiar finally says, alerting me of where we're actually heading. "The others are already gathered there, no doubt. It is best we do not keep them waiting."

We briskly walk past the cluster of various tents. Unable to help myself, I find myself arching my neck to see better hoping to catch sight of a performer. But the area is completely deserted. Perhaps they haven't arrived yet as Rikiar said?

The opening of the tent is fairly large and resembles a gaping mouth. A thick sheet of black veils cover the entrance and gently blow in the breeze. Rikiar pulls it back before heading inside without a second thought. My heart feels giddy as my imagination runs wild for a brief moment allowing myself to enjoy this before I catch its mistakes. With that thought, I enter the darkness of the Fallen Circus tent.

I am hit with the smell of wet hay and sawdust. Inhaling the heavy dust, I come out into the lights of the stars above. The entire ceiling of the tent has been painted to resemble a flawless night sky with twinkling stars of glitter and wispy strands of clouds. The very center has been illuminated by a large white light which represents the moon. Tall black posts come up from the ground and connect with thin wires with silver hoops hanging from the ceiling.

A round circle of dark silver makes the floor of the performing area surrounded by a barrier of thick padding of black and scarlet. The back area is another gaping entrance with a swirling gate of ivory bones and harsh metal as if they were the gates of Hell. They sparkle dimly in the light of the moon. Its curled metal bars and bones outline the faces of pleading spirits and shadows of the demons ready to snatch them away. But in the plain light, the stage has lost its effect on me.

The stands lining the edges of the round tent climb high with many rows stack on top of one another. At first, I believed them to be empty, but as Rikiar lead me to the center of the stage, I could see the shadows of people sitting on the stands. My eyes slowly adjust and I am able to pick out twenty-seven people in the stands. A few lounge on the benches while others sit up straight. They are in plain clothing with normal appearances but when I look closely, I notice an otherworldly beauty and come to realize these are the famous performers of the Fallen Circus.