Tree of Wishes

Future in Bones: A Lenore Perspective

I wasn't always a skeleton hiding behind a black veil. I used to be like any other human with pale, white skin and long, raven hair that drew in suitors from miles away. There was also the fact that I belonged to a prestigious family, so I was expected to pick a suitable suitor for their sake. However, I decided to stray from that path and run off to join the circus, freeing myself from my responsibilities to travel the world. I was drawn to the circus for its merriment and wonder, from its dexterous jugglers to its exotic animals to its dazzling performances.

One man in particular caught my eye, the one who called himself Edgar the Magnificent. He was a magician who could do more than pull a rabbit out of his hat. With a wave of his hand and a flick of his wrist, he could perform unthinkable feats such as spitting out frogs, making a coin appear inside an apple, or even piercing a needle though his skin without bleeding a single drop. He had been searching for a lovely assistant for quite some time, so this was the chance I needed to join them. We spent endless hours together practicing, talking, and getting closer over time, and it didn't take too long for us to go from magician and assistant to a magician duo.

I did learn one odd quirk about Edgar. He would never 'like' or 'try' anything. If he was interested in something, he would go at it wholeheartedly with passion burning brighter than the sun. This did mean practicing hundreds of times to get an act down perfect, but I didn't mind. Seeing the smiles from both Edgar and audience as applause broke out at the end made our efforts more than worth it. It did lead to some strange hobbies though, his most prolific one outside of magic being his book collection. You almost needed an elephant to drag a wagon full of his books. There were books ranging from magic to alchemy to folklore to ancient texts. I'm not sure where he got half of them from.

Regardless, at the time I didn't think a second thought of it. I was too busy being young and in love to consider my lover to be anything less than perfect. I loved running my hands through his choppy, black hair, gazing into those soft, blue eyes, and holding his thin, rugged hands as we looked up at the stars. We spoke sweet nothings every chance we had and wrote poetry while sitting right next to other under the cool shade. We were touring all over the world with our circus as our wings.

Everyone in it had welcomed me with open arms, letting me do as I please as long as I worked hard doing it. The women assisted me with dressing and makeup, the men would help carry props I needed for the performance, and the rest were wonderful to have a nice chat with over a cup of tea. Even if some customers would sneer or snicker at the performers for their oddities, I accepted them for the kind people that they were. The ferocious lions or the massive elephants didn't intimate me either, since I knew they were gentle, tamed beasts underneath it all.

Unfortunately, traveling to such foreign places can leave you more vulnerable than you might imagine, and one year a plague spread across the circus. People were breaking out in blistering rashes and coughing uncontrollably with fevers hot enough to melt steel. Despite our efforts to contain the disease the best we knew how at the time, which would be laughable by today's standards, the elders were the first to succumb to the disease. Since I volunteered to take care of the sick, I put myself at the highest risk, yet I couldn't simply watch my fellow companions die. There were rumors of a doctor who had cured the disease in one city, so we did what we could to last until we could reach them.

Then, by the time we reached our destination and began our search for the doctor, I fell victim as well and was forced to rest in bed while everyone else scrambled to keep everything together. Edgar stayed at my side and cared for me day and night, refusing to rest until my condition improved. I smiled and painfully fought back my coughs to avoid worrying him, which only caused them to retaliate the moment he left to get something. My sore, tired body told me I wasn't going to live through this, and once I accepted this, I was able to be at peace.