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Prologue – The Dark that Lights up the Darkness
The Circus of Misfortune has a long of history that gave it its name. It was first called Riley and Roger’s Circus of the Unusual. Roger is the founder. When he was a young boy, he ran away from his home with his pet mouse Riley who his parents wanted to get rid of. Roger was sad and homeless now, so to cheer him up, Riley did some tricks he learned from dogs and this made Roger happy. Roger then got the idea to make Riley do tricks for money so they can eat. They ended up making so much money that they were able to buy enough food to eat and even buy more pets to do tricks. Eventually, Riley got sick because mice live for only one or two years before dying. Roger took Riley to a pet doctor and they couldn’t do anything, so he went to a witch doctor. The witch doctor said that she would grant Roger’s wish along with another since her power was great, so Roger wished to be a Circus Master. She granted his wishes and his circus became one of the best in the world.
Roger had dozens of performing animals, entertainers, and his tents and theaters were always packed with people. He even managed to get married and have two children. Riley continued to live without even catching a cold even as Roger entered his late twenties. Eventually, Roger’s fake blessing wore off and tragedy stuck his circus. An entertainer, animal, or audience member would die from an unusual accident. It eventually got so bad that the circus was nicknamed the Circus of Misfortune. Roger ran with this name and it attracted daredevils for a while who got scared off as well because something or someone would die during every show. Even Roger’s wife and children died due to unfortunate accidents. No one came to his circus after that and he went out of business. Roger finally figured out why he was being afflicted and went back to the witch doctor. She told him that the devil’s power blessed him. The devil would take his due after a while and that just so happened to be the life of his wife, children, and his business. After learning that, he threw his colorful circus master outfit on the floor and ran out.
After years of work, Roger was back to where he was with Riley performing tricks on the streets for change. On one rainy night, Roger overheard a mugging taking place in an alley. Thinking that he probably wouldn’t last a year on the streets, he decided to selflessly save the woman being mugged. He threw rotten fruit at the muggers, said a few insults, then ran away as they chased him. Roger then saw another person who needed help. A poor skinny man was being assaulted by a muscular one. The skinny man can barely defend himself while the muscular one won’t stop punching him. Roger didn’t mind having another person chase him, in fact, he thought having more people beat on him will help him die quicker, so he punches the muscular man, which gets him to chase Roger. Four people now chased Roger with death on their minds. He knew he would die soon so he silently confessed his wrongdoings and hoped for a quick death. His death wouldn’t be painless, he knew that for sure. Riley held onto him as he was ready for death as well.
There was one final person ahead of Roger that needed his help. A woman was slowly crossing the street because the rain and winds were harsh. Roger could hear a carriage coming but the woman either didn’t hear it or couldn’t run fast enough. He didn’t mind saving another person. He hoped that this last act would redeem his soul, so he ran, leaped, then pushed the woman out of the way. His face smiled for the first time in a while as he embraced death with closed eyes, but death did not snatch him up that night. An ebony elephant pushed him forward so that he was saved. It elephant turned around then squeakily roared at Roger’s pursuers. They look at the elephant in confusion then step forward to get it out of the way, but another carriage comes and crashes into them. The pursuers are badly injured, but the carriage driver and his horse are somehow fine.
As people rushed to help the people in the crash, the ebony elephant turned around and smiled at Roger. Despite it being dark out, the elephant seemed to glow and light up the night like a bright lantern.
“You helped me?” Roger confusingly asked.
The elephant shook her head yes.
“Well, thank you mister elephant. Let’s get out of the rain.”
Roger, Riley, and the Elephant go underneath a store awning.
“So…you appear to know what I’m saying.”
The elephant shook her head yes.
“Ok…so if you can, tell me why you saved me.”
The elephant rubbed up against Roger then did a backflip and other tricks.
“I’m guessing that you like me and want to join my circus?”
The elephant shook her head yes.
“But why?”
The elephant smiled and pointed at it.
“To bring smiles to people?”
The elephant eagerly shook her head yes.
“That’s understandable. I started my circus to do the same thing. But why me?”
The elephant pretended to be dead then pretended to come back to life. She then pretended to be a monster and the person who fought against it.
“You want to resurrect my circus and fight against the curses that come to it?”
The elephant shook her head side to side in a sort of yes but a little bit no sort of way.
“Ok, but where did you come from?”
The elephant looked around up above.
“Heaven? The sky? The stars?”
The elephant shrugged. Her smile widened then shrank back.
“I guess it really doesn’t matter, but what should I call you?”
The elephant shrugged again.
“How about Ebony?”
The elephant rubbed up against Roger again.
“Ok then. That’ll be your name. Come on Ebony, let’s see if you can bring smiles to people.”
When Ebony performed with Riley in public, they gained massive attention from the public. This attention exploded until Roger got back his circus and his audience though he still had the name, Circus of Misfortune. Instead of denying the name, he decided to make it his brand again especially since misfortune still happened to him, but this time, Ebony kept them away.
For example, there is the legend about the demon of greed. He would give you a down payment of the modern-day equivalent of five million dollars. The demon would say the money is yours if you do one thing for him that he would tell you in his carriage. When people would accept it, they would do unspeakable deeds such as; murder, burying or burning themselves alive, and being involved in the church of Satan. There was even one case where a man ate his own wife and children.
When this demon of greed stopped by the Circus of Misfortune, Ebony sensed it and immediately found him. Ebony chased the demon down into hell where the demon took his victims, but once they were there, the devil dipped the demon of greed in a pot of boiling lava for bringing Ebony to hell. Ebony was then tossed out a bit singed but happy to have gotten rid of the demon and a person. She then went back to perform for a roaring crowd who were unaware of the danger.
It is unclear when she will stop or if her true origins will be spoken to mortal ears. For that, she has her plans for when that will happen, but for now, all that matters to her is the happiness and protection of the Circus of Misfortune and the people who get attacked by creatures that folklore legends are made of.
Chapter 1 – Forbidden in Heaven and Useless in Hell
There was a man said to be so evil that people went to his funeral to make sure he was dead. They cut up and burned his body so many times until they were finally satisfied and yet, legends say he’s alive despite his body being in pieces and ashes. This man’s name is Igor and is said to subject people to the same death he had. Igor is said to appear in the homes of mostly good people. It is easy for him to get into their houses since he is nothing but ash and pieces.
After a long show, Roger gets invited to stay at a friend’s house for dinner. This friend’s name is Marcus and he’s a man who markets Roger’s circus for him. You’d think the two were brothers if you saw them together. Roger’s accepts Marcus’ invitation of course and brings his two other best friends along, Riley and Ebony.
He tells them along the way, “Be nice and don’t break anything. Even though I doubt he will ever hate me, I still want you to be on your best behavior so that nothing makes him want to stop supporting us, okay?”
Roger’s two best friends smile and shake their heads yes.
“Good.”
The two best friends then talk to each other in a language no mortal understands.
“This Marcus guy seems great! I’ve never seen him though,” Ebony says.
Riley says, “That’s because he always has the special seat in the tents and theaters so he can see everything. I’ve met him many times already. He was always interested in you the most.”
“Oh, I wonder why that is. I always thought you did the best tricks instead of me. I’m just a fat small elephant.”
“Exactly, that’s what I say-but I don’t mean any offense by it!”
“I wouldn’t even think you would. It’s okay.”
“Right.”
When the three get to Marcus’ house, they get settled in and eat dinner together. Of course, the animals are given different meals than the humans and eat in the backyard instead of inside. Ebony listens in on what Marcus and Roger are talking about while looking for ways into the house.
“Aren’t those big ears of yours enough to help you listen to what they’re saying?”
“Yeah, but I want to see the expressions on their face. Just listening to a person talking doesn’t really tell you how they feel.”
“I barely understand most of what they’re saying and yet, you can translate it back to me. I swear you’re some kind of paranormal elephant.”
“I’m just special is all.”
All of the sudden, Ebony senses a presence near the house.
“Do you feel that?”
“What-Well I feel it now. What do you think it is? You’re the expert in this.”
“I can’t really tell but it seems to be coming in through different places in the house. You’ll probably have to do it alone since I can’t get in.”
“What about the basement window?”
“I’m not sure I can fit through it if you open it.”
“You never know. Hold on. I’m going to go open it from the inside.”
As Riley goes through the house, he comes across what his senses pick up. He finds little pieces of skin and ash sliding across the floor. He tries to sweep it away with his hands and it fades away once most of it is not together, but he still senses trouble. Riley then quickly goes to the basement and opens the basement window.
“Come on in now, Ebony! The thing is in the house.”
“I’m still not sure if I’ll fit through.”
“Hey, you didn’t teach me how to open windows just, so you can complain now come on, I’ll help you.”
Riley helps Ebony fit through the window.
“Phew! That was a tight fit!”
“No kidding. You’d think all those tricks would make you lose some of that fat.”
“I wish it did too, but come on, we don’t have time to waste!”
The two animals clean the skin and ash pieces from the floor where they find it. They do it constantly for almost an hour before whatever’s causing it to temporarily retreat before reappearing outside in the backyard to completely form itself. Riley and Ebony arrive just in time to see a man clothed in a funeral outfit. There are scars and burn marks on the visible parts of his skin.
“Who are you?” Riley asks.
“I am Igor.”
“I know you,” Ebony says, “You’re that horrible man I heard so many stories about! You better leave right now mister or else I’ll stomp you into itty-bitty pieces!”
“I’m not here to harm your master. I am here to destroy the man you know as Marcus.”
“Why?”
“Because he is a horrible man who is planning to kill your master tonight then take his circus. He planned this ever since he heard of the success of your master.”
“Why should we believe you? You’re supposed to be one of the most horrible people in the world!”
“Is that what people think about me now? My name has been defiled in the books of man then because I am a blameless man. You should be able to tell, elephant.”
“Is that true Ebony?”
“I…I don’t sense any malice in him.”
“Believe me when I say this then. The people that have dirtied my name might have seemed like nice people, but they were really devils as human beings. They wanted to redefine what good means because what good means is not what good means to them. I was killed by these people, but because I was blameless in my life, I was given anything I wanted, and I obtained the ability to get rid of the so-called good people of this world one by one.”
“But can’t we change Marcus in some way? He seems to be a good man.”
“Seeming to be a good man isn’t enough. He’s completely tied to be the man he is. Trust me when I say that the forces of good have tried to change him and failed. Now he is going to take the life of your master if we don’t move quickly. I know the relation between your master and Marcus, but he will gain another sponsor in the coming week.”
“Ebony, what do you say?” Riley looks over to Ebony only to see that she’s gone inside ahead to see if Roger is okay.
“That elephant is strange indeed.”
“You noticed she went inside?”
“Yes.”
“But why did you keep talking? Isn’t our master’s life important?”
“She can move faster than me when she has the right motivation. She is somehow more blameless than I.”
“Great, and I was going to ask you if you knew her secrets.”
“You’ll learn them in time.”
Ebony quickly reaches Roger to see that he’s looking at a painting that Marcus bought with Marcus behind him ready to strike with a knife. She quickly knocks him over and into a wall, which dents it and breaks the table in front of it.
“Ebony?!” Roger quickly says before seeing the knife held in Marcus’ hand. “What’s going on?”
Igor knocks out Roger with the scent of his ashes then says, “He will forget this ever happened. I will help you bring him back to the circus.”
Ebony asks, “What about Marcus?”
“If you didn’t already kill him with that slam of yours, there will only be small pieces of him, ash, and blood of him left. I will not go easy on him if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“I wasn’t.”
Ebony begins to carry Roger’s unconscious body out of the house.
“Ebony is weird I know. Even though I’m not much, I still help her as best as I can.”
“She’s blessed to have you, mouse.”
Once Roger wakes up the next morning, he immediately hears news of Marcus being dead. The murder scene fits the description of Igor. He sobs for his best friend, but the comforting hugs of his two animal best friends stop his tears from forming.
“It’s okay I get it. Thank you. I just know Marcus is where he belongs,” Roger says not knowing where Marcus truly belongs is a different place to where he thinks.
After about a week, Roger quickly becomes friends with another person who markets his circus even better than Marcus did much to the joy of Riley and Ebony. Meanwhile, Igor goes on to do what he does unaffected by the knowledge of his bad name but positively affected by the strange ebony elephant.
Chapter 2 – Purified by Fire
Because the crusades never completely retook the Holy Land, there have been vengeful spirits who attempt to still take it. Some say these are spirits from Purgatory who are still tied to their earthly desires, but these spirits rarely appear, and accounts of their appearances are iffy at best. A slightly different legend is the one that appears to be truer. People who travel through the battlefields of the Holy Land sometimes come across a battalion of crusaders at sun rising hours. These crusaders are skeletons who have the scars of battle on them and swords, bows, and weapons lit by so-called divine fire. People say divine fire because when a person is struck by it, the fire will burn them like the fires of Purgatory. It is only when their sins are absolved through confession do the fire subside. Once the fire subsides, all of their injuries and burns are healed along with their sins. Otherwise, if a person continues to burn, they will burn to ashes. It is also possible for a person to burn to ashes faster if their sins were too great. Some rumors say that the spirits of the people that burned to death come back to say that they were purified and managed to enter Heaven. Water and suffocating the fire do nothing to it and in some cases, people’s efforts will only make it spread it to others.
These legends and cases that prove it cause governments to enact laws that forbid people to travel through these lands at the times of activity. They say it’s out of respect of the dead, but pictures and accounts of this legend along with their reaction to it say otherwise. The political climate of today has caused the government to focus more on current issues than the law about the Holy Land. Roger takes this opportunity to have a special circus event there to commemorate the lives lost there. It’s not likely that the government will bother them because the legend has faded over time and the law has relaxed, but the spirits haven’t.
Guests and event planners are able to set up the circus tent and other tents for other activities with no trouble over the course of a few days. The people who set up the event who remember the legend are eased by the lack of strange occurrences. Ebony adds to their relaxation since she usually senses danger.
Ebony watches the morning sunrise with her usually smiling face. Riley goes up to her and says, “You know the sun seems to reflect off of you.”
“Awww thank you!”
“You’re like a mirror and its kind of hurting my eyes.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Why are you looking at the sunrise?”
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
“I don’t know. I still don’t really understand that word.”
“What about the feeling it gives you?”
“It reminds me that it’s too early to get up.”
“You don’t like getting up in the morning?”
“Of course I don’t. Do you ever see me up early in the morning?”
“No, usually you’re still in bed. You usually get up at noon.”
“That’s right. I’m a night kind of animal. I never do mornings.”
“So what are you doing up now?”
“I was curious as to why you were looking at the sun.”
“I guess you can be a morning animal if you want to be.”
“Oh be quiet. We got practice soon.”
After several hours of practice, people start coming to the circus. They go around to the different tents and interesting attractions. There are historians talking about the battles while there are actors acting them out. People pay to play simple carnival games. Decent food and drink are served outside alongside specialty foods and drinks that are native to this land. Roger and Ebony watch as people enjoy themselves. They smile at the enjoyment they’ve brought them and because many kinds of people are enjoying today together.
The crowds start going home around nighttime after the shows and spectacles stop. The workers, performers, Riley, Roger, and Ebony rest for the night in tents with their things packed ready to move tomorrow. Skeleton spirits clothed in light and torn crusader armor rise as the sun slowly begins to rise. They are armed by the light and close in on the Circus of Misfortune. Riley senses their presence and wakes up to see the dead soldiers quickly approaching on the backs of horse carcasses that don’t have legs. He quickly goes to wake everyone up. Some don’t move because Riley isn’t strong enough to slap them awake. Ebony doesn’t even wake up because the soldier’s presence is completely pure and masked by the feeling of the sunrise. It isn’t until the soldiers rain fire arrows from the sky do they wake up.
Everyone looks outside to see the dead soldiers ready to fire another barrage of arrows with another group of soldiers on horseback fast approaching. There’s a gap in their formation large enough for the Circus to escape through. It appears that the dead meant to do this since the rest of their attack formations are perfect. The circus quickly gets what they can as another barrage of arrows come in. They mount their horses and carriages as the group of soldiers on horseback closes in. The horses are unaffected by the fire arrows and aren’t targeted by the dead. The circus tries to fight back by using their weapons, but nothing affects the soldiers. Not even Ebony can do anything because she is in a daze due to the morning sun and the pure feeling of the dead. There is no hope of fighting back against the dead. They can only run away and hope that the dead don’t catch up to them or an expertly shot arrow doesn’t hit them.
Eventually, the circus made it through the gap the dead left open for them and made it to a nearby city. The circus arrived as if they were a firebolt since some of them had caught fire. The people in the circus that knew the legend lead them to receive confession. Once the people in the city saw this circus healed by it, almost everyone went to church that day. Some people in the circus were lost that day and turned to ash. Others were burned only slightly because they barely had any faults. Because Riley was the only one who helped people wake up, he was congratulated. He was given his favorite meal and a round of applause.
Among the praises, Roger says, “You saved us, Riley. I knew I could always count on you.”
“You’re the best!” Ebony says with joy.
Riley is held up and given tons of attention that he wanted though he still felt a little bad about failing to save everyone. As the circus stayed in the city for the night, the spirits of the people who were lost came to Riley and their loved ones and told them that they’re okay in Heaven. This incident was investigated by the government then the laws surrounding it were taken seriously again. Thankfully the things that the circus had left behind were untouched and still there when they went back to get it. The government of the land tried fining and jailing them, but they managed to escape the country with no plans to ever go back. When the dead are forgotten, the dead come back to life.
Chapter 3 – Mirror World
There are dozens upon dozens of legend and tales of people stumbling into different worlds such as; a crystal world, a wonderland, alternate dimensions, and even Hell itself. Another common tale is of the mirror dimension, but what all these stories tell is that you can never find your way to these lands. You stumble across them or in this case, they find you. The Circus of Misfortune is traveling to another country since many travel great distances to see them. Roger will sometimes bring the circus to them at the request of large audiences or influential people. They unknowingly pass through an invisible barrier along the road that takes them to a world that’s nearly identical to ours.
The road takes them to a circus similar to theirs. The circus is already set up as if they were expecting Roger’s circus. Curious, the Circus of Misfortune see what this mysterious circus is like. A sign on top of the main circus tent labels the circus as the Circus of Fame and Fortune. The color of the letters and how they are written are extravagant and appear to be made of fire. There are many different kinds of performers who do the same kinds of tricks and daredevil acts as Roger’s does until they notice they’re being watched.
“Oh! We have guests! Stop your warmups and give them a show worth watching!” an unseen announcer says.
The performers start doing tricks once thought unimaginable by Roger’s. They give them a round of applause and praise. Once the performance is done, fireworks go off and the two circuses talk to each other about where they’re from and how they bring happiness to people. The other circus’ animals come out too and some of them are animals never seen before. Some of them appear to be of a species unknown to Roger’s circus while others look like creatures only found in Greek myths.
Ebony doesn’t know how to feel about all of this. She sensed something strange before unknowingly entering this realm. Now all she feels is her feelings reflected back at her or something akin to staring at yourself in a mirror. Riley, on the other hand, feels nothing at all. Right now he’s actually talking to another mouse who is like him except this one has black hair while he is white.
The circus ringleader steps out from the crowd to introduce himself to Roger. The man’s skin is incredibly pale covered with various tattoos and makeup to mask it. His outfit is a dark pink with black buttons and purple lining.
He does a little bow then says, “It’s an honor to meet the man behind the infamous Circus of Misfortune. My name is Remus, and this is my Circus of Fame and Fortune. I’m a big fan of yours.”
Roger does a little bow as well then responds, “I’m glad to hear that, but I haven’t heard of your circus at all I’m afraid. Do you just perform here?”
“We perform wherever we’re needed. I’m surprised you haven’t heard of us since we’re popular around our parts, but I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for that. We knew you were coming through here, so I thought we’d set up and put on a show for you. I’d love to see the performances that make you so famous.”
“You heard the man people! Let’s show them what the Circus of Misfortune can do!”
The Circus of Misfortune puts on their best possible performance for their fellow performers. Even though they don’t think they’re as extravagant as their peers, the Circus of Fame and Fortune is impressed and gives them the same reaction Roger’s circus gave them. The two groups of performers compliment each other then decide to practice with one another to teach them their moves. In the group of animals, Ebony finds a strange silvery elephant with two trunks.
He smiles at her then says, “My name is Ellie. You’re the famous ebony elephant named Ebony, right?”
“I am. Who are you?”
“I just said it. Ellie!”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know elephants could have two trunks.”
“We don’t. I have a mutation but that doesn’t mean that I can’t do anything. People from all over the world come to see me do tricks that a human can do just like you!”
“Show me what you can do.”
“Okay, if you show me your tricks.”
“I will.”
“Let’s have fun then!”
Both circuses show each other their moves and do what the other is doing.
Remus talks to Roger again once start taking a break. He says, “We told the people in our lands that we were meeting you here. They should be here sometime tomorrow afternoon. You don’t mind putting on a performance given our late notice, do you?”
“Not at all…as long as we get a cut of the profits. Haha.”
“Hahaha! Of course, but how about we make the spilt a little bit spicier. We will let the audience decide who is the superior circus. Whoever wins gets the most. It’s free money for you either way.”
“You don’t have to convince me. Even if we don’t gain anything monetary from this, it should be a good challenge for us. I accept.”
Roger holds out his hand with a smile. Remus smiles brighter and shakes his hand.
“Spoken like a true man of honor.”
Both circuses rest for the night in their own tents. Since everyone is asleep, Ebony decides to find out where her strange feeling is coming from.
She wakes up Riley. “Riley, are you awake?”
“No.”
“I thought you were an animal of the night.”
“Not right now I am. What’s wrong?”
“I have a strange feeling about this place, don’t you?”
“Not really no.”
“I’m going to go check this place out. Do you want to join?”
Riley fakes being asleep.
“Oh, I guess he fell asleep,” she thinks to herself before moving out of her tent.
Ebony sneaks around the tents and peaks her heads into the darkness within them. Everything around her feels off but there’s no source and nothing seems out of the ordinary. That is until she enters the sleeping tents of the other circus. She hears noises that sound like voices coming from it. When she heads inside, the voices get louder and they’re all around her. Looking into the performers, she sees cracks in their skin. Taking a closer look reveals eyes, mouths, and skin that almost seem to form multiple faces that seem to be screaming silently. A sudden noise gets her to jump and hide in the shadows. A performer passes her by and lays down in bed. When Ebony looks back at the performers, she no longer sees the cracks nor the faces within them. The screaming also seems to have been silenced.
She thinks to herself, “Must’ve been my imagination.”
She then heads back to her tent to rest for the night. During the morning hours, a few performers from each circus have gone missing. Ebony rushes outside to hear all she can so she can go look for them. She thinks to herself that the faces and screams she saw might have something to do with the missing people.
Roger asks Remus about this and he says, “The boys and girls didn’t tell you they were going to a bar in town?”
“A few did but I didn’t take them seriously. Do you know where they went?”
“Only the best bar in town. They’re serving breakfast now, but a couple famous fellas like us could get a couple drinks early in the morning.”
“No thanks, I’m not going to fall for that. I want to be completely sober when the show starts tonight.”
“Aw, my plans are foiled. Haha.”
Roger and Remus go to the bar in town and attract a lot of attention. They dodge it and pick up their wasted performers. It turns out that they went there to see who could drink the most and it turned out to be a tie. Both Roger and Remus complained to their performers about not winning especially since they have their secret contest tonight.
“Ah what can you do about it?” Roger says.
“Don’t worry about it, Roger. You may not have it, but here in our land, we have a drug that can cure them of their drunkenness.”
When they’re brought back to the circus, a helper has what looks to be a plant of an unknown color and makes tea out of it. She gives it to the performers and they get up as if they just woke up from a good night’s sleep.
“The stuff you have here is amazing,” Roger comments, “Can we bring any of it with us?”
“I’m sorry, but this stuff is expensive. You could, of course, buy it with your earnings.”
“Fat chance.”
The performers and helpers don’t know about what Roger and Remus are talking about, so they shrug it off and get ready for tonight. When the show starts at midnight, both circuses put on their best performances. The audience is wowed by the circuses and their unique performances. After the show and the votes are taken, it is revealed that Roger’s circus won by a small margin leading him to take sixty percent of the profits. Despite losing, Remus and his circus celebrate with Roger and have a big celebration for such a grand event.
Near the end of the party, Remus says to Roger, “It’s amazing that you were able to beat us.”
“We didn’t really beat you in a legitimate test of skill. It was just a popularity contest.”
“You don’t have to be humble with me. I was just going to say that it’s strange.”
“What’s strange about it?”
“That a circus of misfortune beat a circus of fame and fortune.”
“I guess so. I forget about the misfortune part of our circus every now and then. There have been so many blessings in my life that I’ve thought about changing our name to something similar to yours.”
“And that’s a strange thing too, isn’t it? A circus of misfortune brings nothing but happiness and entertainment to the people they perform for. We do the same thing and haven’t gone out of business since and yet, you still beat us.”
“People like the underdog.”
“Right…It’s like you’re from a mirror dimension. A folklore legend that’s contradictory nature somehow gives it strength.”
“I’ve encountered my fair share of folklore legends. I doubt they try to kill each other.”
“You never know. I was thinking that we could join forces. One good ringmaster with another who will bring double the joy to people.”
“Sorry, but I’ll have to decline.”
“I know you’ve had your fair share of bad deals but think about it.”
“I did already when I saw all our hard workers performing today. We’re better off separate. Besides, we work better when we have competition.”
“…Okay. I understand.”
“We’ll be heading out early in the morning. We still have an audience waiting for us in another country.”
“Then get your rest. You still got a long way to go.”
The two smile and nod at each other before Roger leaves to go to bed. Again, Ebony gets up at night to find out what’s causing her a weird feeling, which makes her feel even stranger today. She goes back to the performer tents and finds them empty for some reason. When she goes to check the rest of the circus ground to find them, she finds nothing. When she goes back to her tent, her fellow performers and friends have disappeared including Riley, but Roger is still in his bed, so Ebony wakes him up.
“What is it, girl?”
Ebony leads Roger to the beds to show him that everyone has disappeared.
“Did everyone go out to drink again? Let’s find them, Ebony.”
Once they head out, they find themselves surrounded by the performers with Remus standing on a stage. The bodies of the performers are hollow, but they have somehow have the bodies of other performers in them who are screaming out for help. These performers are more like dolls now rather than people. Even Remus appears to be a doll with other ringmasters crammed into his body. He has strings connected to the other dolls that connect to his head.
“We want you part of our circus, Roger and Ebony. If you combine with us, then we can make the ultimate circus to bring happiness to people,” Remus says in a unified voice as his body opens.
“Fat chance buddy. I ain’t looking to live in another man’s body,” Roger says as he takes out his pistol and takes out the sword from his cane.
“You will join us.”
Ebony and Roger fight off the various performers and animals but the flesh within the performers give them durability to take their attacks. They’re trying to fight their way to Remus since he appears to be in control, but they can’t manage to gain any ground as the other dolls close them in their circle. Ebony is the only problem because of her nature so Ellie absorbs her. She tries to fight back as she roars and struggles. Ellie’s body fiercely fights against Ebony and it appears that he is overwhelming her.
“Ebony!” Roger says as he gets absorbed by Remus.
Roger fights against the many hands in Remus’ body that try to get him to merge with him. He hears the voice of his family calling out to him. The voice of his daughter rings the loudest. Roger sees her hands pierce through Remus’ body and hold his hand. He holds her shining hand and she pulls him out.
Once he’s outside Remus’ body, Roger sees that he’s grabbed Ebony trunk.
“Thanks for saving me, Ebony. Let’s destroy this circus of freaks,” Roger says as Ebony and him both attack Remus.
Ebony’s attack is the only one that counts as the light that comes from her destroys Remus and the other performers while freeing the souls trapped within the bodies of the dolls. Glass cracks in front of them and Roger, Ebony, Riley, and the other performers of the Circus of Misfortune appear back on the road where they crossed into the other dimension. It’s as if no time has passed and nothing happened, but everyone remembers what happened. Ebony and Roger are thanked for saving the circus and a celebration is given to them at the next town they pass. The mirror dimension becomes another story with a folklore legend they tell others that they can’t prove.
Chapter 4 – The Tattooed Mistress
You may have heard of this kind of woman in your neighborhood or in the news. The kind of woman that seduces men to do her bidding and who could be mistaken for a witch or a succubus. There is a legend of a woman with tattoos all over her body that is this kind of woman. She would seduce men and women to walk with her then she would tell them to do specific things for them or she would just kill them. It is said that her tattoos come to life and that they help her give her the most appealing look to her victims. Because of the legend of this woman, many witches have tried replicating her but failed. There are even a few people that tried to dress up as her some of which were beaten due to the fear of this legend. Despite people distancing themselves from women like this, the legend is still kept alive and this woman continues to seduce people to do her dirty work.
Roger and his circus are taking a break after encountering so many folklore legends. Monsters such as wendigos, La Segua, Gumiho, Azatoth, and various Western and Eastern legends have tried their hand in destroying the circus and failed, but this doesn’t mean that lives weren’t lost. Veterans and newcomers alike have lost their lives defending their home and passion.
Zackary and Zoey are two twin performers who put on a special show that make their tiger and elephant respectively do different kinds of tricks and acts. Right now, they’re walking through town while running a couple errands.
Zackary says, “I wonder if Roger is okay. I wish we could do more for him.”
“Me too but what can we do that the others aren’t doing for him?” Zoey asks.
“We could get something for him. You know how he likes toy elephants.”
“He likes toy elephants because his daughter loved elephants. I’m not sure if they’ll make him feel worse or better. I remember back in the day when she rode the elephants with me and even pretended to be one.”
“Don’t make me sad as well. We’re supposed to be taking a break.”
“Sure, but I think Roger deserves it more than we do. He blames himself for the people we lost because he’s supposed to be our leader.”
“And what have we done for him? We left him when things got bad for him even though he took us off the streets and yet we have the nerve to rejoin as if nothing happened.”
“You know what he needs is another wife and kids to replace the ones he lost.”
“Are you volunteering?”
“No, what I’m saying is that we find him a good wife.”
“You can’t even find me a good wife, nor can you find yourself a good man.”
“Oh shut up. I still think it’s a good idea.”
“I think it might be a better one to just get him a toy elephant. If he doesn’t like it, then we can just say that we’re going to bring it to his daughter’s grave. Maybe that’ll help him let go of her death.”
“I guess you’re right, but let’s not forget our main reason for being out here.”
“Yeah, let’s get back at those creeps for putting us on the streets.”
“Do you remember the plan?”
“Kind of.”
“Good grief, just follow my lead.”
The twins head to their house to find it in a worse state than it was before.
“These people don’t learn,” Zackary says.
“Well, we were the only people who cleaned the house. What else would’ve happened?” Zoey responds.
Their father walks outside the house with a suitcase and a woman they have never seen before.
“Who is that?” Zackary asks.
“I don’t know. Our parents were never loyal to one another. It’s not like they actually knew how to love a person,” Zoey says.
They start to follow them.
“But this woman looks weirder. She seems to be beautiful, but there’s also something off about her.”
“Don’t tell me you think that woman looks good. Do you see the tattoos on her?”
“What tattoos?”
“You don’t see them? Do you need your eyes checked?”
“No, I honestly don’t see them.”
“That means we could be dealing with another folklore legend.”
“At least she’s going after someone who deserves it.”
“Let’s just see what happens. Maybe we can still get a piece of him.”
There’s a large crowd in the streets tonight so the twins follow their father and the mysterious woman by traversing the rooftops. The “couple” appear to be enjoying each other’s company. Their father looks around and gives other people dirty looks as if to say that the woman is his. They enter a house with flowers and roses decorating the outside with statues of attractive looking women and men.
“I wonder how many brothers, sisters, and cousins we have because of our parents.”
“I don’t even want to know because it means that they’re suffering like we were. I think to myself sometimes that we picked a few of them up because the circus feels like my true family.”
“I like to think that too.”
“Let’s see what they’re doing in the window.”
Climbing to the window and looking in, the twins catch their father signing documents and giving them to the woman.
“Is he signing over his possessions to her?”
“I knew he was easily coerced by women but this?”
Their father turns around and the woman’s true appearance is made clear to Zackary. Her tattoos come to life and eat their father. The twins gasp in horror and almost break a flower bed outside the window. After giggling to herself, she sees that the twins are watching her. Knowing they’ve been found out, the twins climb to the rooftop and quickly run back to the circus so Ebony can help them. They avoid running on the streets so no one else gets involved with their problem, but the woman uses her charms to get other people to chase them. Some of their pursers even take makeshift weapons with them like canes and wooden planks while some even use guns. The twins do their best to evade their attacks but get grazed by bullets. They attack their pursuers and knock them out by using their acrobatic skills and by using the weapons they’re attacked with.
The woman then leaps onto the roof and personally pursues the twins. The tattoos on her body come to life in the forms of snakes and birds and knock the two off the roof and into a trash bin. The twins quickly recover since they’re used to falling from practice and hide inside a nearby store. They watch as the tattooed bird and snake search for them. The twins then see the store they’re in and see that it’s a toy store.
“Are you two okay?” the cashier asks.
“Yeah, we’re fine. Do you have any toy elephants?” Zackary awkwardly asks while looking for one.
The twins buy a pink toy elephant decorated with rainbow decorations. It has to have rainbow decorations on it because it was Roger’s daughter’s favorite colors. They then quietly and carefully go back to the circus while avoiding detection. This works out until they are blocks away from the circus. The two get chased until they are close to the circus to call out to Ebony. She quickly heads out of Roger’s tent and deals with the tattooed woman. All of the woman’s tattoos come to life so that multiple monsters start to attack the people around her and Ebony roars in response.
Ebony’s little squeak of a roar gets the woman’s tattoos to recede back into her body and warp it from the inside. She then continues to roar until the woman blows up. There’s nothing left of her but the tattoos she had that just slowly fall to the ground and decorate it with its many designs and animals. Not wanting to take any chances, Ebony stomps on them to completely erase them. Zackary and Zoey profusely thank Ebony before going to Roger who has just exited his tent and give him their gift.
“What’s going on here?” Roger asks.
“We uh, got chased while running a couple errands but here! We got you something you might like,” Zackary says as he shows him the pink elephant.
There’s silence for a few seconds as Roger holds the toy.
Zoey, feeling the awkward silence, tries to save the situation by saying, “Uh. If you don’t like it, we could always bring it to your daughter.”
“I…I don’t know what to say.”
“I told you getting the toy for him might do this!” Zoey complains to Zack.
“Well, you didn’t have any better ideas!”
“No, no! It’s a great gift. I honestly got rid of all of the elephants my daughter had and I regretted it ever since. Thank you so much.”
Roger hugs the twins. The other workers and performers talk to themselves about what to get Roger while a couple of them thank the twins for getting Roger a good gift. Ebony goes up to Roger and uses her truck to try to touch the elephant. Roger smiles and hands it to her. Ebony smiles and makes playful sounds as she plays with it.
Roger says, “Even Ebony seems to like it.”
“You see? I had the better idea,” Zackary boasts.
“Shut up.”
“What was your idea, Zoey?”
“I was going to hook you up with a woman. You know. Someone who is always by your side.”
“You’re not volunteering, are you?”
“No-I mean-I mean-I’ve never really thought about it and…” Zoey says as she gets flustered.
“I was joking, Zoey. Calm down. Besides, we just got a new recruit who wants to be my helper, Tomiko. She should be around here…there she is!”
Roger and the twins walk up to Tomiko and introduce themselves. Tomiko is an eastern-looking woman with a small beauty mark underneath her right eye. She wears a ringmaster outfit with fishnet pantyhose and a hat with gray ribbons and a gray flower on top of her it.
She smiles and says, “It’s nice to meet you too.”
Chapter 5 – A Girl Worth Fighting For
Now that you remember the legend of the tattooed woman, maybe you’ll remember the legend of the woman that men die for. No one knows her name or what she looks like. Some even say that this woman is a spirit that possesses a human woman until she no longer needs that human. She would seduce men and lead their lives into ruin. The men would then kill her, which would usually end in them going to jail for the rest of their life or their execution. Some say that she’s a succubus who failed to seduce an archangel and was cursed to seduce and die repeatedly until the day comes for her to be cast in hell for all eternity. The only advice people give to avoid this woman is by avoiding loose women and peculiar girls. Otherwise, you better hope that you picked the right girl to fall in love with.
“I’m from the east,” Tomiko explains to every one of the Circus of Misfortune, “I heard about Roger’s amazing circus and had to be part of it. I’ll be teaching everyone the techniques I learned and helping Roger with keeping everyone organized.”
Tomiko’s cute expression and voice keep everyone listening to her. Once practice starts, she firmly and caringly instructs people in the tricks and acrobatics that she knows. It takes about five hours of practice until everyone gets a feeling for the moves and do them on their own. While the performers practice, Tomiko helps manage Roger’s papers and contacts and gives him her opinion on what to do next, which are usually the best ones. In just one day, she improves the circus. She even makes friends with Ebony and plays with her. This new member appears to be a welcome addition to the family since everyone likes her. Ebony doesn’t sense any negativity in her, unlike some other people who have tried to infiltrate the circus to destroy it.
She sleeps in Roger’s tent in a bed separate from his since there’s no room for her anywhere else.
“I’d say you made a good first impression,” Roger says.
Tomiko wonders, “Did I? I thought your circus treated everyone this well.”
“They do but they like you a bit more in particular. You’re teaching them things new and fun things in an interesting way. They just love being with you.”
“Oh,” she says as she blushes, “Thank you. What about you? What do you think?”
“I think you’re a great person.”
“Really?”
“I’m an honest man who tells people exactly what I think about them to their face. You can trust me.”
“I know, I’m sorry. I’m just not used to receiving compliments.”
“Why’s that?”
“I uh. Have a history.”
“Who doesn’t? This is a place for people with long histories. You don’t have to explain it to me. I’ve heard it all.”
“Thank you for being so understanding.”
“It’s no problem. If you need something, don’t be afraid to ask anyone.”
“Ok, I will.”
“Alright, see you bright and early tomorrow.”
“Good night.”
Roger and Tomiko go to sleep for the night. During the night, Roger feels a hot feeling. A feeling of someone reaching for him until they have their hands on them. He wakes up as Tomiko is shaking him.
“Roger, you have to get up,” Tomiko quietly says.
“What’s going on?” he says as he groggily gets up.
“What I told you about last night. My past has caught up to me.”
Tomiko slightly opens the tent to show Roger two men and two women outside arguing with the circus workers and performers about Tomiko’s whereabouts. Everyone tells them the same story that Tomiko passed through here and that they deny interacting with her, but these people are set on getting as much information as possible.
Roger heads out and says in a calm voice, “Hello, is there something I can help you with?”
A woman says with a stern voice, “Yes, we’re looking for Tomiko. She has hell to pay for.”
“I’m sure you’re mistaken because that woman who passed through here was a very nice person. If she does have hell to pay for, it seems that she’s paying for it as we speak.”
“It’s not enough if God makes her pay for it. We want our fair share as well.”
“Now what was that one saying, “To shake off the dirt or whatever off your shoes and leave it behind?” You should probably do the same and let her go.”
“She deserves worse than what she’ll get!”
“Now who made you God?”
Roger starts beating on the four people. His experience on the streets has given him the skills he needs to beat them all by himself.
As they crawl back to their feet, he says, “Get out of here. Unless you want to be tiger food.”
His circus yells at the four as they run away. Tomiko claps for Roger and he tips his hat in response.
She says, “That was amazing, Roger!”
“It’s nothing. It happens all the time around here.”
“I…I bet you want to know my past now that you saw how angry those people were.”
“Tell me if you want to. The circus is a fresh start for people. If telling me your past helps you shed your old skin and break into your new one, then do it.”
“I uh. I don’t think I’ll need to tell you.”
“Then welcome to your new life.”
Tomiko smiles then hugs Roger. He smiles too and hugs her. Today, the circus is having a special event that is lead by Tomiko and Roger. They’re having the event not only to give Tomiko a real taste of her job but also because they just love entertaining people. This is just a performance for fun and nothing too serious. After Ebony’s part is done, she goes back to rest, but she suddenly senses something evil coming from Tomiko’s room. Ebony knows that Tomiko is heading to her room to change clothes for the next event, so she rushes there to find nothing.
Tomiko enters the room confused and asks Ebony, “What’s the matter Ebony?”
Ebony squeaks and looks around the room.
“Is there an intruder?”
A shadow in the room jumps from location to location. Ebony notices it and tries to get Tomiko out of the room.
“I need to get changed, Ebony. Unless…”
The shadow jumps to Tomiko’s body and takes control of it. The shadow thief is a legend about a thief who was cursed by a witch to be a shadow. He tried stealing from her, but when he was found, he hid in the shadows. The witch tried to find him in the shadows, but couldn’t, so she just cursed him to be a shadow. The thief can only move in the shadows and he can’t touch anything in the light unless he is possessing a body dead or alive. He can possess a body as long as he wants to, and he knows it.
The thief taunts Ebony by making Tomiko at his whim. He makes her hit herself and slam her head into the wall. He then physically twists her body parts. Tomiko cries out in pain as she can feel her bones breaking. Ebony has seen her friend suffer enough so she comes up with the idea of stepping into Tomiko’s shadow. Because Ebony casts no shadow at all because of her dark light, the shadow thief dissipates into nothing and his soul goes to receive its rightful punishment.
Tomiko hugs Ebony with tears in her eyes and says, “Thank you, oh thank you, so much Ebony! I would be dead without you.”
Roger and some other people come up to Tomiko’s room to see what’s happening.
“What happened?” Roger asks as he examines the bruises on Tomiko.
“This shadow monster attacked me and made me hurt myself, but Ebony saved me.”
“That’s my girl.”
Ebony squeaks with a smile. Tomiko receives some medical attention for her injuries and continues to finish the show. At the end of the show, the audiences gave their high praises to Tomiko and showered her with attention. In the mess, Riley notices that Roger is missing. He tracks him down by his scent and finds him with an unknown girl. Roger appears to be under her charms and the woman is giving Riley some really bad vibes. Fearing that, if he left to get Ebony, Roger would be gone, Riley jumps into action. He climbs the body of the woman and uses his strength to pull her gaze away from him. Riley has had a lot of experience dealing with humans, so his strength is extraordinary for a mouse. His strength is such that her head falls off in the process. A black mist is released from the body as if the soul of the woman is trying to escape.
Roger wakes up from his delusions to see a headless doll in front of him.
“Riley, you saved me!”
Riley gives him a thumbs up then points to a lantern then to the doll.
“You’re right. Let’s burn this hag.”
After burning the seductive doll, Roger and Riley return to find Tomiko resting on Roger’s bed.
“Are you okay, Tomiko?” Roger asks.
“Oh, of course I am! I just didn’t expect to be so popular and get so much attention in a single day.”
“I don’t see why not. You’re amazing, Tomiko. I told you, you would fit in with us misfits.”
“Hahaha, I guess you’re right.”
The two smile as they form a bond Riley hasn’t seen in a while. He leaves them, so they can privately be together.
“I wasn’t thinking anything like that, Riley!” Roger says, “Do you want to go for a walk along the river?”
“Sure.”
Roger takes Tomiko’s hand as they walk out of the tent together and to the river. Meanwhile, Riley went to Ebony and a couple of circus workers. Since Ebony taught Riley how to better communicate with humans, the workers understand the two animals and go with them to spy on Tomiko and Roger. The group of spies catches Roger and Tomiko just in time to see them holding hands as they look out at the town with lanterns lit up for the night. They appear to be talking to one another about something as their heads are touching one another, but the group can’t hear what they’re saying. They quietly move forward until Ebony senses something strange. It’s a dark presence but it’s cloaked and small. Ebony gets even closer to the two to see an almost invisible black mist coming out of Tomiko’s body.
“Riley, do you see this?” Ebony says.
“What is it?”
Riley goes up close and sees the same black mist he saw from the other woman.
“Oh no! Help me keep her away from Roger!”
Ebony pushes Tomiko away as Riley sits on Roger’s arm to protect him from further harm. Ebony’s light effects Tomiko as it expels the darkness from within her.
As the darkness within Tomiko fades away, she laughs then says, “Hahaha! You fools are too late! I finished what my sister failed to do and soon, your dear Roger will be my loyal servant even after I’m gone! Hahahaha!”
Riley sees that Roger’s left arm is coursing with darkness. The darkness within Tomiko disappears and leaves behind an unconscious normal woman. Ebony can’t purify his arm, so she gets the workers to cut it off. Once they do, they quickly take Roger and the unconscious woman to a nearby hospital. Thankfully, the doctors are able to save Roger. The unconscious woman, however, is different. She is unable to speak English and the hospital has to retrieve their translator in order to understand her. She says that she lost consciousness days ago and doesn’t know why she’s in the country. The clothes she’s wearing aren’t even hers nor does she know how to do any circus tricks. Her name isn’t even Tomiko.
Other people from the circus come to the hospital after they are informed about what happened.
Seeing the worry in their eyes, Roger reassures them, “Don’t worry about me. I guess I’m not allowed to fall in love again, but I don’t care about that. I have all of you with me. That’s all that matters. Besides, I get to have a wooden arm. How cool is that?”
His friends or rather his family laughs with him then help him to get better as he heals from physical and emotional wounds.
Chapter 6 – The question asked in order,
To save her life or take it
After a short stay at the hospital, Roger gets used to his new arm and goes back to the circus. He has a custom-made arm that contains a blade in it in case he ever gets attacked. It doesn’t take him long to get back into the practice of being the circus master despite people telling him to rest. After almost falling asleep during one of his own special stunts, he takes their advice and decides to rest for a while, which finally signals the start of the circus’ vacation. They start packing their things and move into the hotels in the nearby town for the time being with all of their circus tents and equipment in the hands of a trusty business partner who keeps it in a safe location.
The circus all stay in the same hotel to stay by Roger’s side especially because of some of them, like Zackary and Zoey, abandoned him during the first-time things got tough so they’re set on staying by his side until their deaths. During this time, fans of the circus come to get autographs and show their support for the healing circus master. Minor performances are made outside the hotel to ensure to their fans that they’re still in business. The circus rarely takes vacations because the circus feels like a constant vacation to them. They travel, have fun, and experience all kinds of action and horrors as they bring joy and happiness to people. If anything, this is their first legitimate break and they can’t wait to get back to work.
On one foggy day, Ebony looks out the window. She hears a weird noise outside and goes to investigate it. While searching around the empty city streets, she catches a glimpse of the shadow of a person being dragged into the alleyway. Sensing danger, she heads to the alleyway thinking that someone needs help. In the alleyway, she enters a dark space where everything has turned black and white. She’s entered some kind of warped reality, but she doesn’t know it. Several people made of white lines appear and surround her. A cage is drawn around her and a stage rises from the ground.
The white face of an announcer appears in the sky above her. He says, “Today’s unfortunate guest is the legendary ebony elephant, Ebony!”
The people around Ebony clap as she stays on her guard.
“Oh, don’t be worried, Ebony! In fact, you should be excited because you are going to save the lives of dozens of people, but it will cost you of course.”
There are legends that not many people know about. A legend that not many people survive. A legend that hasn’t even been made into a story. This is one of those. These people will test Ebony’s goodwill and pure spirit. Her surviving their challenge is very unlikely.
The area around her expands so that it appears that she’s in a large arena. Several real people are let out from the sides of the arenas in chains.
“So Ebony, you must be wondering why you never heard of us. It’s because the only people that escaped our trap were angels and saints. You’re neither as far as we can tell. There is a total of forty people trapped within us. Can you save them all?”
The people around Ebony pull out their guns while others stay by at switches. They point their guns at certain people. Seeing what they’re about to do, Ebony quickly rushes to the person aid and takes a couple gunshots as a result. This person is freed and is transported back to where they belong. Ebony’s thick skin absorbs the impact of the bullets and barely harms her. A lever is pulled and a set of saw blades comes out of the ground and make their way towards the next victim. Ebony, again, has to endure pain in order to save the victim and again, this victim disappears back to where they belong.
“That was impressive Ebony, but can you do it another thirty-eight times?”
The poor selfless ebony elephant has to endure being shot, cut, and burned constantly while running to save the lives of innocent people who are too tired to thank her. This happens again and again and again. Her skin can only endure so many hits before the wounds start cutting deep. She starts to bleed after a while and start to slow down. What she doesn’t know is that there is no rush to save these people, there is only the illusion. Everything goes at the speed Ebony can keep up with, however, she’s too tired to notice this. Despite her pain, she pushes through it to save everyone she is presented. Her drive to save people and make them happy is her prime motivator in life. It’s something she’s dedicated her life to and is set on dedicating all of her life to this goal, however, her body is not as strong as her will. She saves twenty people before her body gives way to her wounds.
Another person still needs saving and she crawls to save them.
“Oh, give up already you, stupid elephant. You’re never going to save everyone. You’re always going to miss someone who needs help. You’re not going to make everyone happy. Your life goal is impossible and foolish to pursue. Give up and perish.”
Her body and everyone around her tell her to give up. They mock her. Throw trash at the wounded elephant and spit at it. Everything about this situation tells her to give up. That’s she’s a fool for even trying, but a dim light inside her is still alive. This light ignites and gives her the strength to save the next person. Her wounds are temporarily healed. The dark light shining from her is brightened and she shines like a large bonfire. Everyone around her is frightened but they keep sending out victims regardless. Ebony is faster now than before and the light coming from her starts to affect her surroundings as the guns wielded by people start to blow up on the people that wield them. The traps don’t work anymore and the dimension around Ebony starts to fall apart.
The people in the crowds start to jump into the arena and beg for forgiveness.
They say, “We only to test people’s capacity for goodness. We meant no harm! No one was ever killed. We swear it!”
Ebony stands over them and says, “You don’t test good people by causing them pain. Scum like you don’t get mercy.”
The darkness of their own dimension consumes them and transports Ebony to a foggy forest outside the city she was in. Her body goes back to normal, but so does the pain, which causes her to faint from exhaustion. A mysterious creature grabs the large elephant with one hand and drags her deeper into the forest.
Meanwhile, Roger is talking to one of the performers about his daughter.
He says, “She wanted to become like me, you know. The only thing that kid ever wanted was to see the smiling faces of the audience. If we ever pasted someone poor on the street, we had to bring them into our circus to make them happy. If we ever past someone said, we gave them free tickets to our show. There was even this one time she gave one of her special elephants to a child younger than her to see the kid smile. My daughter deserved the world and what did she get? A short life.”
“How did she die, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I don’t mind. This may even help me. It was one spring morning. My family and I were going on a vacation, but then my baby girl noticed someone being harassed for their money. I saw her confront the man and before I knew it, the man shot her then ran off. They caught the man later and hung him, but still. Did you know that Riley and he were best friends?”
“I’m so sorry.”
“My son died in a similar way because he thought his sister was brave. He tried saving someone and was beaten to death as a result. I’m glad those criminals who killed him were beaten to death by the public.”
“Roger…”
“My wife was no different. She thought that her children would be disappointed if their mother wasn’t a role model too. When she saw the opportunity to save someone’s life at the expense of her own, she took it. I thought I was going to die the same way but that didn’t happen. I caused this all by going to a witch doctor and saving Riley’s life.”
“Roger!”
“I know, I know. I should calm down.”
“You were an inspiration to your family and everyone around you. You gave up your curse, and when you fell back to rock bottom, you came back better than ever.”
“Right, right. Thanks for reminding me.”
A circus worker comes into the room looks around a bit then asks Roger, “Have you seen Ebony?”
“No, why?”
“She’s disappeared.”
“What do you mean she’s disappeared? That elephant is a member of our family, you don’t just lose her.”
A member of the hotel comes up to Roger’s room and hands him a letter. The member says, “We were given this letter addressed to you.”
Roger holds the dirty letter in his hand then asks, “Who gave it to you?”
“I don’t know. It just appeared on our desk.”
“This can’t be good.”
Roger quickly opens the note that grows a mouth and says, “I have your darling elephant. Come out to the forest on the north end of the city to retrieve her if you dare!”
The mouth then retreats back into the paper, which makes the paper dissipate into ash.
Shocked, but not discouraged, Roger states, “We’re going after her.”
Chapter 7 – The Tyranny of the Author
Another less well-known legend is the legend of the shadow writer.
I’ve been watching Roger ever since the beginning. Even though the contract has been lifted from his soul, there are souls that still want him to pay in blood. If I can get rid of him and his crew of misfits, then I can receive a boost in power and status in the underworld. I creep up the side of the hotel and look through the windows to find Roger and his circus. Right now, he’s still talking to his friends about whether he should be allowed to accompany the rest of the circus in their rescue attempt.
He’s saying, “That elephant saved me so now it’s my turn to save her!”
“But you’re still supposed to be resting.”
“I have a hidden blade in my left arm! I’m ready for anything.”
“Do you trust us?”
“Of course I do, but I’m your leader. If I wasn’t with you through it all, I wouldn’t be your leader. You’re asking me if I trust you on this and I, but I have to be there.”
“Fine, but you’re not going ahead of us. We’re going to have people to guard you to help keep you safe.”
“Alright. Let’s go get our special little elephant.”
The circus moves out from the city and enters the forest I told them too. If I can take out Roger, then the rest of the circus will be demoralized and easy to crush. Whatever I write in my book will appear and attack them. I can’t write anything too outlandish or something that will attack them directly, so I’ve set up several traps ahead of them. They can’t see me, but I’m watching them from the shadow. A skinny figure the blends in with the trees that is unable to be seen by even the keenest of eyes.
They don’t know it right now, but they’ve tripped a wire that has let out an invisible gas. It takes a few moments to kick in since it’s a subtle gas. The circus starts to hallucinate the worst monster they can possibly imagine. Each person sees something different which means each person is affected differently. These fools attack their hallucinations and even manage to harm each other. What’s strange is that Roger and Riley don’t appear to be affected.
Roger appears to have figured out what’s happening and says, “Stand down! What are you all doing? There’s nothing out here that’s attacking you!”
“What are you talking about don’t you see them?! Don’t you feel them?!”
“No, I don’t. Trust me and put away your weapons.”
His subordinates are hesitant, but they eventually put down their weapons. Unfortunately, no one was seriously hurt or even killed during this trap. The effects of the gas wear off after a while and their hallucinations disappear. No matter. I still have a couple more tricks. This next one is deadlier than the last.
Before they know it, they enter a sinkhole. The ground keeps getting lower and lower. They may have even noticed that the ground feels a bit softer the further they get into the forest. Once they get to the center of the sinkhole, they fall into the underworld. This is a place where all the legends and folklore that people make up come from. Everything in here wants them dead. I’ve done my job. There’s no way they’re making it out of this trap.
I’ll be living the easy life soon enough. I might as well check on Ebony to see if she’s fallen into despair. That elephant is chained right now in a special room close to Hell. The chains should be sapping the energy from her soul as the fire cooks her to a crisp. I’ve never eaten an elephant before, but it never hurts to try. Wait, what happened here? There are bodies of other creatures and monsters here. The chains are broken, and the place is a mess. Where did that elephant go? How could it break out? How could it possibly break out unless there’s someone else that’s special about it that I’m not seeing?
She’s probably looking for her circus now. Sure enough, I find her fighting alongside them. Several monsters are retreating now that they see that Ebony is here. She looks different too. When I found her, she was nearly dead, but now she’s glowing. Ebony’s radiating a divine light that’s almost blinding to look at. I can still salvage this situation if I get rid of Roger, so I write in a trap that’s sure to kill him. Because Ebony is moving around so fast, she won’t even know she’ll trigger it. It’s a trap that will launch a small sharp metal piece into the head of Roger. This small piece will launch into the air at high speeds and kill the man in an instant. Once I write the trap in and Ebony triggers the trap, everything falls into place-what?! That mouse Riley heard the trap go off and somehow knew to protect Roger.
“Riley!” Roger yells out as he gets the metal piece out of the mouse’s torso.
Ebony sees what happened and rushes to Roger. She puts her trunk over Riley’s and the mouse is filled with light. It comes back to life and radiates with a similar light to Ebony’s.
“Are you ready brother?” Ebony asks.
“I’m ready sis,” Riley answers.
“Good because I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Hey, my prayers helped, didn’t they?”
“They did.”
The mouse then runs around and helps to drive off the rest of the legends and monsters. I might as well take my leave as well. I know who those two are now. They are Roger’s children. The higher power must’ve granted their wish to help their father once he turned from his false blessing. I doubt I can get through to them now or ever. Maybe I should turn from my ways too…if I can.
Roger and his circus make it out of the sinkhole without any serious injuries or death. They return back to the city and throw a party for themselves and for Ebony and Riley. The sister and brother reinstate their vow to help their father fulfill his redemption. They promise to protect their family, the circus, from the scariest monsters and legends because they love everyone and want to make people happy.
The End
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