"Have you heard? The circus is coming to town!"
"Really? It's been forever since they've come here."
Mary overheard the conversation of two kids, who she recognized as Priscilla and Thomas. She quickly hid behind one tree in the church's garden, peaking over the trunk.
'They'd stop talking and leave if they saw me.' She thought.
"It was my turn to buy groceries today and the circus trope was hanging out fliers." Priscilla took out a piece of paper from her pocket and showed it to Thomas.
"They'll be here for the rest of the week!" She exclaimed.
Thomas sighed. "There's no way any of the nuns would let us go." He continued. "Besides, we don't have the money to buy tickets."
Priscilla frowned. "I guess you're right."
'The circus, huh?' Mary thought.
It had been years since Mary'd gone to watch the circus. The last time she did was before the accident— before she first met the black beast.
-
Five Years Ago
The church was dark. Everyone had gone to bed. All Mary could hear was the sound of cicadas. Tip-toeing as quietly as she could, Mary walked down the hall. She had only a single candle in her hand.
Today was the last day the circus would be in town, and Mary was determined to see it.
The young girl had stuffed a big pillow under her bed blanket to make it seem like she was sleeping, just in case a nun came to check on her. Occasionally, a nun would look into the children's bedrooms to make sure they were asleep.
Mary gulped as she reached the back door of the church.
This was it. She was about to break the rules and leave the church.
Mary knew if Sister Theresa heard about her departure, she would be very upset.
'Sorry Miss T, but I gotta!'
Mary grabbed the handle of the door. As she opened the mahogany barrier, a gust of fresh air hit her. She had gone out at night before on the instruction of the nuns, but never this late.
Candle in hand, she slowly walked to a hole in the church gate. It was big enough for her, but not with the candle. Mary held the light to her face and blew. She would now have to rely solely on the moonlight. Luckily, Mary remembered the directions to the town.
West.
Mary picked up the pace, not wanting to miss the show. Soon, she heard the music. Mary's eyes widened. In front of her was the coolest thing she'd ever seen. All around her were people and performers. She could see many carnival games littered on the festival grounds. Mary made quick work of avoiding the Ticketmaster.
She was in.
Mary looked in awe. The bright colors were a stark contrast to the church's gray. The circus was loud. Very loud. But Mary didn't care. She walked around the site. Mary knew that there was supposed to be a circus, but didn't know there'd be games!
A voice called out to her.
"Young lady, would you like to play? The first round is free!" A man working at of the stands waved at her. It was a game of darts.
"O-oh, sure!" Mary walked up to the stand.
The man explained the game to her.
"You get three darts to shoot." He handed her the darts. "The higher your score is, the better the reward!"
Mary nodded in understanding. Slowly, she raised her arm containing a dart.
Swoosh.
"A nine!" The man said.
Swoosh.
Swoosh.
She threw the last two darts. A seven and an eight.
"That's 14 points! Would you like to continue?" The man asked.
Knowing she had no money, Mary declined. The man gave her the prize for getting 14 points. It was a music box.
"Wow.....how pretty!" The blue-haired girl's face brightened.
The music box had a carving of a flower. Mary didn't know what type of flower, though.
"Thanks!" Mary turned to leave.
The man grinned. "Come back later!"
The young girl could see people gathering near the center of the festival. Mary quickly rushed over to the commotion.
The circus troupe was putting on an act. In the center of the crowd was a woman. In her hand was a leash. On the end of the leash was a lion. Mary stared at the beast. She had never seen a lion before and wondered how a beast described as ferocious could act so docile. Mary watched intently as the woman did tricks with the lion.
The young girl stayed at the festival for the rest of the night.
YOU ARE READING
Folk Devils | D.Gray-Man
Fanfiction"But I'm a monster!" "So what? Do monsters have to be bad?" Mary knew she was different from the other orphans at the church. The way they treated her showed it. But how would that difference shape her life? - Set during the time of Nea, Mana, & Pas...
