Lost Smile and Strange Circus

tenth half

Haven't updated this book in a while...
•••

As the sky clouded up and took on shades of orange and purple, Noah skipped happily towards her shared tent with Rebecca.

Entering, she saw that the living space has not yet been occupied by anyone else. The glass-headed glamour girl was probably still out there, organizing things for her show this evening.

Thus, she kicked her shoes off, vigor slowly coming to her eyes as she felt as if a missing piece of herself had been in this circus all along.

Drifting off to sleep was one of the kindest ways she could live through her life back in the alley, but it also was something she didn't want to succumb to, for the darkness of her own mind brought her sorrow she couldn't tell whether or not it was her own.

She dreamt of the same shadowy atmosphere, hearing the same haunting voice that sang a demented melody. It was both comforting and brought agony at the same time.

"No... Please, don't abandon the baby again..."

She spoke with an echo as she saw the woman in her dream bidding goodbye to the child that previously was in her arms. Everytime she would have this premonition, she'd see these same events unfolding.

It had never been recent, but it was just a few years closer to before she had been brought to the circus by Oddman. She was reaching out, calling towards the woman and trying to comfort the lonely child, but her voice was never to be heard.

As she woke up with a sweat, she found someone standing beside her.

If she remembered correctly, his name was Oscar, the man with a television-like structure. His face was a screen, and his limbs were of wires that miraculously held him upright. He was dressed in a set of formal noblety clothing, and on his... Head... was a small decoration that looked like a top hat.

"Oh... Hello, Oscar."

"Hello there, Noah. I was told to check up on you by the ever-so-protective Oddman."

He tipped his hat with his cable hands, doing a little curstey. The light of the candle he had placed on top of one of the desks was enough to allow them to see each other vaguely in the dimness of the evening.

Rebecca stirred in her sleep in her own hammock, giving Noah the knowledge that she was already with them in the tent.

"Something bothering you, little one?"

"Hm? N-no... I just... Had a dream, is all... "

"Dream? Hm. Nightmare, I may presume."

The girl nodded, then asked how Oscar knew of her predicament.

"No one wakes up in the middle of the night with cold sweat if they aren't being haunted by these ugly visions."

He walks closer to the candle, the shadows that danced as he moved his limbs giving off the presence of shrunken dragons.

"Should we try to get rid of them?"

"Huh? H-how?"

"It's easy to will nightmares away by laughing out loud. Trust me! Here, follow. Hahaha!"

Noah mentally placed a palm on her face, sighing as she obeyed the television's instructions.

"Haha..."

"No! Too plain. HAHAHA!"

"Ah... Ahahaha..."

"You're getting the hang of it, but your expression is still very cold. HA-HA--"

A third voice interrupted Oscar.

"What is happening here? Would you shut up and let the kid sleep, Oscar?"

Rebecca grumbled like an angry mother, muttering a few more words before she slumped back into her hammock. The two stares at each other for awhile before Oscar chuckled and shrugged his shoulder-like body parts.

"Well, I guess that wouldn't work now."

Noah nodded, finding the earlier exchange of the two circus members funny.

"Let's just make you some hot chocolate. Would you like that?"

"Oh? Is it... Okay?"

"It's not even something to mention! Come on, let's get you outside until you fall back asleep."

Placing her trust on Oscar's flexible limbs, she hopped out of her hammock and tapped out into the golden evening that the moon had come to watch.