Prettiest After the Fall

Songbird

Songbird had adapted well to life in the Devil's Carnival. True, being a member of this mad circus hadn't exactly been what she'd had in mind when she imagined her afterlife, but this really wasn't half bad! Just as the Devil predicted, with enough time, she had become accustomed to this new life. Her main job was to punish those too possessed by worldly and material things. She punished the sinners unable to let go of petty obsessions and vices. Her attraction was simple. It was a ladder climb. All a guest had to do was reach the top of her attraction by way of a series of twisting ropes. What made the game difficult was the fact that the sinners who stumbled into this part of Songbird's attraction were often, by this point, stuffed with other things they'd received in earlier parts of the carnival. Some of these things were clearly unnecessary, such as jewelry or "awards" for other "achievements", while others appeared necessary but really weren't, such as weaponry or an extra layer of clothes or two, acting a bit like armor. To those unable to sacrifice these tools, a fall or strangulation within the ropes was next. To those who were willing to give up their things, the climb became much swifter and easier. It was not hard to reach the sky when one wasn't weighed down by petty things.

Despite this simple fact, however, the rate of success within this attraction was quite low. Songbird and her songbird, named Chromaggia now, would sing to the guests, warning them of the traps that lay within the ropes. They would offer up rules and suggestions in lyrical prose but a scarce few would ever listen. Despite their attempts, both Songbird and her companion, Chromaggia, lost scores of sinners to this simple task. Apparently, letting go of material things was harder than it sounded. But Songbird was so used to seeing such pathetic and selfish sights that losing another sinner was hardly cause for her pity anymore. It served them right for lacking that will to live. If they honestly valued their items over their lives, their blood was upon their own hands. She was only there to remind them that true humanity and value was not placed in objects or things but it was a lesson that fell upon deaf ears, though that was not her concern.

But at one point in time, Songbird found herself entirely alone. For once, her attraction was not being used. For once, she was not being used in a later performance. Instead, she was free to roam the carnival, not that there was much else to do. But it was a welcome change of scenery so she, with Chromaggia on her shoulder like always, left her maze of rope and moved outward towards the Midway.

The walk was actually quite nice, quiet and peaceful, but then the sound of shrieking laughter echoed the Midway and neither Songbird nor Chromaggia needed to turn around in order to know who was coming. It was the Woe-Maidens. All three of them were cavorting over and once they were all together, the Woe-Maidens piled on top of Songbird in a very messy hug. It was almost like a strangle-hold. They laughed madly as they complimented her on one of her previous performances.

"That was so much fun to watch!" they shrieked and cackled. "That idiot! Did you see the way the ropes choked her! And she was just twitching there! Hahahahahaha!" the trio continued to recount the performance while Songbird only gave them a weary smile, waiting for them to let her go from this death-hug. Chromaggia had since taken flight from Songbird's shoulder and was watching the proceedings in amusement from a safe distance above the hyena-like clown posse.

This chummy embrace from Hell's wildest carnies came to an end when a fourth clown girl made her way across the Midway, strutting slowly where the other three had pranced and danced.

"Alright, ladies, that's enough!" the fourth girl sighed. The Woe-Maidens obediently let Songbird go at once, but they were still stifling giggles. Songbird rubbed her neck in relief before turning to look at this new girl. As Songbird inspected the fourth clown, she couldn't help but be struck by the fact that something was oddly familiar about her...