Lost Smile and Strange Circus

eleventh half

"Good morning, Noah! Let's go see Mr. Mush. Maybe he can help you with your nightmares."

The little brunette woke up to sunlight partially piercing her newly-roused eyes. As Oscar stood there with his long body and squared face, she nodded sleepily and put her boots on.

"Come here, I'll lead you to where he stands."

They walked for a while, Oscar striking up small conversations every-now-and-then. Noah could only respond with equally-sized 'yes'es and 'no's, or nods and hums of amazement.

It has been a week since that evening, when Oscar spent time with her until sunrise just so he could help her take her mind off the nightmares for a while.

As they neared a gate towards the back of the circus setup, someone opened the metal barricades and stepped out of something like a garden, which lies behind the gate.

He was a creature with a mushroom head and body, a moustache, droopy eyes and brown clothing. He donned elfish brown boots over his thin legs as well.

"Ah, Mr. Mush, there you are!"

The aforementioned person turned towards the vigorous Oscar, his jaded expression turning into a genuinely lighter one.

"Oscar. And Noah. I've been hearing about you a lot from everyone. What brings the both of you to this beautiful garden?"

"We wanted to see you. We need answers to a few little questions."

"Hm? I am honored. Do share."

Oscar asked Noah to tell Mr. Mush everything about her nightly horrors. It wasn't so scary when you think of it, but there were these chills and tremors she couldn't explain. There were emotions stirring inside her even though she didn't know of them. There was momentary joy, then melancholy, then there began the mix of negativities. She spilled it all out, and Mr. Mush nodded in understanding.

"We want a way to stop these."

Oscar mentioned, moments of silence after Noah's story.

"Stop these nightmares?"

"We thought we'd ask you since you've been living for so long."

"Unfortunately, I do not know of a way to stop these nightmares. But I can share little things about this."

Noah felt her heart beat faster, the blood pumping even harder than ever. She clenched her fists, excited and scared about the fact that the reason behind her dreams will finally come to light.

"Well, you see, I've known of this story that was from a long way back. There was a man who was shrouded in darkness. He was someone not he dealt with, as he was equivalent to a herald, or to death itself. He was odd, covered in shadows and screams of the deceased. That is, until he met a woman. She was so beautiful, fragile as a flower. Her sickly nature made her frame thinner by the day, but despite that, she was smiling. A lot happened, until the woman bore a baby. The man didn't know about this, and he dragged the woman into darkness with him. He was a lonely man, blinded by the light that being human had given him."

"Wh-what a dastardly man, he is!"

Oscar exclaimed aftet hearing the story.

"I don't know if it is real, though. But the fact that Noah dreams of it means she must be related to the woman. Mother, perhaps?"

They all fell silent, then, swallowing thickly, Noah raised another question.

"Then... Who was that man, Mr. Mush?"

No one answered.

"Tell me."

She commanded with a stern tone, set on finding the truth about her existence.

Mr. Mush sighed, then put a hand on Noah's head to ruffle her hair. He turned his back to them, walking away and into somewhere else, probably his tent. He said something in his normal volume, but Noah's concentration was enough to help her hear it clearly.

"Oddman."