Scribbles and Drabbles

#4 Light

"You are really quite short," the taller man commented, crossing his arms and tilting his head curiously. "You are also clearly not a child so just why are you trespassing on circus land?" he asked dryly. 

"I'm not trespassing," Dominic frowned, picking up a towel from his bag and draping it around his shoulders. He wasn't wearing much and it was cold. He was wearing a loose-fitting t-shirt, tight dancing shorts and leg warmers to practice his routine in. Anything more and he would be too hot but it did mean that while he wasn't dancing it was freezing cold. Practising in December was always difficult. "This is the park?" he said gesturing to the trees around them. The ground was dirt but dry and now Dominic wasn't a dancer by trade he couldn't afford to train in a dancehall, leaving him forced to find alternative places.

"No, the park ends over there," the taller man nodded at some concrete along the ground. Dominic blinked owlishly and lifted an eyebrow at the man in a silent question. "I'll admit, the fence hasn't been replaced in a while..." he trailed off. "Actually, I don't think we ever fixed it after that storm," he exhaled, rubbing the back of his head. "No wonder you didn't realise."

"The storm?" Dominic asked confused, trying to remember the last time there was a storm. The weather around there tended to be rather calm. Rain, sure but rarely storms.  He hadn't lived there for long but certainly long enough to know if there had been a storm recently.

The taller man nodded not seeing or possibly not caring about Dominic's confusion. "Either way," he gestured over to the other side of the concrete. "I'd appreciate you staying on the right side of the boundary. Townies usually know better," he scolded.

"Townies?" Dominic frowned before it clicked. "Ah, I see. Um. I'm not actually from around here," he offered. "My name's Dominic. I moved here with my parents a few years ago. I was looking for a place to practise. Sorry, I didn't realise the boundary was here. Maybe you should fix that fence." He picked up his bag and dumped it on the other side of the concrete, hopping over and twirling as he did so. 

"Nice to meet you, Dominic," the taller man smiled warmly at him, staying on his side of the concrete. "I'm Bowie. Always nice to meet someone new," he greeted. Dominic smiled back at him.

--x--

They used the stereotypical music that a circus or carnival used. Upbeat and joyful which would fit in just as well in a horror film. Dominic tugged on his sleeves, gripping the end of them tightly as he waited in the queue for the ticket collector. It was crowded. Bowie hadn't been lying when he said tonight was a big night of the year. It felt like the entire town was there. Dominic's mouth was dry as his chest started to tighten. He could hear several people in the crowd nearby who he didn't like. It only made him more nervous.

He was relying on Bowie here. Townies were free tonight, only Dominic wasn't a townie. He was an outsider. If Bowie didn't keep his word... This was stupid. Bowie barely knew him. He had no reason to humiliate Dominic. His stomach grumbled as a smell of something delicious wafted over and he was pulled from the spiral of dark thoughts.

Trying to distract himself, Dominic looked around. It was bright. The lights also enticing as he drew closer, the steady slow pace of people in line carrying him like an unbreakable river. The big circus top was well decked out with bulbs making it almost glow in the night. He had seen the place from a distance during the day but nothing prepared him for how it looked now. It was like something from his dreams as a child. Nothing bad could lie where the world was decorated like this. His heartwarming as the sensation of being younger flowed over him, hopeful feelings that almost made him willing to believe in anything; Including a stranger who had seemed kind.