SHADELIGHT

[OLD] Chapter 3 ; Strange Occurrences

~Kitty's P.O.V.~

A year has passed, during which I gained and lost another job, visited my grandparents Rhubarb and Joe with Wolfen, and I was watching a lot of travel videos by a BloxTuber named mrflimflam. Things were going well, despite our situation, and that strange encounter was the last thing on my mind.

I decided to try the Warp Center, they always have a new place to go if you can't find a job in the city or want to go somewhere exotic and new. I'd seen it suggested in one of mrflimflam's videos. It's one of Robloxia's biggest attractions for tourists and the like. After getting dressed in a white skirt and galaxy tank top, I waved goodbye to Wolfen and walked on over to the Warp Center.

Behind the employee safety glass, a blond girl with the name tag "Storm" waved me into the warping room. There, I had a selection of eight portals to choose from. Three were eye burningly colourful, two were dark and monotone, one was striped and dotted, and two were chilling shades of blue. Wanting to pick the unique one, I asked the girl to send me through the striped and dotted portal, taking me to a place that instilled vertigo.

That portal lead me to my first remembered oddity. My tipping point. My first visit to the Circus in the Sky.

~*Welcome Home*~

~Third P.O.V.~

After a swishing sensation, Kitty stumbled and fell to the grassy ground on the other side of the Warp Center portal. She rubbed her head in confusion as she looked around. It appeared that there was some, black ocean? Surrounding grassy islands? Each with an interesting looking building cluster or twisted structure. Stepping closer to the edge of her island, she reached out a hand to touch the black water, that is, until a pale hand pulled her back.

"Do you want to die?"

Kitty turned, face-to-face with a smiling boy, with a green monkey shirt and bacon-looking hair.

"Is it poisonous or something?" She asked, glancing back at the inky liquid.

"No, but I guess air can be poisonous sometimes. I'm Henry."

"Air?? What are you talking about?" Henry began to explain, but Kitty's eyes had picked up the gleams from the darkness. "ARE WE IN THE SKY!?" She stumbles back from the edge, now realising how close she had been to falling.

"Yeah, duh, that's why it's called the Circus in the Sky." Henry rolled his eyes but smiled. "Anyway, I'm gonna head out, try not to die without me!" He winks and walks through the portal Kitty had just entered through.

"Circus...?" Now that her eyes had adjusted, she could see towering buildings of vibrant colour, the smell of donuts and popcorn wafted along the breeze, and the faint sound of piano ragtime drifted into her ears. Each island seemed to hold a new wonder to explore. Screw job hunting today was about discovering! With a grin on her face and coin in her pocket, she hopped 'cross the stones, purchased a ticket, and began to ascend large central stairs. There were circusgoers everywhere, laughing, chatting, eating, some were even traversing the wires strung between the buildings on each side of the stairs. What a wonderous place!

Partway up the stairs, Kitty was passed by a clown dressed in black. Not at all perturbed by the urgency of their footsteps, she followed them. Whatever they were going to see must be awesome to earn such speed. Jogging to keep up, she followed them into a large white and red striped circus tent, the floor ringed with yellow and red, bleachers on each side, and an acrobat setup in the middle.

The darkly dressed clown pushed through a crowd, growling something like, "Let me visit Father Sun, everyone off." Still excited about the potential acrobat act she might have seen, Kitty wondered if this 'Father Sun' was the acrobat on stage. She didn't see anyone on the raised, disc-shaped platform, perhaps he had yet to arrive? Then, unexpectedly, the black-robed clown stepped onto the platform and disappeared.

Oblivious to the envious groans of the onlookers, she walked up to the platform. They had been right here, what happened? Was it a magician's act instead? Curiosity overtaking her worry about ruining the act, Kitty stepped onto the platform.

~Kitty's P.O.V.~

A darkness filled my eyes and, for a few seconds, I could not see. Then the darkness was lifted, and I wished it had stayed. I was on a huge circular platform, floating above the circus.

In front of me was a gigantic man, with a red clown nose and curly clown hair. He wore simple clothing and sat on one of many simple wooden chairs. But the most alarming feature was his face. A stretched black grin and ringed black eyes, manic intelligence glinting like obsidian. That face was on a round yellow head, emitting heat like a smaller sun.

He began speaking to me, projecting but not yelling, firm but supportive. He was telling me that his name was Father Sun. That I was unique and valuable. One of his children, special to him. He seemed so convincing, and I believe I would have sat down with him had I not heard a faint whispering from behind me. I turned and saw a large shadow creature. Red eyes and pointed teeth. I was scared, yes, but once I started listening to it instead of Father Sun, my thoughts became sharper. The shadow was whispering atrocities about Father Sun, things that my mind believed sane. It was not long however that I heard Father Sun's voice again. It was just as warm as before, but something did not sound right.

No longer trusting either of them, I ran to the edge of the platform and jumped. I probably would have died if I hadn't landed in a light decorated tree. Scrambling across the wires like I'd seen others do earlier, I jumped to the grass and bolted down the stairs, careful not to trip. Despite the almost hypnotic lure of the Circus, I had to leave. I hopped across the rocks and halted at the portal. Maybe another time I would come again, so long as I avoided the acrobat tent.

I laughed. "Maybe, but not for a long long time." I jumped through the portal-

~*:o)*~

-and sprawled across the Warp Center floor. Storm looked at me, raising an eyebrow at my splayed figure on the ground.

"Enjoy yourself?" She asked.

Not sure how to respond, I merely nodded. While that was a less-than-pleasant experience, it had shown me the oddities that I could find. That I could explore. Strange things like these sometimes make you wonder if it was all a dream. If it was just a myth.

(1114 words) (© AnonReaderChan)