It was a cool October night, nothing interesting about it at all, until the circus arrived without fanfare. It was almost like they came for me, just as I needed them. The moon glowed a bright orange, reflecting the spooky time of year, I guess. Red and white striped tents covered the field, and suddenly, happy music filled the air – full of bombastic drums, trumpets, xylophones, and organs.
I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but something wasn’t quite right. I gave myself a talking to and decided it must be the excitement, playing tricks on me and making me worry about things I should not need to worry about.
“Klaus, doesn’t it look wonderful,” came his voice, cutting through the night air. Noah, my brother, eyes full of sparkle, mind full of possibilities.
Before the main show began in the Big Top, Noah and I rode the Ferris wheel. As we revolved around it, I was taken aback. Against my better judgement, it looked like crowds of people were blinking out of existence then reappearing, like a glitch in the matrix.
“Did you see that?” I asked.
“See what?” Noah responded. Of course, being the younger brother, he had not noticed a thing, and was too busy stuffing his mouth with the treats I’d bought him. Goodness knows why he was doing that whilst still on the ride, but that’s younger brothers for you.
When the ride ended, a woman in a chequered dress greeted us.
“How did you like it?” she asked. Her smile was unsettling, uncanny.
“Like what?”
“Insanity?”
When I turned to see Noah, he was no longer there. I turned back to the woman in the chequered dress, and she wasn’t there either. And the circus was also gone. The tents, the music, everything, gone without a trace. Leaving me standing in a field all alone, not a soul around for miles.
I couldn’t explain it, try as I might, so I ran home screaming out my brother’s name. I was scared, and lonely – only the moonlight showed me the way towards home.
As I approached the house I heard some tiny giggles.
“Where have you been?” Noah said. “You’re so bad at hide and seek.”
I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Still confused, but happy to see him.
I tried to lead him into the house but something spooked him rotten.
“It’s late. We have to get in the house,” I chided.
“What house?” he responded.
Who responded?
I looked to my left and Noah was no longer there. Instead a man in a white coat sat, taking notes. He looked very interested in what I had to say.
“And what memories does this house bring up, Klaus?”
I blinked him away, quickly. His stupid head morphed in front of me as I did so, until it was nothing but a bright orange glow in the sky.
It was a cool October night, nothing interesting about it at all, until the circus arrived without fanfare. The moon glowed a bright orange, reflecting the spooky time of year, I guess.