Welcome to the Underground Circus
Let the Show Begin
The Big Top’s tent flaps didn’t just open to an arena with stadium seating like Paul had expected. In fact, it wasn’t a tent at all. The tent had been hung like a curtain over a massively thick wall, and the flaps hid a black lit arched tunnel that they followed the crowd through. There were murmurs and nervous laughter. Everyone ahead of them was filled with excitement at what might come next. Everything had been so unexpected, from the slide to the mechanical treat dispensers, it was difficult not to be excited. Paul had noticed that even Doug had stopped worrying over his phone, ready for the show to begin.
“Hey guys, what does my makeup look like under this light?”
Paul stopped and struck a goofy zombie pose as the guys turned to look at him. At once, all of them burst out laughing as they took a good look at one another.
“You look like one of those aliens from They Live,” laughed Steve.
Paul laughed so hard, tears started smearing their way down his face. He did his best to keep them from ruining his makeup but it seemed to only make him laugh harder. That and Wade’s wig. It really did look like a giant tarantula had taken up residence on his scalp. Paul couldn’t even look at Steve in his old man mask – he didn’t want to risk laughing so hard that he peed himself. Screams erupted from the front of the line and bounced their way down the dark tunnel toward the boys.
“I can’t tell if that was a happy scream or a scared scream.” Wade righted his hairdo and his red sash like he was ready to go into war.
“Go ahead, Bluebeard. Go find out which it was.” Steve said, peeling his mask off and rolling his eyes. The black light made the whites of his eyes glow. Almost like the card reader’s.
Paul shook the thought from his head.
Doug chuckled and pushed the boys along. “Bluebeard.”
More screams, and this time laughter, echoed back at them. Whatever was up ahead sounded fun, thought Paul, and he fought the urge to thank Doug again. As they neared the entrance, Steve and Wade started fighting for position. Each one wanting to be the first in their group to see what all the screaming was about.
“I can almost see,” bit Wade through grit teeth as he elbowed his hefty frame forward.
Steve, who took a good shot to the ribs, yanked Wade’s wig back. Wade shouted, “Dude, my hair!”
To which Steve replied, “It looks stupid anyways. Now, move your enormous butt out of the way.”
“No way, old man. I got here first.”
“I’ll show you an old man,” Steve said, throwing an elbow of his own.
What had started as two nitwits shoving and elbowing each other had turned into an (almost) full-blown fight. Well, Paul snickered to himself, a full blown fight for Steve and Wade; two guys who talked a big game but were never willing to follow through. Not that they had never defended themselves. They just wouldn’t throw a real punch until seriously provoked.
Paul and Doug on the other hand…
“You should probably think about getting some new friends,” Doug said as he tightly gripped the nape of Paul’s neck.
Paul immediately stiffened. “What are you doing?”
“What do you think?” sniffed Doug. “I’m making sure that you beat these two idiots into the circus. We’re here for your birthday. Plus, I don’t want to wait here for an hour while they slap each other.”
“We are here for my birthday, aren’t we?” Paul smiled up at his ridiculous big brother.
As he led Paul with one arm, he reached out with the second and muscled his way around Wade and Steve. With one great shove, Doug pushed them up against the side of the narrow tunnel and forced Paul right past them, steering him like a puppet. Though it was a nice gesture, Doug wasn’t exactly easy on Paul. There would be bruises on his neck tomorrow.
“Hey, that’s not fair!”
“Shut up, Wade.”
One look from Doug was all it took to silence them. And when Doug was satisfied that the guys weren’t going to try to do anything, Paul distanced himself from his brother’s meaty claw and righted his bloodied suit jacket and tie. There were a few people ahead of them and Paul slowed his steps so he could see what had caused the others to scream. He expected a clown or another circus performer to jump out or pop down from above, but nothing happened. The group in front of them walked right on in.
“Guys, I don’t see what the big deal is about –”
Just as Paul exited the tunnel, a brilliant burst of flame exploded over his head. He screamed and backed up into the tunnel and into his friends. Steve and Wade were laughing and jumping up and down while Doug took a few steps back of his own. “I’m glad I made you go first,” he said.
Paul’s heart was skipping and his limbs tingled. His body was shaking uncontrollably. He had never been so scared before. No rollercoaster or horror movie, however exciting or gory, had ever terrified him like almost being eaten by a fireball. “That – was – awesome!”
He and Steve and Wade ran out of the tunnel and looked over the doorway to find a woman standing over the entrance. She was a fire-eater. She had a baton in each hand, whirling them rapidly in the air, the fire glinting off of the silver sequence of her dress. In one swift movement she ate the fire from one stick, tilting her head back so that her wild mane wouldn’t get caught up in the orange dancing flame. Then she spun the batons together, lighting it again in a maddening tornado of fire.
“Do it again! Do it again!” the boys shouted from below.
Her bright red lips split in a wicked smile. She produced a green glass bottle and pressed it to those coated lips, taking a quick sip of the poison inside, and before Paul could blink she was spitting fire at them. It came so close that Paul felt as though he had been bathed in flames as the heat kissed his cheeks. He whooped as he spun to his friends.
“Dude, that was so cool,” said Steve, bouncing from foot to foot.
“I don’t know. I think she singed my eyebrows,” lamented Wade.
Paul laughed out loud and tugged on his friend’s arms. “Maybe, she burned that gross wig. Come on, let’s find a seat.”
The four high walls were covered in layer after layer of luxurious red velvet. In the center of each wall were enormously tall wooden doors with shiny, hammered knobs and locks. It reminded Paul of the doors in Jurassic Park, except there were three of them here. Three of them! Paul needed to know what sat behind each of the doors. His fingers began to itch, eager to unlock the secrets of the dino doors. He supposed he would have to wait until the circus performers opened them. Besides, he said to himself, there’s probably nothing back there but dressing rooms or storage.
The ceiling was pitch black, the lights were nearly non-existent, and there wasn’t a sound to be heard but the whispers of the patrons. The seating was set up like an arena except that everything was divided into bizarre opera boxes with padded benches, looking more like booths from a fancy restaurant than seating for a circus. They weren’t placed evenly either. Some boxes were up high, overlooking the stage that was covered in hoops and ramps and various props, while other boxes were closer to stage height. Each opera box had a design circling it. Some were large birdcages, while others looked more like ornate carnival ride cars. There were even a few tea cups. It was all so grandiose while still feeling incredibly intimate. Every seat would give a perfect view of the show. Unfortunately for Paul and the boys, it seemed that most of them were already taken.
There was one that had a few seats left. A black-barred birdcage at stage level that held a tiny Peter Pan and her mother.
The boys sat and nodded a hello to the girl and her mother just as the show was beginning.
The fire-eater that had scared Paul and the guys danced her way to the stage. No music played. But it didn’t stop her hips from moving to the sultry music in her head. She made no sounds other than the whooshing of her lit batons and despite the darkness, made her way stealthily to center stage as she spun and flipped her fire. Paul leaned in closer, resting his elbows on his knees, his gaze following the bouncing flames. Then the stage exploded in a great burst of blue flames. Smoke spread across the stage as the fire-eater raised up above the haze on a tiny platform, underneath which was a tall, warped coffin. Through the fog, Paul could see the coffin lid fly open, revealing an incredibly thin man in a red and tattered ringleader ensemble. His face was gaunt. The black greasepaint underneath his bulging eyes and the white powder flaking from his cheekbones brought to mind an image of death for Paul. And when the man smiled it made Paul’s stomach sour.
“Welcome!” belted the man in a surprisingly rich baritone. He slunk his way out from the coffin and twirled to face each section of his audience. “To you few who braved sliding into our dark depths, you have found our underground circus – our sepulcher of frights and delights. No doubt you enjoyed the whimsical treats we prepared for you and played the games, but we all know that tonight isn’t just about fun.”
He tutted and shook his head and the relatively small audience chuckled, though to Paul it felt like everyone else was as uncomfortable as he was at that moment. There was something in the way the Ringleader spoke, his inflection or his mannerisms, something about him seemed off. Paul supposed he was meant to be that way.
“It is our pleasure to perform for you on this glorious All Hallows Eve our bloodiest and goriest tricks. And if you find yourself scared or nauseous or even a bit thrilled,” he winked at the crowd, “then we have done our job.”
Whoops and hollers came from some of the audience and the Ringleader nodded his approval. “It’s always nice to have fresh blood at our shows. We, as performers, feed off of the applause of our patrons and I can tell that you are going to be one of the tastiest audiences we’ve ever had the pleasure of hosting.”
The Ringleader lithely leapt around the stage in a silly jig, encouraging the crowd to cheer. His arms waved up and down in a ridiculous dance that made him look more like a scarecrow than a Ringleader. After a few moments he threw his hands down and chuckled to himself.
“Enough of me, you came to see death-defying feats! High fliers! Sword jugglers! The freaks and the geeks from our own sideshow, Circe’s Curios! Far be it for me to stand in your way. So, ladies and gentlemen… ” His arms flew out to his sides and the room went still. He growled, “Let the show begin!”

Comments