“I am just one human being.”

Dalai Lama

I began blushing vigorously and if I thought that it would help, I would’ve put my head underwater to hide the blush from Jessica.

Jessica was staring at me with a huge smile on her face, she was not even minding the ness. She swam towards me with two flicks of her tail. Uncomfortably, I pressed myself against the edge of the tank.

Jessica looked right at me and asked: “Can you get out of the water by yourself or do you need help?”

I turned around and looked at the platform. Two months ago, I would’ve said that I needed help but now, I was fairly sure that I could manage.

I grabbed the platform and lifted myself up. As soon as my chest laid on the platform, I raised one leg out of the water and put it onto the platform. Then I pulled the rest of my body out of the water and I sat down on the platform.

“There should be some clothes for you in that chest on the right side of the platform.” Jessica pointed at a big wooden chest with her finger, her long chocolate colored fingernail shone in the light that came from the sole lamp above us.

I went into a crawling position and slowly tried to put my feet beneath me. Carefully, I let go of the ground beneath me and hoped that my legs would help me to keep standing. But the sudden weight that I put on my legs was too much and I fell down with a loud thud on the ground. I had to bite away the pain that went through my legs when I fell.

“Don’t give up, Donghae. You can do it!” Jessica encouraged me from the water. I quickly gazed at her and I tried again. This time, my wobbly feet managed to keep standing. I looked at Jessica and she smiled as brightly as I did while she cheered: “Yes, that’s it!”

I made my way to the chest and opened it. There was a white shirt and a pair of black pants but nothing more. I sighed but didn’t waste any time and pulled the clothes on.

“Go look for Kyuhyun outside,” Jessica advised me, “I’m sure that he’ll have some shoes and other stuff that you need.”

I nodded and was about to descend the stairs when Jessica called me back:

“Donghae?”

I turned around. “Yes?”

“You have a great !” And with a giggle she went back underwater while the color red dominated my cheeks once again.

There was a cool summer breeze that blew on the circus grounds. It let the sail from the big top flutter a bit. For me, it represented the almost peaceful atmosphere that hung around in the circus. The superficial atmosphere, the atmosphere that the crowd felt when they came here for one day. The anxiousness, fright and horrid feelings were repressed. They were a deep dark layer that could only be felt if there were people and right now, there wasn’t a soul in sight.

I didn’t exactly know where Kyuhyun’s place was so I began to walk, hoping that I would stumble upon it.

‘Rawrr…’ That loud sound surprised me completely and I turned to the source. In the feline cage were two felines close to the bars. I recognized Tiffany and Minho. “Hey, look at me!” I yelled at them while I ran to them. The strength in my legs was back again and I used all of it to make a pirouette in front of Tiffany and Minho.

Tiffany let out a purr as if she wanted to say: ‘Good for you.’

I smiled brightly before asking: “Is Siwon with you guys?”

Minho slowly moved his big head from right to left and back. I nodded and thanked them before I continued my way, now in search of Kyuhyun and Siwon.

I walked past the seal’s cage and waved to Krystal who I had gotten to know better when she visited us a few times when she was human. I quickly gave Ryeowook a pitiful gaze as he still laid on the bottom of their tank and then I resumed my way.

This was the best feeling that I had in months. And I almost couldn’t be happier. Almost… yet there was that little voice in my head that told me that even if I would be the same as him for a few hours, I would turn back soon.

Suddenly I saw something in the corner of my eye. I turned towards it and saw Sungmin sitting on the side of the ‘road’.

“Minnie!” I called out and he raised his little head and scrunched his nose two times before he began to hop away.

“Minnie, come back!” I ran after the little bunny but he was a tad bit faster. I had to concentrate not to lose him because if I would look