Tao stood with the sticking note that read the address of the place in his hand. it wasn't really an address, more like directions that lead to a big open field. A little ways out in the field stood a circus but not a regular circus. This circus didn't have just one giant tent but had many different sized tents within a circular gate and the tents weren't colorfully stripe but striped in only black and white.

 Tao walked toward the gates of the circus. He was wearing the red t-shirt and black shirts, Kris had asked him to wear. He was a little early but he scanned the crowd of people for Kris anyways. He spotted Kris standing near the gates of the circus. Above the gates was a giant sign. The sign said, in a blur of entertained iron and lights, Cirque des Rȇves. Underneath it stood a clock, painted in nothing but black, white and shades of grey. Kris smiled and waved for Tao to come join him.

When it finally came time for them to pay and go in. The smell of caramel, popcorn, apple cider, and burning of a roaring fire, hit them as soon as they walked through the gates into the court yard. At the center of the courtyard was a fire pit, made out of entertained black iron with white flames flicking in between the gaps. Curving pathways ran off the courtyard, leading towards the rest of the circus.

After grabbing a bag of popcorn and an apple cider to share, Tao and Kris decided to head towards the right of the circus, hoping to circle back later.

            Within the circus, they first came upon a crowd of people surrounding a lady, just off one of the paths. They stopped to see what was going on. The lady wore a silver, skin tight, body suit with a pattern of glitter and black circles coming from her left hip and going down her left leg. A small wooden sign sits near a glass box; the sign reads, The Contortionist, in black, curving letters. The contortionist grabs the glass box, flipping it around to show it is solid and completely made of glass. She sets it down in front of her; she starts to blend her body into the glass box. Tao and Kris gasped at the sight. They could see her foot near her ear, a knee by one of her shoulders. With only a hand sticking out of the top, she grabbed the glass lid to close off the box. Smoke begins to pour in to the box, till it’s impossible to see the lady. The box breaks and she is gone. Tao stood in astonishment, staring at the place where the lady once stood, as the crowd separated.

Kris had to pull Tao away, leading him towards a tent a little ways down the path. The tent stood out for its size. Kris had noticed it was smaller than the ones surrounding it and he really wanted to check it out. Tao and Kris had to circle the tent a couple of times, before they found a small opening with a sign saying, Bedtime Stories. Inside they found tables and shelves full of bottles that were all sorts of sizes and shapes.

“Great choice of a tent, Kris.” Tao said sarcastically. Kris rolled his eyes at the comment and reached for a tall wine bottle. When he opened the bottle, he smelt the smell of the sea, sunblock, heat from the sun. It felt like he was there himself. He could hear children screaming with delight, the sound of waves crashing against the shore and rocks.

“Tao open one of the bottles! It’s like you’re in a dream!” Kris said grinning like a child. Tao did as Kris said. He picked up a small round bottle with a metal lid up off the table and opened it. A small wisp of smoke escapes and with it the smell of a roaring fire, hint of snow, and the roasting of chestnuts. There is the aroma of wine, peppermint, sugared cookies, and a pine tree. Tao understood now what Kris was talking about; he could almost feel the snow falling on him, the excitement and the anticipation of Christmas being around the corner. He smiled and set the bottle back down.

“That is unbelievable!” Tao said with delight as he picked up another bottle. Kris smiled understand exactly how Tao felt. They stayed in the tent opening random bottles, until Kris opened one that wasn’t to pleasant. It smelt of blood, fire, and fear; it had given Kris chills and frightened him, so they left.

They walked to paths debating what tent to enter next. They came across a group of figures as still as statues. One was of a man and woman, who stand entwined but not touching. Their heads tilted toward each other with their lips frozen in the moment before or after a kiss. The man wears a black pinstriped tux and the woman wears a white bridal gown, laced up with black ribbons, akin to something constructed for a ballerina. Their skin was solid white and hair as dark as night. The name on their platform reads, The Lovers.

To the left of them stands a lady on another platform. She wears a white ball gown that slowly fades to ink black. She stands with one hand open and out reached. A man in a dark grey suit and red tie; walks up and puts a note in her hand. Tao and Kris gasp as the note sinks into her hand and the words start writing onto her dress. The name on her platform reads, The Notes.

Beside her stands a man on a platform. He wears a solid black suit (black tie, shirt, etc.). His eyes are close and his face shows signs of sadness. He stands with one hand over his heart and with a red rose out stretched in the other. He wears a black bowler hat on top of his dark curls. The name on his platform reads, The Lonely.

The figures didn’t show signs of breathing or blinking but the longer Tao and Kris stared and watched, the easier it was for them to see the slight moment of a hand or leg as the figures slowly changed positions.

Tao and Kris ‘ohh’ and ‘ahh’-ed all night as they wandered in and out of tents. They stayed until the circus closed at dawn. The excitement from the uniqueness of the circus, and disappointment in having to leave, made them walk home silently holding each other’s hand. Once they were home, the excitement calmed and exhaustion kicked, they went straight to cuddling and snoring in bed.

Sorry it took me so long to update! It took me a while to figure out how i wanted to start this chapter!  Oh, the name Le Cirque des Reves means The Circus of Dreams in english. I did not come up with the idea of this circus. I based it on a book call "The Night Circus -a novel-" by Erin Morgenstern. It is a wonderful book, it is by far my favorite book. Erin Morgenstern is a great/beautiful writer! I highly recommend it to anyone who really enjoys this chapter! You can get for about 10$ on Amazon (plus I think it comes in different languages, I know for sure it comes in spanish and french)