The sun shined brightly while the wind struggled to migrate south. If you were quiet enough, you could hear the sidewalk groans in exhaustion from the burning rays that hugged it. I dragged myself down the street, heading home after a long day at school.

 

    The air had a moisture to it that felt like I was walking through thick invisible fog. I continued to walk mindlessly, letting my feet guide me. Within minutes, I realized that I was no longer on my usual route home. I looked around and realized I accidentally walked into the nearby forest that is few blocks from the school.

 

    I continued to walk deeper into the forest rather than going back since it’s easy to find a way out. I could feel beads of sweat starting to fall from my face. It is unusual for it to be hot in San Fransisco let alone it being scorching hot.

 

    As I was walking I begin to notice that I was in the unfamiliar part of the forest. Usually, when walking into the forest, it is best not to stray too deep because even though it is a relatively small forest, it is easy to get lost in it as you venture in the belly of it.

    

    The atmosphere around began to feel creepy as fog suddenly started to roll in. Sunlight tried to break though the thick trees but gave up and just left little specks of light here and there. I considered walking back, but something kept me here, it was like I was drawn to something that didn’t exist.

 

From abroad, I could see something, I couldn't make out what it was since the fog was covering it. I began to walk closer to it, thinking nothing of it. The closer I got, the outline became more clear. It looked like an abandoned tent. It became clear to me what it was when I was standing right next to it. It looked like an old circus tent.

 

    The tent had white and red stripes, that were either faded or covered in dirt. There were holes in some areas but the tent stood perfectly tall. I began to walk around it to find the entrance of it. I began to feel uneasy, as if I shouldn't be here but I couldn’t just leave. I had to know what was in there.

 

    I began to walk in, pushing the torn up cloth that hung at the entrance. When I entered, all I could see was just tables cluttered with various items. Some were circus things while others just looked like complete junk. I looked up, to see the entire ceiling covered in a giant mirror. There were shards of it missing, so when you looked up, everything was disjointed, as if I was looking through a bug’s eye.

 

    I decided to wander around, and see what this tent has been holding for however long it has been here. As I walked deeper within the tent, I could hear strange music playing. You just keep laughing as you look at me, I get possessed again, forced to dance underneath these twisted lig-lights. I felt drawn to the singing, like a moth to a flame.

 

    I began to look for the source of the music, but it seemed like it was coming from everywhere. It’s like I’m in a unbarred prison, a party meant for entertainment. The music began to skip around but if felt more of a warning rather than a song.

    As I was looking around, the music suddenly stopped. I was facing the end of the tent, just to find a cluttered mess of pictures on a table. I moved some pictures around, they all were just pictures of circus performances from what I could tell except one stood out to me. I picked it up, and wiped the thick dust off it. It was a photo of a man in a suit, sitting while three young women stood behind him, all making the same pose- as if they were puppets.

    You seem to look so happy when I cry, an Ironic laugh comes out. I want to feel loved, no that’s a lie. I’m happy right now replay-replay. You just keep laughing as you look at me, I get possessed again. Forced to dance underneath these twisted lights- Welcome to midnight circus, circus show.

    

    The music began to start again, except this time it kept growing louder and louder. The same lines kept repeating over and over to the point where I couldn't take it anymore. I put the picture in my pocket and ran out of  the tent. I needed to get out of this tent now. 

 

    When I ran out of the tent, the music stopped abruptly, and laughter could be heard. The gloomy atmosphere that took over the forest was now bright and calm. It felt like I had entered an alternate universe. Something about this felt really off, like I wasn't alone anymore.

 

    I took my phone out of my pocket, and noticed that it was getting late, so I started to walk  back. More tents surrounded me except they looked like they were recently set up here which was strange cause I don't think I was in there long enough for this to happen. Suddenly people started to come out the the tents so I decided to run back into the tent behind me.

 

    The cluttered mess was gone, as if it never existed. Instead, there was a stool that sat in the middle of the room and in the corners were cages of various sizes. I stood there confused. 

 

    “What is going on…..” I whispered under my breath. I started to hear rustling outside of the tent and quickly ran behind the cages. I peaked through the crevices of the cages and saw a man in a sleek black suit walk into the tent. He had a top hat on, with tiny circular sunglasses on his eyes. Behind him was a girl who seemed to be in her 20s. She had short brown hair and wore a black leathery one piece.

 

“For the last time, if you don't get the routine correct, you will go back to the cages.” The man shouted as he threw the girl on the stool. He then grabbed a whip that was connected to his pants and started to whip her. I jumped and covered my eyes, not wanting to see what was going on.

 

“If you ever mess up like that during the show, I will do more then whip you. Let this be a warning.” He whips her one more time, before leaving the tent with a grimacing smirk. 

 

    I sit there in silence, as the girl weeps quietly to herself. I try to position myself into a more comfortable position but accidentally bump into one of the cages, causing another one to tumble over. The girl looks over startled.

    

    “W-Who’s there!?” She asks timidly. I silently curse to myself, before getting up and walking out of the shadows. Before I could say anything she gets up, with her hand on her face and observes my features. 

 

    “You don’t look like you are from here….” She says quietly. I look at her confused. Does she mean from here as in this area, or this time? “This Circus I mean, you don’t look like a member of the Midnight Circus.” She hesitantly walks towards me, before changing her mind and sitting back down. The name Midnight Circus sounded familiar to me though, as if I heard it before.

 

    “I am not from here- well, from this circus obviously. I was just wandering around in the forest until I ran into these tents.” I responded. Half of it was a lie but most of it was true, I mean I don’t think it would be a good idea to say that I found an abandoned circus that somehow became alive again. She looked at me timidly before looking down.

 

    “Well you shouldn’t be here…. You should leave before he sees you.” I looked at her confused. Is she talking about the man who recently whipped her? Maybe I could help her out if she was in some sort of trouble. I start to walk up to her and I see her start to try and distance herself from me. 

 

    “Who was that man that was…. well hurting you?” She looks up at me and opens as if she wants to tell me but invisible hands were closing because all I could hear was silence come out. She began to point out of the tent, as if she was trying to show me something. “What is it?…. You can trust me…” She looks at me desperately before grabbing my arm and running out of the tent. The strong force of her arm, nearly causes me to lose my balance but I regain it as I follow behind her.

 

    We both wonder around the endless maze of tents, until we reach the end of the tent grounds. Nearby was a small fireplace that sat cold, without any fire to warm it up. This area seemed to be a place where I guess the performers would rest, but something about this area didn’t seem right. The girl began to look around cautiously before entering one of the tents. I followed behind her, also looking around just in case.

 

    “Okay, I think it is safe to tell you now…” She said. Around us, were three other girls who sat around strongly. One stared blankly into a broken mirror, looking at the fracture reflection of herself. The other sat on a stool with countless strands of yarn tied around her wrists. The last one just sat on the ground, like an ragged doll.

 

    “What about the other girls here….” I ask, looking around at them. The way they all acted was so lifeless, like there was a switch on them and it was turned off.

 

    “Don’t mind them…. They’re slaves to this circus.” She said. Slaves? What is she talking about… What is this circus exactly? I stood there, confused looking at the other girls again. They did seem to act as slaves- no they seemed to act more like puppets, laying on the ground, waiting for someone to control me.

 

    “So are you…..” one of the girls said dryly. The one staring at the broken mirror began to laugh and slowly tilt her head. 

 

    “Wouldn’t you say we all are more like puppets in this game of entertainment…. right stranger?” Her eyes glared at me through the mirror scanning me as if I was an open book. “Oh sorry, I mean Jieun.” My eyes began to widen. How does she know my name…. who is she exactly? 

 

    “Stop playing mind games SeungAh…. You know he doesn't like it when you use it outside of the show.” The stringed girl said. The one that was on the ground moved her head up and opened her eyes. They were pitch black, with bits in them, like stars- as if the entire galaxy was hidden in the glassy barriers.

 

    “He told us to just sit here and say nothing. Are you in the spot light SeungAh? How about you MiSung?” both girls started to act lifeless again. “Thats what I thought…. and KoTa, take this girl out now…. You know how he feels about girls like him.” She closed her eyes, and slouched back down in her previous position. I stood there uncomfortably as they all just pretended I existed.

 

    Quietly, KoTa walked out, grabbing my arm in the process. When we left the tent. She took me deeper into the woods.

 

    “Wait, before you take me any further, could you please explain to me what the hell is going on here?” I ask relentlessly. She let go of my arm and stood there, still facing away from me.

 

    “Have you ever wondered what happens at a circus after dark?” She paused a for a while. I could hear a slight tremble in her voice. “Probably not, because no one really cares unless they are getting entertained.” She turned around and looked at me.

 

    “The midnight circus isn't just a place where you come and see fun performers, it is a living hell…. one that we can never escape.” She smiles, but something about this smile seemed forced. “But hey I mean WE paid the price, we sold our soul to him….. The washed up lights on the stage will be the last thing we ever see…..”

 

    “Well can’t you just run away from the circus?” I ask, as I lean on a tree. She looks at me and laughs, before staring at me, with a blank expression.

 

    “How could I…. he owns me… You know the girls in the tent?” I nod my head. “They are like me too, we all got fooled by these twisted lights, only to be thrown in the shadows when the spotlight isn't on us.” KoTa scuffs. “Hell, we cant even remember our own name…”

 

    “Wait, KoTa isn't your name?”

 

    “Nope, it is what the master calls us, to show that he owns us. We have no memories on what we were like before….” tears begin to fall out KoTa’s eyes. “we are trapped here…. and now you will be too….” her tears ceased as she begins to smile grimily. Everything became black afterwards.

 

    I woke up to a bright light shining on me. I tried to cover my eyes, but something was preventing me. I looked around me to see various strings punctured into my body. I couldn’t move, I was trapped in this spot. Suddenly I felt a pull on my arm and screamed in pain. I have become a puppet in this god forsaken circus. 

 

    From a far I could see the same man who beat KoTa stare into my eyes, smiling. Something about that smile seemed familiar though, as if I seen it before. It then dawned on me. The strange man was KoTa. He must’ve controlled her or something to capture me as a pawn in his sick twisted game. I look over to the side to see SeungAh staring blankly into the broken mirror with tears painted on her face. Suddenly I heard her voice in my mind in a sing songy manner.

 

    No one was there yet the lights all shined, the stage was empty again.No one was on top of the jagged surface, I’ve never laughed or cried alone then.I had nowhere else to go that time.On the stage where the show’s over I was fooled by the bright, twisted stage lights.We’re in the midnight-midnight circus show

 

    Something about that voice sounded familiar. It had a gentle softness to it but with a tint of an eerie atmosphere. My eyes began to widen as I was thrown around on the stage. SeungAh was the singing voice in the record that was warning me. She knew this was gonna happen. Suddenly the same exact music began playing and I started to sing the one verse that ran through my head since I got here.

 

    You just keep laughing as you look at me, I get possessed again. Forced to dance underneath these twisted lights- Welcome to midnight circus, circus show.

 

    The sound of the circus wasn’t what drew me here, it was those lights… The lights that become steel bars, trapping in this small circle. The show was then over, and I was thrown in the shadows, where I will remain- until I am forced out here again. Welcome to the Midnight Circus, where your nightmare is your sweetest dream.

 

A/N: This was just somthing that I wrote on the side when I wasn't writing my other fanfic. I planned to make this into a full story but I am not sure yet. If you guys like the story and want more of the "Midnight Circus Concept", let me know!!

 

Have a great day everyone!!!