Welcome to the Circus


“Your performance name will be Jojo the Jolly Clown, correct?” the ringmaster inquired in a sweet voice, while his knuckles pounding on his desk impatiently.

“That’s right!” Jojo replied, beaming with unsuppressed excitement.

After years of working in a cubicle, she was more than ready to take this job. She bounced forward and shook hands with the ringmaster, and she felt an uncomfortable amount of pressure around her hand. Jojo stepped back, and jerked her hand away with an unsure smile. The ringmaster looked her in the eye with unwavering concentration and smiled widely, showing too much of his teeth. The merriment didn’t reach his narrow eyes.

“Well then, when do I get to meet the other clowns?” Jojo squeaked, her eyes on her toes to escape the ringmaster’s piercing gaze.

“I thought you would never ask," he responded with a tiny smile.

He roughly grabbed her by the wrist and pushed her into a small room, and locked her in from the outside. Jojo, completely puzzled, pulled at the knob and called through the door. She turned slowly away from the unyielding door and ran her eyes over a small group of people huddled together in bizarre costumes and face paint. Their once brightly colored costumes were ripped and faded, and splattered with a dark red and covered in dust. Their face paints were smeared and dripping, red lipstick caked around their swollen lips. They all held themselves similarly, with their heads cocked to the side and their necks hunched forward. Many of them twitched. One in the far corner swayed side to side, a manic grin etched on his face. The one nearest Jojo bared his teeth at her in a twisted smile.

“Welcome to the circus.” he growled.

He pulled out a dull switchblade from his pocket and advanced towards Jojo with the terrifying smirk still on his face.



Mary and her friends Rose and Kate sat in a circle on the lawn of the tent circus which had just arrived in town. The afternoon air was pleasantly cool on Mary’s skin and a light breeze stirred her hair on her shoulders. Mary leaned back and casually checked her phone for any texts or missed calls. Mom still hasn’t called me… I just want this fight to be over. She tossed her phone into the grass next to her and faked a content smile at her friends.

“Well its almost time. We should probably buy some snacks and get some good seats.” Rose thought aloud while braiding dandelions into a necklace. Mary jumped up and led the way to a stand selling cotton candy, popcorn, and soft drinks. Arm in arm, the three girls skipped down the lawn to the entrance of the circus. The ringmaster stood in the entryway of the tent, his eyes glued to the girls advancing towards him. When they neared, he beamed at them and extended his hand for their tickets. Once all three girls had filed past him into the tent, his smile morphed into a small smirk.

Mary, Kate, and Rose slipped into three empty chairs.

“Front row seats!” Kate turned to Rose and high-fived her. Mary smiled mutely and nodded while her stomach flipped with unease. She slipped her phone out of her pocket and once again looked down at an empty notification screen. She sighed and turned to her friends.

“I have to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

She ducked out of the now packed tent and out onto the grassy lawn. She walked towards a nearby park bench and flopped down. Mary hesitated then pulled out her phone, dialing her moms number slowly. After ringing a few times, the call went to voicemail. Mary rolled her eyes and jabbed the end button with her thumb. She looked out at the tent again, her fingers drumming on the bench. She heard screams and shouts coming from inside and the muffled sound of circus music. Mary sighed and rose to her feet, making her way back towards the tent. Mary lingered by the entrance flap of the tent and peeked in. She wasn’t in the mood for her friends’ squeals and giggles.

Mary sat down by the entrance and made herself comfortable, keeping the flap cracked open with the toe of her shoe. She watched as the ringmaster took to the center of the ring and the audience roared with applause. He bowed and gestured grandly.

“Welcome to our humble circus! Prepare for a night of suspense and surprises.” he grinned widely at the crowd before him. “Now, I’d like to introduce you to our newest performer!”

A young woman shuffled forward in a faded clown costume and a mask covering her face. Her shoulders were hunched forward and the fingers on her left hand twitched manically at her side.

“Please give a warm welcome to Jojo the Jolly Clown.” he cried while applauding along with the spectators. “Well,” the ringmaster added as an afterthought, “we should probably come up with a better stage name.”
He reached for the mask on the clowns face and dropped it to the floor. As the mask feel, two scars were revealed on the clowns face. Each scar started on the opposite end of Jojo’s mouth and curved downwards to form a grotesque frown. The crowd erupted into gales of laughter. Rose turned to Kate, her eyebrows raised. Kate just shrugged and the two turned their attention back towards the ringmaster. The ringmaster smiled at Jojo who returned his smile with a wide grin, revealing sharp teeth and reopening her half-healed wounds. Blood dripped down to her chin, where she wiped it off with her palm. She examined her bloody hand with a puzzled expression on her face. After a moment, she wiped her hands off on her costume and licked her lips.
“Moving right along, how about a nice round of applause for the puppeteer. He has a great show for you all.” The ringmaster announced cheerfully.
The audience cheered and some members in the back whistled. The puppeteer approached the center of the ring with a coil of rope and a drill. He eyed the people in the front row with a critical eye, walking down the row slowly. The spectators in the front row leaned forward in the hopes of being chosen. One turned towards Kate and smirked, revealing sharp teeth. Kate and Rose pressed into their seats to escape notice, shrinking back as the puppeteer passed by them.
The puppeteer clucked his tongue disapprovingly at Rose then grabbed Kate from her seat in the front row.
“You my dear, will make a lovely puppet.” he crooned at her. He signaled to Jojo the clown to hold Kate still as he went to work transforming her into his prop. Kate screeched and tried to wriggle out of Jojo’s grasp. Another clown came forward and gagged the writhing girl then strolled off to the side to pick dirt from underneath his nails. The puppeteer placed a nail into the drill and whistling cheerfully between his teeth, held the first nail to Kate right hand. His finger squeezed the trigger of the drill and Mary watched as the nail slowly made its way through her friend’s hand. Kate’s back arched and the nails on her left hand dug into the ground. Her screams were held back by the gag, which dug into the corners of her lips and left it glistening with blood. The puppet master watched her agony with interest, his head tilted to the side. He then began to giggle to himself, trying to cover his mirth with his hand.
“Oh sweetie, you’re so funny! You have quite the dramatic flare.” he chuckled to Kate.
He switched to Kate’s left hand, then her feet. Once he was finished, he stood back and admired his handiwork with a wide grin on his face. He gestured to a clown to lift Kate up and attach the ropes to the nails in her hands and feet. He circled Kate one more time, his smile fading.
“There’s something missing, what is it?” he snapped. “Oh yes,” his smile returned to his face.
He pulled a white ribbon out of his pocket and tied it around Kate’s hair.
“Now, everything is perfect. My perfect puppet.” he squealed in delight.
The clowns attached the ropes to the risers at the top of the tent. The puppeteer climbed a ladder to the top of the risers where he began to gently tug on the ropes, causing Kate’s limbs to twitch at his command. He applauded himself and proceeded to experiment with his new prop.The audience exploded into tremendous rounds of applause and screamed their praise at the ringmaster. Rose sat in shock, her face slippery with tears and her throat raw from her desperate screams. Off to the side of the ring, the ringmaster whispered in Jojo’s ear, jerking his head towards the exit. Jojo nodded and lurched out of view.
Mary watched her friend become a puppet with numbness. Her hands were twined in the grass next to her and her nails dug into her palms. She sat motionless as her friend screamed for help. A wave of guilt pierced her when Kate’s eyes met hers from her position suspended above the ring and sent a silent plea for help, but she couldn't bring herself to move from her safe spot. Mary jerked her eyes away from the scene, unable to watch any longer, and turned her head to the side. She vomited into the grass next to her. Relief flooded her as the sound of gagging drowned out the screams of her friends from inside the tent.
Move Mary! Move, move, move!
She tried to push herself to her feet, but her legs wouldn’t cooperate. Desperately digging her hands into her thighs to try to get feeling into them, she pushed herself to her knees.
Finally she lurched to her feet and began to wobble forward on her lifeless legs. She tripped and felt a hand grab her wrist, saving her from a nasty fall. Mary turned her head and came face to face with Jojo the clown. Mary screamed and lashed out with her free hand, trying to gain purchase on the grass. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and she desperately grabbed for it, but Jojo ripped it away from her. As Jojo pulled the phone from her grasp, Mary saw Mom illuminated on the screen. Mary began to sob and beg, but Jojo didn’t flinch or acknowledge her. Jojo firmly pulled Mary into the entrance of the tent.
“Please...” Mary whimpered, though she knew that it would do her no good.
Finally Jojo looked her in the eye and leaned in close.
“Welcome to the circus.”