FANFIC- OF PHANTOMS & POLTERGEITS CH 7, Part 2
-------------------------------------------
Spiritus Krikos was not a normal circus, nor was it your run-of-the-mill freak show. There were some ‘real’ oddities in the circus. The main attraction that had made Krikos famous was the Huay Chivo[4]. People from countries far and near came to see the creature. It was a rumor among the staff in Krikos that it was the Spirit Man who had found the Huay Chivo preying on a bird. The two had engaged in some sort of combat resulting in the Spirit Man’s victory. The Spirit Man had spared the Huay Chivo’s life in exchange for its services. The Huay Chivo had violently rejected the offer to which the Spirit Man responded by binding the creature, entrapping him in a magically protected cage and had since used the creature as his main attraction. Some of the more twisted employees of Krikos had admired and praised the Spirit Man’s courage and strength while the rest had grown to fear him.
The Spirit Man was a whole mystery onto himself. No one knew much about him beside the odd story that circulated as rumors among the employees. The only person who knew something about the Spirit Man was the psychic, Madame Le Fonte, who had disclosed no information on the subject when asked.
For the most part, most of the attractions were held against their will. The dangerous were caged while the more gentle ones were given more freedom. It was a general rule that no one was to escape Krikos. All who had tried had failed and were punished severely for their actions.
The exhibition subjects were also not allowed to socialize with one another nor were they given any contact with one another. Sechelles considered herself fortunate to have her booth so close to Arthur’s. They were within hearing distance from each other and that thought comforted her. She had tried to ask the kinder employees on what the rumors were on how she and Arthur arrived at the circus. She knew that every exhibition had some sort of story behind it and as far as she knew, most had been captured from the wild. She, however, got no answers from the employees. They had all stated that they had no idea as to how she and Arthur became a part of the circus.
Somehow, she couldn’t help but feel that the strange black mass had something to do with the whole situation but it wasn’t something she could prove. She had tried to ask Arthur about it but all she got was his strange muttering on ghosts and Alfred. Even if Sechelles could not see Arthur half the time (she had discovered that Arthur remained visible while he slept), she could tell that something was bothering him. She had tried to ask him but found that she never really had the opportunity to. She also didn’t want to it to seem like she was prying, no matter how curious she was. What Arthur did was his own business. She knew that but she couldn’t help but worry for him.
So far, Sechelles and Arthur had been spared the usual crowd that usually settled around the more impressive exhibits. That particular day, however, was different. The crowd that usually flocked to see the more impressive creatures had instead decided to wander outside the circus, exploring the outskirts of it.
In the middle of the afternoon, a decent sized crowd had settled outside Arthur’s cage. Some were standing around, whispering among themselves as to whether there really was someone inside the cage. By this point, Arthur had returned to being invisible and refrained from saying anything or doing anything to entertain the crowd. After a few minutes, the crowd lost interest in him and decided to look at Sechelles’ booth.
Sechelles had been unaccustomed to have people look at her as if she were a spectacle. She started to rant when she was suddenly pulled up by her strings. She looked up and saw a pair of lifeless gray eyes staring at her. She would have jumped if she could have. The man’s appearance was ghastly. His face was a deathly pale color. He wore a large top hat and a black and white pinstripe suit with a gray tie. His black hair was slicked back.
The man’s eyes scrutinized her once before pulling on her strings, making her rise. He pulled the curtain of her stall, which exposed her to the curious eyes of the crowd. Sechelles had never seen so many people outside her stall before. She gulped. She had a bad feeling about this.
“Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, gather round! Come see the amazing ‘Living Doll,’” the man boomed, his stoic expression changing into an animated one. Sechelles was amazed by the transformation. She wondered who the man was.
The crowd seemed to grow larger by the second as the man continued his announcement. Sechelles grew more nervous by the second. She had never really performed before. She hoped the man wouldn’t humiliate her in any way.
Once the man was satisfied with the size of the crowd gathered outside Sechelles’ booth, he grabbed hold of her strings once more, lifting Sechelles into the air. Beside her were a dozen marionette dolls, painted with happy expressions on their faces, all wearing white dresses. The dolls rose of their own accord, their strings pulled by invisible force. At the clap of a hand, the dolls danced. Sechelles felt the man manipulate her strings and she, too, danced with the lifeless marionette dolls.
“Now watch ladies and gentleman, as one by one, I cut the strings of each doll. One by one, they will fall while the living doll will dance on,” the man said. He held scissors as he manipulated the strings holding Sechelles up. One by one he cut the strings of each doll. Each fell to the floor, motionless as if they had never danced at all. At last, it was Sechelles’ turn. The man cut her strings as well. Sechelles let herself fall to the floor, refusing to become a part of the man’s game.
The crowd watched attentively, expectantly. They murmured amongst themselves as nothing happened. The man with the top hat frowned. He leaned down and whispered, “Dance, my little doll, or your invisible friend will not fare so well. I wonder how he would do against a hungry viper?” Sechelles turned her head and glanced at Arthur’s cage. It was empty, as it always was but she could still feel his presence inside. Her heart clenched at the thought of any harm coming to Arthur. She rose and with the action the audience applauded and cheered. Sechelles thought back and remembered what Arthur had taught her so many nights ago. One step forward, one to the side. She held the memory in her thoughts and thought of Arthur’s sweet smiling face. She let the memories consume her every thought until she could no longer hear the cheering crowd, feel the sun striking her face, and smell the cornflowers and wheat. She heard the soft orchestra playing an old waltz that no one had danced in years. She felt a firm, slightly moist hand grasping her own, and a hand on her back. She smelled tea, earl grey tea, peppermint, and green fields. And when she opened her eyes, she could see Arthur dancing with her, smiling at her like she always wished he would. It was just the two of them dancing in their own world.
But the music stopped. The illusion faded and her senses had returned to her. She could hear the crowd cheering once more. She sighed. It was wonderful while it lasted even if it was only a fantasy, one that she could never hope would ever come true.
Sechelles looked up and found the man nodding his head at her. Sechelles nodded back, acknowledging that she had done what was asked of her. She lay back down in her stall as the crowd stood around her, gazing at her with curious eyes. After a few minutes, the crowd grew restless and dispersed save for one man. One man stood rooted to the spot. He gazed at Sechelles with such adoration that it disturbed Sechelles. When there was no one left except for the exhibitions and the man with the top hat, the man stepped forward.
“Yes?” the man with the top hat asked indifferently.
“The doll! She is amazing! How she can move and dance- it is stupendous! It amazes me how you find such interesting creatures, Gustav,” the man said animatedly.
Gustav nodded, bored. “It amazes us all,” he stated flatly.
The man nodded and continued his animated speech. Gustav humored the man for a few moments before interrupting him.
“Your point, monsieur?” he asked as politely as he could.
“Oh, yes! Sorry about that. You know how much strange exotic creatures fascinate me,” the man peered closely at Sechelles. Gustav nodded jadedly as if he had heard the fact numerous times.
“I’m interesting in purchasing her if you were interested in such transactions.” Gustav perked up at the offer. His eyes gleamed almost maniacally while his expression remained calm and stoic.
“Why did you not say so from the start? I am always interested in such deals. How much are you willing to pay for her?” The man rubbed his chin for a moment, deep in thought.
“We’ve been through this before, Gustav. You name the price and I’ll match it as I always do. You know that money has never been an issue,” the man said amiably, taking out a wallet from his coat pocket.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to ask more than my usual price, Mr. White. This doll was not acquired by my usual methods. She was a little more difficult to find,” Gustav said softly. Mr. White nodded at this.
“I understand, Gustav. If you like I’ll pay you right now. I always carry some currency with me when I come visit. I never know what strange creatures I will find,” Mr. White said as he fished through his pockets for something. He smiled triumphantly when he took out two ruby rings. Gustav smiled when he saw the rings and extended his hand to Mr. White. Mr. White carefully placed the earrings in his hands. Gustav inspected the rings carefully before placing them in his pockets.
Gustav nodded at Mr. White. Upon receiving the signal, Mr. White reached for Sechelles and grabbed her by her waist. Sechelles struggled to escape his grasp but found her efforts near useless. When she found that her efforts were in vain and that nothing she did on her own would help, she cried out.
“Arthur! Please help me! Arthur!” she screamed as loud as she could. Mr. White looked at Sechelles with amusement.
“Oh, she can talk as well? Oh, how the wonders cease to end!”
Arthur was asleep when he heard Sechelles’ distressed cries. He glanced around him, trying to locate the sound of her voice. He saw her in the hands of some villainous fiend. No one could manhandle a woman like that (regardless if she were a doll or not!)
Arthur pushed against the cage door. He rammed his side into the cage door, trying to get it to open. The few people that had stayed in the vicinity grew alarmed. Arthur ignored the startling cries and continued to ram against the cage. Little by little, he could see the cage gaining distance from the wall it was chained to. Just a little more now.
Arthur glanced back to Sechelles’ stall only to find that the man was gone. Arthur searched fiercely around him, trying to locate the man once more. He saw the man walking at a distance. He needed to hurry otherwise he would lose sight of him completely. Arthur put more efforts into his pushes until finally the cage toppled from its block and with a loud bang, crashed to the floor. People screamed as they saw the cage door shaking fiercely. Arthur struggled with the door until finally it gave way and Arthur was able to push it open.
He scrambled to get out of the cage, ignoring the panic that he had caused. Arthur searched for the man once more. He was far away but still within viewing distance. Arthur ran towards him, determined to get Sechelles back.
All the while, Gustav stood by Sechelles’ stall, watching as the scene unfolded before him with mild amusement. His new additions proved to be more amusing than he had originally thought. He maintained his stoic expression while he walked back to his trailer. His new additions would not get far, not as far as he was concerned. No one and nothing ever escaped from Spiritus Krikos and these new additions would be no different from the other runaways he had encountered. Gustav leaned back in his chair as he smoked his cigar.
“Red rover, red rover, let Arthur come over.”
-------------------------------------------
[1] Tropicbird orchid is Seychelles national flower according to the website I looked at.
[2] I am aware that there is a real life person who is also referred as the ‘Spirit Man.’ This is not an allusion to that man. I simply liked the name and that’s why I’m using it.
[3] Spiritus means spirit and krikos is the ancient greek (?)( well it’s greek) word for circus so in English it would mean “Spirit Circus”
[4] The Huay Chivo is a legendary Mayan beast. It is a half-man, half-beast creature, with burning red eyes, and is specific to the Yucatán Peninsula. It is often said to be an evil sorcerer who can transform himself into a supernatural animal, usually a goat, dog or deer, in order to prey upon livestock.
A/N: lots of OCs in this chapter, eh? ^^; Strangely enough, Mr. White reminds of myself a bit. O.o Although probably not in the way you guys are thinking ^^;
Updates: This chapter was written in between the ups and downs of my life and took almost a whole month write. I’ve been having lots of ‘down’ periods that unfortunately prevent me from writing. My beta is also heading into finals so she’s going to be busy for a while and I dare not post a chapter without her looking at otherwise there would be severe OOC-ness that would have all of you throwing tomatoes and all sorts of rotten food at me. Hang in there for those of you who are still with me. ^^
Once again comments are greatly appreciated. :D
EDIT: Anyone who gets the 'Last Unicorn' reference will get a cookie. oh god, I'm such a nerd xD
Spiritus Krikos was not a normal circus, nor was it your run-of-the-mill freak show. There were some ‘real’ oddities in the circus. The main attraction that had made Krikos famous was the Huay Chivo[4]. People from countries far and near came to see the creature. It was a rumor among the staff in Krikos that it was the Spirit Man who had found the Huay Chivo preying on a bird. The two had engaged in some sort of combat resulting in the Spirit Man’s victory. The Spirit Man had spared the Huay Chivo’s life in exchange for its services. The Huay Chivo had violently rejected the offer to which the Spirit Man responded by binding the creature, entrapping him in a magically protected cage and had since used the creature as his main attraction. Some of the more twisted employees of Krikos had admired and praised the Spirit Man’s courage and strength while the rest had grown to fear him.
The Spirit Man was a whole mystery onto himself. No one knew much about him beside the odd story that circulated as rumors among the employees. The only person who knew something about the Spirit Man was the psychic, Madame Le Fonte, who had disclosed no information on the subject when asked.
For the most part, most of the attractions were held against their will. The dangerous were caged while the more gentle ones were given more freedom. It was a general rule that no one was to escape Krikos. All who had tried had failed and were punished severely for their actions.
The exhibition subjects were also not allowed to socialize with one another nor were they given any contact with one another. Sechelles considered herself fortunate to have her booth so close to Arthur’s. They were within hearing distance from each other and that thought comforted her. She had tried to ask the kinder employees on what the rumors were on how she and Arthur arrived at the circus. She knew that every exhibition had some sort of story behind it and as far as she knew, most had been captured from the wild. She, however, got no answers from the employees. They had all stated that they had no idea as to how she and Arthur became a part of the circus.
Somehow, she couldn’t help but feel that the strange black mass had something to do with the whole situation but it wasn’t something she could prove. She had tried to ask Arthur about it but all she got was his strange muttering on ghosts and Alfred. Even if Sechelles could not see Arthur half the time (she had discovered that Arthur remained visible while he slept), she could tell that something was bothering him. She had tried to ask him but found that she never really had the opportunity to. She also didn’t want to it to seem like she was prying, no matter how curious she was. What Arthur did was his own business. She knew that but she couldn’t help but worry for him.
So far, Sechelles and Arthur had been spared the usual crowd that usually settled around the more impressive exhibits. That particular day, however, was different. The crowd that usually flocked to see the more impressive creatures had instead decided to wander outside the circus, exploring the outskirts of it.
In the middle of the afternoon, a decent sized crowd had settled outside Arthur’s cage. Some were standing around, whispering among themselves as to whether there really was someone inside the cage. By this point, Arthur had returned to being invisible and refrained from saying anything or doing anything to entertain the crowd. After a few minutes, the crowd lost interest in him and decided to look at Sechelles’ booth.
Sechelles had been unaccustomed to have people look at her as if she were a spectacle. She started to rant when she was suddenly pulled up by her strings. She looked up and saw a pair of lifeless gray eyes staring at her. She would have jumped if she could have. The man’s appearance was ghastly. His face was a deathly pale color. He wore a large top hat and a black and white pinstripe suit with a gray tie. His black hair was slicked back.
The man’s eyes scrutinized her once before pulling on her strings, making her rise. He pulled the curtain of her stall, which exposed her to the curious eyes of the crowd. Sechelles had never seen so many people outside her stall before. She gulped. She had a bad feeling about this.
“Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, gather round! Come see the amazing ‘Living Doll,’” the man boomed, his stoic expression changing into an animated one. Sechelles was amazed by the transformation. She wondered who the man was.
The crowd seemed to grow larger by the second as the man continued his announcement. Sechelles grew more nervous by the second. She had never really performed before. She hoped the man wouldn’t humiliate her in any way.
Once the man was satisfied with the size of the crowd gathered outside Sechelles’ booth, he grabbed hold of her strings once more, lifting Sechelles into the air. Beside her were a dozen marionette dolls, painted with happy expressions on their faces, all wearing white dresses. The dolls rose of their own accord, their strings pulled by invisible force. At the clap of a hand, the dolls danced. Sechelles felt the man manipulate her strings and she, too, danced with the lifeless marionette dolls.
“Now watch ladies and gentleman, as one by one, I cut the strings of each doll. One by one, they will fall while the living doll will dance on,” the man said. He held scissors as he manipulated the strings holding Sechelles up. One by one he cut the strings of each doll. Each fell to the floor, motionless as if they had never danced at all. At last, it was Sechelles’ turn. The man cut her strings as well. Sechelles let herself fall to the floor, refusing to become a part of the man’s game.
The crowd watched attentively, expectantly. They murmured amongst themselves as nothing happened. The man with the top hat frowned. He leaned down and whispered, “Dance, my little doll, or your invisible friend will not fare so well. I wonder how he would do against a hungry viper?” Sechelles turned her head and glanced at Arthur’s cage. It was empty, as it always was but she could still feel his presence inside. Her heart clenched at the thought of any harm coming to Arthur. She rose and with the action the audience applauded and cheered. Sechelles thought back and remembered what Arthur had taught her so many nights ago. One step forward, one to the side. She held the memory in her thoughts and thought of Arthur’s sweet smiling face. She let the memories consume her every thought until she could no longer hear the cheering crowd, feel the sun striking her face, and smell the cornflowers and wheat. She heard the soft orchestra playing an old waltz that no one had danced in years. She felt a firm, slightly moist hand grasping her own, and a hand on her back. She smelled tea, earl grey tea, peppermint, and green fields. And when she opened her eyes, she could see Arthur dancing with her, smiling at her like she always wished he would. It was just the two of them dancing in their own world.
But the music stopped. The illusion faded and her senses had returned to her. She could hear the crowd cheering once more. She sighed. It was wonderful while it lasted even if it was only a fantasy, one that she could never hope would ever come true.
Sechelles looked up and found the man nodding his head at her. Sechelles nodded back, acknowledging that she had done what was asked of her. She lay back down in her stall as the crowd stood around her, gazing at her with curious eyes. After a few minutes, the crowd grew restless and dispersed save for one man. One man stood rooted to the spot. He gazed at Sechelles with such adoration that it disturbed Sechelles. When there was no one left except for the exhibitions and the man with the top hat, the man stepped forward.
“Yes?” the man with the top hat asked indifferently.
“The doll! She is amazing! How she can move and dance- it is stupendous! It amazes me how you find such interesting creatures, Gustav,” the man said animatedly.
Gustav nodded, bored. “It amazes us all,” he stated flatly.
The man nodded and continued his animated speech. Gustav humored the man for a few moments before interrupting him.
“Your point, monsieur?” he asked as politely as he could.
“Oh, yes! Sorry about that. You know how much strange exotic creatures fascinate me,” the man peered closely at Sechelles. Gustav nodded jadedly as if he had heard the fact numerous times.
“I’m interesting in purchasing her if you were interested in such transactions.” Gustav perked up at the offer. His eyes gleamed almost maniacally while his expression remained calm and stoic.
“Why did you not say so from the start? I am always interested in such deals. How much are you willing to pay for her?” The man rubbed his chin for a moment, deep in thought.
“We’ve been through this before, Gustav. You name the price and I’ll match it as I always do. You know that money has never been an issue,” the man said amiably, taking out a wallet from his coat pocket.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to ask more than my usual price, Mr. White. This doll was not acquired by my usual methods. She was a little more difficult to find,” Gustav said softly. Mr. White nodded at this.
“I understand, Gustav. If you like I’ll pay you right now. I always carry some currency with me when I come visit. I never know what strange creatures I will find,” Mr. White said as he fished through his pockets for something. He smiled triumphantly when he took out two ruby rings. Gustav smiled when he saw the rings and extended his hand to Mr. White. Mr. White carefully placed the earrings in his hands. Gustav inspected the rings carefully before placing them in his pockets.
Gustav nodded at Mr. White. Upon receiving the signal, Mr. White reached for Sechelles and grabbed her by her waist. Sechelles struggled to escape his grasp but found her efforts near useless. When she found that her efforts were in vain and that nothing she did on her own would help, she cried out.
“Arthur! Please help me! Arthur!” she screamed as loud as she could. Mr. White looked at Sechelles with amusement.
“Oh, she can talk as well? Oh, how the wonders cease to end!”
Arthur was asleep when he heard Sechelles’ distressed cries. He glanced around him, trying to locate the sound of her voice. He saw her in the hands of some villainous fiend. No one could manhandle a woman like that (regardless if she were a doll or not!)
Arthur pushed against the cage door. He rammed his side into the cage door, trying to get it to open. The few people that had stayed in the vicinity grew alarmed. Arthur ignored the startling cries and continued to ram against the cage. Little by little, he could see the cage gaining distance from the wall it was chained to. Just a little more now.
Arthur glanced back to Sechelles’ stall only to find that the man was gone. Arthur searched fiercely around him, trying to locate the man once more. He saw the man walking at a distance. He needed to hurry otherwise he would lose sight of him completely. Arthur put more efforts into his pushes until finally the cage toppled from its block and with a loud bang, crashed to the floor. People screamed as they saw the cage door shaking fiercely. Arthur struggled with the door until finally it gave way and Arthur was able to push it open.
He scrambled to get out of the cage, ignoring the panic that he had caused. Arthur searched for the man once more. He was far away but still within viewing distance. Arthur ran towards him, determined to get Sechelles back.
All the while, Gustav stood by Sechelles’ stall, watching as the scene unfolded before him with mild amusement. His new additions proved to be more amusing than he had originally thought. He maintained his stoic expression while he walked back to his trailer. His new additions would not get far, not as far as he was concerned. No one and nothing ever escaped from Spiritus Krikos and these new additions would be no different from the other runaways he had encountered. Gustav leaned back in his chair as he smoked his cigar.
“Red rover, red rover, let Arthur come over.”
-------------------------------------------
[1] Tropicbird orchid is Seychelles national flower according to the website I looked at.
[2] I am aware that there is a real life person who is also referred as the ‘Spirit Man.’ This is not an allusion to that man. I simply liked the name and that’s why I’m using it.
[3] Spiritus means spirit and krikos is the ancient greek (?)( well it’s greek) word for circus so in English it would mean “Spirit Circus”
[4] The Huay Chivo is a legendary Mayan beast. It is a half-man, half-beast creature, with burning red eyes, and is specific to the Yucatán Peninsula. It is often said to be an evil sorcerer who can transform himself into a supernatural animal, usually a goat, dog or deer, in order to prey upon livestock.
A/N: lots of OCs in this chapter, eh? ^^; Strangely enough, Mr. White reminds of myself a bit. O.o Although probably not in the way you guys are thinking ^^;
Updates: This chapter was written in between the ups and downs of my life and took almost a whole month write. I’ve been having lots of ‘down’ periods that unfortunately prevent me from writing. My beta is also heading into finals so she’s going to be busy for a while and I dare not post a chapter without her looking at otherwise there would be severe OOC-ness that would have all of you throwing tomatoes and all sorts of rotten food at me. Hang in there for those of you who are still with me. ^^
Once again comments are greatly appreciated. :D
EDIT: Anyone who gets the 'Last Unicorn' reference will get a cookie. oh god, I'm such a nerd xD