Prologue
Everyone has those moments in life where they wish there was some fantastical world they belonged to, some world that made them forget their boring existence. A world where they have power that they don’t actually have in their true lives.
Most people use television or books to escape. What no one understands is that, there are other worlds far different than anything we would ever know. Worlds we can’t imagine, worlds that have a special place reserved for us for some amazing reason. Amazing scenery, foes, creatures, friends. All it takes to find one of these places is to just look hard enough.
It’s confusing, yes. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be true. The saddest part about me telling you these things is that very few of you will believe me. What makes it worse is that, of the small number that believes, you’ll give up just before you find what you’re searching for and there’s not a thing I can do to help you.
The searching comes from you, sometimes within yourself. The only one who can get you to your special world is you. Well, you and a few friends from that world who can’t simply wait around for you forever.
Maybe this tale will help you see what you’re missing.
Chapter 1
Natalie Parkson had no idea what was in store for her the summer she was travelling with her uncle and his circle. She expected adventure and fun but couldn’t have tried to prepare herself for the adventure fate had twisted and set in her path.
Natalie, at eighteen, was a fun loving young woman who rarely took things seriously. Her life hadn’t been easy but it hadn’t been particularly difficult either. Her parents were inattentive, often opting to send her away during the summer so they didn’t have to concern themselves with her.
When she was younger, she was afraid to spend the summers with her uncle Sampson. He was a Ringmaster of his own circus. He looked a bit intimidating as a portly man, bald with a thick black mustache and a normally pale face that turned a shade to challenge a beet when he was angry. He didn’t have a short fuse, but when he was upset, there was no real way to avoid it.
But he always had a soft spot for his young niece. Sure, she was easily a source of stress to him but he never really blamed her for it. She was a child that spent her entire summer in a trailer of a travelling circus until her parents said she could come back to get ready for school.
As Sampson waited for his niece at the airport in Washington, he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel of his large black van, advertisements for his circus painted on the sides.
For once, he wore normal clothes, jeans and a dark shirt, his mustache tamed slightly while his bald head glistened with sweat while an excited grin pulled at his lips. The fifty year old man had been preparing for her visit for months and was rather eager to see how she reacted to the surprises he had arranged.
He watched the door to the airport intently, glassing at his obnoxious looking wristwatch, red and gaudy gold, comically sized. His smile faded a bit, a nervous twinge in his chest. What if she had decided not to come? What if she refused? Would they even call him to tell-THERE! There she was!
Natalie stepped out of the airport, carrying a large suitcase pulling a trunk on wheels behind her. She was a tall, lean girl with pale with a sprinkle of light freckles on her face. Her eyes were bright green,complimented by her long, red hair, naturally pin straight. There was no doubt she was a pretty girl but she wasn’t what one would consider ‘vain.’
Her jeans were dark and tattered at the feet, as if she had been walking on them, wear marks at the pockets from sticking her phone in it so often. Her tee shirt had some cartoon reference Sampson himself didn’t understand and her sneakers were oddly bulky with neon orange color but he didn’t care. He was just happy to see her. He didn’t really get to see her throughout the rest of the year and she was the only member of his family that didn’t mind being with him.
He let out a relieved sigh, pressing a hand against the horn, a squeaking sound coming from it, like a clown’s shoe step. He saw her look over in the direction of his van and crack a large grin, hustling over. He pushed open his door, sliding out and walking to the back of the van to pull open the double doors to help her load. “Natty!”
He flashed her a grin as she moved over, the girl grunting as she hefted her suitcase into the van. “Hey, Uncle Sampson. Been waiting long?” She waited for him, watching the man bend down to pick up one end of the trunk. “The flight attendant wouldn’t shut up. All I wanted was to get off the plane and she kept yammering on like I really cared.”
Sampson chuckled lightly, shaking his head. “I didn’t wait much longer than normal. You should appreciate when people want to talk to you. Says more about how you present yourself than anything they can tell you about themselves.” He offered her a lopsided smile as duo loaded up the trunk, Natalie quietly pondering his words.
Once her things were situated, Sampson closed up the van doors and gestured to the front of the vehicle.
“Go on, get in. Let’s get back to the others before they leave without us.” He was hardly joking, moving to the driver’s side as Nat moved to the other side, sliding into her seat and buckling in.
“So. How was the flight, Natty?” Sampson glanced at the girl from the corner of his eye as he started up the van, checking quickly to see that the way was clear before pulling away from the sidewalk and driving down the street.
Nat smiled softly at the nickname he had given her when she was little. She didn’t really expect it to have stuck for so long but she liked it. She leaned back in the seat. “Oh, well, the flight was fine. Not in top three but not in the dishonorable mentions either.” She was very familiar with planes and had seen plenty of odd things in her years.
Sampson smirked a bit. “Well, that’s good, I suppose. Aside from the attendant tellin’ you her life story, of course.” He knew she didn’t really mind it when people tried to talk to her. If she did, she was vocal enough to say something to stop them in their tracks.
Nat shrugged a little bit. “Yeah, it wasn’t too bad. She was a nice enough lady. I couldn’t be a flight attendant. I don’t want to deal with people in closed spaces like that. It’s not fun and I’d go crazy.”
“Well, there’s always a spot for you in the circus, you know. If you decided you could handle more than a few months with me, of course.” Sampson’s eyes were on the street, not sure he wanted to see her reaction to his words. He would love to have family in the show permanently but if it wasn’t something she wanted, he wouldn’t want her to feel guilted.
Nat blinked, looking at him. She had never really considered that before. She loved the circus but it had always been something to take her away from her real life. If it became her life in a serious way, could she handle it? She was quiet for a moment, contemplating.
“What would I do? You have everything you need, don’t you? I’m too afraid of heights to be an acrobat and I don’t really want to be a clown…the makeup makes me break out.” They had both learned that the hard way when one summer, she volunteered to work with the clowns and she was completely miserable with all the grease paint.
Sampson clicked his teeth. “No, you wouldn’t be a clown or an acrobat. I’m thinking about adding a new attraction, actually.” What he wasn’t telling her was that he had already invested in the attraction, desperately hoping she would take care of it during the summer and decide to stay.
Nat quirked a brow, shifting in her seat as she glanced over at him. “What attraction? Or is it a surprise? Is it a freak show?” She knew he would be irritated by the freak show comment. He hated that term. He was a surprisingly kind man and considered everyone in his circus as a unique family member, but never a freak. She watched him curiously, catching a slight pursing of his lips as her words hit him.
“For that, you have to wait. But you’ll figure it out soon enough, that I promise you.” He nodded once, taking a few turns before ending up on a bumpy dirt road. He was familiar with the backroads of every place, it seemed. He always would guide the dismantled circus through the dirt roads and such, it simply made things easier for him. Besides, it was cheaper to set up all his things on an empty dirt lot.
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