3. The Circus

Josh looked at the piece of paper once more. *You can find us in Diane Park on the 6th of November from 7am-6pm!*

It was quite the walk from his apartment, but he didn't really mind. 'The more wasted time, the better.' he thought, and continued walking north. He passed by the busiest street in town and arrived at the park. It wasn't a huge one, but the hill in the middle of the park had a high enough elevation to block off the other side the park's buildings and make it look much bigger that it was.

The circus was hard to miss, since the respectable tent was situated on the top of that hill, almost resembling a castle reigning over the small green landscape. Josh started walking up to the top, taking the common route he had walked a number of times before. The trees on the sides of the path shrouded the noisy street and gave him a bit of comforting separation from the world.

He had always enjoyed walking in nature, but this was a far cry from a real forest, which made it quite unmotivating for him to walk all the way here more than once a blue moon. He was reminded of his childhood home, completely in the middle of nowhere, miles from any neighbours. What bliss.

He had walked a considerable way up the hill before noting his quuet surroundings. He heard a faint bustle from the streets, and nothing else than a few birds.

"That's weird. I'm not that far from the street" he said and looked back the way he came. He saw a couple of people walking on the sidewalk next to the park, but couldn't hear them talking, even if he tried. He turned towards the circus, noticing the lack of sounda from there as well. Did he mistake the date?

He took out his phone from his pocket and checked the screen. *8:15 Mon, 6 Nov* Definitely the right time and date. He put away his phone and approached the big tent. The entrance had some lights around it which were lit up, so that at least. He reached for the fabric blocking the entrance and lifted it aside. A pair of big, yellow eyes stared at him.

"AAARGH!" He screamed and jumped back and retreated a couple of steps. The being followed him out with long strides, occasionally accompanied by a cane.

"Why hello there, stranger." A voice rang out, snapping Josh back into focus. He assesed the person who just scared the crap out of him. He (?) was a very tall person with blonde, curly hair, a red tailcoat with gold buttons and a raised, black collar, white pants and a long wooden cane. The person also sported a black hat with a pair of big feathers poking out. This was clearly a member of the circus.

"Pleased to meet you, dear customer. My name is Remie d'Boiss, director of this establishment. Excuse my rude comment earlier, I was taken aback by your sudden visit. Please know that you are warmly welcomed to our circus." The director bowed gracefully, taking off his hat in the process for extra politeness. Josh stared speechlessly at the director who seemed to be waiting for his response. The director straightened a second later and as he put on his hat again he said:

"Please come inside. We have a wonderful number coming up in a couple of minutes. You will have to excuse me, I have matters to attend to."

The director put on a polite smile and strode off to do something around the back. Josh watched the peculiar person walk off before again approaching the entrance. 'I was bored, so.' he thought, and lifted the curtain once more.

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