Colors [Event Introduction]

[Haleigh Fox]

Colors [Event Introduction]

Black.
Red.
White.

Black is the color of death; red, love; white, for peace. These hues signify what has left me before; and what has returned in swirling confusion. Their return, I never supposed to be that sudden and smooth. I am in shock. I couldn’t tell, I still wanted them back. The fickle part of me burst out saying, “I hate you for coming just now! I hate you for being out of the right time! I hate you for making me grow longing for you…”

Death, love and peace.
Death to myself.
Love for myself.
Peace in myself.

Why just now?
It was hideous.
I AM hideous.

No wonder, the Academy chose to set their watchful eyes upon me since the Alice ban. They sent a nurse to keep a good watch on my daily acts. Annoying, yes; but privacy wasn’t the issue I protested. It was my independence which they took away. It was my freedom that was bound by the chains of their will. If only I wasn’t born like this, I wouldn’t have been caged in this dreary cell of ill-fated people like me.

How I wish I never had an alice.

…

Part of my personal nurse’s duty was not only to make sure I wouldn’t bite the dust but also to lift my morale up—a feat that is quite impossible to use on me. No one could break into stubborn self. Either way, persistence has been persistent, which brings me to Town where a happening is brewing up and it doesn’t interest me at all.

The entrance says, The Rainbow Vagrants.

Settled on the wide space adjacent to the town, the Rainbow Vagrants rose in a beguiling splash of a colorful variety of frolics. The real shows are presented inside the colorfully striped tent. Probably, these outdoor productions are merely previews of how their real thing is. I felt annoyingly excited, after all.

On one side, there was a pair of twin girls, clad in metallic sea-colored leotards, who did nothing but twist and flex their seemingly boneless bodies. They moved with harmony as if their minds were perfectly in-sync. I’m pretty sure they were the acrobats--or much like a pair of twin octopi.

One wouldn’t miss the band of ugly-looking clowns. Horrible face paints and annoying pink costumes make up their unsightly show, but I had to admit it, they were good jugglers. They juggled nearly every object they could get a hold of--balls, spoons, forks, plates, jars, and hopefully, bombs too. I could tell, they are skilled stuntmen too. I wish they could cannon themselves out of this place though.

Then appeared a gypsy in half-naked royal-hued ‘dress’, who looked more like a famished rocker slut, short on clothes than a trustworthy seer of the future. I can’t say if she could use some good clairvoyant powers for the good use of others. I wager my life on it, she couldn’t. I bet she’s a phony and nothing useful could be heard from her ‘sight’.

What amazed me most was the parade of trained animals in bright costumes. They were lined up in ascending size order—starting from the rodents, to monkeys, to dogs, to lions and elephants. Tricks were the flavor of their show. Watching these animals act and probably, think like humans was quite a sight to see. Old McDonald’s noise was giving me a headache though.

The circus won’t be complete without the sweets. Vended around the circus vicinity in scattered booths, sweets were virtually every where; the thought of it is enough to get your tooth aching. Although, there wasn’t anything special with these sweets; simply the conventional ones, unlike those sold in town with peculiar effects. I’m not a fan of sweets, but my sweet tooth gives me a faint craving for jelly beans, especially those orange ones. They looked pretty attractive to me, except for the man who sells it. He resembles a dirty old man…

After the short opening entertainment, the ring leader showed up, who seemed to be a ventriloquist too. Quite beautiful, I may say. She wore a long crimson hair and had a fan on her hand while she dragged with her a doll, who appeared somewhat frightening, with all that skin similar to Asian horror movie ghosts—all pearly white. You may mistake it for a real girl if you observe her closely. The blue fairy doesn’t exist so screw that idea.

Perhaps, this circus is not bad after all. I take it back—what I said. I could use some stupid fun, I guess. I could kill some time instead of dwelling over some useless ideas.

I just noticed though. Has my talking gone to be a little… swashbucklingly colorful?
Weird…

[Xena]

“Well, this is certainly amusing.”

I said to no one in particular, but I managed to catch a few glances here and there from the clowns and the contortionist duo. I shrugged and looked down on my clothing. I hoped that it wasn’t the reason why they’re looking; otherwise I would have felt a bit embarrassed.

It wasn’t a question of bad fashion. I wore something that didn’t usually attract attention. Sky blue leggings paired with a long, light-blue striped blouse, the pair complemented by silver shoes that could pass for white.

I hoped those acrobats didn’t have the idea of me joining the group, either. I didn’t find the name attractive, and the name reflects the working of a group. I’m picky just like that.

It was a bit odd for me to be in town for two days in a row. Maybe I thought I’d come across someone I know after walking through a sea of unknown faces, yet the sight of the gathering away from town—the certainty something new was nearby—was too much for me to bear. I had to elbow my way, with difficulty, through the curious, sauntering crowd, away from the shops.

I tried as hard as I could not to stare at the woman that called herself a gypsy, fearing that if I began to, I won’t be able to snap out of a disgusted daze. So I found the one thing that attracted the people’s attention the most—the animals. I was astonished when one of the huge, gray elephants dropped down its large, wrinkled trunk to my shoulder, but after petting it in an instinct-filled state, it drew back its snaky-like trunk.

I remembered a poem by John Godfrey Saxe, about the blind men and the elephant. I looked back at the creature with newfound interest, realizing that it’s the first time I’ve seen a live elephant before.

Wrenching my attention away from the animals, I looked around, seeing the booths with candy. Maybe I’d have one if I found someone I’d like to keep company for the rest of this circus day.

I watched utterly amazed at the short show, before a female with flaming red hair showed up. She was holding a doll in her hand. I shuddered involuntarily, getting a bit freaked out. I hate dolls like that. It seems to be staring at me, waiting for me to sleep, before it’ll creep to where I was and raise a knife to my throat…

“Too amusing,” I decided. But even at that, I cannot make myself leave the place. Something just glued me to the spot, making me stay obediently at my place.

[Haleigh Fox]

So, I'm truly up for some jelly beans. I realized I hadn't had sweets in a million years. I found it difficult to get near the candy stand. The crowd grew tenfold in a blink. I had to squeeze myself through the ocean of heads and stinking sweat. I never felt so determined over a conspicuous matter like this. I even forgot that I had my nurse with me. But when I glanced around, she was nowhere to found. I bet she lost me with a large crowd like this, which I think made a small curve on my face. I though I could breathe easier without anyone nosing around.

Hits.
Bumps.
Steps.
Elbows.
Breaths.
and finally, the Candy stand.

I took a closer look on the jelly beans; it made me drool in my mind.