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Circus Chapter 25: Demitri

Circus Night 25

By Christopher ShaversPublished about a year ago 7 min read
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Demitri was a very young man. He put kindness before chivalry. Though he was a strong hearted person, he always found himself involved in something he wasn’t prepared for.

Demitri had been making dough at the pizza shop he worked at. He had started to think about how he really wanted to leave. How he wanted to go to a new job. How he wanted his abusive boss to go away. His frustration was not visible on his face. But his eyes told the tale of a young man on the edge.

The night had been pretty busy so he hadn’t left the back all shift due to the guys from the previous shifts not making dough. Demitri had to make all the dough himself for his shift and the next morning. He saw a black cat sitting in the window staring at him as if it was asking him if he was okay. He smiled. He began to think about how he wished his cat was so nice. He tilted his head as he realized that the cat was on the inside on the window. He wondered how it got inside. And almost as if it heard his thoughts, the cat stepped towards him. Demitri’s boss yelled for him. The cat jumped out the window.

His boss yelled for Demitri to deliver a large order to a haunted house hosted by the nearby circus. Demitri asked why it had to be him. His boss looked at him and responded, “No one else wants to go because they claim that the circus is run by actual demons and monsters. I don’t believe in monsters but I don’t feel like hearing a bunch of kids complaining over superstition or whatever. So you’re going so we can get the tip.”

“You want me to go so you can have the tip?”

“Yeah, why else? They’re buying 18 pizzas with everything on them. With a tip of 100 bucks for the driver and 300 for the store. Do it or ya fired.”

Demitri closed his eyes and felt that this was the night that he would tell his boss off and break his face. But he saw a flashback of him about to punch a man that smacked his girlfriend’s butt while they were walking in the city. His mentor grabbed his arm, jumping over him and his girlfriend. His mentor landed in front of the guy and without hesitation uppercutted the man with his palm and punched the man in the stomach at the same time, sending the man flying.

With his back to Demitri, he spoke, “Man that was close. I almost didn’t make it in time. You two should go before his buddies come out of the store. This is going to be messy.”

“This is my fight! She’s my girlfriend!”

“Demitri! You have a promising future ahead of you. Don’t let your lack of control over your emotions be your undoing!”

Demitri opened his eyes after taking a deep breath and agreed to do the delivery.

Demitri drove up to the Circus. He felt right at home. Carrying the pizzas he followed the signs leading to the haunted house. He walked up and saw that there was a note telling him to go to room 10. He walked in and instantly fell in love with the dark decorum. He took the long way to room 10. Once inside he saw another note that told him that the tips were under the skull on the dresser. It also told him that if he took the plastic doll on the bed with him he could return for the show and a special request would be fulfilled by the ringmaster for him.

He looked at the bed and saw nothing. He went and took the tip from under the cracked skull on the dresser. Fascinated with the realistic craftsmanship of the skull and dresser he started to take pictures. As he started to take a picture of the mirror, he saw that there was a plastic doll on the bed. He turned around and stared at it. He waved at it noticing that the eyes followed him.

“Wow, you’re pretty cool.”

“Hi!”

Demitri fell back in shock that it talked without the mouth moving, “You talk?! That’s creepy and kinda cool.”

“Hi!”

“Hi!”

“Hi! I’m Barbie! Who are you?”

“Wow she talks in real time… I’m Demitri.”

“Hi! Will you be my best friend?”

“You’re best friend?”

“My bestest friend!”

Before answering, Demitri realized that he should be getting back. He decided that he would take her and ask the ringmaster about it after the show. He went back to work where his boss started to get on him about taking so long. Demitri just gave him the tip and went back to work. His coworkers asked him about the monsters. He told them that it was no one there when he got there. They called him lucky. He told them about Barbie and going back after his shift. They called him crazy. He complained about feeling stiff most of his shift.

At the end of his shift, his boss shorted Demitri 100 bucks saying that the tip was enough to cover the difference. Demitri felt his anger boiling over but for some reason he calmed down quicker than he got upset. He found himself giggling. Giggling then laughing. He laughed while telling his boss that he quit. His boss began to yell at him calling him disrespectful. Demitri laughed in his face as he walked out and drove off to the circus.

He arrived at the beginning of the finale. When Raya shyly walked out and waved to the crowd in a dark blue lace dress with white trim alongside Avery. Demitri sat down. The stiffness stopped bothering him. He sat perfectly still, smiling. Raya and Avery began to waltz. The music soothed him. Watching every step and move hypnotized him.

Every step that Raya took, she left behind a floral pattern made of ice on the ground. You could tell it was her first time dancing in front of people. He remembered his first time ballroom dancing in front of people. He understood her nervousness. As the song went on, she became more comfortable with dancing with Avery.

The floral patterns became flower heads slowly blooming as the song continued. With Avery’s steps and moves, vines of what seemed to be his own shadow began to grow and attach to the flowers. Demitri felt himself unable to move anything except his eyes. He blinked and looked over to see a woman in the same pose as he was sitting next to him. He tried to talk but nothing came out. The woman turned her head to him in a seemingly unnatural way. She put her finger up to her lips in a very choppy manner to shush him. Demitri noticed how much she looked like Barbie. He began to think of ways to get her attention.

She smiled as if it was her first time in a very long time, “Don’t worry Demitri.” She said in a choppy and soothing breath. “We’re going to be best friends. Just like I said.”

His eyes went wide as it hit him when she finished by saying, “The bestest friends.” He tried to scream but she told him not to move and nothing came out. Nothing happened. At all. He looked down to see his skin looked like freshly cooled plastic. While hers seemed smooth and flesh like.

Avery and Ray finished their dance with a spin into a dip that sent the petals from the ice flowers fluttering around and shining. Demitri got to see the woman’s face slowly changing from plastic to flesh as she giggled at him as he shrank to the size of a doll to fit into her grasp, “The bestest friends ever. I promise.”

fictionhalloweenmonsterpsychologicalsupernatural
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About the Creator

Christopher Shavers

Start writing...I am the Author of Circus by Christopher Shavers and the Author in Faceless Entertainment. I love to write and perform. Be it me bringing nightmares to life in stories or my journey through poetry. Enjoy the Show.

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