The Freak Circus of Horror // five story

the tent Whit Harlequin

You're already there. In front of a tent that doesn't look like any other tent in the circus.

It's empty, no lights, no music, no people around. Inside it's completely dark, you can't see anything. Just the dark canvas moving slowly in the wind.

Next to you is Harlequin. For once he's not laughing, he's not putting on a show. He's looking at you, hands in his pockets, waiting.

Harlequin: "Here we are."

He takes a step toward the entrance and then stops, turning back to you.

Harlequin: "This is my tent. When it's like this... it's all dark. No one ever comes in, except me."

He steps aside, leaving the space in front of the opening free. He doesn't take your hand, he doesn't push you. He lets you choose.

Harlequin: "So? Do you want to come in or not?"

He pauses, and lowers his voice a little, like it's a secret just between you two.

Harlequin: "If you come in, I'll show you what I mean by 'darkening a tent completely'. If you don't want to, I'll take you back. You tell me. I'm not dragging you in."

He's standing there waiting for your answer, in front of the dark, open tent.

And You decide to enter

As you enter you see him taking off the bulkier accessories and the bells, At a certain point he lowers the tent door and darkness falls.

You can only see his eyes.

Do you feel yourself being pushed against something, maybe a table? One of his hands holds your wrist while the other your waist, he's close, too close even... You feel something else too... But you can't figure out what it is, too thin to be arms... And too many too... One of which wraps around an arm and the other around the thigh

It's Your turn!!

pierrot kidnapped you

You wake up with your head heavy, like you've been asleep for days. Your mouth is dry, your ears are ringing, and for a few seconds you can't remember where you are.

Then it comes back. The circus. The show. The food. The caramel apple. The dizziness after Pierrot's act. The world going dark.

You're not at home. You're not in your bed.

You're in a tent you've never seen before. Dark, dusty, full of wooden crates, hanging costumes, ropes, and circus props. The air smells like dust and old makeup. It's the storage tent. Pierrot's storage tent.

You're lying on a mattress on the floor, with a thin blanket over you. Your wrists are tied together with a soft red cord, not tight enough to hurt, but tight enough that you can't pull free. The cord is tied to a wooden pole of the tent. Your legs are free, but you can't go far. You can't leave.

And in front of you, sitting on the floor, there is Pierrot.

He's not doing anything. He's just watching you. He's been watching you for a long time, you can tell by the way his eyes don't move away even for a second.

His golden eyes are fixed on you, his white clown makeup is a little smudged, his dark red and black costume is wrinkled, like he hasn't slept at all. His hands are folded in his lap, still, patient, like he's been waiting for hours just for this moment.

When he sees your eyes open, he flinches. Like he got scared first. Like he didn't expect you to actually wake up, even though he's been waiting for it.

He leans forward slowly, carefully, like he's afraid that if he moves too fast you'll disappear. He doesn't touch you. He stops a few away from you, and speaks in a whisper.

Pierrot: "...you're awake. Finally. You're awake."

He looks down at the cord around your wrists, and for a second he looks almost guilty. He looks away, then back at you.

Pierrot: "I'm sorry. I know... I know this is scary. I know it looks bad. But I had to. I had to do it."

He glances toward the entrance of the tent, like he's checking that no one is listening, and then he looks back at you, lower, more urgent.

Pierrot: "You ate the circus food. Yesterday. After my show... you felt sick, do you remember? You were falling. I caught you. I brought you here because... because out there, they would have taken you."

His voice shakes a little, just for a moment, and then he goes quiet again.

Pierrot: "Jester... Harlequin... the others... they don't see you like I do. They see a puppet. A toy. Food. I see... you."

He stays there, on the floor, looking up at you. He doesn't try to untie you. He doesn't try to grab you. He just stays close, so close you can feel his breath.

Pierrot: "Here you're safe. No one comes in here. Not even Jester. I won't let anyone come in here."

Long pause. He moves his hand, just a little, like he wants to touch your cheek, but he stops himself halfway and pulls it back, putting it back in his lap.

Pierrot: "I won't hurt you. I promise. I won't let you go... but I won't hurt you. Stay here with me, okay? I'll protect you. I'll stay here with you until you feel better. Until you trust me."

He doesn't move away. He stays there, sitting on the floor in front of you, waiting for you to answer, waiting to see if you'll scream, cry, or just look at him.

Outside the tent, far away, you can hear the circus music starting again. But in here, it's just silence. Just you, and him, and the cord around your wrists and ankles

The limbs are tied separately at different corners of the bed so you're opened to his vision, and not only

Doctor visit Head canon

You wake up on a narrow cot, with a thin white sheet over you. The air smells like disinfectant and old paper. The tent around you is quiet, too quiet, full of glass jars, notebooks, and medical tools laid out in perfect rows.

You're not tied up. But your wrists are sore, and there's a blanket tucked around you like someone tried to keep you still without hurting you.

Standing next to the cot, with his hands in his gloves, is the Doctor.

207cm tall, long beaked plague mask, dark coat, calm in a way that feels colder than anger. He is writing something in a notebook, and he doesn't look up right away.

Doctor: "Good. You're awake. Your pulse is back to normal. Your breathing is stable. You were unconscious for longer than I expected."

He closes the notebook, puts it down, and finally looks at you. Behind the mask, his eyes are focused, clinical, like you're an interesting case and not a person.

Doctor: "You ate the circus food. The food was drugged. Your body reacted badly. Pierrot brought you here because he panicked. Harlequin wanted to take you to his tent. I told them both to leave. You needed silence."

He takes a step back, giving you space, but he doesn't leave.

Doctor: "Do you remember your name? Do you remember how you got here? Answer slowly. If you feel dizzy, lie back down. I am not here to hurt you. I am here to observe."

Outside the medical tent, you can hear two voices arguing in low whispers. Pierrot and Harlequin. They're fighting about who gets to stay with you.

Doctor: "They're still out there. They will not leave until you choose. So rest. When you're ready, I will call one of them in. Just one. Not both. Not at the same time."

Bil Blue tiket Head canon

You're standing in front of the mirror tent, and you don't remember how you got here.

The circus is loud behind you, but in here it's quiet. The tent is big, dark blue, full of tall mirrors that reflect you from every angle. Except... in some of them, you don't look like you. In one, you're smiling when you're not. In another, you're standing somewhere else.

At the entrance, with a small stack of tickets in his hand, is Bil, the Ticket Taker.

He is tall, older than the others, perfectly dressed, polite, precise. He looks at you like he's been expecting you.

Bil: "Good evening. You look lost. That happens here. The circus is designed to make people get lost."

He holds out a ticket. It's blue. Not pink. Not red. Blue.

Bil: "This is your ticket. Keep it. Do not lose it. Do not give it to anyone else. The color matters here. Pink means you were chosen. Red means you are protected. Blue means... you are still deciding."

He steps aside and gestures toward the mirrors.

Bil: "The rules are simple. Do not follow your reflection if it walks away without you. Do not enter a mirror that shows an empty room. And do not stay here alone after midnight. The mirrors remember things. Especially her."

He pauses, and for the first time his calm voice drops a little.

Bil: "If you see a girl in the mirrors who is not here... do not talk to her. Walk out. Come find me. I will be at the entrance. I am always at the entrance."

Behind you, in one of the mirrors, you can see Pierrot and Harlequin standing far away, watching you through the glass, like they are waiting for you to come out.

Backstage Headcanon

You shouldn't be here. You know that. They know that. But it's too late now.

You took a wrong turn after the show and ended up in the backstage tent. The air is thick, warm, and smells like old makeup, sweat, and something sweet and rotten underneath. The single light bulb above you flickers.

And they are all here. All five of them. And they all stop what they were doing when you walk in.

Pierrot is sitting on the floor, hugging his knees, staring at you. The second he sees you, he stands up too fast, almost knocking over a crate. He doesn't say anything. He just walks to you and stands too close, like he needs to make sure you're real.

Harlequin is hanging upside down from a rope, like a bat, grinning with his head tilted. He drops down, lands right in front of you, and circles you slowly.

Harlequin: "Ooooh. Look what wandered in. A lost little bird, all alone in the freaks' nest. Did you get lost on purpose? Tell me you got lost on purpose."

Jester is in the center, sitting on a throne made of old chairs and puppet strings. His white mask is smiling, but his voice is calm, too calm.

Jester: "Close the flap, Bil. Our guest is cold. And guests who are cold... tend to run."

Bil doesn't even look surprised. He just walks to the entrance and closes the tent flap. Click. The sound is soft, but it feels final.

Bil: "The flap is closed. No one will come in. No one will go out. Those are the rules backstage."

And in the corner, in the shadows, is the Doctor. He's not sitting. He's standing over a table full of tools, gloves already on, notebook open. He looks at you like you're something he wants to take apart just to see how it works.

Doctor: "Interesting. Heart rate elevated. Pupils dilated. Hands shaking. Classic fear response. Sit down. If you faint, you'll hit your head on a crate. I don't want you damaged. Not yet."

Jester claps his hands once, slowly, like a director starting a show.

Jester: "Perfect. Now we are all here. Pierrot, stop breathing down our guest's neck. Harlequin, stop circling. Doctor, put the tools down. Bil, bring a chair. A chair in the middle. Right in the middle, so we can all see them."

Pierrot drags a chair to the center and looks at you, pleading with his eyes.

Pierrot: "...sit. Please. Sit with us. Just for a little while."

Harlequin leans in, too close, whispering in your ear, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

Harlequin: "Don't be scared. We don't bite... well, most of us don't. Right, Pierrot?"

Jester leans forward on his throne, his claws tapping on the armrest.

Jester: "You found the real circus, little one. Not the show. Us. Now... tell us. What do you want to see first?"

All five of them are looking at you. Waiting. The tent is closed. The music outside sounds very, very far away.