Purple

I can hardly hear them speak, but they look surprised to see me here. Concerned about my presence in their world. They looked strange, weird, odd... One of them, some kind of purple bunny, a wild and wide smile as they point at me.

They are talking about me, I don't like it.

Their eyes are glued on me as if I was some kind of oddity too. I start to breath rapidly, hyperventilating from all the attention drawn on me. I feel my whole body shaking and a lump in my throat, tears running down my face and a pounding headache making everything worst. A ragdoll comes to me slowly, hands before her as a vain attempt to sooth me from the panic possessing me.

“Everything is going to be okay.” she says, but her voice sounds so distant, like an echo.

“BACK OFF!” I scream while stepping back, my hands in front of me to protect myself from an invisible danger.

My hands...?

They are covered by long mauve sleeves that do not look like my current outfit at all. In fact, my whole outfit is different. I AM different ! Since when do I wear a tutu ?! And what are all these roses attached to it ?! This isn't me ?! This isn't who I am !

I keep walking back until my feet doesn't feel the floor anymore. I fall, I hurt myself -although, I feel almost nothing. I try to stand up but my legs are broken in million pieces as if I was made of porcelain. Since when was I so literally fragile ?!

I scream, panic finally hitting hard on me as I witness the horror of what I've been turned into.

I was no longer human.

And then, a loud snap.

My legs are back to normal, except for some golden marks where the cracks should be. Stupor starts to subdue as my hands touch my repaired limbs, a whispered “What” escaping from my lips. How is that possible ? There were broken, shattered ! How is th-

“WELCOME, MY CLUMSY PAL !”

Another scream escapes from me as an enormous mouth -or set of teeth- spawns in front on me. This time, I run away, wasting no time there.

For God's sake, WHAT IS THIS PLACE ?!

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I finally stopped running, almost out of breath... Leaning my shoulder against a wall, I finally started to calm down. My breathing slowed down and my heart stopped threatening me from exploding inside my chest.

What was this place ? And who were these strange creatures ? Were they some sort of NPCs ? Other players ? I didn't know we were playing a online game or whatever this thing is. I put one of my hands on my face, then realised that I do not feel the VR headset I was wearing a few minutes ago anymore. Where did it go ?! Have I been teleported in this surreal world ? Was my body, my REAL body still there somewhere ? So many questions started to pile up in my head and the only people capable of answering all of them were somewhere in this strange...

“What is this place, exactly ?” I exhaled...

“I'm glad that you've asked !”

I jumped, this same bright and loud voice popping like an alarm made itself heard behind me. I turn my head, and I see it again. The big mouth. Although, they aren't just a mouth, barely a mouth in fact. Floating over the floor at a good meter, this strange character looked like some sort of very fancy guy with chattering teeth and mismatched eyes for a head. The vision was so grotesque I gasped in fear, stepping away.

“Oh, no ! No need to be afraid, my poor dainty sprinter !” it said with a jolly tone. “Although, I might start to feel a little bit wounded by your attitude... It is not very polite to run away from your host !”

“My, of course ! Let me present myself, my dear.” It them straighten itself, as if ready to make a big annoucement. “My name is Caine, I am the host and ringmaster of this wonderful, fantastical, ABSOLUTELY DELIRIOUS Digital Circus !”

“A host..?” I asked in a trembling voice.

A circus... This place is a circus ? I shook my head in disbelief.

“Wait... So you're like what, another player ? Is this some kind of huge RP lobby ?”

My question made it roar in laughter, so much louder than before.

“Oh, this is perhaps the...” it then started to count with its fingers with a very serious expression, each time summoning a new finger on its hand until it shakes it back to normal. “Hm... If fact, I don't know how many time this has been asked ! But to answer you, I am no player ! I am the one structuring your days and nights, entertaining you all with carefully yet expertly crafted adventures for YOU, humans !”

So it isn't human...

“Wait, I never signed up for this ! How do I get out of here ?! Where's the Settings menu ?!”

“There's none.” A nonchalant yet mocking voice answered. It came from this purple bunny from earlier. It's followed by the other characters. “You are trapped, like the rest of us.” he added, a large grin of his face.

“Please, don't be so direct with her.” said the ragdoll “But... Well, yes. I'm afraid there is no exit. And we did try to find one, trust me.”

Behind her, I notice other figures, all of them looking at me. A jester was just behind her. There was a walking ribbon with a mask for a face and a strange entity beside it reminding me of one of these mismatched toys. And last, walking calmy to the group, a chess piece -I don't know much about chess but I assume it was a King, regarding its long robe.

“So... You are all humans ?”

“I'm afraid, yes.” Said the mismatched toy. “We all have done the same mistake by putting on this thing on our heads. Though, we never expected to see someone else here so quickly after Pomni.”

“I know it's unsettling” started the jester “but as Ragatha said, everything will be okay... It just... Heh, it takes some time to adjust, that's all.”

I look at all of them. For a moment, I am speechless, unable to even think about something to say... I saw nobody around the computer, so where were their bodies and...?

“Anyway !” said the overly joyful teeth-head, forcing me to put an end on my inner questioning. “What about you tell us what's your name ?”

My name..? My name is...

“I... I don't remember it... I don't know my own name ?! Why I...?!”

“Of course, everyone forgets their real names once they arrive here !” said Caine, as if it was some sort of good news.

It was not.

“Well, do not worry your little head !" He said, attempting to pat the top of my head as I dodged his hand. "You can choose a new one ! Something you would like to be named as ! Isn't that fantastic ?!”

Not really...

“I vote for Screamer ! Or Chicken”

Absolutely not, you damn rabbit.

“Maybe we should give her some time to decide ?” said the masked ribbon.

“I.... Yes, I think I need some time to think about it. If that is possible... Maybe will I remember it later.”

“Yeah, and Denial is a river in Egy-Outch ! Hey, I'm just spitting facts, Zooble!” said the rabbit after the mismatched toy punched it.

“Can you shut the [#!§@] up, Jax ? She's already having a bad day...” Said Zooble with an annoyed voice. Wait, did they just get censored ?

I took a time to listen to all of them, trying to register their names as much as I could while they're talking -after all, it's not because I do not remember mine that I shouldn't learn theirs. Ragatha, the ragdoll with yarn hair, came closer to me then offered a hand. Her movement was kind and caring, but I didn't hold her hand in return.

“Don't mind them too much. You see, Jax is... How can I say...” she said, tapping her chin with the tip of her hand with a thoughtful expression. “ He is... some sort of troublemaker in the heart. So do not pay attention too much to what he says.”

I simply nod, looking at the rabbit. He had stolen a porcelain mask to the walking red ribbon called Gangle, who was trying to retrieve it desperately before he dropped it, shattering it.

“I don't like him...” I muttered, grinding my teeth. I felt her gaze on me, I guessed she might have a conflicted relationship with him.

“Enough talking !” resonated the chattering teeth's voice. The silence felt heavy when the AI started to approach me again. I stepped back, afraid it -or he?- would bite me. Or eat me whole... “I think it's time that our new guest discovers her new home ! And what a great way to discover a new home than through a brand new adventure !”

The ringmaster said this last sentence with a great enthusiasm, spreading both arms and legs wide with an amount of cartoonish energy no human can express. I look at him, puzzled by either his words, his sentence or the fact he just teleported us back in front of the stage just with a snap of his fingers.

Drum-rolls started as the fancy set of teeth presented the adventure in question.

“Today's adventure is... A Scavenger Hunt !”

Oh, seems nice ?

“That's right, deployed everywhere on the ground of your beloved circus tent and outside, Circus Tokens are hidden here and there !”

As he explains the rules, a golden orb with what I assumed is his face engraved on it appeared beside him. I wouldn't say that this robot, AI or whatever he is has a great ego, but the opposite would surprise me.

“Your goal, my dear mischievous scavengers, is to find them all ! The one who finds the most Tokens will receive this nice trophy !” he exclamed as a trophy with, again, his own face on it, appeared.

Yes... He definitely has a huge ego.

“It sounds... pretty chill, actually” The jester said.

“Well, let's get started ! Good luck, my bunch of trinket gatherers !”

And just like that, the strange character disapeared in an explosion of colourful confettis. Everything then became silent, almost empty... I turn to look at the jester.

“So... Are we searching for the items all by ourselves or do we team up ?” I asked.

“I don't know... But maybe we should. Finding them all would be easier that way. Besides, you might need someone with you ?”

She's right...

“By the way, I'm Pomni.” She said calmly with a smile. I smile back at her.

“I'll team up with Gangle.” announced Zooble before Jax had a chance to grab one of the dramatic ribbon's “arms”.

“Very well...” sighed Jax “Pompom, you come with me."

Pomni shrugged while rolling her eyes. I like her, Jax less... I don't really feel like teaming with him. I fidget with my hands under my sleeves.

“If you want, you can team up with us ?” Ragatha asked, pointing at the chess piece and herself.

“Well, sure. If that's okay for... huh...” I point at the chess piece, which was looking at something. What exactly will remain a mystery.

“Huh ? You said something ?” said the concerned person as they walked to us.

“Yes” I said “I was asking if you didn't mind if I joined you.”

“Well, the more the merrier” he said.

And just like that, the three teams split across the whole circus tent, searching for the orbs.

I learned to discover the whole area and my current teammates. Kinger, the chess piece, was kind of a weird person, but I learned that he and Ragatha were there for the longest time. I think I can call myself lucky to be with them for my first adventure. I then started to question them about the world around us : is there a way to know what time or day it is, how many time this bot was organizing these adventures for us, does he participate too, do we sleep, can we sleep, or eat, or...

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“Woah, woah, slow down !” she said with a laugh “You do have a lot of questions. So... Hm, well we never truly know what day or time it is. Caine never specify this... As for the adventures, he proposes them after a little break. We kind of told him we needed to rest, even if we can't really sleep...”

“So, we can't dream ?”

“I won't say that... We can, but it's more of a break for our minds than real sleep. Same goes for food. We do not need to eat, but we do so nonetheless for our own comfort ?”

So I am not forced to eat... I am somewhat reassured by that.

“AH !”

We jumped as Kinger screamed all of a sudden. We looked at him, he was pointing at a cube. On top of it was a sphere similar to the Tokens.

“Onward, my friends !” he announced as he went to the sphere with a surprising rapidity.

We followed his steps to the cube, Ragatha gave me a leg up to reach the object... Unfortunately, it was just a normal yellow sphere, slightly bigger than the orbs we were searching for. Despite that, I decided to climb onto the cube to get a better look.

The circus tent was gigantic. Cubes and spheres were scattered everywhere in a chaotic order that reminds me of any sandbox games. Props and objects from what I deduced were from previous adventures were laying here and there. In the distance, I notice a small area with colourful sofas and armchairs as well as what I recognize to be the opening to a hallway.

"I don't see any orbs here ! Maybe we can try outside ?!” I said before trying to climb down carefully.

As we venture outside, I can't help but to think that this world becomes curiouser and curiouser. Looking at the sky above our heads, the Moon and the Sun were sharing it. One was calm and peaceful, the other had decided to taunt us with mean comments and threats.

“Don't mind the Sun, she is always like that.” said the ragdoll while Kinger was already heading to what I assumed was a lake.

Searching around the area, we finally found our first golden orb, which popped in the chess piece's hands with a triumphant sound before disappearing. A point counter spawned above us, announcing that we finally found our first Token. The design was kind of retro, reminding me of the 90's. It brought back memories of games I used to play in my childhood.

“What a shame... How will we play bowling without it ?” he said, sounding annoyed and kind of sad.

“We... We are not playing bowling, sir...” I said politely.

“Oh... So what are we doing, again ?”

I guessed that being there for so long had an impact on his psyche. I couldn't help but to feel bad for him.

We resumed our researches, searching around the water, behind the trees... I saw in the distance a wheel ferry, I even noticed the faint smell of cotton candy and popcorn while looking at it. This place was vast, yet it seemed small in a way that, no matter where you go, the areas would just reshape itself. It was unsettling to not say the least...

At some point, my thoughts went back on the AI. Who created him ? Why is he creating all these things ? Is he watching us, learning to know us so he can create more stories ? Or is he spying on us ? That one in particular ran a shiver down my spine. All of a sudden, I became fully aware of my surrounding and, in the corner of my eyes, I swore I saw a pair of mismatched eyes peering at me.