This story is mostly wholesome, with a light, childlike atmosphere. Since English isn't my first language, there may be a few mistakes, but I'm still really proud that I finally finished the first chapter!
I hope you enjoy reading it. Thank you for giving my story a chance.
(Yeah, yeah. I used translator tool to write. I wrote this on Russian:'>)
No one could disturb Jester's peaceful sleep.
At such an early hour, when even the sun had yet to rise, Jester was fast asleep inside his small tent. Wrapped in a soft blanket, he quietly enjoyed the silence.
But someone else was lying beside him.
She, too, was tucked beneath the blanket, seemingly asleep. Then, in the very next second, the little monster's eyes fluttered open. Stretching her arms high above her head and kicking her legs out, she pushed the blanket away.
For what felt like the tenth time, she looked around.
The small purple tent served as Jester's bedroom—and, for now, hers as well. To Ru, there were far too many bookshelves crammed with boring books. On the opposite side of the tent hung a curtain that concealed the entrance to a tiny bathroom. The writing desk looked just as dull. Neatly stacked papers covered its surface, giving the place a mysterious atmosphere. It also doubled as Jester's vanity, where he touched up his makeup and all sorts of cosmetics she couldn't possibly understand.
She lay there for another few minutes before suddenly springing up.
Her hair was completely messy, her pajamas wrinkled, and her eyes sparkled with an irresistible desire to play.
Without wasting another second, she crawled over to the purple circus leader and began poking him with her tiny hands. When that failed, she started pushing him instead. Finally, unable to tolerate being ignored any longer, she climbed onto the bed and stomped her little foot in frustration.
"Wake up! Jester! Jester! Jester!"
She repeated his name over and over without stopping.
Just as she was about to jump onto his back, a long tail slipped out from beneath the blanket and wrapped itself around her tiny body.
Jester slowly opened his tired eyes.
The first thing he saw was the little girl wriggling helplessly inside the coils of his tail.
"Just like an annoying little kitten," he thought.
"Ru, darling," he said softly, sitting up. "Don't you want to sleep a little longer? It's still very early."
His face was uncovered, his mask still resting on the bedside table. Without it, the unique features of his face were impossible to ignore. To anyone else, he would have looked like a terrifying creature—but little Ru had never been afraid of any of them.
He loosened his tail, setting her free.
Ru immediately crawled toward the edge of the bed. Beside it stood a small nightstand with a book and Jester's jester mask resting on top. She clumsily picked up the mask with both hands before crawling back to him.
"Here!" she said proudly, holding it out to him.
"Thank you," Jester replied with a gentle smile.
His clawed hands carefully took the mask.
The moment he put it on, the eerie grin returned to his face. His endless black eyes ignited with a purple glow, and his expression became resolute, ready for whatever work awaited him today.
What else could one expect from a circus?
"Will Jester play with me today?"
The innocent voice sounded right above his head.
He hadn't even noticed when the nimble little girl had climbed onto him, happily holding onto his horns.
"No," he answered calmly as he reached up and lifted her into his arms. "Jester has very important things to do today."
"Important... so they're secret?" she asked, blinking innocently.
Did she understand more about their secret affairs than she let on?
Sometimes, Jester honestly couldn't tell.
"Nuh-uh-uh." He gently sat Ru down on his lap and began untangling her messy hair. "Now, what did we say about that?"
"Secret things are only for the circus workers..." she mumbled with a pout. Then she frowned even more.
"But I'm part of the circus too! I'm a worker too! So I can know, right?"
"When you're older... we'll see."
His calm answer did absolutely nothing to satisfy her.
Ru quietly grumbled his words under her breath.
Jester couldn't help feeling a little sorry for her. She had already spent a whole month exploring every corner of the circus, and now everything had become boring.
"This afternoon," he said while gently gathering the first strands of her hair into a ponytail, "Pierrot, Harlequin, and I are going out to hand out flyers."
Ru immediately perked up.
"I heard there's a playground nearby," he continued. "Would you like to come with us?"
In an instant she imagined colorful slides, swings soaring through the air, and a sandbox full of children. Maybe she'd even make some new friends.
She answered before he had even finished speaking.
Jester couldn't help smiling.
Jester had just separated the first strands of her hair for a ponytail.
He clicked his tongue under his breath.
Of all things, he'd forgotten the hair tie.
Letting Ru climb off his lap, he reached toward the pair of hair ties resting on the nightstand.
The grin on his mask somehow managed to look confused.
"Ru...? Darling, where are you?"
He rose from the bed, looking around the tent.
Then he spotted the wardrobe standing wide open.
Several pieces of his costume had been tossed onto the floor, and buried beneath the pile was Ru herself, struggling with all her might to drag his enormous jester hat across the ground.
"Good grief... When did she even manage to do that?" Jester wondered.
"Darling," he asked, tilting his head, "what are you doing?"
"I'm carrying your hat!" she replied proudly before setting it down to catch her breath. After a second, she grabbed it again.
"So I can help you! Then we can leave earlier!"
A quiet chuckle escaped him.
His hat was far too heavy for such a tiny girl.
But before she could take another step, her foot slipped.
She tumbled onto the floor.
Jester immediately rushed over, scooping her into his arms.
"Oh, Ru... Where does it hurt? Did you hit yourself badly?"
He carefully checked her forehead.
Tears welled up in Ru's eyes, yet she didn't make a sound.
She didn't even seem hurt.
Jester blinked in surprise.
"Darling... are you upset?"
He gently stroked her hair.
"I-I couldn't carry your haaaat..."
The last word stretched into a long, trembling whine as she buried her face against his chest.
Jester let out a quiet sigh.
"How about we go have breakfast?"
He gently brushed the hair away from her forehead.
Ru sniffled before wiping away her tears.
It was such a tiny answer.
Yet somehow, it was impossibly adorable coming from her.
He smiled behind his mask.
"But first, let's get dressed."
Setting her back on the floor, he picked up his hat before opening the wardrobe once again.
From inside, he took out Ru's little gray dress and a pair of black leggings.
Holding them out to her, he asked,
"Can you get dressed by yourself?"
Jester gave an approving nod before disappearing behind the bathroom curtain to get himself ready.
At the very center of the circus grounds stood another tent.
This was where the performers gathered every morning to eat breakfast and discuss the day's plans.
The tent had been built in an unusual way. The kitchen occupied the inside, while the dining table and chairs sat just outside beneath a canopy.
Inside were a stove, a small refrigerator, cupboards filled with cookware, and strings of warm fairy lights hanging from the ceiling instead of ordinary lamps.
The five main performers rarely found themselves together in one place.
But today, thanks to their day off, all of them happened to gather at the same table.
Standing by the stove was Pierrot, dressed in crimson.
Silently, he stirred the pancake batter in a large bowl.
Without his heavy jester hat or the massive black ruff around his neck, cooking was much easier.
Instead, he wore a black apron with the words:
Outside, two other performers were already seated.
Harlequin wasn't wearing his stage costume yet.
Instead, he had on a hoodie with the hood pulled over his horns and a comfortable pair of pants. His mask, however, remained firmly in place.
One clawed hand lazily scrolled through his phone.
The other held an energy drink.
Across from him sat Ticket Taker.
Unlike Harlequin, he was already dressed in full costume, spending his day off exactly as expected—reading through financial reports hidden inside a folded newspaper.
Doctor was the only one missing.
Jester's voice reached them before they saw him.
He was now fully dressed in his elegant purple jester costume.
The tiny bells hanging from his hat chimed softly with every step.
His long blue hair shimmered beneath the morning sunlight.
One hand rested behind his back.
Ru waved enthusiastically with her tiny hand.
Pierrot's deep Brazilian voice boomed cheerfully from the kitchen as he waved back with a flour-covered hand.
Ticket Taker simply gave Jester a small nod.
Harlequin, on the other hand, slouched even farther back in his chair, lazily spinning his energy drink between his fingers.
"Well, well," he smirked.
"Don't you think you're getting a little spoiled, kitten? Being carried around by our leader like that? You're not exactly a baby anymore."
He laughed mischievously as Jester carefully sat Ru down beside him before taking the seat next to Ticket Taker.
Ru puffed out her cheeks.
Then stuck her tongue out at him.
"Aw, come on! I was only joking!" Harlequin dramatically pressed a hand against his chest as though she'd broken his heart. "You actually got mad at Uncle Harlequin over something so harmless?"
"I can say mean things too!" Ru crossed her arms proudly and lifted her chin. "You're... um..."
She frowned, desperately searching for an insult.
Harlequin's mask somehow managed to convey complete disappointment.
"Really? That's the best you've got?"
The others reacted quite differently.
Jester watched the exchange with quiet amusement.
Ticket Taker let out a weary sigh.
Meanwhile, Pierrot wore an unmistakably smug grin.
"Oh no..." Harlequin gasped dramatically, clutching his chest even tighter. "That hurt me so badly... I think I might just collapse!"
He deliberately leaned toward Ru as if he were about to fall right on top of her.
Before Harlequin could get any closer, a firm hand smacked the back of his head.
"Stop picking on an innocent child."
Doctor's usually calm voice carried a rare edge of irritation.
Ru's face lit up the instant she saw her rescuer.
The tall man, wrapped in his cloak and wearing his bird-like mask, quietly took the empty seat beside Harlequin.
"Yeah... 'innocent child,'" Harlequin muttered under his breath.
Reluctantly, he sat up straight.
Even then, he kept glancing sideways at Ru.
Ru stuck her tongue out at him again.
Harlequin immediately responded by sticking out his own.
Unlike hers, however, his tongue was bright green...
...and split down the middle.
"Uncle Ticket Taker!" she complained, turning toward the blue performer seated across from her. "Harlequin's teasing me!"
"And what exactly would you like me to do about it?"
His voice remained cold and perfectly level.
He didn't even bother looking up.
"Punish him! Tell him to do something!"
"Why does she keep asking you instead of me?" he whispered to his old friend. "She knows I'm the leader."
"Because she respects me too..."
Ticket Taker finally lowered his newspaper and fixed Ru with a sharp gaze.
"...and she's afraid of me."
Ru immediately straightened her posture.
She folded her hands neatly on the table.
No one called him that...
Jester quickly covered his mouth to hide a laugh.
"By the way, sweetie," Doctor spoke up, turning his masked face toward Ru, "why do you call us your uncles? We're not actually related."
Doctor felt another gaze settle on him.
Even through the mask, Doctor could tell exactly what that look meant.
"...Never mind," Doctor said after a brief pause. "Forget I asked."
For a moment, an awkward silence settled over the table.
A wonderful aroma drifted through the air.
Pierrot emerged from the kitchen carrying enormous plates stacked impossibly high with fluffy pancakes.
...they looked as tall as mountains.
"There's so many! They smell soooo good!"
Beside the pancakes stood several jars of jam in every kind imaginable.
Everyone admired Pierrot's cooking—
Everyone except Harlequin.
He preferred spicy food over sweets any day.
Looks like he'd be eating plain pancakes.
Ru eagerly reached toward the nearest plate.
Two hands in black gloves gently stopped her.
Instead of answering, Pierrot wrapped something soft around her neck.
Ru looked down in surprise.
Around her neck rested a soft cotton bib embroidered with colorful little circus balls.
"It’s my gift for you, little star!" Pierrot said with a warm smile.
Then he placed two pancakes onto a much smaller plate and slid it toward her.
"You get messy a lot, so... I thought this might come in handy."
Ru immediately grabbed the little bib and turned toward Jester.
She pointed excitedly at the colorful embroidery, as though he could possibly miss something so bright.
"It looks adorable on you, darling."
Jester tilted his head fondly.
"Pierrot... did you make it yourself?"
"Me?" Pierrot chuckled. "Well... mostly."
His eyes shifted toward someone else at the table.
Harlequin sat there quietly spinning his fork between his fingers, pretending to study the pattern on the bib as though it had nothing to do with him.
Who else could have embroidered something so skillfully?
But Harlequin had no intention of admitting he'd helped.
Ru stood at the entrance of the tent, dragging out the word dramatically.
She had changed into a different dress—much prettier than the one she'd worn that morning.
Beside her stood Harlequin, dressed in green, rummaging through a small children's backpack.
"Light snack... napkins... your stuffed bunny..." he muttered as he checked its contents one by one.
He zipped the bag shut before glancing at her with a crooked grin.
"So... are you finally leaving this place?"
"Uncle Harlequin, can I have some juice?"
Ru completely ignored his teasing.
She looked a little disappointed.
"Juice?" Harlequin shrugged. "Nope. Later. Right now we're waiting for Pierrot... Jester..."
The corners of his mouth dipped ever so slightly.
A few minutes later, the red and purple performers finally arrived.
Each of them carried fresh stacks of flyers, ready to spread them throughout the city.
"This city isn't particularly welcoming," Jester said as he handed Harlequin a small bundle. "So stay alert."
"It was a miracle they even allowed us to perform here."
With that, he turned gracefully to leave.
Tiny hands wrapped tightly around his leg.
Ru clung to him with all her strength.
"You promised you'd go to the playground with me! I'm not going anywhere without you!"
She buried her face against him.
He carefully lifted her into his arms and hugged her close.
His hand gently stroked the top of her head.
"...Just a little later."
"In the meantime," he continued softly, "Uncle Harlequin and Uncle Pierrot will stay with you."
He smiled behind his mask.
"You're my good girl, aren't you? You'll listen to them?"
She didn't want to go without him.
She didn't want to disappoint him either.
After several long seconds, she finally looked up at him.
"Just... a little while?"
Yet they carried enough reassurance for her to believe them.
Behind the terrifying grin of his mask...
...it was nothing more than a gentle smile meant only for her.
Pierrot quietly took Ru into his own arms.
Jester walked farther and farther away...
Until he disappeared from sight.
Harlequin nudged the red performer with his elbow.
Pierrot immediately frowned.
The relationship between the two of them had never been particularly friendly.
Still, because of the rules of his role, Pierrot rarely spoke in public.
Instead, he simply turned his head, silently asking,
Harlequin pointed toward the little girl.
She wasn't making a sound.
She simply looked like the saddest child in the entire world.
Pierrot hugged her a little tighter.
He couldn't comfort her with many words.
Instead, he leaned close enough for only her to hear his quiet whisper.
"Jester always keeps his promises."
He gently rubbed her back.
"And while we're waiting..."
"...how about we buy you some ice cream?"
Ru clung to him even tighter.
The rain poured relentlessly outside.
Thunder rolled across the sky.
Beneath the shelter of Doctor's tent, Jester and Ticket Taker stood facing one another.
"Jester," Ticket Taker said, his voice firm, "she's human. We can't keep her here. She isn't one of us."
His shoulders looked heavier than usual.
Even exhaustion couldn't erase the determination in his eyes.
"Not in the place where we took away the only person she had left."
Inside the tent, a little girl lay asleep on Doctor's bed.
When the circus performers had found her near the entrance, she had been burning with fever.
She had been waiting for her mother.
Her mother had promised to buy her cotton candy.
Children weren't allowed inside this circus.
It was far too frightening.
But her mother had possessed a special pink ticket.
To the little girl, that ticket had fluttered through the air like a balloon just beyond her reach...
And that same balloon had carried her mother away forever.
Ticket Taker clenched his fists.
"I'm sorry her mother was foolish enough to sit in the front row."
"But just because she ended up on your stage doesn't mean you're responsible for everything that happened afterward."
His patience had finally run out.
As if they didn't already have enough problems...
Now they had a human child to worry about.
"Do you know which play her mother chose?"
"A mother duck is shot..."
"...yet she continues protecting her ducklings until her very last breath."
"The story ends with all of them dying."
Jester remembered today's performance.
She had moved strangely across the stage.
Not only because she'd truly been shot.
As if she'd been resisting.
Trying to reach somewhere.
Ticket Taker rolled his eyes.
He had never trusted humans.
Yet something about that little girl...
To him, the rest of humanity would remain cruel creatures.
Ticket Taker's voice softened.
"I understand why you're hesitating."
He looked toward the rain.
"...Columbina loved that story too."
The name alone brought back memories neither of them wished to revisit.
"...Though her version ended differently."
"...the ducklings survived."
Only the steady drumming of rain against the canvas echoed through the tent.
Both of them immediately turned.
The little girl had woken up.
Curled into herself, hugging her knees tightly against her chest...
She cried for her mother.
Jester slowly walked over.
His voice was as gentle as he could make it.
He didn't want to frighten her.
The little girl looked up.
Standing beside her was a tall jester dressed in purple.
His mask wore a horrifying smile.
She pulled the blanket closer around herself.
Both performers exchanged surprised glances.
Who wasn't frightened by monsters.
She hesitated before quietly asking,
What was he supposed to say?
That her mother was gone?
That it had happened because of them?
He carefully tucked the blanket around her shoulders before kneeling so they were at eye level.
His endless black eyes slowly ignited with purple flames.
The grin upon his mask seemed even wider than before.
The room around the little girl began to blur.
"You miss your mother very much... don't you?"
His voice became barely more than a whisper.
"She asked us to take care of you."
"She's not here right now..."
"...She's somewhere very... very far away."
The little girl couldn't look away.
His gaze held her completely.
"And what's your name, sweetheart?"
Purple sparks reflected inside her brown eyes.
After hearing her answer...
Jester fell silent for a moment.
"...That's a beautiful name."
"And it stands out too much."
His voice became even softer.
He strengthened the hypnosis one final time.
"And listen to what we tell you."
She gave the faintest nod.
She drifted into a deep sleep.
That was the last thing she remembered from that day...
...and her very first memory of the circus.
A green clawed hand gently shook Ru's tiny shoulder.
"If you don't wake up, you'll miss all the fun."
Ru had slept through almost half the time it took them to hand out flyers.
Her sleepy eyes slowly fluttered open...
Only to grow wide in an instant.
Right in front of her stood an enormous playground.
Everything a child could dream of.
"Well?" Harlequin smirked as he looked at Pierrot.
"So you're just going to keep sitting in Uncle Pierrot's arms?"
Pierrot looked exhausted.
His arms had long since gone numb from carrying the sleeping little girl.
They had finally reached the playground.
Children laughed as they ran from one attraction to another.
Parents watched from nearby benches.
To everyone around them...
It looked like an ordinary, peaceful afternoon.
Not a single one of them...
That something far worse was about to happen.
