Nightmare Circus
 
 
 
       Everyone enjoys the circus at some point in their lives. You see the clowns playing with coloured balloons, or the trapeze artist who swings gaily from one side of the tent to the other, walking exclusively on a thin rope and in some cases, carrying a pole with which he balances himself. You see fantastic animals trained to make everyone smile, laugh and scream. But sometimes, other circuses lack staff talented in these entertaining arts and go for the different and the grotesque, the disturbing and the macabre.
       Such is the case of the Incredible Monster Show. A late XIX century Japanese circus –whose sole source of spectacle is its disturbing gang of monsters who sought to attract the attention of its clientele with disturbing appearances and flashy tricks.
       Tokkuriji Muchisute the mummy man. Armless and covered in bandages, he is able to use his feet as if they were hands; even showing archery skills despite his limitations.
       Tall and thin, his bandages only covered his face and his amputated hands, leaving the rest of his body covered by a white shirt that barely retained its original appearance; a clear sign of how old and neglected it was, and a black trench coat so long that it reached all the way to his knees. A pair of equally old black trousers matched it, as well as a hat of possible military origin and lastly, a pair of wooden sandals. His eyes stood out from his bandages because of his make-up, a thick black eyeliner that accentuated his brown eyes.
       His voice was hoarse and a bit high-pitched, which could have been caused by his injuries, or for some other reason.
        Akaza the giant. Big and strong, his act was that of swallowing swords in addition to his large figure that made him look like a giant.
       His shoulders were broad and large, and his head was rounded almost like a ball. At first glance you would think that his size was attributed to his weight; but he was pure mass, the strongest among the strong. His voice was deep enough to emphasise his appearance and scare anyone. With thick eyebrows, a short beard and a patch over his right eye, completely bald and with little body hair, if any at all. In addition to always wearing a purple camisole, and lastly, a pair of brown trousers.
       Benitsu the snake woman. Very close to Akaza, with the ability to charm snakes in much the same way as the Middle Eastern desert dwellers do with their flutes.
       Her face especially pale, with eye make-up like Tokkuriji's, and a black cloth hood similar to a jihab. A light purple yukata with a dark purple belt and a camisole like Akaza's; but red, with a butterfly pattern on it. Her voice was broken, probably because of her age or the abuse of alcohol; it made you think that maybe she was once sweet, perhaps broken by life itself.
       Kanabun the girl-boy. Who had the act of swallowing fire. An androgynous child, who to the ignorant eye; could be thought to be a girl or a boy, causing confusion in those who attended to see his act.
       He let his hair grow long to orient his appearance to a more feminine one; perhaps the confusion of others had crept into him. Or perhaps there was a further reason to hide his masculinity, but he rejected neither one nor the other; on the contrary, his clothing played with this concept as well. Wearing a sleeveless white shirt, with a red star in the middle –which showed his arms, like any boy pretending to show off his musculature, (even if it was non-existent) and blue leggings with a tight, small pair of trousers on top, which highlighted his legs like those of a girl.
       And so, there were more people; or perhaps, rather, creatures employed in this circus, one more incredible or grotesque than the last. All of them; with the exception of Kanabun; who was still a child, were well into their 20s or 30s; perhaps older. The passage of time had been so cruel to them that the concept of a birthday was distant and meaningless to them, so long had it been since they had last counted them.
       At the head of this circus was Mr. Arashi, a man who demonstrates the meaning of deceptive appearances, appearing kind and benevolent, but only interested in money and riches.
       A man not too fat, but with some weight, short black hair and a white cap like Tokkuriji's, a dark blue yukata with a black and purple checked shirt top. With a small and somewhat peculiar moustache, and dark-rimmed glasses as well as dark eyes. The favourite appearance of a typical cartoon villain; but which, for the time, was quite normal.
       This travelling circus went from village to village offering its show, captivating or disturbing anyone who dared to watch –and in the worst cases, there were those who joined this circus of horror.
       Such was the case of Midori, who was known in the village as the camellia girl, because of the camellia flowers she sold to support herself and her mother. Midori, after losing her mother to illness, and at the offer of a “good man”, approached this circus in search of shelter and work, but she immediately realised her cruel fate.
       Midori was a 12-year-old girl; a little younger than Kanabun. Usually wearing her school uniform; a white shirt and over it a yellow dress with red polka dots, plus a red ribbon, and at other times, a purple one-piece dress or pink jumper and black trousers.
       From day one she was victimized by almost everyone in the circus, psychologically, physically and verbally –there wasn't a type of attack, or harassment that she didn't suffer from one of the members as she slowly became part of this “family”. Especially being constantly victimised by Tokkuriji and Akaza, Benitsu being an accomplice at every opportunity –sexually abusing poor Midori over and over again, while in disguised words they kept telling her how much they loved her.
       —Little Midori is crying again, the poor thing.
       Benitsu told her softly as she sobbed in pain, being violated by Tokkuriji, who penetrated her forcefully holding onto her with his mouth, biting her clothes with all his might. Benitsu kissed her on the lips while being touched by Akaza and another circus member performed oral sex on the woman.
       —Please stop.
       Midori kept pleading through tears and cries, feeling Tokkuriji's warm breath on her neck and Benitsu's cold lips touching hers.
       Midori, frightened and afraid, felt as if she were being penetrated by a spear, which pierced her from end to end, coming out of her mouth in the shape of a penis that peeked through her mouth, and Benitsu's kisses were perceived as if she was kissing this end and Midori’s mouth. She could swear Benitsu’s jaw was dislocating, or rather deforming, in a way that made her able to both swallow the tip of the spear as well as reaching her lips. Tokkuriji's breathing was like a dragon breathing fire into her neck and burning her alive. She saw Akaza as if his hands wrapped around Benitsu's body like snakes wrap arround their pray, and the man performing oral sex on Benitsu was like a centipede with thousands of teeth and a disturbing look. The panic Midori felt could only be measured by the intensity of her screams and the fear in her eyes, as she deliriously listened to the incessant sounds of laughter coming from every mouth, every corner and every thing, and even if these were not real; to her, it was absolutely all really there. 
       In this way she had become the plaything of the circus men, of all except one; Mr. Arashi, who had his own object of pleasure; Kanabun. You see, Arashi was the only one not interested in Midori not because he was somewhat less evil; but he was simply interested in something else.
       On several occasions she had tried to still find her own scape, her own happiness in a world of pain. She had found some puppies in a temple to take care of, for example, but the pleasure had been short-lived when Kanabun murdered them and served them at dinner. She had tried to befriend the members of the circus, but her status as a sex object had prevented her from doing so altogether –which just got her even worse harassment from the crew; while they played with her and her feelings by making her believe that this was how they showed their friendship to her.
       Once they had grown bored of her for the most part, Benitsu and Tokkuriji were the only ones who had retained some affection for Midori over time, Benitsu had become the closest thing to a mother figure considering the kind of situation she was in; and Tokkuriji, perhaps mistakenly, had fallen in love with Midori –or perhaps not really with her, but with her innocence. This did not protect her from the sexual abuse she continued (albeit less consistently as time went on) to suffer.
       At the same time as this was happening, Midori was getting used to the daily terrors she was experiencing; little by little her imagination stopped flying so sickly and she became more aware of the reality around her without the distortion of her subconscious.
       Tokkuriji at this point had also become something like her guardian, though perhaps the more correct term would be owner. And Midori; motivated by her survival instincts, accepted this fate – like a mouse that stops pulling when it realises it cannot get out of the trap, knows it cannot escape, knows it cannot convince it to let go, and ends up accepting this trap as its new home in a last-ditch effort to stay alive in such cruel circumstances.
       Until one day a curious visitor came to the circus, a bottle with a person in it, or perhaps a person in a bottle; almost big enough to contain a small child in it, but with a curious little man, who by his appearance was clearly not a child –much less a young man, his appearance was clearly that of an adult.
       He calls himself Masamitsu, a little man the height of a child, about as tall as Midori or Kanabun. But his body clearly as worn as an adult's, with a short, pointed beard and small, curved moustache, set on a round, somewhat plump face, Masamitsu (or Wonder Masamitsu, as he introduced himself to his audiences) wore a black suit and white shirt, with a rose on his coat and a blue bow tie around his neck. His voice was high-pitched and mysterious.
       They had all been immediately surprised by the man’s act, believing it impossible that he could get in and out of the jar in which he travelled, and seeing it imperative that he should join their circus, which was already going through a bad run at the time.
       Masamitsu had actually turned up there, like a somewhat curious coincidence, to ask for a job –somewhat comically, before he could even ask, he had already been offered one.
       The little man was quick to agree as everyone let him know how impressed they were with his act and how much they wanted him to be part of their show. At least all but one.
       Tokkuriji was not so pleased to welcome him in, for it was Midori who had been most impressed by the act.
       She was the first to approach him, and the first to say that he should join them.
       —Wonderful! Wonderful! —exclaimed Midori—. You should join us sir, your skill is certainly impressive. How someone as small as me, who is still a child, can slide into an even smallest of bottles.
       All the others confirmed that they felt the same way as she did as they pushed her aside to steal the Masamitsu’s attention.
       But Masamitsu paid no attention to the others, when he saw Midori, he saw no one else, and at no time did he bother to hide his immediate interest in her.
       —Well, thank you very much, miss. But I'm afraid I don't know your name. —Masamitsu held out his hand—.
       Midori, who had been without genuine affection for a long time, almost wanted to cry and her voice cut off.
       —My name is Midori. —She finally answered him by taking his hand—.
       Masamitsu took her palm and kissed it. This infuriated Tokkuriji who watched it all happen before his eyes –Masamitsu taking an interest in Midori, and Midori taking an interest in Masamitsu; even if it wasn't romantic interest on her part, Tokkuriji could sense the dwarf's intentions as if they were his own –and in a way they were after all.
       With everyone (except for Tokkuriji) stunned by Masamitsu's act, there was no need for a consensus; and the man was accepted into the circus immediately.
       The success he brought to the circus was such that they did not hesitate to see Masamitsu as their saviour, and Mr. Arashi saw no problem in pampering him more and more in return for his service –to the point of giving him as close to a private room as possible, where he could not only have privacy for whatever he wanted to do, but also a place to practice his act without the risk of others learning to replicate it –for he feared it might be stolen.
       —Impressive, truly impressive, how does he do it?! —Asked the audience who visited the circus every day to see the act—.
       —I’ve heard that tricks like this are popular in China and India. —Others argued—.
       At the end of the event, Midori then closed the curtain and Mr. Arashi continued with the show.
       As time went on, Masamitsu and Midori also became closer and closer friends, even giving her some of the stardom of his show by having her as his “assistant”. The others didn't mind this; but Tokkuriji's jealousy was growing and made him more and more possessive of Midori.
       —No! Mr. Masamitsu is not like that. —Claimed Midori, waving her arms, while Tokkuriji held her with his feet—.
       —Listen to me, Midori, no one is this good unless they want something in return. —Tokkuriji reaffirmed her—.
       —What is it that you want then? —Midori replied, trying to defend Masamitsu—.
       —I want you Midori, you know how much I love you, haven't I always shown you? How much you mean to me. I love you Midori and I only want to protect you.
       —B.... but you’re hurting me, ever since I arrived.
       —And ever since I’ve loved you, I only show my love for you Midori. Have I lied to you or deceived you? Everything I've said and done to you has been direct and from my heart, without tricks or deceit.
       Midori didn't even know what love was, didn't understand how it was supposed to feel; but she knew that in a way Tokkuriji wasn't lying. His intentions: though sickly, were always direct and whenever he raped her, he didn't bother to beat around the bush. This gradually convinced her of what she thought was a bad person –a person who was good to you and then betrayed you, almost like the man who bought her flowers that night and told her about the circus, and Masamitsu fit that idea of a bad man –and with Tokkuriji's manipulation, Midori gradually thought that this was how it really was, that people who were good were only good because they would be evil later.
       But Midori was still in a state of denial, a part of her still wanted to give Masamitsu a chance.
       —What if he is different?
       —He's not Midori, you have to believe me.
       Tokkuriji was slowly getting more and more on top of Midori, pinning her down with his weight and strength. And as he convinced her that Masamitsu was a villain, his own uncontrollable lust took possession of his body. And Midori could feel it, sensing between her legs the erection that came from the fight between the two of them.
       It happened so often and so constantly that Midori would immediately stop struggling when she felt it was time to be abused. It was as if her body had a button that immediately switched her off and disconnected her from reality and went into a passive, silent mode that lasted until the end of the terrible act.
       Tokkuriji, despite his lack of arms, could feel Midori in almost the same way as a normal person would, his legs were so flexible and strong, as well as coordinated, that he could grab and touch her as he pleased, and because of the scant clothing she was given, it was unnecessary to undress her, since she only had a dress on and nothing else, she ended up exposed without complication.
       The act began with Tokkuriji using Midori to pull down his trousers, pressing his crotch against her and moving up and down as if he was already penetrating her; only for the friction to pull down his trousers which with little effort were being pulled down with every move.
       Immediately his penis was free, and he could immediately penetrate her; but he enjoyed playing with her too, spending time calmly by her side while passing it over the poor girl's hindquarters. And as I explained a moment ago; her body immediately shut down and she closed her eyes. By the time Tokkuriji finally penetrated her, the faint moans of a girl being forced to be a woman escaped into the air where those who heard them merely served to enjoy the moment as deranged voyeurs, living up to the name of the freak show.
       Tokkuriji's flexibility and dexterity allowed him to use his feet to touch Midori, albeit with great limitations –but that was enough for the man, the feeling of possession was more than enough.
       —This is the proof of my love for you, Midori. —He said—.
       Far in the background, Masamitsu found himself trying not to eavesdrop. He had taken an interest in Midori as well and would not tolerate competition, but he knew he could not simply take on Tokkuriji, he had to find another way to get Midori away from him –he knew the lowest risk path was to convince her to leave Tokkuriji for him, he just had to tie her down somehow; and if illusions were his specialty in the circus; they would be his specialty in love.
       And it was easy to find out how to do it, since all the time she had spent in the circus had been cruel and painful; he had only to give her the smallest token of kindness to have her at his feet and under.
       Finally, he only looked angrily in Tokkuriji's direction, warily as Tokkuriji ejaculated over and over inside of her, disgusted that he was only staining her, hoping soon to cleanse her with his own seed, to purify her from Tokkuriji’s filth.
       A few hours later, when it was finally over and Midori got up and escaped from his bed mate’s sleeping grip to go to her own bed to sleep, Masamitsu was quick to come to her.
       —Poor, poor Midori. —He said softly as he offered her something to wipe herself with—. To mistreat a beautiful girl like you like this.
       —And what do you want from me? —Midori was sceptical about what Tokkuriji was saying—. You too want to do these things with me?
       —No! Not at all Midori, it's just impossible for me to see such a beautiful girl like you being hurt like that.
       —It's not what Tokkuriji says about you. —She answered defensively—.
       —I'll prove it to you if you want me to. Next time he wants to do something to you, hide in my room and I won't tell him where you are.
       Masamitsu finally retreated from there. And although Midori didn't believe a word he said, it remained to be seen whether she would take the chance.
        
       ***
        
       —Hey, Midori, where are you?! —Tokkuriji could be heard shouting—.
       Tokkuriji had woken up without Midori by his side, which was not uncommon, but whenever it happened, it annoyed him to no end.
       She heard his screams and panicked, as if she was being chased by a demon –her mind recalled Masamitsu's words that night and she immediately ran for cover.
       Masamitsu was just waking up, but the sight of the girl trying to hide in a corner of his room gave him enough of a signal to understand the context of the situation. He quickly hid her with cloths and various objects with which one decorates a stage and pretended to still be in bed.
       —Where did you take Midori, Masamitsu? —Tokkuriji approached him angrily—.
       —What makes you think I know anything, Tokkuriji? —Masamitsu replied perceptively—.
       —You don't fool me Masamitsu, you’re trying to take Midori from me, but she is mine and I won't let you steal her from me.
       —I don't steal anything from anyone, if she leaves you, it's only your fault. Now go away, she's not here.
       Tokkuriji just stared at him angrily as he tried to comb the place with the corner of his eye, and until he confirmed that she was indeed not there (thanks to Masamitsu's improvised hiding place) he turned to another part of the circus, continually shouting Midori's name over and over again. Once the coast was clear; then Midori came out, safe at least until the next show was over.
       And like the previous ones, Masamitsu's was the most acclaimed, all the other acts had been completely ignored by the day's clientele, but this only seemed to bother Tokkuriji, the others; unless they were faking it, adored Masamitsu, and celebrated each successful day at his side while their buns were filled with the ever-increasing salary payments (including, of course, Tokkuriji's).
       To make matters worse, Masamitsu's manipulation was working more and more every day. Midori would hide in his room until Tokkuriji got bored of looking for her and even started spending the night with him, who became more and more affectionate with Midori, slowly revealing that he was just another monster, no different from her current rapists.
       One night, after he had once again given a successful one-man show, Tokkuriji was losing his patience. Midori continued to avoid him, the visitors continued to take a middling interest in his performance, and the others seemed increasingly enchanted by the riches Masamitsu brought them; it was as if they were all eating out of the palm of his hand, and he was the only one able to see it for who it really was. Rage consumed his insides like an unquenchable fire.
       —Akaza! —Tokkuriji shouted—.
       Akaza walked towards his companion, somewhat surprised, Tokkuriji's voice sounded angry, and he saw no reason for it. He knew that Midori had been ignoring him; but since he couldn't take advantage of the girl from long ago either (because of Tokkuriji's own jealousy), it mattered little to him that their relationship wasn't working out.
       —Come on Akaza, you've got to be tired of Masamitsu. I can't be the only one.
       —You're the only Tokkuriji, since he's been with us the money flows like water in a river. The only one who doesn't seem happy about it is you; ever since Midori left you for him.
       —Don’t you see? Nobody is impressed by your act anymore, Mr. Arashi just hangs out with him, even the way he came to us is all but suspicious.
       Akaza had no reason to complain about Masamitsu. After all, he was in the circus for the money, and the only reason he tolerated failure before the man’s arrival was fucking Benitsu, and now he had both. It was more than obvious to him that the only one who didn't fit was Tokkuriji, no one really cared to be seen; all they wanted was the green.
       —If you have something against Masamitsu, Tokkuriji, fix it yourself.
       Masamitsu, from afar; for he already suspected that Tokkuriji would try to do something to get Midori back, watched the two of them arguing –he didn't need to hear them to know what the conversation was about.
       With no one to support him, he took Akaza's word for it, and in a moment of privacy Tokkuriji went to see Masamitsu, who greeted him with a smile so fake it looked like it was all part of a secret plan. Confidence surrounded the tiny man, as a stricken Tokkuriji tried to appear to have the upper hand.
       —I had warned you, stay away from Midori. —He threatened the dwarf—.
       —You're wrong Tokkuriji, Midori is the one who walked away from you on her own, she doesn't belong to you anymore.
       —Midori is mine! Give her back to me if you don't want to face the consequences, you wretched dwarf.
       Masamitsu did not really have a complex about his stature, but he did have a complex about his authority. He had brought success to the circus and money to his buns. Respect was the least he could expect from others. He could not accept being mocked by anyone, much less a cripple like Tokkuriji.
       Fortunately for him, he knew that this confrontation was a matter of time and he had prepared himself. He was a magician of illusion and deceit, and he knew that this was not only a circus act; it was also a weapon.
       During their discussion and taking advantage of the fact that Tokkuriji was barefoot at the time, he had placed a mysterious and almost indistinguishable powder on the ground. Tokkuriji had been stepping on this dust for some time now as he followed Masamitsu, who walked in circles pretending to listen to him.
       Gradually Tokkuriji began to sweat, and his breathing began to heave. He felt a sensation similar to the one he once had from his leprosy run through his body from head to toe and he seemed to be burning, and, using cleverly placed mirrors, the light from the fire on the cooker Benitsu was cooking with began to be reflected, slowly building up the illusion that he was actually on fire.
       Tokkuriji began to scream in pain when the pain became unbearable, while Masamitsu looked at him with malice.
       Tokkuriji started falling to the ground, which only made things worse as the dust was now all over his body, he had no choice but to run blindly while screaming, to save himself from the flames that he claimed were eating him.
       Running aimlessly, he ended up crashing into the circus tents, frightening the others who immediately came to his aid, including Masamitsu himself, so that no one would believe he had anything to do with it. The cries of fire prompted the others to improvise and bathe him with water from a nearby river; it was a long time before the pain finally stopped, almost traumatizing the man, the fear was such he was too scared to tell anyone; Masamitsu had succeeded.
       But this would be the beginning of the end; for Midori had been watching from a close distance, hidden as usual; but so well taught by Masamitsu himself, that even he did not realise that they were being spied on.
       By the time the illusion of fire had become present she too had fled; for the fright had been such that her mind was making her believe that the fire was real, and she was not found until the next day when she returned of her own accord to see what had happened.
       When she returned and saw that everything was intact, the first to see her arrive was Benitsu, who immediately went to embrace her, frightened by her sudden absence.
       —Where have you been, Midori! —Benitsu demanded—.
       —The fire last night, I thought the place was burning down.
       —Fire?
       Benitsu didn't want to say anything to her, but she immediately knew that something was wrong, when Tokkuriji was rescued, he said he was on fire, and now Midori was talking about a mysterious fire too. Finally, when she asked her for details, she mentioned that Masamitsu was arguing with Tokkuriji and that when she saw the fire, she ran to save himself.
       Now it all made sense.
       That afternoon Benitsu spoke with the others; and as they began to question the decision to have Masamitsu among them, Akaza; who had already spoken to Tokkuriji before the incident, did not hesitate twice to take the situation into his own hands. Perhaps it was that Tokkuriji was right after all and Masamitsu was there for something else.
       After a long talk they all went back to rest. The next morning, they would decide what to do.
        
       ***
        
       —With you! The man in the bottle, the living wonder, Masamitsu!
       A new day, another successful show, as the curtain closed and everyone was out of the circus tents; and Masamitsu was preparing to get out of his bottle, then it happened.
       A giant hairy hand, the hand of Akaza the giant, took the bottle and lifted it up with the dwarf still inside.
       —What do you think you're doing?!
       Akaza loved the money Masamitsu brought to the circus, but he loved sex with Benitsu and having fun with others even more. There was one feeling that emanated from the giant more than any other, the feeling of family. All of them were monsters, all were shunned by society, and none were sacrosanct, but even among thieves there is honour, and Akaza was about to live by that honour.
       Masamitsu was now a threat to that family.
       He carried the dwarf in his bottle as if he weighted nothing and carried him to the centre of the nearest forest, where he finally threw him as if he were a mere stick thrown to a dog. Masamitsu cried out to be freed and demanded explanations, offered his riches and even at the last moment, begged for forgiveness. But none of that stopped the giant from carrying his justice.
       When he finally hit the ground and the jar shattered, Masamitsu had been severely injured, shards of glass stuck in every part of his body as he bled to death, crawling on the ground crying for help.
       He screamed for help, offering everything that came to his mind. No one responded.
       At some point his voice was silenced, for if there is no one to hear it; does the falling tree produce any sound?
       In the end, the peace that Midori had had was extinguished, the money from customers who demanded to see the main act stopped coming in. And everything returned to normal in this circus of nightmares.
       Needless to say, as the months went by the situation never changed, the days went by, and everyone had taken a vow of silence never to talk about what had happened that day. Finally, when the circus had no choice but to disappear for lack of resources, everyone went their own merry way.
       Akaza and Benitsu opened a canteen where she ended up being prosecuted for extra cash.
       Mr. Arashi kept Kanabun, whom he raped and abandoned when he had grown beyond his age of attraction.
       Tokkuriji kept Midori, who after incessant rapes committed suicide and Tokkuriji followed her, hoping to follow her into the afterlife.
       The rest of the monsters looked for a new circus to join and were never heard from again.
       And finally, in the forest where it all took place only a rumour remained, “Don't get lost and don't go at night, and if you go, close your eyes and don't look back, or else the creature of the forest will attack”.
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