Oliver
"Have a good night, Oliver," Richard called over his shoulder as he opened the front door. He had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth as he tipped his hat to me. Richard smoked like a fiend at work; his wife didn't like him to smoke at their home. She said that the cigarettes stunk up their house.
"Night, boss," I called after him as the door swung shut, wafting one last puff of smoke into the workshop. I made my way through the machinery and tables, enjoying the quiet. I plopped down on my bed, letting my eyes lids close. It wasn't busy or even a demanding day, but I was exhausted. I was perpetually shot. Finally, I heard the rumble of Richard's truck leaving the shop.
I pried my body up to rummage through my small chest. This wooden box housed my only belongings at the foot of the cot. I pulled out the last sliver of a bar of soap, a towel, and a change of clothes. I shoved my goods in an old paper bag before walking to the front of the store. I grabbed the metal keyring from the wall and walked out the door, only pausing to lock up behind me. I pocketed the keyring before stepping out into the world.
The night still had the excitement of the circus coming into town lingering in the air. A faint glow of warm lights came from the fields where the circus was being set up. I felt drawn to go and see what was going on like other town folks. I knew that it was where Chester was, but I needed to take a dip in the river and wash off the grim before Richard called me out.
I waited until a few cars passed before crossing the street. I padded along the sidewalk until the well-worn path cutting into the woods came into view. I glanced over my shoulder before trotting down into the woods, following the sound of the river.
Twilight was probably one of my favorite times of the day. Something about it was magical. I also particularly liked twilight because I could wash in the river where I wasn't as noticeable, but I wasn't wholly blind either.
I stripped off my sweat-filled clothes and left them in a heap. I pulled out my clean clothes and towel, carefully laying them on a large rock. Lastly, I grabbed my last sliver of soap and before wading into the water.
The water had a slight chill to it with made it utterly refreshing.
All of a sudden, I heard some faint splashing coming from down the river. I sunk down in the water with only my hair and eyes exposed. I watched as shadows played in the shallow waters; their cheerful voices and giggles carried.
There must have been a dozen or two adults over there. They weren't people from the town, that was for sure. They must have been with the circus. They were too lively to be from this place.
I was about to try and sneak behind a large rock, but something underneath the water's surface bit my toe. "Shit!" I reacted a little bit too loudly as I splashed away from that area.
Whoever else was out there scrambled and ran away from the water. I sighed out loud. I didn't mean to scare them off. I waded back to the edge of the river where my belongings were and climbed back onto dry land. I grabbed my towel and began to pat down my skin.
The sounds of the forest disappeared. No birds. No insects. No squirrels. Nothing at all until a cracking sound echoed through the woods. It was such as eerie noise; I had never heard anything like it before. Whatever it was, it made my skin crawl and the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
I hastily threw my feet through the legs of my trouser and threw on my undershirt. I didn't know what was out there in the woods, but I sure didn't want to stay and figure out.
As I shoved my dirty clothes, soap, and towel into my bag, I glanced one last time towards the shore where the people had been. What I saw made my stomach drop. Through the curtain of darkness that had fallen, I saw at least a dozen of glowing eyes staring at me. A chorus of growls and snarls echoed through the forest.
My feet had a mind of their own as I bolted away from the river. I refused to look back as I scrambled up the shore, clutching my stuff in my hands. I ran as fast as I could. I heard something splashing through the water behind me, but I was too scared to look.
I tore up the path and almost ran over a man with slicked-back blonde hair and a tan suit once I made it back up to the street. He jumped back away from me and brushed off the arms of his suit. "Watch where you are going! What's with you?" A foreign accent caught my attention. What was that? French?
"Sorry, sir." I apologized as I cautiously stepped around. I glanced over at the man; I definitely didn't know him. No one in town was French. Something about him seemed odd; I didn't know if it was just a cultural difference, but my nerves were shot, and I just wanted to get back behind a locked door.
"What's gotten into you? You are shaking like a jitterbug." The man groaned out.
"I'm sorry, sir, I was down at the river, and I got spooked."
"Ah, the woods?"
"Yes, sir."
"In my country, it was said you should never wander in the woods at night. You never know what is out there."
"Well, I'm done with the forest for the night. Whatever is down there, I don't want anything to do with it."
"Go on home now, boy. Have a good night and stay out of the woods for now."
"You have a good evening, too." I politely nodded to the strange Frenchman and made tracks back towards Richard's shop. I didn't stop moving until I was back in front of the door. I exhaled as I rummaged through my dirty clothes, trying to find the key to the shop. The cold metal hoop wasn’t there. The key was gone; it must have fallen out of my pocket at the river.
"Dammnit."
Oliver The icy realization of leaving the key to the shop down at the river was devastating. It slowly trickled down my spine before manifesting into a nauseating pit in my stomach. I couldn’t bring myself to go back and retrieve the key. The light of day had dwindled away hours ago, and with whatever was down there, it wasn’t a risk I was willing to take. I loitered outside the workshop until the streets became bare; no noise but the faint hoot of a barn owl somewhere out in the distance. The rest of the town had drifted off into a peaceful slumber. Thank goodness our town was relatively quiet, and no one stayed up late. As I had waited, I had figured out what my plan was going to be. I wasn’t going back to the river, that was for sure, but I couldn’t sleep outside on the street. I knew that the Millers had gotten a new shipment of hay for their horses last weekend. Without another thought, I made my way to their property and waited until the last li
Oliver"Hurry up!" Chester's voice assaulted me as I hastily fumbled with the buttons on my shirt.After I admitted to Chester that I slept in the Miller's barn, he graciously allowed me to follow him home like a lost dog to use his shower.I couldn't tell you the last time I even was in a residential bathroom, let alone a shower. I had forgotten how solid a shower actually felt. I just wanted to let the water rain down on me for hours. I hated to admit I had lost track of time; until Chester banged on the door, pulling me out of my haze."Hold on!" I called through the door as I patted down my damp curls."The rest of the town
OliverA loud clunk followed by a distinctive hum echoed through the tent before six vibrant spotlights fell on the center ring. There he was. Jules was dressed in white britches, knee-high black books, a crimson tailcoat, and a black top hat. His blonde hair was slicked back in his typical hairstyle.Of course, he was the ring leader! Why didn't I think of that before? Why else would a random Frenchman be in town?"Mesdames et Messieurs! I proudly present my wolves!" Jules's voice bounced off of the tent, his last statement catching everyone off guard.Whispers engulfed the audience. "Wolves?" "What does he mean?" "Are we in danger, mommy?"Before I made out any other words, the sound of paws hitting the ground radiated from beside me. I instinctively gulped and scooted closer to the older couple I was sitting beside."It's okay, son." The old man leaned over his wife and tried to comfort me. "I have been to many of a circus, and they alway
OliverThe crowds slowly started to disperse, but I stayed planted in my seat. Time seemed to speed up as I stared at the center ring. It felt like only seconds went by before I realized I was alone in the tent. It was just me and the magic that lingered in the air of the show that I had witnessed.I sighed as I stretched out my joints. I was about to stand up when someone appeared beside me, Jules. He leaned up against the bench I sat on and followed my eyes to the ring."So what did you think of my little show, Mr. Graham?" Sweat clung to Jules's forehead as he pulled out a handkerchief and tried to dab it away."It was a gasser! It's a good thing you are leaving tomorrow,
OliverIt was as if time slowed on its axis as she turned around. The star's light twinkled in her eyes blue eyes, turning them into pools of constellations. Her hair caught the moonlight, making her look like a mythical creature...or maybe even an angel."Jules, honey, you know I like my quiet time after the show." Elsie's voice wasn't like anything I had ever heard before. There was a strength in her tone but, at the same time, something soft."I know; I am sorry." Jules tucked his chin down and looked at the train car. He was like a puppy being scolded; I almost felt bad for the guy. "This is my new friend Oliver Graham. He seemed so mesmerized by your act. I thought he would like to meet you."
OliverMy feet were like lead as I dragged myself away from the train car. I didn't want to leave.Something inside of me wanted to stay with her. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something unusual about her. Elsie had said that Jules could seem almost magical, but in my opinion, she was the magical one.I kicked at a pebble as I slowly started to head away from the Circus grounds. It rolled across the dirt path. I would get to see her in the morning, so why was I acting this way. She did say that tomorrow morning was it, though when those words left her lips, I felt part of my heart fracture."Oliver! Where are you going?" There was that french accent again; how did Jules always seem to know where I was? If he kept it up, I would probably think he was tracking me or something.I turned around and scratched the back of my head sheepishly. I was supposed to stay with Elsie until he came back, and instead, I left. He was pr
Oliver"Chester...Chester's dead?" The words tasted like charcoal in my mouth and made me feel as if I was drowning, gasping for a breath of fresh air. It was as if freezing cold water had been dumped over top of me. The hangover that was clinging to me was ripped away, leaving me in a confused and emotional state."Yeah, Mrs. Green found them first thing this morning." I felt Richard watching me like he was studying some type of science experience. "She said that the front door was left partially open. At first, Mrs. Green thought maybe one of the younger kids left it open when they ran out the door. When she knocked on the door to let them know, no one answered. That was when she went in..."Richard's voice began to tremble as he trailed off. Richard looked away from me; his eyes seemed to be examining every surface in the office. Now that I was more present, I recognized how pale his skin was with deep dark bags underneath his eyes."Mrs. Green found a
OliverThe door to the caboose slowly creaked open, allowing a cloud of musky dust to slip out, contaminating the air. I glanced over my shoulder one last time at the platform. I caught a glimpse of Richard's hair, beginning to summit over the last stair, and immediately gulped.Without another thought, I hastily slipped into the boxcar. The compartment was dimly lit and the complete opposite of what I thought when Jules said his world of pure imagination. The heavy metal door loudly banged shut behind me. I stepped to the side to let Jules pass by but accidentally stepped on something soft and squishy."Watch where you are stepping! You piece of shit!" A menacing low voice grumbled beside me. Suddenly whatever I was stepping on was yanked out from underneath me. I stumbled to catch my balance after losing my footing."Oh, calm down, Grady!" Jules chuckled behind me as he roughly clasped my shoulder. "Oliver, this is Grady. He is one of my right-hand men.