‘ it reads IN MEMORIAM, but it does not specify who it is for. ’
‘ rooms that smell like powder and old clothes. ’
‘ a lady that cries all the time. a ghost man with a frilly shirt that follows you around and- ’
‘ i can feel it. it is like knowing that a storm is coming, the shift in the air around it. ’
‘ as soon as i walked into the tent i could sense it, and it is stronger the closer to the tree itself. ’
‘ i am not certain it would be perceptible if one were unfamiliar with such sensation. ’
‘ how can you checkmate a circus? it doesn’t make any sense. ’
‘ so the object is to tip the scales in your favor? ’
‘ you could have told me. ’
‘ then it would not have been a surprise. ’
‘ the trick is to make it seem as though none of it is purposeful. to make the artificial feel natural. ’
‘ so proper for a circus girl. ’
‘ we shall have to loosen those corset laces if we intend to keep you as intimate dinner company. ’
‘ i expected the corset unlacing would take place after dinner. ’
‘ we shall keep _________ as intimate company regardless of the state of her corset. ’
‘ ___________’s corset is duly noted, sir. ’
‘ often, just before dawn, there is no color to be seen in le cirque des reves save for their small patches of scarlet. ’
‘ how will you ever determine a winner? ’
‘ that is not your concern. ’
‘ you are a disappointment, i expected better from you. you need to do more. ’
‘ though perhaps that is not unusual for someone in the business of telling other people what their future holds. ’
‘ may i join you? ’
‘ oh, it’s nothing. a hint of feeling that we’re being watched, but it is likely just my imagination. ’
‘ i am not usually in the mood to know anything about my future. ’
‘ what’s a poppet? ’
‘ i have known her, and her brother, all their lives. ’
‘ she is a very special girl with very lovely hair. ’