Episode 3 - circus in time
In an age when dreams are fake, at least smiles don’t need to be
Hello, I hope somebody is reading.
Whispers in the wind told us of a circus that stopped on the outskirts of Nebulous City. The eldest of the Keepers, Regnant, a favorite of the Bastions, wanted to go see it so he invited me, along with some of the other Keepers to run away for a night just to see it. Surprising, I know. It seems even the best of us has a hidden rebellious streak in them.
The aspect of seeing the circus was exciting in itself but the ride there was, at least for me, just as enjoyable, if not more so. First were the blazing mountains. The fire made symbols on the mountain faces as the smokes rose as an offering to the Ancient Gods. As much as the Bastions loved the technology of the new age, they also loved the antiquity of old times.
Beyond the mountains, we drove past the bay. Where I come from, the scenery never changed. But over here, there are lights in the distance. And the further away you went, the more they turned into the image of galaxies. Not that I have ever seen one myself. But I would hope the image that burned into my eyes then would be something in that likeness.
Once we arrived at our destination, it was like we stepped back in time. Everything, from the tents to right down to the costumes, felt like they were made using the hands of humans. It really was something. Unfortunately, not many were there to see it. That's to be expected though. Those of us living in Nebulous City would have no need to come all the way out here just to experience what some would call "laughs". But it seems the ringmaster was an eccentric man, who believed in the need to bring the happiness of smiles and the magic of dreams to where they were lacking the most. Strange of him to think he could bring that with a circus.
But once the show began, I realized why he thought that. Because the performance was a story about when dreams were still possible, when erring meant only a detour, and bonds you made with others had something meaningful about them. It really was a story from a long time ago. Regnant was quite amused by it. But I wonder if it meant anything more to him than amusement.
In Nebulous City, you see, there are remnants of the past but its denizens has nothing of the sort. We fell back on the comfort that was given by the Bastions and in exchange, they took something from us that we can't ever know. Even for me, it is just an inkling, a feeling, but I chose to trust it. And like a ghost, it whispers to me, to escape from here..
I wonder, will you keep reading until I do?