The Ad of Lost Souls

Yawning, my finger pressed against the screen, and scrolled down mindlessly.  An odd ad caught my copper eyes.  It was a black ad that blasted dying circus music.  As I was about to scroll past it, a yellowed skeletal hand pulled me through my phone.  Black smoke bellowed around me as I crashed onto the cold forest floor.  Dead trees pulled at my long brown wavy hair.  My black plaid dress was torn to pieces exposing my hourglass figure.  Rocks dug into my palm.  Creepy giggling rang out all around me.  Bells jiggled towards me, causing me to look in front of me.  Terror widened my eyes as a clown with a rotting face sprinted towards me.  His gray silk shimmered in the red moonlight.  I hate clowns.  My heart sank into my stomach, dirt crunching beneath my black mary-janes when I scrambled to my feet.  A saw screamed behind me as I sprinted towards the decaying wagons.  

“Do you want a balloon little girl?” He inquired childishly and crazily. “Everyone loves balloons.”  Wrong, I hated balloons.  Maybe it was the popping sound, or their symbolism of joy.  Gulping, my legs scrambled into an open cage.  The clown’s feet slapped away.  Hot air boiled my pale skin, causing me to look into the skull of a lion.  Yellow teeth looked blue in the moonlight.  My muscles froze with fear.  

“Hey, what are you doing here?” A teenager around my age questioned with flickering concern. “You need to get out before you can’t.  Women become one of his wives.”  His dark brown hair hung around his shoulders.  The green ragged shirt made his green eyes greener.  Mud coated his brown work pants.  A wooden broom hung in his hand.  His warm genuine smile made my heart skip a beat.

“I was scrolling through my phone when I was pulled here.” I mumbled leaping out of the cage. “How do I get out?”  Sighing, his slender hand tugged me into a makeshift janitor’s closet.  Our hearts skipped a beat when he stood inches to my face.  His face flushed red at our approximately.

“The orb is in his office.” He explained setting his broom down. “We can both get out.” Rolling my eyes, my arms crossed across my ample breasts.  His boots shifted uncomfortably.  

“I would hate to point out that there are freaks all around us.” I said sarcastically. “For example Bozo with the saw.”  Groaning, he ran his hand through his hair.  This only irritated me.  

“I have been stuck here for a year.” He whined through gritted teeth. “I had a job just like you, and a family to go home to.  Besides, I hate it here.  The orb needs a girl, and a boy to hold it to work.”  Now everything made sense.  A crooked grin curled on my painted lips, making him relax a bit.

“Where is the costume tent?” I asked calmly. “We need to get a disguise.”  Swiftly he guided me to a worn red cart.  Sparkles and bloody outfits confronted my vision.  Before we picked our disguises, a slenderman looking apparition picked us up, kicking and screaming.  His long black arm set us down in a tall skinny caravan.  The walls were white with twenty pictures of a blonde haired boy about our age with friends and family.  

“I was like you once.” A wispy male voice admitted, tears falling down on the splintery wooden floor. “I have no hope because I have been here for twenty years, but I can help you get out.  Do you need this?”  A blue orb shimmered in his hand.  The teenager with me reached for it, but I stopped him.

“Let us set you free.” I announced looking at the orb. “You should go home, too.  May I ask what the source of his power is.  Maybe we can break the spell.  I am Marie, and I don’t know who he is.”  Huffing, the teenager next to me rolled his eyes.  

“My name is Dustin.” He uttered, looking beyond annoyed. “Can’t we just leave.” Rubbing my forehead, my feet tapped impatiently.  The black spirit jumped up and ran out, leaving us alone.  Heavy silence hung between us.  A soft knock woke me out of my trance.  All of the circus performers and wives stared back at me.  The crazy clown stepped forward with tears flowing from his red eyes.  

“Sorry about earlier.” He apologized meekly. “I had no hope, but I can help.  You need to kill him in order for all of this to stop.  If my theory is correct, we will go back to the days we were kidnapped.”  Whispers ran through the creepy looking crowd.  The clown handed me a black sword with a ruby handle.  

“Well, if it isn’t my latest wife.” A ringleader in a black ornate suit walked into view. “I like ‘em feisty.  Chills ran down my spine at the sight of his decaying skin.  Black eyes glimmered with childlike playfulness.  His black hair lay just so on his forehead.  

“I belong to no one.” I chided, leaping in front of everybody. “Let everyone go!” Chuckling to himself, a ruby sword appeared in his hand.  The crows gasped as he lunged towards me.  Air rushed by my face as his sword narrowly struck me.  Raising my sword, I lunged at him, only to get knocked to the ground.  A sick grin darkened my face.  A deep frown contorted his dead features as the lost teenagers held him down.  With a cry of war, a squishing sound nauseated me the moment the sword slipped into his heart.  Howls poured from his lips until his body stopped twitching.  One by one the monsters changed into kids of all ages.  Smiles graced their lips as they faded away.  The clown kid waved goodbye with tears of joy flowing down his chubby face.  The black spirit kid wrapped his arms around my small waist.  

“Thank you.” He sobbed into my shoulder. “I will find you to thank you.”  Slowly he faded away, leaving Dustin, and me.  With a goofy smile he waved goodbye, fading away to nothing.  The dark circus world melted to my red bedroom.  I was back on my black bedding.  This can’t be real, I told myself.  Disbelief washed over me at the sight of my dress.  It was destroyed and shredded to bits.  Rocks hitting my window snapped me out of it.  Dustin waved back at me with a crooked grin.  Rushing, I pulled a black sweater dress over my head while tossing the ripped dress to the side.  My shoes clicked downstairs to greet him.  My heart pounded out of my chest as his lips pressed against mine.  Pulling away, time melted leaving us and the hot summer sun.  Blushing scarlet red, his arms wrapped around my small waist.  His black band shirt smelled like the woods, and cinnamon.  

“Come on, people want to meet you.” He said, walking me to the nearby park. “They would like to thank you.”  The adult versions of the children stood in front of me with their children, and grandchildren.  Tears flooded from my eyes as they all hugged me.  The clown kid and black spirit kid walked, now adults thanked me, introducing me to their families.  Chatter filled the hot summer day.  The full moon rose up in the starry sky above me and Dustin. 

“I love you!” He admitted wrapping his arms around me. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you for the year.”  His face waited in anticipation for my response.  Leaning up close to him, I kissed  him on his soft lips.  A stunned look froze on his face.

“Does that answer your question?” I teased, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Let’s go home.”  We walked home, thankful that we met.