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When another spotlight came on from our right side, I turned to face it, only to find that light was followed by another, then another, and another. It was almost as if they’d been programmed to come on. And that wasn’t beyond the scope of believability. Since Laurent was so clever at making dolls that seemed alive, he could have figured out a way to program the lights automatically. Regardless, they illuminated our path from one end of the room to the opposite end. They also illuminated the dolls on the shelves.
“We are not alone,” Jiang muttered calmly, but the growing terror I saw in her eyes convinced me she wasn’t calm at all. I was fairly sure she didn’t yet understand what the dolls were, but she definitely knew something uncanny was going on—proof was written all over her face.
“No one is allowed inside this room,” I told her, keeping my voice low. Somehow, any tone of voice didn’t feel welcome in this place. It was almost like talking in a graveyard—something you didn’t feel right doing, not in the domain of the dead. I squinted into the darkness and began my search. There was a particular door I hoped to find and after some effort, I eventually found it. When I did, I touched Jiang’s shoulder and used my other hand to point at it. “The only part of the caravan that’s ever been seen by the public is through that door.”
“The Menagerie, I once heard it called,” Jiang said as she nodded, apparently familiar with that part of the ebony caravan.
“Not surprised to hear that, seeing the various sorts of strange beasts that call it home...”
Jiang looked back at the shelves in The Dark Room, “And what sorts of things call this room home?”
In answer to Jiang’s question, a pair of creaking noises could be heard above us. They grated like sharp fingernails on a schoolroom blackboard. That gave me all the warning I needed. I quickly retreated into the shelves barely a moment before something fell from above and struck the floor, right where I had been standing only moments before. A small metal knob—not particularly heavy but solid enough to split my head—now lay on the ground.
When I saw the blank look on Jiang’s face, I pointed upwards and said, “Allow me to introduce you to Mariah and Maleah, the two aerialist sisters who used to headline previous shows. They hated me from the moment they saw me.” I took a breath, watching as Jiang very slowly inclined her neck upward and then frowned at the images of the twins, now reduced to their doll forms. “My animosity toward them is long gone now,” I continued, on a shrug. “But unfortunately, time hasn’t lessened either of theirs in the least.”
Jiang’s fear seemed to dissipate. “Your former rivals are now angry spirits?” I looked up and noticed there was no sign of the dolls and I had to wonder if Jiang had actually seen them.
“In a way they are,” I said reluctantly, unwilling to elaborate. “Yes, I suppose you could call them that.”
Jiang looked up to the rafters again, where the irritating sound was slowly receding. “If they are not ghosts, then what could they be?”
“You’ll find out for yourself in a minute,” I replied while indicating for her to follow me. We walked the lit path before us. I still had no conception about what she might see here, maybe nothing, but I doubted that. There was only one way to find out.
The dolls’ glassy eyes stared vacantly at us from their placement on the shelves. Well, the porcelain-faced dolls had glassy eyes, anyway. There were plenty of other kinds of dolls on the shelves as well, including ragdolls and wooden ones. They included a lion tamer, a strongman, a tiny person and a giant that were grouped together. Despite the complete stillness of the display, I could feel their sad eyes boring into us as we passed by.
“I believe,” I started and then cleared my throat because I realized how completely daft this was going to sound. “I believe all the performers… became these dolls.”
Jiang didn’t say anything. Instead, she took a long look at all of them before gazing up at the rafters again, at the point from which the knob was dropped. “Did the acrobatic sisters become dolls too?”
I took a deep breath to steady myself, surprised to find she appeared to believe me. At least, she didn’t seem surprised. “I know it’s hard to believe, but yes, they did.”
“Belief is easy prey for the tiger that is truth.” She looked at one doll sitting in front of her. “Is that not so, little one?”
A pang of recognition struck me when I saw the beard on the chin of the doll. Halfreida deserved a much better fate. “That’s not the worst thing that can happen to anyone involved withCirque du Noir, including the audience.”
When Jiang looked directly at me for an explanation, I gestured towards the poster that stood framed in front of us. In the space between the shelves, stood one of many framed posters in the room. This was one I hadn’t seen before. In it, a great, primordial forest was painted—it was so life-like, even the greenery seemed to stir as if a gentle breeze were ruffling it.
As I watched it, though, I realized the breeze wasn’t a mere optical illusion. The foliage was actually shaking on the right side of the painting. As I came closer, Jiang right behind me, I watched as the painted bush continued to shiver, right before a terrified couple jumped out from it, running into the open of the landscape. They were being chased by an angry creature bearing a loose resemblance to a bear.
“It’s not possible,” Jiang responded on a whisper of alarm.
“Yet, we’re watching it.” My voice sounded just as shocked.
We both said nothing after that, just watched the strange creature that was loping after the couple with unfettered speed. Jiang and I stared in astonishment and disbelief as the trio vanished into the lush foliage on the left side of the painting.
For several long moments, only the sound of our own breathing was audible. Then Jiang said, “I recognize those two people.” I turned to face her.
“You do?”
Her eyes were wide as she nodded. “They were part of the audience in Olathe… until Rex pulled them up on stage and into his act.”
“I don’t remember seeing them,” I said. And I had good reason to memorize every face of the audience we victimized.
“They came to the final show,” she explained. “The one you missed when you left us.”
And that made sense. The dread was suddenly heavy in my heart.
“How can this be?” Jiang asked even though I knew she wouldn’t want to know the answer. “How can any of this be?”
