While I had been happy to get free tickets, I was a little less thrilled when I learned that the show would be held all the way over in Sugaria.

  “Hahaha! Bet you regret taking them now!”, Phoebe laughed. “At least I don’t have to travel!”.

  I groaned. Travelling circuses do move around a lot, so perhaps I should’ve expected this. Still…

  “Why are they going all the way to Sugaria?! There are plenty of closer stops!”, I objected.

  “Mmm… Pollentown hardly ever allows humans in, and until very recently, Mechadream had tight security that would’ve been too much hassle for them. None of the other towns close by are big enough. Sorry Count Boogula, but you guys really are out in the middle of nowhere”.

  “Well, excuse me! It’s not like you can just plop a haunted house right in the middle of a city! There’s gotta be a certain mystique and air of isolation about it!”.

  “…You could back out if you really wanted to, you know…”. “No, I’m going…”, I sighed in resignation as Phoebe giggled.

  Indeed, despite all my protests I found myself lined up at a carnival soon enough. What was I even doing here? Was I really so desperate for validation that I’d travel for days to see the circus show of some guy that liked my spell? Maybe the real clown was me.

  My misgivings were only deepened by the sight of the ticket taker.

  “What a pleasant surprise! If it isn’t our scrumptious saviors, Phoebe and Count Boogula!”, Fluffygrin was being enthusiastically greeted by Globert yet again.

  “Hex, not you too!”, Phoebe despaired as she realized we were making a scene.

  “Slime instincts”, Hex said in between mouthfuls of gingerbread. “It’s t-totally n-not like I’m hoping for an indirect k-kiss or anything. Oh wow, this guy is baked right”.

  Fluffygrin chuckled as Phoebe finally pulled the two troublemakers off. “Have fun, you four! Jingle Jack’s got a great show planned tonight!”. Jack might as well have let Hex set up a free coffee stand outside, too. An endorsement from the same guy who enjoyed getting devoured alive by slimes was only slightly more subtle.

  Why had I come here again? Truly my mind was an enigma, undeciphered even after centuries of study by the one and only King of Scares. Still, the decision in front of me was obvious. Turning around now may add to my mysterious aura, but Phoebe would call me a chicken. Forward it was.

  We slipped into our cramped seats amongst the chattering masses. Before long the curtain rose over the stage. Spotlights panned over Jingle Jack, who gave his warmest smile. “It feels great to be back in Sugaria! You folks look delicious today!”. The crowd cheered in response.

  “Let’s start with a fun little question!”, with a snap of his fingers, he disappeared, and two copies of him stood on stage. “Which one is the real me?”. He smiled as the children pointed and argued amongst themselves, before revealing himself.

  I leaned forward in my seat. Whoever they had doing illusion magic was good, and if Jack himself was casting it, it was even more impressive. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  “Unlike most circuses, here at the Marvellous Menagerie of Mourning and Mirth, we focus on quality over quantity”, he continued. “And I assure you, we have quite the select lineup for you good folks here tonight! Without further ado I give you our warmup act, the Candle Choir!”.

  He lifted a glass jar over his head, which seemed to have a ghost inside. We didn’t see the ghost itself though, instead the jar had a small image that seemed to cycle through expressions and poses. Jack took off the lid, releasing the ghost within.

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  It had a candle flame at the top of its head, hence its stage name. But that wasn’t the most striking feature about it…

  “It has three faces? How does that work?”, I whispered. Hex simply shook his head, having no idea either. Then the ghost started to sing, its voices combining into a beautiful melody. It was calming yet mournful at the same time, like the acceptance of something tragic.

  The crowd broke into applause as the ghost finished and was bottled once more. Hex frowned, as if trying to recall an old memory. The jar was a rather strange touch.

  “Thank you, thank you”, Jack smiled. “They’ve got quite the talent! But my dear guests, if thrills are what you’re after, then this next act is just for you!”. Just by chance, I saw the light catch on a hairline crack in the next jar he raised.

  The audience gasped as the new ghost was released. White and black stripes wrapped around its abdomen, leading to a vicious stinger. Indeed, it was… “Sugarplums and gumdrops, I present to you a fierce warrior hailing from Pollentown, the White Bee!”. Gauging the crowd’s reaction, Jack decided to tone it down a bit. “Now, I can assure you firsthand that we keep all our performers on a tight leash. Everything is perfectly under control…”.

  As if on cue, the glass jar in his hand shattered. The bee screeched, dove, and impaled Jack seemingly all at once, before the first scream even began. With a puff of smoke, Jingle Jack’s illusory body double disappeared, and he was already bearing down from the left with a fresh jar in hand. Taking him in with its compound eyes, the bee instinctively ducked right as the vessel skimmed right by its head. Jack merely smiled.

  Snap! A wire high above the set was suddenly cut, and the White Bee looked up just in time to see the jar thunk over its head. Its body shrank and was sucked right in. Jingle Jack held up the jar proudly. “Nothing to fear, dear guests! The White Bee is back in the jar, and not a drop of honey spilled!”.

  Only a few nervous chuckles swept through the crowd. With such a ridiculous capture method, they clung to the faint hope it was all part of the show, but the whole exchange had happened so fast they knew it couldn’t have been anything but a real fight.

  “Goodness me”, Jack adopted a frown for the first time ever. “I thought that act would be a hit, but it appears I overdid it”. He bowed deeply to the audience. “Rest assured that here at the Marvellous Menagerie, your safety is always our top priority. And with that, I hope to end on an act that everyone can enjoy”.

  “He’s enslaved them”, Hex seethed. “To think that some sick freak would use that jar like this… to turn noble spirits into circus sideshows… it’s unforgivable!”. I slowly nodded in disbelief.

  The crowd relaxed a little as Jingle Jack revealed the next ghost, a glove and paintbrush. Immediately it started painting on the air itself. It made a house and three people. The picture was simplistic and blurry like a child’s drawing, and it instantly endeared the audience.

  “Does any child here want a toy?”, Jack nodded at the first hand that cautiously rose. “A ball”. “Dabble”, he commanded the ghost gently but firmly.

  Instantly the paintbrush sprang into action. Its style changed completely as it painted a red ball in lifelike detail, with shadows and glare. With a flourish the glove pointed at the picture, and it turned into a real ball bouncing about on the stage.

  At first the audience was simply stunned, but soon they started cheering as Jack handed the ball to the boy. “What do you think?”, he asked. “I wanted a blue one”, the boy frowned.

  Seemingly invigorated by the applause, Jingle Jack didn’t even blink as he complied with the boy’s request. “We’ll do a few more”, he smiled, creating a toy rocket, a teddy bear, and a rocking horse.

  “I’m afraid that’s all we can do for now”, he beamed at the sea of raised hands. “Any toy your child desires can be yours for only 5 silver after the show. We can also negotiate commissions. But for now, its time for the final event… Dabble!”.

  The audience stared in shock as the ghost painted… themselves. It was a lifelike picture of the entire crowd. Everyone looked around for their own painted double in bewilderment. Even just as a piece of art, it was simply unbelievable.

  Jingle Jack was already performing a playful drumroll on the sidelines, as the glove drew circles around the work with its finger. We all held our breath, wondering what would happen this time.

  With a final point, the painting collapsed into a sea of humanoid dolls. The painted heads were entirely lifelike, but anything below that was rendered as a simple mannequin. The dolls all bowed in one smooth motion. After a few seconds they all disappeared in a puff of smoke.

  For a while the crowd was stunned speechless. But when the first person clapped, everyone quickly joined in. Without a doubt, it was the most amazing thing they would ever see.

  Jingle Jack bowed as the stands roared with applause. Indeed, the incident with the White Bee was already long forgiven. The curtains closed over another show well done.

  But they would soon rise over another.