Door to Sicirus: The Silence Circus

Jurie landed in a grassy garden. Although she was still dizzy from the swirly ride, she abruptly stood upon realizing that she had fallen on a Bermuda grass-carpeted lawn.

"I'm back!" she yelled, only to hear her voice echoing. "I'm in the real world now!" 

"No, you're not," the voice from the jar said.

"Oh," she uttered in disappointment, seeing the jar beside her. It had shrunk to the size of a mayo bottle. "I thought I lost you."

"Look around. Can't you notice something is amiss?"

She scanned the area, finding herself on the edge of a midnight-colored circus ground. There were standing tents painted in black, silver, and deep violet. The air was eerily silent, hanging heavily. Not a breath of wind stirred the branches and leaves of the trees.

Although bright lights lit the circus, which indicated the presence of an ongoing performance, not a single laugh livened the place. No gasps. No cheers. The tents looked crowded but deserted.

"We should go look for the devil," she said to the jar. "Wait a minute, we've been together for several days now, but I still don't know what to call you. Do you have a name?"

"I'm glad you asked. I thought you wouldn't." It hopped in front of her and bowed. "You can call me Urie."

"That sounds like my name."

"Of course! You're the one who found me, so you're my master now. And as my master, it's an honor to use a portion of your name."

"You didn't just get a portion; you only removed one letter." She burst out laughing and then stopped. It was the first time she actually laughed since she arrived at Lofive's place. All the stress and daily struggles she had been experiencing in the real world weighed heavily on her to the point where she almost forgot how to laugh.

As Jurie spaced out again, a massive banner unfurled above, saying, "The Greatest Show You'll Never Hear!"

"What does that even mean?" she asked. She kept walking, keeping Urie in her small satchel. It was a bag she grabbed from the office before another black hole devoured her.

"Don't speak too loudly," Urie whispered from the bag. "Something's sketchy about this place. Let's check what's inside the tents."

Cautiously, she walked towards the nearest tent and peeked inside. Rows of men and women sat on long benches. They were clapping merrily, but their applause was soundless; it seemed like their palms weren't touching each other. Their mouths were moving in supposedly boisterous laughter, but no voice was escaping. They giggled at the sight of clowns doing hilarious tricks. They silently marveled at the magicians' spectacular performance.

Jurie observed them from the entrance of the tent, but their unusual behavior urged her to step inside and investigate further.

She walked to the side of the benches, careful not to make any noise. The crowd clapped once more when a mime juggled fire-lit wood that didn't make any crackle. After the act, several masked figures appeared from the backstage. They wore striped suits like jail prisoners. Their masks varied from pets to wild animals and human faces with distorted facial expressions. They gestured for the audience to step out of the tent one by one.

Jurie blended in so as not to get noticed.

When everyone was outside, the acrobats began swinging from one pole to another, but without a swooping sound. Some of them even performed perilous exhibitions on wires, making the spectators feel amazed as they mentally simulated the movements of the performers, fostering a sense of connection as they were experiencing inner mimicry. They felt like they were doing the acts.

After the stunts, fireworks exploded in utter silence, making the people happier. As they cheered and admired the beautiful display, Jurie noticed a faint glow in their throats. It lit up every time they reacted to the performances.

'Have I gone deaf because of the impact of my fall? Or is everything and everyone here mute? Exhausted from too much thinking, she left the crowd to check the place. She walked around the tents and walked even farther to see if there were places where she could spend the night. 

No houses.

No apartments.

Only tents.

"We have no place to sleep here." She kept walking towards the back of the circus and saw the cages of carnival animals. There was a lion with butterfly wings that breathed fire. To its right was a rainbow elephant that switched color, depending on its body position and emotion. Next to it was the cage of two playful monkeys with serpent tails.

"I know them!" Jurie exclaimed. "Urie, I know them!" She ran towards each cage with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Bulio? Is that really you? How did you end up here?" She reached for the lion's face. The king of the jungle rubbed its head on her arm like an excited cat at the sight of its hooman. It opened its mouth in a mute roar. 

Then, she walked to the elephant's cage. "Ellie, I missed you. I never thought I'd see you again."

The elephant snaked its trunk on Jurie's arm, as if hugging her. Its wide ears flapped in bliss, simultaneously changing its skin color from gray to yellow. "I know you're happy, boy. I am too." She hugged the elephant's trunk back before moving to the monkeys.

"Mackee and Jabee." Upon hearing their names, the monkeys jumped and hopped in joy. They raced towards the side of the cage where Jurie stood and extended their hands, wishing to be embraced as well. "You two are still cute and jovial, aren't you?" She touched their faces in longing. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined seeing her drawing brought to life.

Bulio, Ellie, Mackee, and Jabee were the cartoons she used to draw when she was eight. They were like her imaginary friends and playmates. And when she was a teenager, she even made them characters in one of her unfinished stories.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to continue writing about you guys. The notorious writer's block has hit me hard. I even lost a portion of my soul to a cunning devil. Have you seen her around?"

"Hey, Jurie, stop talking. I'm hearing footsteps," Urie warned from inside the satchel.

"I can't hear anything except your voice."

"Just hide, unless you want to get caught."

She hid among the thick growth of mulberry behind Bulio's cage and waited for what would happen next.

A few minutes later, a kid came running with an orb in his hand. 

"Grab the boy, Jurie. Hide him here," Urie said. Jurie followed the order without question. After all, a boy couldn't cause them any harm. She jumped out of their hiding place and took the boy's hand. "Come with me," she whispered. But the boy struggled and tried to pull his hand from her. "I don't mean you harm." He calmed down, so she guided him back to where they hid, behind the bushes.

Just as they settled, three carnival workers came. They appeared to be looking for someone.

When Jurie looked at the boy, she was surprised to see a speech bubble on his head, the one used for dialogues in comics.

The boy shook his head as words began typing on the bubble, "Please, don't give me to them. They're bad people."