How Could You Be So Voiceless?

"Who's that?!" He glared at Jurie, who was still covering her face. "Is that you?!" But when he realized that it was coming from outside the tent, he strode with few steps and peeked out. Only the oblivious Siciruans were outside, occupied by the silent fireworks display. The Ringmaster grumpily went back inside. Since his chair and table are broken, he slumped on the floor and faced his captive.

"Because of too many distractions I wasn't able to continue my story. Now, let me retell it to you." He didn't care if Jurie was interested or not. "So, as I was saying, I was written by an author who was once very enthusiastic. I was always looking forward to waking up everyday just to know how my story would unfold."

His officious tone annoyed Jurie, but she dared not show it. Somehow as an author who also has several unfinished drafts, she felt sorry for the Ringmaster.

"So, I was enjoying my life until... one day..." He paused and swallowed. The subtle movement on his shoulders hinted that he was sobbing. He filled his lungs with air, making him appear like a brave knight ready to face the most painful battle he had yet to conquer... the pain caused by truth. "A girl came into my author's life, and he fell hard for her. He spent time with her; she even took the time that was supposed to be mine!"

He threw a tantrum like a kid who wasn't given candy. He smashed his lanky arms on the grassy lawn and kicked some stones under his legs and feet. He shook his hips, smudging his pants with some dust and soil.

"That girl was the reason my life was discontinued! How dare she steal my author's heart and time for me and leave him after! He gave everything he had for her just to be broken like that! Because of her my story was left hanging nowhere, worse than floating midair! Worse than the destiny of a log carried by the rushing river, but at least it finds its resting place at an estuary. Its travel ends with the river and begins a new journey at sea."

Jurie's tears overflowed in her eyes. A hug she wanted to give the Ringmaster as his story melted her heart, but she couldn't. His face slowly rotted away again. His epidermis peeled off like an apple; his facial muscles became prominent in the process.

"This is my cycle now," he said. His poignant dialogue made Jurie cry even more. "After being abandoned, I built a world for characters like me. I want to give them home and solidarity. But then one day, I craved something unique." His eyes brightened up with enthusiasm as he began.  sharing a new story. "Voice!"

He licked his lips like seeing a scrumptious course in front of him. "Do you want to know a secret? Let's say it's another story." He stood and dusted off his pants and hands. "You're not inside a cage." He pulled out a mini remote control and pressed the single green button on it. The remote disintegrated like a robot and transformed into a keyboard.

Her expression gave away how amazed she was.

"What? Is this the first time you've seen such a device? I got this from one of the characters in a sci-fi novel... wasn't finished because his author, you know, unalived himself. He was depressed his books weren't selling." 

Jurie covered her mouth not to release even a gasp as the Ringmaster typed something on the keyboard, and smooth white panels and soft blue lights encapsulated the cage. The metal bars disappeared, replaced by the transparent panels.

She was inside a capsule that smells faintly of ozone and rain. Calm music played, relaxing her nerves and making her eyes droopy. 

A hologram of herself asked to speak a few words, then hum. She remained quiet, not wanting to give in to the urge to do so. 

"There's no use resisting. This machine knows whether you're really voiceless or not." He laughed maniacally. 

The capsule scanned her throat with painless light pulses, mapping every nuance of her vocal cords. The machine played a soothing tone that made her chest vibrate pleasantly, like standing near a large cello being played.

Then in front of her, a small table popped out from one of the panels. On top of it was a crystal ball similar to the one McNeil gave her. The glowing sphere in front of her collected the sound waves coming from her throat. Within seconds, it projected a holographic waveform—her unique “voice signature."

The machine gently repeated her name—perfectly in her own voice—proving the process worked. It was painless, noninvasive, and felt like leaving a piece of art behind.

After the process, the crystal ball was picked by a mechanical hand from one of the panels and was placed inside a box.

"I have never seen such a wonderful colored voice. You must be a writer, too? Weird. You're the first author to grace my world. What could be the reason for you being here?" The mechanical arm handed him the box. "As much as I want to devour your voice now, I'll reserve this." He put the box in his pocket.

"No! Give it back!" Jurie screamed, but that time, as she stared at her horrified reflection from the panel, the silhouette of a speech bubble on her head crushed her world. "Is this the end for me?"

Her knees buckled, making her slowly slump on the ground in tears. Without her satchel and Urie, she was at the losing end.

                                                                                        **

Jurie opened her eyes to the darkness of the tent. She passed out due to excessive crying. She was alone in the dark, unfamiliar place. Her stomach rumbled because of hunger. 

"You can't do anything now."

She freaked out when a tiny voice spoke to her. It wasn't Urie's. It was a child's.

"The Ringmaster owns your voice now. Once he consumed it, he would be able to acquire your skills." It spoke again.

Jurie frantically searched for the source of the voice until a light glow in her pocket caught her attention. With a shaking hand, because of hunger, she pulled the crystal ball out of her pocket. It was the crystal given by McNeil.

I kept glowing as the voice spoke. "I'll find ways to save you. Please help us get our voices back."

She was about to  put the ball closer to her ear when a dim light burst in the tent. She hurriedly kept the ball back in her pocket.

The Ringmaster strutted in and opened her chamber. The three minions behind him smiled creepily at her. One of them threw a red outfit for her to wear.

"I heard you created Bulio? Ellie, Mackee, and Jabee, too. How about you tell the crowd their story?" The Ringmaster said in a sarcastic tone. "Without your distinct author voice, I want to see how you will tell us their story."

"Change now, storyteller," one of the minions said. "We're a bit excited about how authors tell a story. You're the first to grace our stage. Let's see if you can entertain the abandoned characters."

"Authors like you only care about the opinions of your readers, but you don't care about the feelings of your character," another one said. "Will we be pleased with your performance?"

"Do you know what happens to performers who fail to entertain the audience here?" the third one asked.

"DEATH!" they chorused.