Trigger Warning: Explicit Abuse. VERY EXPLICIT ABUSE. You have been warned.
STORYTIME!
There's a boy always out in the audience whenever the Circus comes to town that Patton always looks forward to seeing. He can't talk, so the Ring Leader always has him either cleaning up, being an acrobat, or just being a jester doing wacky things. But no matter what, Patton always has to wear a smiling mask so everyone doesn't see his deformed and ugly face. At least, that's what Ring Leader has always told him. But at least Patton had someone to look forward to when doing some shows.
On the flip side, Virgil was a little boy who absolutely ADORED the circus. Even though the woman his parents want him to marry when he grows up hates it. He just drags her along to see what she calls a freak show. To Virgil, the circus is a fun place filled with wonder and curiosity. Like a real life Wonderland. It always made Virgil sad to leave or see someoneget hurt or get publically humiliated. Especially the Pierrot with the mask about his age. He was very skilled as a clown. It's a shame that people ridicule him all the time. Sadly, Virgil can't do anything about it.
Patton walked out into the circle with nothing in his hands but bandages. He had been working on his routine and had injured his hands doing so because the act before him refused to pick up glass shards. Patton glulped behind the smiling mask, feeling like he wanted to cry. He remembered when he loved being a part of the circus with Mama And Mommy. But Mama died and Mommy transferred, leaving him sad and alone. Well, at least his favorite audience member was watching him again. Haha... ha...
Patton waited for there to be silence, just as he had been instructed to do, and he began walking around on his hands, doing flips and jumping when needed to. There were hoops set out around the floor. The occasional people cheered, but more or less ir was boring. It didn't get interesting until someone lit the rings on fire. Patton was panicking. They never had him practice that! Then there were spiked areas below the rings in case he hit them. Patton could die! More people began cheering. The deadlier, the better. Patton wanted to cry.
Virgil noticed the danger and began to grow worried. The Pierrot topped in front of the flaming wheel, hesitating. Virgil could imagined their pale face and twisted horror. What kind of circus was this? They never made the poor young Pierrot do this. People began to boo and scream when he stopped, trowing tomatoes at the poor performer. Virgil's fiancé did the same, finding a great amount of fun in shaming the poor Pierrot. Virgil decided he had enough. Just as the Pierrot was about to just about to run through the hoop, he started running towards the circle.
Patton stopped when he heard screaming of security. He fell backwards on his stomach and sat up, watching the source of the sound. He couldn't say anything, but he could see and hear the boy from the audience screaming. He was screaming his lungs off and everyone started booing him. They threw tomatoes at him instead of Patton. It was shattering his heart. Security managed to grab onto him, but he wrapped his legs around the barrier between the crowd and the ring.
Virgil fought security, trying to get to the hopeless performer in the center. The performer stared at him from behind their mask, as if they couldn't do anything. Virgil had his eyes shut and he was fighting as hard as he could to get to the center. People were laughing and mocking him. How cruel. This society. This circus. How cruel. However, everything went silent when the Pierrot stood up and started walking towards Virgil. Virgil stopped fighting and so did Security. Nobody knew what was happening at this point.
Patton made it to audience boy. He seemed to care about him. Patton looked at him for a really long time, silence ringing in his ears. Silence. He hasn't heard silence in a long, long time. It was nice. However Patton couldn't smile. Not with his mouth stitched up and tongue cut out thanks to Ring Master. One disobedience to Ring Master and this is what happened. Not to mention the large scar stretching from his ear to his collarbone. Patton reached a hand out, the boy mirroring it. Their fingertips touched, but then disaster struck.
Virgil gasped when security knocked the Pierrot back, cracking the mask in two and forcing the poor clown to be brought to the floor. Laughter bursted from the audience and pure horror struck Virgil's face. What had happened to this poor kid?! Virgil kicked the security in the groin during the moment of weakness and climbed over the fence, cradling the clown's head in his lap. Virgil had tears stinging in his eyes and he wept. He wept for the poor Pierrot he began to care for. He prayed that his one good eye would open.
Patton's Head was starting to pound and he felt very hot. He opened his eye and saw the boy from the audience crying. But he didn't see the mask trimming his vision by about 15%. Patton used his hands to feel over his face. His mask is gone? He didn't move, frozen and blood going cold. People could see how much of a freak he was. Laughter and mockery of disgust filled the air around him, but what about the air above him. Patron focused on the boy and reached up, placing his hand on his cheek and wiping a tear away. Patton can't smile, the stitched prevent him from doing so. However, he tried to smile with his eye. It was painful, but it worked.
Virgil placed his hand over the Pierrot's. He has to get them out of here. They deserve so much better than this treatment. Maybe Mother could nurse them back to health. Heal them from the stitches and scars and other pains that the poor clown had been forced to endure. Virgil picked up the small, frail figure and looked around. There has to be an exit, right. A tomato was thrown at the back of Virgil's head, several more following. Virgil ran for the first exit he saw, leading him backstage. Performers yelled at him and a busty woman with a large top hat and obvious implants screamed for the cast to get him. Virgil ducked and ran, the Pierrot tight in his grasp. There was light. He ran through it and made a sharp turn, losing everyone on his tail.
Patton was scared out of his mind! His heart was beating right out of his chest! Patton let himself become a rag doll, nothing but a pile of feathers in the boy's arms. Patton let him set him down on a bunch of crates. Patton can't speak, but he wants to thank the boy. Patton doesn't know sign language. The boy smiled at him, tears stinging in his eyes. Patton felt horrible for making him worry about him.
"Don't worry. You're out of there. Everything's going to be okay. I'm going to take you home to Mother and she's going to get those nasty stitches out and feed you well and you can become family, Alright?"
Patton started crying. Family. He had a family. But his moms... They're gone from him forever. That Ring Leader's evil laugh was engraved into his mind forever. The boy frowned, taking Patton in for a warm embrace. He kept muttering the same two words to him. "It's okay." And "It's Alright." Patton wanted to believe it, but how can he? Patton had only been treated with hurt and hostility. But the boy was so warm and kind. He wanted to believe it, but the face of Ring Master and the pain will always reside in him forever. Years of abuse just doesn't go away.
Patton was a scared, Silent Pierrot.
1342 Words
Abuse doesn't go away. It stays with a person forever. It haunts them forever. Emotional, physical, sexual.... abuse never goes away, so never traumatize someone else. Try your best to help a person recover as best they can. Be patient. Show love. Someone who has been abused needs to know that they matter, their thoughts and opinions matter, and that they did not deserve it.
Internet hugs and Blow Kisses!
~Eva