It wasn't the kind of place anyone would expect to find a circus.
The lights outside the abandoned drive-in theater were garish and beautiful, cutting through the rural night like a beacon, and inside the big top the salty scent of popcorn mixed with the aroma of sawdust as the patrons found their seats.
Flimsy metal folding chairs circled the main ring, the last ones filling just as the lights died down. The murmur of the crowd hushed.
Spotlights snapped on, cutting through the haze to focus on the center ring. A single figure stood there, arms raised high.
"Ladies! Gentlemen! And those of you still figuring out which side of the fence you land on!" Her voice boomed, charismatic and rich. "Welcome to the Endless Circus! The greatest show this side of the drive-in!"
A few chuckles passed through the crowd.
The slim girl wearing a mix of military brocade and lacy burlesque struck a pose, the red tails of her coat flaring out behind, high boots digging into the sawdust. Her blue hair was styled into a chaotic, gravity-defying pompadour, and under the ring lights, her blue eyes glittered with a manic energy that she didn't entirely feel. The top hat, with its eccentric candy stripes, sat precariously on her head, a crown that felt heavier with every passing year.
The lights outside the abandoned drive-in theater were garish and beautiful, cutting through the rural night like a beacon, and inside the big top the salty scent of popcorn mixed with the aroma of sawdust as the patrons found their seats.
Flimsy metal folding chairs circled the main ring, the last ones filling just as the lights died down. The murmur of the crowd hushed.
Spotlights snapped on, cutting through the haze to focus on the center ring. A single figure stood there, arms raised high.
"Ladies! Gentlemen! And those of you still figuring out which side of the fence you land on!" Her voice boomed, charismatic and rich. "Welcome to the Endless Circus! The greatest show this side of the drive-in!"
A few chuckles passed through the crowd.
The slim girl wearing a mix of military brocade and lacy burlesque struck a pose, the red tails of her coat flaring out behind, high boots digging into the sawdust. Her blue hair was styled into a chaotic, gravity-defying pompadour, and under the ring lights, her blue eyes glittered with a manic energy that she didn't entirely feel. The top hat, with its eccentric candy stripes, sat precariously on her head, a crown that felt heavier with every passing year.