Entering the circus, Madalen noticed the poor seating, with white plastic chairs. In the middle of the stage was a large circle made of stacks of straw, where the performances took place. They got popcorn and sat down. Actually, Jasper sat first, while Madalen remained standing. She thought about running away but was forced to sit down when a stocky gentleman with a thick black mustache entered the scene. He wore a white shirt, a black tuxedo, and a bow tie. Underneath, he wore linen trousers and shiny black shoes. On his head was a tall, elegant black hat, like those worn in the 19th century, and in his hand, he held a microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to our circus! The show will start shortly…”

As he spoke, Jasper clapped his hands and rocked back and forth in his chair; Madalen, on the other hand, calmly ate her popcorn. When the stocky gentleman stopped talking, Madalen took a deep breath of relief.

The lights were turned off on the audience side, and the spotlights turned on in the middle of the stage. Madalen's heart sank.

The first show started. Acrobats came out from behind a red curtain at the back of the circus. Two women and two men. They were fancily dressed. The women wore ballet flats and gold-blue bodysuits with rhinestones that sparkled even when the light wasn't shining on them. The men wore blue tights with fewer straps.

   Coming out of the curtains, they went to the center of the straw circle and bowed. The two women grabbed the men's hands, and they lifted them as if they were feathers. After performing some elaborate acrobatics, standing on the men's shoulders and doing somersaults, their act ended with the four of them walking on a tightrope at the top of the circus. The women sat on the men's shoulders as they walked steadily and carefully along the rope. When they reached the other end, they descended the ladder and stood again in the center of the circus. They bowed once more and then disappeared behind the curtains. Madalen was not thrilled; she had seen much better stunts on the internet.

The second show, she realized with a twinge in her heart, involved animals. Three elephants, along with acrobats, came out onto the stage. The elephants performed tricks with a huge ball as the acrobats stood on top of them. Her heart skipped a beat when, in the next show, she saw iron bars rising all around. When she saw the lions coming out of the iron cages, her heart stopped for a moment. She held her brother's hand tightly without realizing it. Her breath was ragged, and she could feel her heart beating fast. The tamer used a whip to scare the lions into doing their tricks. Madalen looked at the lions with fear. When the tamer put his head into the gaping mouth of a lion, Madalen's blood froze. She waited moment by moment for the lion to close its mouth and devour him. But that didn't happen. When the tamer pulled his head out, everyone broke into loud applause, except Madalen, who sat terrified and scrunched up in her seat.

"Madalen, are you okay? Why are you crying?" she heard her brother ask. Without realizing it, she was shedding uncontrollable tears. The dark memories of the past were swirling in her head again. She had relived all the pain and fear within seconds. She couldn't stand it.

"I am fine. Don't worry," she said, wiping her eyes. She wanted to run away, but seeing her brother so happy, she decided to stick it out until the end. After all, if she took him and left before the show ended, she wouldn't be able to bear his cries again.

When the lion show was over, her relief was indescribable. The next show was with horses and acrobats. The horses formed a circle, and as they ran around, the acrobats struck various poses on their backs.

Next, a magician came out with his assistant. He performed various tricks, including some classic ones she had seen before. He made his assistant disappear into a box, sawed her in half, and made her disappear again behind a curtain. Of course, it didn't take long for the clowns to come out as well. They were the very next act. Ouch! How unlucky she felt. The clowns ran around doing silly things, and while her brother was laughing, she thought they were getting ready to kill her with the plastic horns and jumping ropes they were holding.

Suddenly, a clown wearing a mask and sporting pink, tufted hair – probably a wig – approached them. The lights focused on them. He was staring at Madalen… She stiffened at the thought that her murderous suspicions might be true. He spent almost a minute looking at her – though it seemed much longer to her – until finally, he placed a plastic horn in front of her face. The piercing sound it made was so loud she thought her eardrums would burst. She glared at him as he walked away, and the audience laughed as if he had done something funny. No, it wasn't funny to her.

"Oh, come on, Mad, smile a little," her brother told her with a chuckle.

After the numerous clowns – there must have been more than eight – had performed their antics, they disappeared behind the red curtain, bumping and stumbling for fun. Everyone clapped loudly once more, except Madalen. As soon as the applause was over, the stocky man with the microphone re-emerged from behind the curtain.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the show is over," Madalen was so relieved, "but the show goes on backstage."

She sighed heavily because she was sure her brother wouldn't want to leave before seeing the backstage. And she was right.

Backstage was outdoors at the back of the circus. Anyone who wanted could take a tour to see the animals, acrobats, and caravans up close. Jasper happily walked out, pulling Madalen by the hand. With all her might, Madalen followed him.

As they strolled along, Madalen had a strange, uncomfortable feeling, as if someone was watching her. She looked around and saw a strange clown with white hair wearing an unusual mask staring at her. Madalen shuddered. The features of the mask were terrifying, almost repulsive. The painted face looked wrinkled, as if it were old. The goofy, happy smile was gone, replaced by a mischievous smile, revealing white teeth. The cheeks were not pink but crimson, like blood. The same red covered the round, painted nose. The mask's eye holes looked pitch black; you could hardly see the eyes behind them. The right eye had a painted red line that looked like a scar.

Madalen continued walking with her brother, looking at some caravans painted with beautiful circus acts. She didn't want to pay more attention to the strange clown. She was starting to feel paranoid.

"Let's go to the elephants!" Jasper said, pulling on Madalen's hand.

"Jasper, I'm going to sit here for a while. Go wherever you want, but stay away from the lions!" she emphasized. "And stay where I can see you. Don't move away!"

Jasper ran with joy to see the elephants across.