She smelled fresh air. She rubbed herself to see if everything was in place or if it hurt anywhere. Everything seemed oddly okay. She looked behind her. The entrance was still there. From the outside, it looked like the same Box of Madness from which she had entered. How could an entire maze fit inside this small box-like space? It was impossible! Very paradoxical.

Her gaze took in her surroundings. She was in an amusement park, much bigger and with more rides than before. There was a merry-go-round with horses, a huge Ferris wheel, gun and dart games that won you stuffed dolls and puppets, a hall of mirrors, a haunted house, an outdoor high-rise roller coaster with very steep twisting tracks, popcorn stands, cotton candy, balloons, and much more.

The lighting from the rides made it look alive, even though it was dark and there wasn't a soul around. Surprisingly, all the games seemed to work.

All around, the amusement park was surrounded by pointed bars, topped with barbed wire. It reminded her of a military camp. On one side of the iron circle was a large, imposing, barred, closed gate. In the center of it all was a circus, but not like the one she had been to with her brother before; it looked much bigger and more stately. Its awning was striped red and white, tying in beautifully with a long, narrow red carpet from the entrance to the gate.

At the entrance of the circus, she saw the well-known clown looking at her as if waiting for her. She ran to him, afraid of losing him again. As soon as he saw Madalen running toward him, he entered.

Reaching the outside of the circus tent, she pulled open the striped curtains to step inside. Her eyes blinked rapidly for a moment. The inside of the circus was very different from what she expected. She was enchanted by its uniqueness; it might have been the first time she liked the decor of a circus. In the middle of the stage was a crystal circle with a reddish-black, smooth surface. Straight ahead, a wooden stage could be seen, like those used in musical and theater shows. All around, almost up to the wooden stage, were red velvet-covered seats. There was nothing poor about the decoration of this circus compared to the one before. Everything was clean and sparkling as if it were brand new, like it had never been used! It was incredibly fancy and gorgeous.

The clown appeared on the wooden stage, coming out from the left side, behind a black curtain. He stood in the middle of the stage, staring blankly at Madalen.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Madalen asked, clearly puzzled.

The clown remained silent. Suddenly, six more clowns appeared from behind the black curtains on both sides. Everyone wore masks. She recognized them! The one on the left had purple hair.

"Who are you? What do you want?" she asked again, horrified.

The clowns all bowed in unison.

"We are the family of circus artists. Welcome!" said the middle clown with white hair. He was the one who had been following her all this time.

"So, you can talk! I thought you were deaf and dumb," she quipped, getting defensive. "And why did you take my cell phone?"

The clown took off the mask.

"Excuse me, but I had to get your attention somehow."

A strange, charming, sly smile appeared from behind the mask. A young man with slightly squinted, deep blue eyes, accentuated by black eyeliner, showed his face. His white hair didn't age him at all; he looked about twenty-five. She was sure it was his natural color.

"Why did you need to catch my interest?" she asked.

"To bring you to my circus, of course."

"Your circus?" She glared at him as if she didn't believe him.

"Yes, I am in charge of the circus, and these are my partners." With these words, one by one they took off their clown masks and revealed their faces.