Warning: This work has been rated 16+ for violence and mature content.
*This is the origin story of a character from my story “Circus of horrors”. Gacha Club character designs are on my wall. Enjoy!*
In 1982, there was a six year old girl named Abigail Marie Wallace.
Abigail liked going to carnivals, eating the food and seeing the performers. It was where she could be her energetic self, without judgement.
At school, if she got excited, she couldn’t stop shaking her right leg. It was a way to get her adrenaline out. She couldn’t help it.
And Abigail got excited often from thinking about circuses and carnivals all the time.
Her classmates didn’t talk to her, because they found her obsession of the circus “weird.”
But she didn’t mind! She had her own imagination to occupy herself.
Although sometimes, she wished that she had a friend…
……………………………………………………………
One sunny Saturday afternoon, she was hanging out in her room, drawing in her sketchbook.
Suddenly, she heard a knock on her bedroom door.
“Can I come in?” Her Mom asked.
“Yes.” Abigail said. She always appreciated her Mom for treating her like a person and not like a baby.
The door opened and Mom sat next to her on the bed.
“I have some good news for you.”
“What?”
“You’re going to have our neighbor, Charles, babysit you-“
“A BABYSITTER?! I DON’T NEED A BABYSITTER!”
“Calm down, Abigail. He’s just going to come over and visit. I think this will be good for you. You’ll have a new friend.”
“But-“
“No buts. It’s final.”
Charles was the teenage boy who lived next door, someone she didn’t want or need to talk to.
So why did Mom get her a babysitter?
Ugh.
……………………………………………………………….
A week later and Charles came over. Her parents left to do some strange grown-up stuff, so she had to be with him.
“Hey, you must be Abigail.”
“Yes, obviously.”
He grinned devilishly at her. Why?
“Come downstairs, Abby. I’ve got something splendid to show you. I can only show you in a super secret room, though. Do you know where that room is?”
She noticed the giant suitcase he had with him…why did he have a suitcase? And why did he want to go in another room, either? The only secret room in the house was the basement. If he wanted to show her something in a secret room, then it was important, right?
Right?
“Um…follow me…I’ll show you where the basement is, Charlie.”
He didn’t seem mad about the nickname she gave him. Weird. Usually people didn’t like it when she gave them nicknames. Then again, he did give her a nickname, so maybe he was okay with it.
Abigail led him downstairs, to the basement.
When they were all the way down, she asked:
“Why are we down here? What are you going to do?”
The light flicked on. Charlie must have done it.
Then, he placed the suitcase down and unzipped it open.
Abigail peeked inside-
“Don’t peek. I’ll show you.”
He pushed her gently away from the luggage and Abigail (reluctantly) waited for him to take out whatever he needed to take out.
From the suitcase, he took out-
“Why do you have a clown costume?”
“Because I am a clown.”
“WHAT? That’s so freaking cool!”
“Are you going to tell my parents I said freaking? They say it’s a bad word.”
“Nope!”
“Good.”
“Wait, why are you showing me this?”
“I’d thought we’d be faster friends if I told you that I perform at the local circus sometimes, because your parents told me how much you liked it.”
“Can I talk about this at school? Please? It’s super cool that you-“
“No. You can’t tell anyone. Not even your parents.”
“What? Why?”
“Because it’s our little secret.”
“Do you pinky promise to keep it our little secret?”
“I pinky promise.”
“Swear on Mac N’Cheese?”
“I swear on Mac N’Cheese!”
“Super triple promise?”
“Charlie! That’s enough, silly!”
Abigail giggled as she pinky promised him. For the first time, she was keeping a secret.
“Why did we go in the basement? We could have done this upstairs.”
“Because it’s super-secret down here.”
“Okay.”
Charlie was strange, but at least now she had a friend.
A friend who was just as odd as her.
………………………………………………………………
Throughout the days, Abigail looked forward to visits from Charlie. They’d play games, watch movies and then tell each other scary stories in the dark.
And whenever her parents took her to the circus, she never told them that Charlie was there. She never told anyone that Charlie was one of the performers, who she waved to often. He’d smile for her and only her.
She didn’t even tell her English teacher, Ms.Miriam, the truth about him and she was her favorite teacher!
Charlie was her best friend, which was why he was going to be at her seventh birthday party, which was coming up on February twenty-second! It was February nineteenth today.
She’d hold it at the circus and he would be there!
Abigail couldn’t wait!
………………………………………………………………
The day finally arrived! Abigail’s seventh birthday!
She was going to have so much fun at the circus!
“Come downstairs, sweetie! Breakfast is ready!”
Abigail broke out of her daydream and pushed back the covers, heeding Mom’s call for birthday breakfast.
She had a big day ahead of her.
………………………………………………………………..
After some long and boring hours of driving, Abigail was finally at the circus!
There was her family and birthday cake and the performers and Charlie and it was all just for her!
Abigail immediately ran inside of a circus tent, playing Hide and Seek with everyone. They didn’t know that she was playing, but they’d find out later.
The entrance flap opened, revealing Charlie. Charlie must have found her!
But why was he scared?
“Charlie, what’s wrong?”
“Get down!”
“Why?”
“Just do it!”
Abigail didn’t get down. She crossed her arms and glared at him. Why didn’t he tell her what was going on?
“Damn it, Abigail!”
He grabbed her and-
A sickeningly loud bang.
“CHARLIE!” Abigail screamed.
Charlie lay on the floor, dead.
Abigail looked up at a dark shadow in the tent. A shadow she hadn’t seen before. The shadow moved.
Ms.Miriam? Why was she here? Why was she holding a gun? Why did she kill Charlie? She was a teacher, not a killer.
Ms.Miriam raised the gun at her. Charlie’s blood was getting on her shoes. It would never get off. Every time she would put them on, they’d be there.
Blood wasn’t supposed to be on shoes. Charlie wasn’t supposed to be dead. Ms.Miriam wasn’t supposed to be holding a gun.
Abigail’s heart raced in her chest. She felt excited before, but not like this. Not when she was all alone, in a tent, with the same person who gave her stickers and candy for good work, who gave her tissues for her allergies, who let her read by herself when the other kids were bothering her, now pointing a gun at her.
She needed Mom.
“MOM-“
This time the bang was in her ears.
Abigail couldn’t see much of anything anymore. Everything was blurry and weird.
She lay limp in Charlie’s arms.
……………………………………………………………..
She and Charlie were hiding together now! But wait…why did people that look like them lie on the floor?
“Charlie, is that us?” Abigail asked, pointing to the people. It wasn’t like anybody could look like them.
“Yes.”
It was them? But they were hiding together!
“Why are we on the floor?”
“Because we’re dead.”
Dead? Dead? They died? But how…how…no. She remembered now. She remembered that a person came in and shot them. The banging noises, the blood on the floor, Charlie screaming at her.
“We…we died?! We’re ghosts?!”
“Yes, Abby, we are.”
If she were dead, then…no more hugs from Mom, no one stories from Dad, no more seeing Ms.Miriam at school.
She remembered what happened, but whenever Abigail tried to think of the person who did it, she also got a dark, scary shadow, and then she didn’t want to think anymore.
Who would do that? Why? Just…why?
“What are we gonna do? What about Mom and Dad? My parents, will they be okay?!”
“Don’t worry, we are the only ones who died.”
That wasn’t what she meant, but at least her parents were okay.
“Oh…alright.”
For a while, there was silence. None of them wanted to speak.
“I’m scared, Charlie. I don’t want to be dead.”
She also didn’t want to keep worrying about that shadow. That monster. The thing that got them. It was gone, but she still felt like it was there.
“I know. Don’t panic. Stay with me and we’ll figure this out together.”
“But-“
“Shhh. It’s going to be okay.”
“Is it?”
“Yes, it is. I promise.”
Points:
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Canary word: Present
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125,023 Literary Works • 672,762 Reviews
Hey again vampricone! I'm back for another installment in this quest to clear the Green Room!
I love how this is a world full of circuses and carnivals, and I love how much everyone seems to want to go all the time!
Oop, I've just realised which story I'm reading! But why would having a babysitter be good news for Abigail?
I think I said this in the other pov, but how does she know that's where he wants to go, and why would she show him if he's just told her he has something to show her?
I feel like this is maybe a question she would have had earlier...?
I'm glad Abby has a friend at the end of this, but the fact her teacher kills them both seemed super out of the blue. It would be good to have even an indication that something is wrong there earlier in the story to do some foreshadowing for what's to come!
I think Abby's been one of my favourite characters so far!
Icy
I have more origin stories in mind for this series.
I%u2019m glad you liked this story!
I edited to make sense as to why they%u2019d go to the basement.
Hello there,
I have to say that this story was really interesting and nice. Your writing style is very diligent. I really like the way you aced the story, it was not too long but not too short either. It was great to follow and I really like it. I could totally follow it and I love the ending. I am so glad that Abby has found a friend.
Let me start with the review.
Very nice start. You really get to the point immeadiatly. I love your names too, they are common and relatable. Charles and Abigail.
I love how you made this realistic and relatable in once. The reactions of Abigail you have placed in there are great.
Oehhhhh........this part is so sweet. She has made a friend, alas. Cute nicknames, Charlie and Abby.
I like your dialogues a lot over here. Especially the swearing part, Mac. N'Cheese
(I was litterly laughing about this in class and everyone was looking at me. So awkward, thank god the teacher didnt ask me what I was doing. I would be soooo done for.)
Everything seemed to go so sweet and nice. Until that moment.....
I think its kinda sad that it happened on her seventh birthday, but that only makes things more sad, tragic and relatable the same time and it gives your story more emotion. I really enjoyed reading this part.
OEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH..............pLOT TWIST!!!!!!!!
Miss Miriam is the freakin devil in disguise! Way to go, you have really gotten a imagination over here. ~~ Amazing twist ~~
OVerall, I really like this story, and I saw you just posted a part two of this story but from CHarlies point of view, I am definitly checking that one out too. Great job!
Spooky yours,
Rinisha
I edited it to make sense as to why they%u2019d go to the basement.