*These stories are under my folder titled “Town of Richardson”. Gacha Club character designs are under this forum: https://www.youngwriterssociety.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=116005&start=1350. Enjoy!*
1. Gabriel watches them all
I’m watching the people walk by the circus. It’s closed now, after all of the “disappearances”. Hopefully forever, but I don’t know yet. It’s only been a few days after the deaths.
Most people don’t see me. Some do, though. Some people see me. I lock eyes with them and then they look away. They don’t want to say it, but they see me.
I can hear what people mutter when they walk by. They’re all glad that I’m gone. They say “He looked too tired and annoyed anyway. What kind of a clown looks like that?”.
The parents are the ones who are saying it. They all love their kids and hate my guts.
I didn’t even try to be bad. I just wanted to make people happy. I just wanted to be happy.
I tried leaving when I could, but I was stuck here. He wouldn’t let me leave.
What did I do wrong? I can’t help but think I should have tried harder to be happy. I had a family who loved me and one friend. Why couldn’t I just be happy? It wasn’t like I was poor or anything.
If parents hate me, then I must have been horrible.
I don’t remember doing anything bad, but maybe it was in my eyes? My facial expressions?
I let go of the gate. I’ve been standing out here for the past few days. I don’t want to stand out in the glaring sun anymore.
I wish Denise loved me, but of course she didn’t. Why would she? Why would I ever be lucky enough to have a girlfriend? I’ve only got one single friend. I should be satisfied with one friend, but it just feels like no one else wants me.
I mean, my family loves me. I think. I thought that Denise loved me, but I was wrong. I think Mrs. Ladouceur is nice, but then, wasn’t Mr. Ladouceur nice when I first met him?
It’s all so exhausting to think about. I start to run from the gate but then-
I fall.
Right. My right leg got cut off.
I’ll have to crawl.
2. Gabriel still has his right thigh
I’ve managed to crawl all the way into my circus tent. It’s no use trying to walk. I’ve only got one full leg and a right thigh.
I mean, I could try walking, but not right now.
I’m just lying on the ground, surrounded by my own blood and organs. God, it’s disgusting. This entire tent reeks of decaying flesh.
My real body is in the corner of the tent, still decaying away.
I don’t want to be dead.
3. Never cursed
Gabriel lay in bed, thinking of his friend, William. When times got hard, William cursed to blow off steam, as did the other kids in his school.
But Gabriel never felt like cursing. Doing so would be to dirty his mouth and already he had his vices. It felt wrong to do so, like he was being a monster. Gabriel tried to be as good as he could be. He tried his best not to look like a horrible influence.
But still, people found reasons to hate him. Still, they thought that he was the worst creature to exist.
Gabriel sighed. He couldn’t succumb to the anger and hatred. That was when people gave up, when they turned awful and bitter. He didn’t want to be like all of the adults in the world, with lost dreams and forgotten friends. He wanted to be brave. He wanted to shine.
The only way Gabriel could ever shine was to be kind.
4. Gabriel’s grave
Amaryllis and Dante stood above Gabriel’s grave, sadness in their withered faces. For years, they didn’t know what had happened to him, only for a young girl named Ava finding his bones in the woods. Annabelle-Lee said that he was murdered, most likely by Lucas Ladouceur.
They didn’t want to believe it, but when they really thought about it, it made sense. Gabriel seemed to have an aura to him when he got from the circus, an aura of despair. When they were alive, Gwyneth said that Lucas was a horrible person, that he was hurting Gabriel. They never believed her until then. It all seemed clear then.
Amaryllis and Dante rose into Heaven, finally free from the burden of Gabriel’s disappearance.
They would be together again.
5. Leaving Richardson
Denise stared out the window, watching the trees go by. Even though Conria erased Gabriel’s memories, she still felt his presence.
Mom and Dad were driving her away, as they all felt Gabriel’s heavy, sad presence. The only difference was that Denise felt it more than them.
Finally, she would be free. Finally, she would have peace from him.
Denise was leaving Richardson for good.
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125,020 Literary Works • 672,736 Reviews
Alright, hand it to me, the miserable time 😊 I am ready!
“Most people don’t see me. Some do, though. Some people see me. I lock eyes with them and then they look away. They don’t want to say it, but they see me.“
I really like this paragraph. I especially like the ending line and how they lock eyes with Gabriel before looking away (bc they KNOW!!)
That said, I find the “Some people see me.” As the third sentence kinda repetitive as it is. What exactly do you want to emphasise here? Maybe change the sentence to expand on the emphasis instead of repeating the words? :3
Aww ☹ “He wouldn’t let me leave.”
I sympathise with Gabriel here but also… maybe it’s not him specifically but the way he looks while dead? I’m abt to become a mom and seeing a dead clown near an abandoned circus isn’t something I would want for my kid @.@
Even if the clown is sad and kind ☹
Ah man, you are right, that is a miserable story but so full of emotion, well done!
I wish you made it more clear on why he goes to that spot specifically: “I’m just lying on the ground, surrounded by my own blood and organs.” He was hanging out at the gate so he can leave the tent, right? Maybe he could go somewhere else?
That last line of story 2 Q___Q Ah man, Gabriel really is one of my favourites of yours q.q
Hmmm I wish you made it more clear in story 3 what exactly Gabriel hears abt himself. Why ppl hate him.
Interesting that Story 4 mentions his bones in the wood when we know from story 2 that his body lies in a tent somewhere. Unless the circus was set up in the woods? How did no one think of looking for him in the circus, I wonder (the supernatural, keeping ppl away?)
I am also curious that Denise seems to believe that the painful memories will fade if only she leaves the place huh…
PS: now I am sad. I guess I was not ready for the misery after all. Good job <3
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Thx for reading! Yes, the circus is in the woods.
I haven't read any of the other stories haha but this was a really interesting collection of 5 stories! I'm already really sad about Gabriel's death, despite not knowing much about him or anyone else. It's really cool how you made all these different perspectives that provide a lot of great insight into those characters. Even though I'm new to the characters and setting, I can feel that sort of complex character you get. I can't really say I hate any of the people introduced here; in the end, aren't they all human? The one thing I was really confused about was 3, where it switches to third person for the same character it was first person for. Was there any reason for that? But anyhow, I liked it a lot and might check out some of the other Richardson stories when I have the time
Apologies if there's a certain order to them and I'm reading it wrong lol
You%u2019re not reading them wrong! (I just felt like doing third person for the third story).
Thx for reading!