As the strange man, who now identified himself as "Tweehee" danced around the tent, Alice attempted to pay for the mask that had caught her attention.
'He's a weirdo... But he seems harmless? Maybe? Probably not actually'
Deciding not to lower her guard, she finally managed to get the attention of the shopkeeper who was dozing off in his chair.
"H-hey..." She extended a greeting to the tired man as she placed the mask on the counter
"Yo." He looked up slowly before his eyes widened. He shot up from his chair and grabbed a broom that was propped up against the makeshift counter. "It's you-! You bastard! I haven't been able to sleep for days because of you! Get out! Get out!" He leaped over the counter, his drowsiness from earlier seemingly gone, replaced with fury.
"I've been caught! Well, it was fun meeting you, dearie! Tahtah!" Tweehee gave a deep bow before running as the man swatted at him with the broom. The shopkeeper chased him for a couple of seconds down the road to ensure that he had left before returning.
"Sorry about that... That damned psycho has been following me around for days! When I try to work he disturbs customers! When I try to eat he shows up and knocks the food out of my hand! When I try to sleep all I hear is taptaptap against my window!" He flies into a rant, flailing his arms around wildly. Before realizing that the person who was standing in front of him was supposed to be his customer.
"Ahem! Sorry about that. What can I do for you?" He cleared his throat as he returned to customer service mode.
"Umm... I would just like to buy this... please." After making her purchase, it was time to go meet up with her two new friends.
Making her way to the giant tent in the center of the carnival, the sight of nearly all the stalls and rides being shut down for the night gave off a rather eerie vibe. Nevertheless, she continued.
Now in front of the circus tent, she followed the last crowd of people inside. After a moment of searching, she located Marie and Alkaline in the front row on the side opposite the entrance.
Sitting down in the seat that the two had reserved for her, Marie handed her a small bucket of golden buttered popcorn. Tossing a piece into her mouth, she couldn't help but still feel amazed at the realness of Eclipse Now. She could feel the small sensation of the salty butter drying her mouth as well as the crisp crunch as she chewed on the cloudy flesh of the kernel.
Without warning, the lights suddenly shut off. As the murmur of the crowd is halted by this sudden turn of events, a low drumming sound could be heard.
With an explosion of sound, the lights snap back on and music blares into the tent. Filters were placed over the lights to make them become vibrant with colour. The lights that were once bouncing around the tent suddenly gather in the middle of the tent, illuminating a platform in the middle as the loud music comes to a halt.
As the audience sits in silence, a small squeaking sound can be heard. Riding into the light on a unicycle, the pineapple mascot from the ticket booths gave a large bow to the audience.
"Welcome! Welcome!" He extended his arms in an exaggerated motion as he spoke.
"As you all know, there has been some excitement brewing in this wee little town. It's understandable after all, with the arrival of the outsiders on this continent new legends are being born as we speak!" Still on the unicycle and now juggling an apple, a pear and a mango he continued
"So, I- We have decided to make this a show to remember! But before we begin, please check underneath your seats! A surprise is waiting for you!" He gave a deep bow. A familiar bow. One that she had seen only half an hour ago.
Before she was able to attempt to stop the duo next to her, it was too late. With the sound of compressed air spraying came from under their seats, and the seats behind them, and the seats across the room from them. A pinkish-purple gas filled the tent.
Alice made an attempt to cover her nose and mouth with the collar of her shirt, but it was to no avail. She felt her body grow weak, then limp, and finally her vision went black.
Waking up in a black void, a glowing blue panel appeared in front of her.
-Player character is currently unconscious due to outside effects. Would you like to log out?
(Please note that logging out in this state leaves your player character in the world of Eclipse Online until the source of what caused them to become incapacitated is dealt with.)-
"Damn it!" She passed back and forth in this void. Her new friends were in danger and there was nothing that she could do to stop it.
She crumpled to her knees and fell into a fetal position. She had always hated the dark. That day, maybe ten years back? Made it worse. Even if her memory of it was hazy. She was only 10 after all.
It was a day like any other, she had just gotten home from school. Like they always would, her dad suggested that they play a game. Her favourite: Hide & seek.
As her parents counted down in the bedroom, she ran into the living room. A few days earlier she had seen her father install a new safe underneath the sofa. It was just big enough to hide a child in. She thought to herself 'This is the perfect hiding space!' but once the door to the safe had closed, she was in darkness. It was a little bit scary, but she would be willing to do anything to win!
But then 5 minutes had passed and the top of the safe still hadn't opened to reveal her parents' face looking back down at her.
And then 10 minutes had passed...
And then an hour had passed...
And then a week had passed.
She survived on the bottled water and candy she kept in her school bag. She had discovered long ago that the door locked behind her. So all she could do was wait for Mama and Papa to find her.
Eventually, the door opened. But standing there were not her beloved parents but two strangers. They were journalists. Specifically, journalists that were reporting on the murder of Mr. and Mrs. Saame. They had stumbled upon her hiding place while photographing the crime scene.
They weren't poor. But they also weren't rich enough to get proper security. Merely 3 minutes after getting into her hiding place, armed burglars had broken in not knowing that the family was home. In a panic, they had ended the lives of her parents before fleeing.
After that, she went to live with her uncle. But the event had changed her forever.
Eventually, the floating sensation stopped. She could feel the coldness of the pavement floor as the world gained colour again. She had woken up.