Our Peculiarity

"Come over, rare things upon your curious eyes - come over and behold those who seek the abnormalities, over here illusions that appear big and small. Don't be shy, gather around".

The same man with his blabbering mouth echoes throughout the town announcing his presence while the chattering crowd flocks around him. A small carriage filled with animals and objects surrounds him while he danced to your ears and eyes exploring the unusual things. This man comes by his own clock, whether it be day, evening or the lone nights. Yes, even without a crowd, his voice still rouses the nights. During the night, you can hear a tune carried by the cold wind where little figures appear on the rustic windows surrounds a singular light post. The peculiar children see a glimpse from their windows, watching his charming performance from a distance. Being lured by a melody and his performance, the single light post shines upon him for the small figures that begin to form from the empty doorsteps. You can see the children each receiving a small sparkly item from the silhouette before slowly walking back to their beds those lone nights. Moments like these are played under the full moon, but they rarely happen. Until the uproar of children disappearing from their beds begin to unfold within the crowd, where parents overheard incidents of the others, the news made them more anxious. The mayor requested more guards on duty day and night lurking around each corner of the town.

Another day passed when he came around settled in the middle of the town. This time my curiosity ended up in the flocks. "Gather around my fellow beings, for today is a special day...." I got shoved into the crowd as they all shuffled left and right to see what excitement today. One of his assistants places a strange box onto the table and slowly fades from the stand, He begins preparing his hands and settles. The suspenseful atmosphere filled the nerves from the audience when he looks at us “Are you ready!” the crowd brightens and eventually he pulls out from the box another odd item grasp within his hands. The crowd entranced in his new discovery their eyes are filled with confusion and excitement, but not for me not wavered by a new shiny object. On the other hand, my attention was diverted to a mysterious book. I only see a black dull book sitting on the shelf its hardcover shriveled up with the fabric just barely visible decorated with these scratches of a cat-like markings. My interest of a shriveled book left me daydreaming then suddenly his face appeared so close to my face. His pupils dilated when he shook me out of my hypotactic thoughts. His boastful expression changed to a freaky grin " we have a very curious one here!" he shouted. While the crowd laughing at me, he leans near to my right ear and whispers “just like a Cheshire cat up to no good”. I do not know if that was a warning or something else but trying to all I know that his freaky grin knows that my interest should be kept elsewhere. After the grand show he bestow on his fellow audience the flock slowly parted once more, some were giving him a few gold coins for his show, others small food. The night turnover while the moon lit the lamp posts one by one, a flicker of my candle forms the odd man grins across my ceiling. So visible I still feel the shivers from his scoffing words ‘curious one here’. The black book and himself seem to leave me strained with no spec of slumber throughout the night. A fallen breeze sweeps throughout the town, while passing each corner seeking what is left of a breath they say. Passing by it seems they left a small letter. Suddenly My window slowly creaks open, and the noise woke me up, my eyes focused on the window slowing flying expecting someone or something to appear, but nothing pop up. A sigh of relief while I clasp my hand onto my chest “I’m still alive”.

‘clop…clop…clop’.

The faint noise of horses marching through the streets, distracted by the noise I slowly got out of my bed tip toeing towards the open window. My candle remains untouched until the horses stop, and my candle lit no more. I steadily rise my head up towards my window peeping down to somewhat shadows-like beings, then multiple shadows exiting out from the carriage one by one I hear chains dangling clinging to them.

“Pitter patter...pitter”, a mumble of words so faint like the dead is walking by. Another shadow pop out of the carriage he stood there and took out a small object ‘ding!’ a chime echoed to every window crack that you can hear, suddenly a flicker light from a room on the opposite of my sight flourished. A girl appeared by the window woken by the small chime; it seems the chime alerted her to follow I could not see clearly while I crutch down a bit. The girl picked up the candle and begins walking towards her room door. Our building structure has a column of windows framing the weird flight of stairs. I see the small flare of the candle hovering down the flight of stairs, down she goes until she touches the ground. The door opens and the naked light faded while she stands staring into the dark silent streets. “This time it’s a girl” a shadow approaches the young one inspecting her like a fine object ready to be decorated.

“Now you need not to be feasting your eyes on the item” a second voice appears. “If you happen to lay a finger, remember you’re just a mere toy for me” the shadow flinches and backs away slowly bowing his head holding his tongue in frustration the other approaches the girl while she remains still with her dull eyes staring down at her feet. The shadow and takes out an item from inside his coat. The figure nods and walks off towards the carriage. The shadows begin crowding around the girl and suddenly she disappeared. A sound of a small box bouncing off the floor, left with nothing but the remaining silence of the night. Each figure lined up and one by one jumped into the carriage and left with no trace that night.

The morning dew appear I look down to where it happened that night, but all I see is people hustling around the town square. While the sounds of carriages rolling into town the sellers with their bellow voices all through the town, once more a lively town erupts into a boastful swarm. I never slept not one blink of that night, pondering about those silhouettes and the girl.

I grab my coat and basket and flew down the stairs entering the busy markets. The fresh produce all presented vegetables and fruits of the season prices were jacked up once again, fabrics further down the road and my favorite stops the little, small cake café. Along the way to do some errands passing each store, I’ve noticed the windows have a ‘missing’ poster of every child that has gone missing. One most recent caught my attention, a ‘blonde young girl missing’, ‘Reward $20,000’. Parents are now more overprotective than ever; I’ve notice that there were lesser children playing in the town square as soon the missing posters accumulated.

Passing through, browsing every stall nothing interested me today, my head filled with posters and the night of those shadows lurking in the dark. No one knows at all yet me.

Come! Come! Once again, my presence greets you with another peculiar thought”.

He appeared again but this time, his curiosities are more of a questionable spread of varieties.

“Now for there is something special I bestow upon you” the flock appeared once more sparkling eyes of interest circled around the stage this time an empty table. The crowd slowly drifts confused feels they have wasted their time.

“Today one time only I am allowing one and only individual select their curiosity item”

Heads turn to his words a small smirk under his breath while he announces himself proudly. He pulls out from his side coat pock a sack of coins. He presented the sack onto a small table.

“One gold coin” he bellowed gesturing a tense one finger towards his audience.

“Whoever pulls out the gold coin shall receive an item…. of choice”.

The people around him have multiplied, everyone wanted a piece of variety. I ended up being shoved all the way to the front my hoodie suddenly slipped off, that is when he caught my eyes. I quickly put my hood back on avoiding his gaze.

One by one each person goes up the stage and put their hand into the sack. Their cheerful faces so eager to win only left empty as they walk down the stairs. I was about to leave only to be stopped and pointed out of the crowd.

“You there how about a try?”

I turn to whoever trying to speak to me turns out its him, I pull my hoodie close to my face and try to flee. Next thing two guards appear glaring down at me in the distance. No options but to blend in so I ended up participating. Up onto the stage just a sack of coins I quickly pull out my hand and there it is a gold coin. Everyone congratulates me, while the crowd applauses as well for others annoyed, they did not win. He directs me to where the variety I can pick out from. Looking through the open shelves I notice the shriveled book disappeared. I asked him about a shriveled book, he acted no sort of old withered book was here. I shrugged it off and browsed around the rest of the other items there while flipping the golden coin. I notice he has been standing there smiling waiting for a command or something, I caught off guard with my thoughts that I flicked the coin too hard that it just missed him and hits a pile of boxes of cards. Next thing they started tumbling off the shelf and hit the back of his head. He fell to the ground while I stood their shock in disbelief that this is happening. Quickly hurrying to his side to check on him I grab his arm to help him up while apologizing repeatedly he laughed it off gesturing to me to walk it off. I look down to the pile of mess I have created and within the mess the shriveled black book. It must have fell out of his pocket. A random page wide open from the black laying on the floor, only to realize it was a list of names and ticks on the side of each name, going down the columns I recognize a name from the missing child posters. He suddenly snatches the book off me and quickly shoved it in his side pocket he dismissed me from the place and was left with just a gold coin in my hands. The black book still lingers in my mind while walking back home. I notice that a policeman and a local man next to him visiting a parent while they stood outside their doorsteps. It looks like that they’re explaining to the parents about a situation. A small box appeared and in disbelief the mother collapsed onto the ground the father holding the box in his hand. The father trembles reaching into a box revealing a small ribbon. The father tearing and wipes away the tears thanking the man, he insists on offering the man the reward money $20,000, but the man refuses since the money can help for their daughter to have a proper burial.

A book of names? Missing children? Our curiosity?