………….

It was a simple sign pinned to the old oak tree.

Position Vacant. Looking for young, slim participants. Must have no aspirations and be willing to travel indefinitely. Although it sounded a lil politically incorrect, she wasn’t fazed.

It was impulsive, sure but the timing was perfect.

And who hadn’t dreamed of running away with the circus.

Before she knew it, she was signing the paperwork in a makeshift caravan office tucked behind the big top. She hadn’t been told what her position would be, and to be fair, she wasn’t exactly skilled in anything circusy.

As she waited, her gaze drifted to the far end of the caravan. A row of marionettes sat silently on a bench, beautifully crafted, with smooth wooden limbs and delicate joints. Their painted eyes gleamed in the dusty light that filtered through the hazy window.

They looked almost… real.

Before she could ask about them, a gravelly voice cut through her thoughts.

“Right then,” the man said, standing. “Let’s get you over to the costume department and then over to the marionettist.”

She followed him, heart quick with excitement, taking in the strange and silent figures she passed along the way. Each performer wore a fixed smile, their movements precise and measured, like dancers mid-rehearsal.

Lila didn’t know what her new life would hold, only that she was finally part of something magical.

As the door to the darkend room clicked shut behind her she smiled, unaware that her strings had already been chosen, and her role quietly assigned.