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Your eyes cracked open. Bright and overwhelming colours flooded your vision. What happened? Where are you? Your head feels lighter than you remember, but also feels unbearably heavy too... Didn’t you put on that headset you found? Is that what brought you to this multicoloured dimension? You slowly sit up from the floor… Why does the wacky [&%#] happen to you? Wait, why can’t you swear??
Before you could think about the weird noise that replaced your curse, a flash of red flickered into sight. Before you stood- well floated- a pair of… dentures? If that wasn’t freaky enough, these pair of dentures came with two different shaped and coloured eyes, which slotted inside of their.. mouth?
“Well lookie here! A new member of the circus has arrived!”
The pair of dentures spoke in a loud booming voice, while gesturing towards you. He hovered in front of you closely, as if he was inspecting you. This made you realise you looked nothing like how you normally did, and more like you actually fitted into this colourful place. You felt like a cartoon; all rubbery and painted with seemingly every obnoxiously loud colour to ever exist.
“Welcome to The Amazing Digital Circus!”
He flew to the side of the… stage that was behind him; one you had failed to notice. A large logo displaying the so-called name of this realm appeared next to him in bubbly colourful letters. Was that some kind of theme around here?
“I’m your ringmaster, Caine! I help distract you humans from thinking of the very real fact that none of you can escape and this is your life now! I do this by creating adventures for you all to participate in!”
Adventures..? Adventures aren’t really your thing… You’re already panicked enough, you don’t need some horror adventure right now! Well to be honest, something like a sweet themed adventure would probably fit this child friendly place better-
Wait- what did he say about being stuck here forever?!
“There are usually more people around here, but they’re on one of my adventures right now… a pretty interesting one at that if I do say so myself! Even if it was just from the suggestion box, I still put a lot of creative input into it!”
Whatever this adventure was, ‘Caine’ seemed to be very proud of it, as his teeth and gums somehow contorted into a smug look while he bragged about his work.
“I would give you a tour of the tent, but for now, you’ll just have to join in on the adventure! Wouldn’t want to waste one of my creations by letting you sit here and question your existence! Not sure where you’d slot into this one though…”
Caine was deep in thought, seemingly trying to fit you in somewhere, his finger tapping on his bottom gum.
As he listed off names you didn’t recognise, you felt a little calmer to hear that this ’adventure’ sounded like it was just at some greasy under-paid diner. Even if that did seem very non-interesting, unlike how like he explained it. At least it seemed to be a slice of normality as you tried to figure out how the [&%#] you actually got here.
Caine clicked his fingers excitedly;
“I know! You can fill in as one of the customers for now! You’re not as good as one of my NPCs but at least you can experience the adventure! HAHAHA IM A GENIUS-“
A golden swirling portal quickly appeared in front of you as Caine hastily pushed you inside, while still maniacally laughing.
*
As the portals contents engulfed you, you felt your body being jolted a million miles forward, but somehow your limbs ached in stiffness as if you weren’t moving anywhere at all.
Suddenly, all of the movement stopped, and as you dared to open your eyes. In front of you stood a building. Fluorescent lighting drew your attention. The name ‘Spudsy’s!’ was displayed above the door with an accompanying logo.
It looked like an average diner to you; large red windows gave you a glimpse at the interior.
Looks busy in there, you thought. Although those were probably just the ‘NPCs’ Caine was talking about.
Cautiously taking steps towards the diner, you admired the similarity of this diner to where you came from. It felt familiar, nice even.
You opened the squeaky red door into the diner, with an overhead bell signalling your entrance.
The immediate stuffiness of the diner surrounded you, accompanied by the smell of greasy food. Whether it was the odd mannequin people talking among themselves or the busy shouts of orders from the open kitchen, the diner pulsed with chaos.
Your eyes slowly drifted towards the front counter, where a jester-person was idly slouched against the worktop, fiddling with what seemed to be a pen. They seemed to be bored despite the disarray going on around them.
They stood in front of a register, where they could barely see over it due to their height.
As you looked closer, you noticed the person seemed to have eyes similar to one of those colour wheels that you distinctly remember. Each wedge had an alternating blue and red pattern, matching their jester hat in colour. Their eyes seemed to be staring lazily at nothing in particular. Their black eyelids covered half of the pinwheels, adding to their bored expression.
You were still getting used to this world, so the abnormality of their eyes stunned you for a bit. This world was certainly nothing like where you came from; what did you look like before? Is any of this as similar as you remember it to be?
You were abruptly snapped out of your questioning trance as those very same pinwheels met yours, black eyelids mostly disappeared. They noticed your staring.
Your eyes immediately hit the dirty checkered tiles, all of a sudden feeling exposed in their gaze. Your feet started to move towards the jester as you attempted to gather your composure.
“Hello, welcome to Spudsy’s! What can I get for you today?” she spoke in a tired but upbeat tone.
When you dared to look back up at her, you noticed her disposition changed to be more retail appropriate than before. She had a somewhat forced smile plastered onto her face.
Oh right, an order…
You quickly glanced up at the screens displaying numerous pictures of burgers, accompanied by numbers denoting each one.
“I’ll, uhh, I’ll just have the number 57 please”
You tried your best to sound confident, despite not actually having a clue on what you just ordered.
“A number… 57, coming right up! Is there anything else that we can get you?” she spoke as she pressed some keys into the register.
Her posture was slightly slouched, but not slouched enough that she couldn’t see above the countertop. She seemed exhausted. This made you wonder how long she’d been at this for. You felt happy but also a little guilty that you joined late so you didn’t have to participate. You felt as though you wanted to help the jester at the counter, stand right next to her and help get through the dozens of people that must have been before you.
Was she doing the registers all on her own?
This opened up more questions on this world. Do we always go on 9-to-5 shifts at different gruelling occupations, or was this a one off? Are the adventures we go on more dangerous than this? Or are they as soul-crushing as the corporate world?
With more questions than answers, you decided to focus on the conversation in front of you… which you now just realised had paused, waiting for your input.
The jester was giving you a confused look, probably wondering about the lack of answer to whatever she previously said.
You felt the heat creep up your neck as the realisation kicked in. You avoided her eyes.
“Thanks again!” you spluttered as you dragged yourself away from the counter and off to a nearby table, ignoring the heat on your cheeks.
As you sat down, you started to question what you ordered, and how would you eat it. Could you even eat here? Is it actually real food?
You rested your elbows on the sticky table as you sighed through your nose. You had no idea how this strange world worked, and you were sitting here, ordering fast food.
You can recall often ordering fast food in your previous world, since it was cheap and low effort. The convenience was enough of a persuasion to get it multiple times a week, especially after a long shift…
Wait, you didn’t even pay!
You mentally face palmed, and then questioned if there was even any form of currency here. You would guess there would be in this particular adventure, but as she wasn’t calling you back to the register. You would probably get the chance to pay when the food comes.
But… surely out of anyone here, she would have the answers to your questions, or at least some of them. These blank mannequin NPCs wouldn’t have any by the looks of it.
Maybe going back up there could be a way to try and ask about this world.
Either way, it was worth a shot.
You looked up back at her and immediately noticed the long line that had formed in your absence.
How did that get there so fast?
You glanced back at the jester, looking more stressed than before.
Well, the answers will have to wait.
*
“Like I said before, you pay when the food comes”
You had made your way back up to the counter after the rush of mannequins had disappeared. The jester was currently in front of you, her eyes looking up at yours as you try not to stare.
“Ah, okay. I was just wondering. I wasn’t sure if I was paying when it came, or if I was meant to then. I didn’t know if I was stealing- I didn’t mean to if it looked like that! Well, now that I know you’re meant to pay later, you wouldn’t think I was stealing since you would think I was paying later, which actually makes more sense when I think about it since I don’t even have the food yet-“
A small laugh interrupted your attempt to save yourself.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t think you were stealing regardless. Trust me, I’ve had lots of worse customers today…”
She gave a small smile as she looked up to you, attempting to ease your nerves. Her shoulders slumped in a defeated expression as she thought of the previous people- or mannequins, she had served.
“There was this one guy, who didn’t even order! And get this, he was eating a bowl of cereal! In the line! I mean- who does that?”
Her blue and red gloves waved about as she expressed her absolute shock of the situation, and you found yourself chuckling lightly to yourself at the absurdity of the scenario.
“Who brings food to a place that sells food? And cereal of all things! Surely there’s some rule against that. There was a massive line behind him too! He held up the line to do what? Eat cereal?! People were standing outside the door, watching him eat his cereal like some… weirdo!”
The complaining rambling soon turned into a comedic story as she started laughing partway through. The whole scene sounded like something made up, but you could tell she was telling the truth by the exasperation in her tone. To be honest, what you’ve witnessed while being in the diner proved the theory that almost anything could probably happen here, for better or for worse.
Your presence seemed to help her stiff exterior, as she looked less wound up when she was talking to you. You were glad you could help her see the light in the situation.
“Don’t even get me started on the gloinks… I can’t imagine the people in the back trying to cook hundreds of those burgers…”
Her pinwheel eyes widened at the image and her voice softened as she was replaying the scene in her head. By the sounds of it, it took hours to wrap up those orders. No wonder she looks like she’s had a hard day.
You felt glad knowing that you were helping her feel a little better, even when you weren’t doing anything in particular except listening. Working at a diner can be stressful, and from what you’ve heard, this place is somehow worse than normal retail jobs.
“Heh- sorry, am I ranting? I’m sorry if I am, I didn’t mean to! Especially since you’re… never mind…”
Her gloved hands stopped mid-air and gingerly fell to hit the counter, scrunched together tightly. Her eyes casted to the side as she seemed to be deep in thought.
“No problem! I honestly don’t mind! I know what it’s like-“
Interrupting your sentence, a bell chimed, signalling another mannequin entering the diner.
“Sorry- I should probably get back to work… heh… It was nice talking with you though! I may see you… someplace else…”
Her large pinwheel eyes stared into yours. You swore you noticed an extra dusting of pink on her cheeks.
You gave her a shy smile and a wave as you reluctantly walked back to your table, reflecting on the conversation you just had. Despite embarrassing yourself, the interaction had left you with a fleeting but fuzzy feeling inside of you. She seemed charming to you, albeit timid.
You thought about the way her eyes creased when she smiled or laughed, and how her expressiveness captivated you in a way you could not describe. One word came to mind.
Cute
You felt light-headed as you pondered the thought. You would be lying if you tried to deny it. Replaying the conversation over and over in your head pushed the word further and further into the forefront of your mind.
Maybe it was your minds last attempt to cling onto something hopeful in this confusing place…
You wished Caine would’ve at least mentioned some more details before shoving you into that portal.
You nearly tripped over your chair as you realised you never asked her about anything on this place!
At least it’s an excuse to go talk to her again…
*
Your food eventually came; turns out you had ordered a simple burger, fries and an unknown drink. The look of the food reminded you of low-poly food in simulator games. You were served by an annoyed purple rabbit-person. They seemed just as tired, if not more, than the jester.
You did in fact have to pay- sorta. Right when the food hit the table, the exact amount of money was suddenly in your hands. You gave the money to the bunny, who only nodded in approval, and then walked off.
As you bit into your food, which somehow tasted of burnt coffee and crayons at the same time, you stared at the jester. There was that forced smile again; glued to her face as she nodded along to whatever the mannequin she was serving was saying.
You wish you could go up to her and make her smile again.
You hid your face in your hands as you thought about the encounter you had with her. You brightened up her mood when she was feeling down! For whatever reason, that one fact made you feel special.
You attempted to distract yourself from her by taking another bite of your food, which was just as bad as the first time. This didn’t help from preventing your thoughts to wonder to her, once again.
You remembered the way she looked at you; those eyes. You wanted to talk more with her, about anything and everything. You felt as though you treasured her company and conversation.
You wanted to run right back to her.
But you couldn’t go back up to her; she was busy at work! Although she did enjoy rambling to you by the sounds of things, she still had more important things to do… like serving that mannequin who was currently taking forever to order.
You contemplated just walking right up to her again. But you don’t want to come off obsessed with her or something! Would it be creepy to approach her again? It was merely a friendly gesture; it was also a way for you to cope in this new environment! Talking to someone would help make you feel more settled. You could finally ask about the wacky things that had happened to you! Maybe she went through the same thing..? This was only in order to get some answers.
So why were you so nervous..?
She gave one final smile as the customer walked off, her walls coming down partly as she relaxed instantly.
You know what? [&%#] it.
You forced your legs to move before you could second guess yourself any longer, leaving the half eaten food behind. You calmed your thoughts by pretending that answers were the only reason you were speaking to her again.
You were almost out of breath when you approached her.
“Uhhh- hi”
’Hi’? What was that?!
You probably should’ve planned this before running up to her.
“Hello again, is there uhhh- anything else I can help you with?”
Her tone seemed a little confused as to why you were coming up to her again.
You nervously tapped on the worktop.
“No! Well- actually yes… There was something I wanted to talk you about…”
“O-oh? Really? Was something wrong with the food?”
Her head tilted to the side as she pondered on what you were about to say, jingling the bells on her jester hat.
She looked so cute in that moment.
“No-no! Well...”
How are you going to phrase this?
“I just wanted to politely ask what this place is..? Not really in a rude way! I’m just kind of confused. I got shoved almost immediately into this portal, with barely any explanation. All I remember is this guy- well that’s a stretch, who was talking about some kind of adventures? I thought you’d be the best person to ask here…”
Her eyes immediately shot open.
“Oh my god! Are you a human? You are! I thought you were just an NPC!”
Her pinwheel eyes scanned you up and down, as if seeing you clearer.
“Wait- calling you an NPC isn’t offensive is it? I mean, I’ve just been assuming that everyone I serve is an NPC since the rest of us are working… I’m sorry for not figuring it out before!”
Gloves hands were racing faster than her mouth as an attempt at an apology, waving in front of herself.
“It’s okay, honestly! Caine asked me to just come here and act like a customer so I ‘didn’t miss out on the adventure’ or something…”
You glanced back down at her. She seemed to be in disbelief at the fact you weren’t one of those NPCs.
“So you’ve just ended up here? Oh my god, are you okay? How are you feeling- you know, being in the circus and all… Come to think of it, how are you so calm?!”
Her demeanour changed almost in an instant when she recognised your calmness. She displayed both panic and pity onto you. She seemed to be incredibly shocked as to how you were keeping yourself composed so easily. It was probably due to the somewhat familiar environment.
“You know, people usually freak out when they first join the circus… I know I definitely did! At first I could’ve sworn I was wearing a headset; I was trying so hard to rip it off. After that, I was convinced I was in a dream, which was probably Jax’s fault now that I think about it…”
She gestured frantically at her head as she spoke, giving a nervous laugh. She seemed to panic just from thinking about the memory.
You broke her out of her trance as you spoke.
“I remember putting on some sort of headset too! Before I could think about it for any longer, Caine started rambling on about adventures and keeping my mind busy before forcing me here; what does he mean by ‘keeping my mind busy’? What do these adventures even do in order to keep my mind busy? My mind busy from what..?!”
“Yeah… these adventures apparently help us ‘occupy our minds’ so we don’t go crazy! Sometimes I wonder if it’s the adventures that make people go crazy though…”
You didn’t want to think too much into what that could mean.
“I wish he would’ve explained a few things before shoving me into my first ‘adventure’…”
You lightly gestured to your surroundings as you spoke with her, hoping to make some sense of his behaviour.
“To be honest, I’d be glad it was this adventure you ended up at. Some of these adventures can be… well- I don’t want to scare you too much! It’s only your first day after all!”
She laughed nervously.
“I haven’t even introduced myself yet, sorry! My name’s Pomni!”
She gave a slight smile and extended a gloved hand for you to shake. You took the hand and ignored the fireworks pulsing through it.
“My name is… uhhh-“
You tried your hardest to think of anything, but your mind drew blank.
“Yeah… that happens when you come here. My name isn’t actually Pomni… it’s the one that was given to me. You can choose your own if you want.”
You started to wonder what your new name would be. Something fitting to what you look like, but something that you’d have to get used to hearing everyday.
You felt a squeeze on your hand, and realised you were still holding hers. You quickly pulled your hand away embarrassingly, almost as if the heat burned through you.
You apologised profusely and ignored how you instantly missed her warmth.
She gave a soft laugh.
“I can’t wait to introduce you to the others! Well, some of them… I have to finish up my shift first, I shouldn’t be too long. Would you wanna go sit in the break room until I’m done? I’m sure Gangle- my boss here, wouldn’t mind, considering you’re a new member of the cast.”
You rested your hands together on the counter and stared down at those pinwheel eyes.
“I’d like that.”
*
A clock above you ticked quietly as you waited for Pomni to finish her shift. Every tick was a moment closer that you’ll be able to talk to Pomni once again. You blamed the attachment to her on the fact that you hadn’t spoken to any other human in here besides her, even if you thought the attachment wouldn’t change when you met the others.
You reflected on the day you had, mindlessly tapping on the seat you rested on. You thought of the adventures that the two of you would go on. Despite the scary descriptions, you weren’t too worried about them. Maybe it was because you realised Pomni would be with you through them.
She seemed quite scared of these adventures, although she seemed jittery overall. This made you think of comforting her during an adventure; you could be someone there for her. The thought was quite ironic considering you were the new person here. Something about Pomni’s presence calmed you down; it’s as if you were trying to be strong for the moments that she couldn’t be. You haven’t even seen the worst of this place, but you were still determined to help her through those times.
You started to wonder about the adventures that the both of you would have together. You looked forward to spending time with Pomni, getting to know her, and finding out what the future would hold.
The door clicked open as Pomni opened it, half peering from it.
“I’ve just finished my shift… do you want to walk to my car together? Well- it’s not really my car, just for this adventure-“
You interrupted her, giggling.
“Yes, of course I would.”
You could tell that she was nervous. It crossed your mind that maybe you were the reason for this, but you immediately scratched that idea and just assumed she was always this weary during adventures.
You stood up from your seat and opened the door more in order for you to pass through. Standing next to her like this highlighted the height difference that you both had, although you didn’t mind. You started to slowly walk towards the door of the diner together.
Her eyes once again found yours as she spoke.
“You know, it will be good to have someone new around…”
Her already permanent blush seemed to deepen. You felt your cheeks do the same.
You looked away as you spoke.
“Even if I’m stuck here, I’m sure it won’t be nearly as bad when I’m with you…”
You suddenly realised what you just said.
“I mean- we can stick together right? Surely that’ll make the adventures better..?”
Pomni hummed thoughtfully.
“You know, I always feel like I’m the one keeping everyone calm giving advice around here, but I feel like I need to remember to stay calm myself most of the time…”
She abruptly stopped and faced you.
“We should promise each other that we’ll be by each others sides in this place, no matter what. I know it’s cringey… but I think it’ll give me comfort knowing that I have someone by my side- is that weird?”
You chuckled while holding up your pinky finger.
“If it is weird, then that makes both of us.”
You gave her a slight smile as she tentatively took your pinky in her own. Pinwheel eyes looking up at you; filled with what you could only describe as hope.
You both verbally promised to each other that you’ll stick together and help one another out in this unique situation life has forced upon you.
You couldn’t wait to explore whatever happens next…