u/Similar-Ad5794

This is the reason my life turned out the way it did. I need someone to know. I need someone to believe me.. Please believe me.

It started when I was 11, it was 1998 and I heard there was a circus in town... well it was more like a carnival but it was marketed as a circus.. After a long day at school, I decided to head down to where the circus was apparently being set up.

It wasn't that far from my house, In my town there was a walking trail called "Lockhart Way" I think it was named after George Claude Lockhart, Midway through Lockhart Way is a big old clearing and it's usually the place where stuff like fairs and markets would be open because no one exactly owned it.. Lockhart Way leads to a bigger town and it is in the exact spot in between the towns' lands so theres a whole question of who exactly owns it.

I got to the clearing and it looks like the circus had already opened, I saw handfuls of kids and grown ups walking around, eating the food, playing games, and whatever families do on a day out to the circus. I saw one of them booths where you have to throw a ball at a stack of cups and you can win a prize if you knock all the cups down, I've played a few of those games before so I wanted to give it a test.

I walked up to the booth where a tall man was standing, he was wearing a black shirt with short sleeves, yellow pants with suspenders, and a strange yellow mask that had a smiley face on it. "Come on kid, give it your best shot!" The man said, gleaming with happiness, "Wait, do I not have to pay?" I said to the man, I was a little shocked because usually these carnivals try to stack up as much money as possible, "No ya silly goose!" The man replied "Everything is free at The Circus Of The Earth!" "Circus Of The Earth...?" I questioned, I didn't see a sign outside so I didn't know there was a whole brand for this place. "That's right! Now give it your best shot!" The man quickly responded almost as if he was trying to quickly change the subject.

I picked up the first ball and I threw it. It knocked over 2 out of the 6 cups on the first stack. When grabbing the second ball, I turned my attention to the second stack of cups. I carefully lifted my arm up and threw, it knocked over all of the cups in one swoop. "Great job little buddy!" The man happily said as he patted me on the head. He reached over onto a shelf and pulled off a bright yellow teddy bear with a smile and a big blue nose. "There ya go! This little fellas name is Sparkle! Look after him very very well!.." The man said as he waved me goodbye.

As I was walking away with my... "Sparkle" bear, I thought it was weird that the employee had to dress up and act happy, but maybe that's just the theme here. I looked over and I saw one of my friends from school, Jess, She was wearing a white shirt with a black skirt, her orange hair was in a ponytail and she was holding some cotton candy. When she saw me she walked over and looked me up and down before talking. "Hey um... I'm sorry I forgot your name, I know your in my class though" She said. "Oh yeah, Um.. my name is Mathew!" I said, raising a hand for a handshake. "Your really the type of guy to shake someone's hand to introduce yourself?" She said with an annoyed tone. "Oh I'm sorry, I just thought it would be polite." I said, trying to calm the situation down. "Um... Alright" She said right before she walked off, She never did shake my hand...

I watched her enter a large circus tent in the center of the area. I decided to check out what's inside because the rest of the place seemed boring. I walked towards the tent and started to enter, The only thing I could see inside was slight movement. I walked in and I realized it was some sort of mirror maze, The tent looked almost completely different on the inside.. I started going through the maze until I encountered... the first of many strange people at this circus... It was tall man, he had pale almost completely white skin, he had messy red makeup, there was red eyeshadow around the bottom of his eyes, he was wearing a red and yellow clown costume with a big red wig and orange clown nose. I jumped slightly when I saw him. "Are you lost" he said in a deep raspy voice. "I think so.." I said, not completely sure if I should trust him. "Follow me" He said, he then turned around and walked further into the maze... with nothing else to do just sitting there I decided to follow him.

I followed The Clown to a door within the maze. He went through the door and I followed, this is the point where I started to think "There's no way this can all fit in the tent I saw outside". I entered the room and now we were in a small show room. There was a stage against the wall surrounded by a curtain and in front of it were rows of chairs with other kids sitting in them. I assumed I'd see Jess but she wasn't there.. "Sit and wait for the show." The Clown said. I walked over to a chair next to another boy around my age, he was wearing a green shirt with blue accents and a blue logo that resembled the silhouette of a horse with the words "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!" in a lighter shade of blue under the horse.

I sat down and started waiting. After a few minutes someone stepped out from behind the curtain, It was a man wearing a red ringmaster uniform with a big purple bowtie.. he was wearing a red facemask with a toothy smile on it, and inventors goggles with what looked like green lenses. "Hello Kids! And how are we today?" The man said. a few kids said "Ok" or "Good" back but not a lot of them. "You can call me Ringmaster Smiles! or just The Ringmaster!" he giggled. "Now kids... I've been looking everywhere for my good pal Sparkle! Have ya seen him? Have ya?" The kids shook their heads. "Well maybe... He's right... there!" He pointed over to me and my Sparkle Teddy Bear. "How about you come up young man.." I nervously got up and walked onto the stage and turned to the audience. "What's your name, new pal?" The Ringmaster said, putting his hands on my shoulders and bending down to get to my level. "Matt... Sir... Mathew..." I said nervously. "Looks like you got my buddy Sparkle... can I-" He suddenly reached down to grab my bear and I moved it away. "Looks like your playing hard to get, buddy" he said while giggling.

I was beginning to get weirded out so I asked him if I could sit back down. "Not until you give me... my buddy back.. b- buddy." He said, his voice cracking slightly. "I actually think my parents might be worried about me... I need to go home" I said, trying to escape the situation. I walked off the stage and went towards the door that led me here. The Clown stepped in front of me, blocking my escape. "Not leaving yet." The Clown muttered, I turned around and the Ringmaster was approaching me... and he was holding something... Then... then...

I found myself back in The Mirror Maze.. I heard laughing all around me, The Clown stepped out from behind a mirror. "You are a party-pooper, you ruin Ringmaster's fun games" he said. "Please... I just want to go home" I pleaded. "You will stay here, with our family" he started approaching me. "No.. No.. No.. No.. No.. No.. " I muttered under my breath. The Clown grabbed me and smashed my head against the floor, I felt my nose break and blood start coming out of my left nostril. I felt something heavy being held over my head before I blacked out again.

When I woke up. I was in a concrete room with white tiled flooring. I slowly stood up and I realized I was in a cell of some sort. I saw a reinforced iron door with a small window on it. I looked out and saw other cells lining the wall in front of my cell. I realized that my door was unlocked so I slowly stepped out. I looked around and saw that all of the cells were empty except for 2. one with a sign that said "Mascot" and another that said "Freakshow".

I walked over to The Mascot cell and I looked in. I saw someone wearing a big mascot costume of The Sparkle Bear sitting on the floor. "Hello..?" I whispered to The Mascot. "H- Hello?" They said, judging by the voice I could tell it was a girl under that suit. She stood up and walked over to the door. "Please help.. I haven't seem my daughter in so long... He took her from me.. my sweet angel" She said while sobbing slightly. "I'm not sure how to open the door but when I get out of here I will call for help-" I said, trying to calm her down before I was cut off. "There is not escape" it was a voice coming from The Freakshow cell, I looked in and I saw a shirtless man with sickly tainted green skin, he was very very skinny and tall, and his fingers were deformed. "What is happening here?" I asked. "That... Ringmaster fellow... He and his crew go all across the world trying to create the perfect family of freaks and weirdos... And for some reason I'm given the title of the freak to one day show the world... whatever he says I can't remember.." The Freakshow said in a tired tone. "When was the last time you saw the sun?" I asked The Freakshow. "725 Days... I've been keeping track.." The Freak show said. "Don't worry guys, I'll find help!" I said as I started to make my exit.

I walked over to a door different from the others and I opened it. I made my way up the stairs until I found myself back in the showroom, now empty... except for the fact there was a big stain of blood smeared across the wall of course, but I couldn't focus on that right now. I exited the showroom and entered the Mirror Maze. At this point I was so sick of this I just started breaking and pushing over mirrors until I eventually found the exit.

I stood in front of the exit.. I was a little nervous to be honest.. What if those... freaks follow me back to my home... or... Ugh... I just need to go get help, come back, and free all of the trapped people. I open the door and I step out to be greeted with... the sun rising... I look around and there's no... people... no signs there was a carnival at all! well except the circus tent... I turned around and the tent and the door I just came out of were no where to be seen. Everything had vanished. Without a trace.

Even after such a long time the event haunts me to my core. I don't know what The Ringmaster's goal was.. or what he did with the kids... but after learning that The Circus Of The Earth is a travelling circus and could realistically be anywhere in the world... My question to you is... Have you been to The Circus Of The Earth? Please... I need my closure...

This is the reason my life turned out the way it did. I need someone to know. I need someone to believe me.. Please believe me.

It started when I was 11, it was 1998 and I heard there was a circus in town... well it was more like a carnival but it was marketed as a circus.. After a long day at school, I decided to head down to where the circus was apparently being set up.

It wasn't that far from my house, In my town there was a walking trail called "Lockhart Way" I think it was named after George Claude Lockhart, Midway through Lockhart Way is a big old clearing and it's usually the place where stuff like fairs and markets would be open because no one exactly owned it.. Lockhart Way leads to a bigger town and it is in the exact spot in between the towns' lands so theres a whole question of who exactly owns it.

I got to the clearing and it looks like the circus had already opened, I saw handfuls of kids and grown ups walking around, eating the food, playing games, and whatever families do on a day out to the circus. I saw one of them booths where you have to throw a ball at a stack of cups and you can win a prize if you knock all the cups down, I've played a few of those games before so I wanted to give it a test.

I walked up to the booth where a tall man was standing, he was wearing a black shirt with short sleeves, yellow pants with suspenders, and a strange yellow mask that had a smiley face on it. "Come on kid, give it your best shot!" The man said, gleaming with happiness, "Wait, do I not have to pay?" I said to the man, I was a little shocked because usually these carnivals try to stack up as much money as possible, "No ya silly goose!" The man replied "Everything is free at The Circus Of The Earth!" "Circus Of The Earth...?" I questioned, I didn't see a sign outside so I didn't know there was a whole brand for this place. "That's right! Now give it your best shot!" The man quickly responded almost as if he was trying to quickly change the subject.

I picked up the first ball and I threw it. It knocked over 2 out of the 6 cups on the first stack. When grabbing the second ball, I turned my attention to the second stack of cups. I carefully lifted my arm up and threw, it knocked over all of the cups in one swoop. "Great job little buddy!" The man happily said as he patted me on the head. He reached over onto a shelf and pulled off a bright yellow teddy bear with a smile and a big blue nose. "There ya go! This little fellas name is Sparkle! Look after him very very well!.." The man said as he waved me goodbye.

As I was walking away with my... "Sparkle" bear, I thought it was weird that the employee had to dress up and act happy, but maybe that's just the theme here. I looked over and I saw one of my friends from school, Jess, She was wearing a white shirt with a black skirt, her orange hair was in a ponytail and she was holding some cotton candy. When she saw me she walked over and looked me up and down before talking. "Hey um... I'm sorry I forgot your name, I know your in my class though" She said. "Oh yeah, Um.. my name is Mathew!" I said, raising a hand for a handshake. "Your really the type of guy to shake someone's hand to introduce yourself?" She said with an annoyed tone. "Oh I'm sorry, I just thought it would be polite." I said, trying to calm the situation down. "Um... Alright" She said right before she walked off, She never did shake my hand...

I watched her enter a large circus tent in the center of the area. I decided to check out what's inside because the rest of the place seemed boring. I walked towards the tent and started to enter, The only thing I could see inside was slight movement. I walked in and I realized it was some sort of mirror maze, The tent looked almost completely different on the inside.. I started going through the maze until I encountered... the first of many strange people at this circus... It was tall man, he had pale almost completely white skin, he had messy red makeup, there was red eyeshadow around the bottom of his eyes, he was wearing a red and yellow clown costume with a big red wig and orange clown nose. I jumped slightly when I saw him. "Are you lost" he said in a deep raspy voice. "I think so.." I said, not completely sure if I should trust him. "Follow me" He said, he then turned around and walked further into the maze... with nothing else to do just sitting there I decided to follow him.

I followed The Clown to a door within the maze. He went through the door and I followed, this is the point where I started to think "There's no way this can all fit in the tent I saw outside". I entered the room and now we were in a small show room. There was a stage against the wall surrounded by a curtain and in front of it were rows of chairs with other kids sitting in them. I assumed I'd see Jess but she wasn't there.. "Sit and wait for the show." The Clown said. I walked over to a chair next to another boy around my age, he was wearing a green shirt with blue accents and a blue logo that resembled the silhouette of a horse with the words "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!" in a lighter shade of blue under the horse.

I sat down and started waiting. After a few minutes someone stepped out from behind the curtain, It was a man wearing a red ringmaster uniform with a big purple bowtie.. he was wearing a red facemask with a toothy smile on it, and inventors goggles with what looked like green lenses. "Hello Kids! And how are we today?" The man said. a few kids said "Ok" or "Good" back but not a lot of them. "You can call me Ringmaster Smiles! or just The Ringmaster!" he giggled. "Now kids... I've been looking everywhere for my good pal Sparkle! Have ya seen him? Have ya?" The kids shook their heads. "Well maybe... He's right... there!" He pointed over to me and my Sparkle Teddy Bear. "How about you come up young man.." I nervously got up and walked onto the stage and turned to the audience. "What's your name, new pal?" The Ringmaster said, putting his hands on my shoulders and bending down to get to my level. "Matt... Sir... Mathew..." I said nervously. "Looks like you got my buddy Sparkle... can I-" He suddenly reached down to grab my bear and I moved it away. "Looks like your playing hard to get, buddy" he said while giggling.

I was beginning to get weirded out so I asked him if I could sit back down. "Not until you give me... my buddy back.. b- buddy." He said, his voice cracking slightly. "I actually think my parents might be worried about me... I need to go home" I said, trying to escape the situation. I walked off the stage and went towards the door that led me here. The Clown stepped in front of me, blocking my escape. "Not leaving yet." The Clown muttered, I turned around and the Ringmaster was approaching me... and he was holding something... Then... then...

I found myself back in The Mirror Maze.. I heard laughing all around me, The Clown stepped out from behind a mirror. "You are a party-pooper, you ruin Ringmaster's fun games" he said. "Please... I just want to go home" I pleaded. "You will stay here, with our family" he started approaching me. "No.. No.. No.. No.. No.. No.. " I muttered under my breath. The Clown grabbed me and smashed my head against the floor, I felt my nose break and blood start coming out of my left nostril. I felt something heavy being held over my head before I blacked out again.

When I woke up. I was in a concrete room with white tiled flooring. I slowly stood up and I realized I was in a cell of some sort. I saw a reinforced iron door with a small window on it. I looked out and saw other cells lining the wall in front of my cell. I realized that my door was unlocked so I slowly stepped out. I looked around and saw that all of the cells were empty except for 2. one with a sign that said "Mascot" and another that said "Freakshow".

I walked over to The Mascot cell and I looked in. I saw someone wearing a big mascot costume of The Sparkle Bear sitting on the floor. "Hello..?" I whispered to The Mascot. "H- Hello?" They said, judging by the voice I could tell it was a girl under that suit. She stood up and walked over to the door. "Please help.. I haven't seem my daughter in so long... He took her from me.. my sweet angel" She said while sobbing slightly. "I'm not sure how to open the door but when I get out of here I will call for help-" I said, trying to calm her down before I was cut off. "There is not escape" it was a voice coming from The Freakshow cell, I looked in and I saw a shirtless man with sickly tainted green skin, he was very very skinny and tall, and his fingers were deformed. "What is happening here?" I asked. "That... Ringmaster fellow... He and his crew go all across the world trying to create the perfect family of freaks and weirdos... And for some reason I'm given the title of the freak to one day show the world... whatever he says I can't remember.." The Freakshow said in a tired tone. "When was the last time you saw the sun?" I asked The Freakshow. "725 Days... I've been keeping track.." The Freak show said. "Don't worry guys, I'll find help!" I said as I started to make my exit.

I walked over to a door different from the others and I opened it. I made my way up the stairs until I found myself back in the showroom, now empty... except for the fact there was a big stain of blood smeared across the wall of course, but I couldn't focus on that right now. I exited the showroom and entered the Mirror Maze. At this point I was so sick of this I just started breaking and pushing over mirrors until I eventually found the exit.

I stood in front of the exit.. I was a little nervous to be honest.. What if those... freaks follow me back to my home... or... Ugh... I just need to go get help, come back, and free all of the trapped people. I open the door and I step out to be greeted with... the sun rising... I look around and there's no... people... no signs there was a carnival at all! well except the circus tent... I turned around and the tent and the door I just came out of were no where to be seen. Everything had vanished. Without a trace.

Even after such a long time the event haunts me to my core. I don't know what The Ringmaster's goal was.. or what he did with the kids... but after learning that The Circus Of The Earth is a travelling circus and could realistically be anywhere in the world... My question to you is... Have you been to The Circus Of The Earth? Please... I need my closure...

https://preview.redd.it/jkrbnh0e3ezg1.png?width=4330&format=png&auto=webp&s=0afdaf1cbf939eed1b87f1bc8712cb4f8b063ca8