Page 32 of Little Doll

I made my way across the attic, climbing over things, and being careful where I placed each step, afraid of tumbling through the attic floor. Every step closer made the noise a little louder. I stood before the trunk. There was a window right next to it and the pale moonlight washed over the worn leather of the trunk, showing how very old it looked.

I saw it was fastened closed, but not locked. I pushed the button to release the fastener, and I pulled open the heavy lid. It groaned, and so did I.

As soon as I got it up far enough to let the hinges take over, I let it fall back. There was a bang like a gunshot, and then all the noise in my head stopped.

Utter silence enveloped me as I peered down into the musty trunk.

It smelled of dust and decay.

The trunk contained an old, faded and tattered wedding dress splattered with blood and crumpled into a messy ball.

And the fabric of the dress twisted and curled around the withered brown bones of a perfect human skeleton. The eyeless skull lay with its mouth gaping open as though it had died screaming, and a few limp wisps of hair still clung to it.

1873

Chapter 14

Costel

I didn’t evenwant to go to the visiting circus called Grimm Fair. Mother had raved for weeks about the shows that the circus put on, however, and I couldn’t bear to disappoint her.

I agreed to escort her there on opening night, and that is why I met my beloved, Wilhelmina Payne.

Thank God for my mother. Or perhaps I should curse her, since the story ended so sadly.

Grimm Fair was coming to the countryside outside of London for the entire summer. It was so close to our home that we would smell the decadent foods and hear the sounds of revelry through the nights until the circus finally packed up and moved on.

That first night, I lifted Mother down from the carriage and carried her over a mud puddle, then put her down and gave her my arm to escort herinto the fair. It was twilight. A fellow was going around with his torch, lighting the lamps. People were dressed in their finest summer clothing and walked about with looks of sheer delight. The sounds of excited children, laughing wives, and spirited husbands lifted my spirits as soon as we bought our tickets and walked through the gate.

The show my mother wanted to see was about to begin, and we followed signs to the tent that would host it. On either side of the entrance were life size elaborate posters featuring illustrations of a woman who stopped me in my tracks. Wonderful Wilhelmina was what the posters said in ornate script. They showed a woman with long slender legs and arms, a narrow waist and voluptuous hips and bosoms. Her limbs bent and twisted in the pictures, and her face looked enraptured. Even the faded illustrations portrayed a creature enchanting. A woman who utterly bewitched me on sight.

My heart raced and I could scarcely wait to get inside the tent.

The audience was ushered into rows of chairs in the darkened tent that were lit only by bundles of candles flickering around the edges. There were already people in nearly every seat, though the stage was empty. The tent was stifling hot and smelled of sweat and animal waste. But there was also the aroma from the candles and a hint of bittersweet opium. Incense burned and sent wispsof smoke up above our heads and the scent mingled strangely with the other unpleasant smells.

Music from a small ensemble to the left of the stage began as soon as we sat down. Mother took my hand and squeezed it. I looked down at her rosy cheeks and girlish smile, and I chuckled. Her joy was delightful.

A ringmaster appeared, taking the stage from a curtain in the back. He was absurdly tall and thin as a skeleton. His cheeks were so hollow and eyes so sunken that he looked like a walking skeleton. The sight of him sent a chill up my spine despite the sickly heat in the place.

“Ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourselves for a sight both wondrous and strange. Feast your eyes upon the unparalleled contortionist, the Wonderful Wilhelmina!”

The audience gasped, partly because of the odd, monstrous quality to the ugly man’s voice, and also because Wilhelmina had taken the stage.

My breath caught in my throat, and I don’t think I breathed once during her entire performance.

She wore a form fitting costume that looked like undergarments. Provocative undergarments. I’d never seen a woman in public like that. The costume was made of midnight blue shimmering material with silver stars embroidered in it that seemed to twinkle in the candlelight. There was afilmy bustle attached to the back, but it was cut very high on her thighs and low on her neckline. There were no sleeves, which made it possible to see all her tattoos on full display.

Her arms were covered in a dazzling celestial portrait of an opulent blue sky filled with clouds, suns, rainbows and angels. Her legs were also covered in an elaborate celestial design, but the sky was the color of the night, twinkling with stars, moons, and constellations. She was an enchanting work of art.

She danced onto the stage, each movement purposeful and fluid. When she reached the center of the stage with her back to the crowd, she bent backwards, her long wavy hair cascading and splaying to the floor like a waterfall. She kept bending, her head dipping between her legs until her chin came to rest on the floor. My heart hitched in my chest as I beheld her lithe body arched into an impossible shape, shining in the candlelight.

Wilhelmina put on a show I would never forget. Nobody in the audience would. Her ability to twist every joint in her body in ways that would break any man. Her ability to dance and sway like her very body was made of haunting music. Her ability to stretch and spread herself beyond human comprehension. She mesmerized us all. But she stole my heart.

I made excuses after the show to keep Mother entertained and at the circus for the remainder of the evening. Finally, the time came for Wilhelmina’s last show came and went. I had Mother situated in a tent eating a sandwich that dripped with grease while I stole away to the contortionist’s tent. I was waiting by the rear stage exit when she came out.

She jumped when she saw me, and my heart broke as fear marred her beautiful pale face.

“Oh, dear, I’m sorry,” I cried. “I don’t mean to startle you! I simply… I simply wanted to meet you. You are enchanting.”

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