Our tale starts in 1874 a going boy was born and went by the name of Joshua Smithe. Named after his very wealthy father. He entered a household in of love and happiness. Or so it seems, for you see. Joshua growing up wasn't like others. It took him a little longer to learn things and because of this. His parents Joshua Smithe Senior and Emily Smithe didn't really pay much attention to him. Joshua became some what of an outcast by his own parents. He had become the "Be seen but not heard" type of children. 7 years passed and Joshua had now been made into a in house servant for his parents. And if he did any wrong, his father would beat and ridicule him. This would happen on a daily basis for the simplest of things. Even sneezing too hard.
Another 7 years passed and Joshua was now 14. He barely said a word, only when spoken to and was naturally on show when his parents had guest over. Otherwise, he was kepted locked away upstairs. Unless his father required something from him. As the years went on. The beatings from his father became more vigorous and more frequent. His mother Emily didn't really say anything. Because if she did, she would be on the receiving end of Joshuas father. So she naturally kept her nose out.
Another year passed and it was juniors 15th birthday. It would go unnoticed as usual and only he would celebrate on his own way. His father like every other day summoned Joshua to his chamber for another ludicrous demand. Now we don't know exactly what his father asked if him. But it was enough for Joshua to answer his father back and refuse. For the first time since his birth, he had answered his father back. Naturally this wouldn't do! Joshua Smithe Senior struck his son to the ground, a single slap so hard that it knocked him to the ground ands across the room towards the fire place on his fathers chamber.
"You dare talk back to me boy?!" His father shouted and then stuck his son again, this time kicking him in the stomach winding him. Little.did he know that, that single kick would write Joshua's future. Something inside him snapped and before his father could strike him again. He reached out for the closest thing which was an iron poker for the fireplace and with a single swing. Struck his father across the face. His father shocked, lundged forward and without hesitation, Joshua struck his father again, this time knocking him to the ground. For the first time, Joshua Smithe Senior feared for his life. He began to beg an plead but something had snapped. Joshua stuck his father. Not one, not two but several more times to his father's head. Until there was nothing but a mangled puddle of bone, blood and flesh.
Emily, hearing the commotion came into her husbands chamber and upon seeing the mangled body of her husband on the floor. She froze, until eventually letting out a shreik of terror. This snapped Joshua and he saw what he had done. His mother screaming as he looks down at his father's lifeless being. He panicked, he didn't know what else to do.. he dropped the poker, pushing passed his mother and out of the house. He ran and took refuge inside the wooded area near his home. He couldn't get his head around what he had done.
He walked, and kept walking until he came across a traveling circus. Maybe he could take refuge here until the heat had died down. He had plenty of experience of doing chores and daily tasks. Surly there could be something here for him. Something enough for him to start a new life? Many years passed and the situation regarding his father almost seemed like a long lost memory. He had taken to the circus life really well. He could only do the basic of chores like tend to the animals and construct the out buildings where ever they set up shop. Now im his early 30s, he went by the name of Walter E Gander. A name he found in passing. But everyone at the circus knew him as Wally.
Everyone at the circus had a deep respect for him. An although he didn't have all the smarts, he seemed to know what he was doing. He gained alot of attention especially from the female performers. Now there were a certain crew that didn't like him, the clown troupe. An like Joshua's father. Although not to the same extent. Would always bully him with childish jokes and name calling. One day in particular, the leader of the troupe took a particular dislike and wanted to play a joke on him.
Wally as he went by. Had a habit of leaving his keys laying around. So this pose the perfect opportunity to lay a prank on him. With haste, he swiped the keys and ushered his hooligans to go and fetch Joshua so the prank could be put into full effect.
"Wally! Quick there's a problem with one for the lions cages!" Upon hearing this. He rushed to the animal pen where the lions were kept. Joshua was created by the clown troupe. "What's the problem?" He asked. "Oh, it seems your keys have somehow got inside the lions cage.. an seem as though you are the only one who knows how to do it without waking them. We thought it best you come and get your keys back." A little confused and at this point a little werey of the situation, he carefully observed. Indedd his keys were in the cage like he'd been told but he had no idea.. he thought he'd had them on his belt. "Sorry fellas I can't go on in there..I'll have to get the tamer." The leader looked at him annoyed. "Don't talk shit, you can do it" even more werey of his words he analyzed the scene more carefully. He looked on again but before he could think of a solution. He was shoved inside the open door of the caged and the door slammed shut behind him..
A barrage of laughter could be heard and the clowns there at the door of the cage laughing and sluperting. "Sorry mate I didn't see you!" They cackled and laughed, completely unaware that their laughter had awoken the lazy lion inside. "Come on fellas this isn't funny" Joshua begged an pleaded with the clowns but all the whole they kept repeating. "SORRY MATE I DIDNT SEE YOU!" He grew more and more anxious and his begs turned into screams of terror which aroused the lion in his dwelling more. Until finally, the lion pounces, pinning Joshua to the ground. At this point Joshua had no idea what to do. Inside his own head he thought. "This is it.. THIS is my punishment for killing my father." His screams began to quieten down until there was an errie silence and for a brief moment. It seemed like everything was calming.
An that's when it happen the lion buried it's teeth into Joshua. Ragging and tearing at him. All the while he was screaming in agony. An all the clowns could do was watch. The leader had somewhat of an insane smile on his face like this is what he wanted to happen. The others began to panic. "Boss this has gone too far.. stop this! We'll be done for!" The leader just looked on. "BOSS!?" He turned. "I say when it's over!" The frightened clown looked him down. "Youve lost it!" He freed himself from the leaders grip an ran in aid to get some help. "Stop him! Or were all done for!" The others chased him down and pinned the frightened clown to the ground. Until then.. the screams became lighter an calmer.. until there was once again silence in the pen.
The clowns look on at what the lion had done. There was near nothing left. Joshua had been torn to pieces. Whatever trance had the leader had been broken and he saw the scene on front on him an HR gasped.."Boss... Whadda we do now? Everyone's gonna ask questions.." He thought for a moment trying to think of a quick alibi in his head. "We'll say it was an accident. He slipped whilst feeding them. But we need to make it look that way.. go an fetch some things from the supply tent.. we'll cover this up."
They all headed off desperatly looking for things they could use and quickly headed back to the scene. Upon their return, the body or what remained of Wally had vanished. Each looked at the other in surprise. The leader looked at them all. "I donts know what y'all did but it worked." Shortly after, they all headed out. The others, anxious about what happened an all the while the leader.. hadn't thought any more about it. He was just happy the remains had gone and saved him some work.
"We're due a rehearsal on the big top in give minutes anyway. Whatever you boys did, you did it well." They all look confused. "But we did nothin.." but it was like the leader either didn't care or wasn't listening. In his head, the situation had been resolved. They all casually enter the big top and each enter the center ring an nervously attempt to start their rehearsal.. when the lights around the big top begin to flicker. "It's just the wind" they all thought to themselves. They carried on and with each passing moment the lights began to flicker more and the wind in the big top seemed to pick up more an more. Until each of the lights Popped! Until it was pitch black. "Hey.... What's...what's going on?!" It became deathly silent and all that could be heard was the low howl of the wind.. of so they thought.
Each of the clowns grew nervous. "I'm getting out of he..." His words were cut short and an almighty scream bellowed inside followed but the sound of crunching bone and tearing flesh. The leader grew more and more anxious unsure of what had happened. "Louis? Bernard?? Carl??? What they hell? Is going on?? An that's when he felt it. An kcey cold breath breathing down the back of his neck. Each breath grew louder with an almost animal like tone to it until then.. he heard it "Sorry. Mate. I. Didn't. See. You!" The gravely voice sounded familiar but before he could say a word.. it was too late..
Daylight came and the trapeze act came inside the big top to start their daily rehearsals. They stopped in their tracks.. one ran outskde to vomit and the other just screamed..screamed until her lungs were out of air and she fell to her knees. The scene they walked into was like something from a crime scene. Body parts, bodily organs, a mash up of pulped flesh, blood and bone. The blood stained the once staw covered ground.. there on the floor of the big top lay the dicapitated bodies of four of the five members of the clown troupe, each with their faces removed like they had been taken as some sort of macabre trophy. The ringmaster burst in to see what the commotion was. Needless to say.. he was left for words, running lit of the tent to inform the authorities of what happened.
The fifth member of the troupe was in his tent sat at his mirror. When the lights went out. He nervously looked into the mirror to see, he didn't dare to look behind him. An all he could see was a silhouette. And two white glowing eyes behind him. The clown began to cry, he didn't know what to do so he closed his eyes waiting for the inenvitable and he clenched hard but.. nothing happened. The room was fully lit and the silhouette had gone. He relaxed but he knew, he knew in his heart this wasn't over.
So what happened to Joshua? Some say that what happened to him was penance for what he had done to his father. Others believe that he somehow survived what happened and left to seek out a quote life. But me? I believe that he's still out there, somewhere punishing those that are truly accepting of it. So when you see a dark shadow in the corner of your eye. Be werey, it could be Joshua an he may just be there to show you the error of your ways.
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