Basically a story I wrote for our English subject of Short Stories.
The limitations I had were:
3 characters
set in the circus
it had to be a romance
and it was to end with a climax
So here it is, you can see also that I like to involve my favourite TV show and the characters into my stories a bit...
Criticism and feedback is welcome!
Falling Into Eternity
by nattie
She led a double life. She was no secret agent and her life had been prefect until now. How could something seemingly so wonderful turn into such a nightmare? The spotlight illuminated her creating rainbows off her sparkly costume. The drum roll began and the audience was hushed, all eyes on her. Here she was at the top of the tight-rope where she was supposed to begin her act. Instead she was frozen in time as she thought back those last few months.
She had met him during the day for she would never let anyone who new who she really was near her. It was the only way to avoid curious or spiteful glares from them, she had to pretend. He had come across as sweet and caring and had been all throughout their courtship. She found herself falling hopelessly in love. His friend on the other hand had always seemed cold and distant from her. Even when his friend had proposed to her he had still been suspicious. Asking her questions about her supposed business trips or that new bruise on her arm. She had guessed he had always known. That’s why they were here tonight.
He was stunned, speechless. He couldn’t believe it! The girl of his dreams stood at the top of the ladder ready to walk a thin wire. She had lied to him. Lied to him about her life! And maybe lied to him about her love! She had told him her name was Carrie Spencer. A normal girl with a boring bank job. Instead her real name was Young Courageous Carrie! Her face and real name were on posters all over town.
It had all started that afternoon. Actually it began a long time ago, Mark’s dislike for Carrie that is. Mark had made it clear from the start that he had a bad feeling about her. Of course I dismissed it for we had only just met her but he insisted that he had seen her before. All throughout the time we were dating he tried to convince me to leave her but I was in love. He was always pestering her. Asking her unusual things about her business trips out of town which could last for weeks. He had been enraged when I told him of our engagement and from then he was determined to show me how wrong it was.
It began with him telling me she was away all the time on business trips. But of course she had agreed to quit her job so we could start a family. He also pointed out numerous bruises all over her body which I blamed on her fetish for rock climbing. By this point I too was getting suspicious and they were raised once more when she showed her remarkable balance when she retrieved a frisbee from atop of our house roof. When I questioned her she blamed it on gymnastic traits from her childhood.
Finally that afternoon I gave in. He had some absurd idea that Carrie was a circus girl and wanted me to go see it for myself. I made him agree that if he were wrong he would never mention the idea again.
The evening began like usual with Carrie excusing herself for a phone meeting with a client in Hong Kong. Mark and I were supposed to be staying home watching soccer or something instead Mark brought out a whole file of information on her. I was furious. How could he just check up on my fiancée without asking me? He handed me the file and said that I should look at it. I didn’t want to but as we were driving out of town to where the circus was my curiosity got the better of me. I was very reluctant at first but when I opened it an article caught my eye. ‘Girl Missing’ the headline screamed and as I scanned down I learnt the story of a little girl who ran away from an abusive home. The next article was labelled ‘Circus Runaway’ and as I read on it told the story of a girl who ran away from home to join the circus and was making it big as a tight-rope walker. My heart started to beat faster as I scanned the article for a name praying that it wasn’t my Carrie. Sure enough there was the name Carrie Spencer the circus runaway. So it was true. She was some girl who walked on wires for a living. A girl who lived and trained with circus animals and goodness what else! By the time we arrived at the Big Top I was upset and angry. I didn’t know who she was. How can I love a stranger? The problem was that he still did. He still loved her. But more importantly was her love a lie too?
He felt like he was walking in a trance as they took their seats and waited for the show to begin. Thousands of thoughts were running through his head and it wasn’t till they announced her that he was aware of his surroundings. He saw her nimble figure climb up the ladder onto the little platform. She was dressed in a glittery costume which hugged her figure. Her face was done exquisitely in makeup complimenting her lips and eyes. All was silent as her gaze wandered over the crowd and stopped as his eyes met hers. His eyes were no longer filled with anger but with pity. Pity for her. Her eyes were filled with sadness and regret. They glazed over as tears threatened to spill. Still they held each other’s gaze…
She was sure she was going to cry any minute. She knew if she looked down the Ringmaster would be there along with all the other acts telling her to either do her act or get down. She knew she had to get down but she felt like she couldn’t move. She never wanted to lie to him, she hated it. She hated herself even more when she knew she loved him. She had wondered whether he could ever love he as the real Carrie. She had dismissed the idea. She had wanted to tell him so many times but she was too afraid. She had vowed to give up her circus life as soon as they got married and she would tell him everything and he would still love her.
But now she knew her thoughts were confirmed. He couldn’t love the real Carrie. He loathed her. She had done something she had never wanted to do to him, hurt him. And for that she hated herself, she hated everything about herself. The lying the pretending. She deserved to die. She wasn’t worthy of living after what she had done to him. She looked down. There was no net. She had always performed without a net, it gave an edge to the act. It only took one step. One small step off the platform for all of this to end. One step is all it took and she would fall down, down into eternity…
The limitations I had were:
3 characters
set in the circus
it had to be a romance
and it was to end with a climax
So here it is, you can see also that I like to involve my favourite TV show and the characters into my stories a bit...
Criticism and feedback is welcome! Falling Into Eternity
by nattie
She led a double life. She was no secret agent and her life had been prefect until now. How could something seemingly so wonderful turn into such a nightmare? The spotlight illuminated her creating rainbows off her sparkly costume. The drum roll began and the audience was hushed, all eyes on her. Here she was at the top of the tight-rope where she was supposed to begin her act. Instead she was frozen in time as she thought back those last few months.
She had met him during the day for she would never let anyone who new who she really was near her. It was the only way to avoid curious or spiteful glares from them, she had to pretend. He had come across as sweet and caring and had been all throughout their courtship. She found herself falling hopelessly in love. His friend on the other hand had always seemed cold and distant from her. Even when his friend had proposed to her he had still been suspicious. Asking her questions about her supposed business trips or that new bruise on her arm. She had guessed he had always known. That’s why they were here tonight.
He was stunned, speechless. He couldn’t believe it! The girl of his dreams stood at the top of the ladder ready to walk a thin wire. She had lied to him. Lied to him about her life! And maybe lied to him about her love! She had told him her name was Carrie Spencer. A normal girl with a boring bank job. Instead her real name was Young Courageous Carrie! Her face and real name were on posters all over town.
It had all started that afternoon. Actually it began a long time ago, Mark’s dislike for Carrie that is. Mark had made it clear from the start that he had a bad feeling about her. Of course I dismissed it for we had only just met her but he insisted that he had seen her before. All throughout the time we were dating he tried to convince me to leave her but I was in love. He was always pestering her. Asking her unusual things about her business trips out of town which could last for weeks. He had been enraged when I told him of our engagement and from then he was determined to show me how wrong it was.
It began with him telling me she was away all the time on business trips. But of course she had agreed to quit her job so we could start a family. He also pointed out numerous bruises all over her body which I blamed on her fetish for rock climbing. By this point I too was getting suspicious and they were raised once more when she showed her remarkable balance when she retrieved a frisbee from atop of our house roof. When I questioned her she blamed it on gymnastic traits from her childhood.
Finally that afternoon I gave in. He had some absurd idea that Carrie was a circus girl and wanted me to go see it for myself. I made him agree that if he were wrong he would never mention the idea again.
The evening began like usual with Carrie excusing herself for a phone meeting with a client in Hong Kong. Mark and I were supposed to be staying home watching soccer or something instead Mark brought out a whole file of information on her. I was furious. How could he just check up on my fiancée without asking me? He handed me the file and said that I should look at it. I didn’t want to but as we were driving out of town to where the circus was my curiosity got the better of me. I was very reluctant at first but when I opened it an article caught my eye. ‘Girl Missing’ the headline screamed and as I scanned down I learnt the story of a little girl who ran away from an abusive home. The next article was labelled ‘Circus Runaway’ and as I read on it told the story of a girl who ran away from home to join the circus and was making it big as a tight-rope walker. My heart started to beat faster as I scanned the article for a name praying that it wasn’t my Carrie. Sure enough there was the name Carrie Spencer the circus runaway. So it was true. She was some girl who walked on wires for a living. A girl who lived and trained with circus animals and goodness what else! By the time we arrived at the Big Top I was upset and angry. I didn’t know who she was. How can I love a stranger? The problem was that he still did. He still loved her. But more importantly was her love a lie too?
He felt like he was walking in a trance as they took their seats and waited for the show to begin. Thousands of thoughts were running through his head and it wasn’t till they announced her that he was aware of his surroundings. He saw her nimble figure climb up the ladder onto the little platform. She was dressed in a glittery costume which hugged her figure. Her face was done exquisitely in makeup complimenting her lips and eyes. All was silent as her gaze wandered over the crowd and stopped as his eyes met hers. His eyes were no longer filled with anger but with pity. Pity for her. Her eyes were filled with sadness and regret. They glazed over as tears threatened to spill. Still they held each other’s gaze…
She was sure she was going to cry any minute. She knew if she looked down the Ringmaster would be there along with all the other acts telling her to either do her act or get down. She knew she had to get down but she felt like she couldn’t move. She never wanted to lie to him, she hated it. She hated herself even more when she knew she loved him. She had wondered whether he could ever love he as the real Carrie. She had dismissed the idea. She had wanted to tell him so many times but she was too afraid. She had vowed to give up her circus life as soon as they got married and she would tell him everything and he would still love her.
But now she knew her thoughts were confirmed. He couldn’t love the real Carrie. He loathed her. She had done something she had never wanted to do to him, hurt him. And for that she hated herself, she hated everything about herself. The lying the pretending. She deserved to die. She wasn’t worthy of living after what she had done to him. She looked down. There was no net. She had always performed without a net, it gave an edge to the act. It only took one step. One small step off the platform for all of this to end. One step is all it took and she would fall down, down into eternity…