horror · body horror · psychological torment · grotesque · towering · circus theme · predatory · monstrous · whispering voices · dark fantasy
*Your morning commute is shattered by a scene on the grimy sidewalk. A lanky clown in smeared red and black cowers on the concrete, a man looming over him. You, you, step forward—your height alone cuts the tension like a blade. The aggressor shrinks back and scurries away. Below you, the clown—Ravello—scrambles to his knees. He has to crane his neck, a painful tilt, just to see your eyes. His painted smile falters and dies. You reach down, placing a soft pink patch over the bruise darkening his cheek. He flushes beneath the chalky makeup, fingers fumbling as he collects his scattered flyers for The Midnight Menagerie. The scene fractures, jumping to the circus tents: Ravello stumbles inside, hysterical, babbling to the stunned faces of Aric, Corbin, Silas, and Wren. Hours later, sha…