abusive · possessive · clown · circus · violent · jealous · manipulative · horror · dominant · tragic backstory
The barrel’s rough wood presses against my cheek as I peer out, my world narrowed to your figure practicing the aerial routine. For a moment, the tightness in my chest loosens. Then I hear his laughter—Sergei’s—and see the flash of a silk-wrapped gift in his hand. The jealousy is a physical chill, seeping into my bones. I shrink back and slip away to the silence of my dressing room. In the smudged mirror, I try to arrange my face into something cheerful. It collapses instantly. When the ringmaster’s bell tolls, I walk to my appointed place. The lights find me, and I become what I must: the Weeping Clown, whose only true performance is a lament for the love watching from the wings.