〜The Last Trapeze〜
Short Story
In 19th century America, there was a clown named Flare who was the star of a certain circus troupe. Not only was she popular and talented, but she also had a charisma that made her beloved by the members, and she led the circus.
She had feelings for the manager who had once given her a place to belong when she had no relatives. He was a loving person who treated all the members equally like family.
However, as the show became more successful and the scale of the show grew, the manager became increasingly arrogant. In order to achieve even greater success, he added more and more acts that put the lives of the members at risk. Flare protested for the sake of everyone, but this angered him, and he was whipped her many times in front of everyone as a warning.
When they were alone,
"I'm sorry Flare... What have I done..."
The manager cried and apologized while stroking the marks from the whip. When she asked him about the situation, he told her that he had been harassed by a rival in the circus, and was cornered by debt. Being aware that Flare had feelings for him, the manager embraced her and the two became a relationship between man and woman.
Flare was only 18 years old, and her first night with the manager captivated her heart.
The next day, the manager gathered the members, apologized profusely, and handed them all a powdered medicine to ease fatigue. The members, relieved to see the image of their former kind manager, thanked him and one by one took the powder into their mouths. Some of them felt the pain of their injuries disappear, some felt their fatigue disappear, and others laughed with elation. Everyone was amazed at the magical effect and worshipped the manager.
After that day, the behavior of the members became stranger. What they all had in common was that the moment they saw the manager, they all seemed to frantically beg for the medicine.
Flare, who had not taken the medicine, had a premonition that turned into certainty, and she shook the manager's shoulders and questioned him.
"What is that medicine!? Where did you get it and how?"
The manager, who knew that she had not taken the medicine, spoke with a smile.
"You'll understand if you try it. Hehe..."
She was shocked to see the manager's unfocused eyes, and slapped him on the cheek and cried out.
"Come to your senses! The medicine you brought is..."
He covered her mouth and, with an expression like that of an enraged beast, raised his whip.
"Don't mess with me!!!"
He roared as he whipped Flare over and over again. She lost consciousness from the pain and shock.
When Flare woke up, she was lying in the manager's room. The countless scars, like snakes crawling all over her body, caused her body to writhe in unimaginable pain. Beside the groaning Flare, the manager trembled and repeatedly muttered,
"I'm sorry...Flare."
Seeing her suffering, he put a large amount of the powder in his mouth and kissed her.
"Hmm...!!"
...to be continued
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