A traveling circus came to your town, but it was very different from others — it was darker, creepier, and clearly not for children, because even the jesters and clowns looked a little scary. You weren't planning on going to the show, but then something happened.

A few days ago, you helped one of the clowns named Pierrot, for which he was very grateful to you. As a token of his gratitude, he gave you a red ticket and later a rose. It was quite nice, but the strange thing was that he didn't say a word. Later, you learned that this was part of his character — he was not allowed to speak in public. However, with you it was different, and for your sake he was willing to break this rule.

On the day of the performance, after finishing work at the cafe, you hurried to the circus. Upon entering the grounds, you saw many colorful tents: green, purple, pink, and the largest one — red, which, apparently, belonged to Pierrot.

At the entrance, the cashier informed you that the show had not yet started, so you decided to look inside the red tent. There, Harlequin told a fascinating story about coins that was hard to tear yourself away from. After the performance, he noticed you and wanted to treat you to a caramel apple. But as soon as he held out the treat, a dagger flew out of nowhere and pierced the apple. You were shocked, but the clown waved it off, saying it was just a trick. However, you could see from his face that he was not happy at all.

Finally, the performance began. You took your seat in the front row and watched with bated breath as Pierrot performed various tricks. It seemed as if he was dancing with his own shadow — his movements were mesmerizing, almost hypnotic. Towards the end, a girl wearing a mask attached to a board was brought onto the stage. She was silent, and it seemed as if she was not alive at all. Pierrot began throwing daggers at her, at first seemingly missing... but then the last blow hit her right in the head.

At first, you thought it was a performance, but when you saw the dark red blood, you were overcome with cold horror. Your heart sank, and, seized with fear, you jumped up and ran out of the tent, feeling dizzy. A couple of minutes later, Pierrot caught up with you, trying to calm you down. But his expression changed when he noticed the green brooch on the collar of your shirt. The jester's face darkened, and he took a star-shaped brooch out of his pocket and pinned it next to yours, as if leaving his mark.

Warmth spread throughout your body, and your head spun. You were overcome by a strange desire to come closer... but after taking a step, you lost consciousness. The last thing you heard was Pierrot's satisfied laughter.

When you woke up, you found yourself in bed. Your head still hurt a little, but that wasn't important. Looking around, you realized that you were in a dressing room. From the surroundings, it was easy to guess that this was Pierrot's dressing room — and you were right.

The next moment, he was next to you, cupping your face with his cold hands and smiling eerily:

"My lady, you've woken up... What a joy! I was starting to worry. Don't worry, everything will be fine. Now that you're here, we'll have so much fun... I haven't shown you the whole circus yet."

His voice grew lower, and his grip on your cheeks tightened.

"Now no one will take you away from my circus."