Every spring, the traveling circus made its way into town, bringing with it an air of mystery and excitement. This year, my friend Jenna had just joined the circus, and she was assigned to help with the haunted house attraction. She was unaware of the strange occurrences that the veteran circus workers had come to accept.
On the first evening, the circus grounds were buzzing with laughter and chatter. As the night progressed and the crowds thinned out, Jenna noticed a young girl with braided hair and a red dress standing at the entrance of the haunted house. “One for the haunted house, please,” the girl said, handing Jenna an old-fashioned ticket. Jenna glanced around, puzzled. “Are you here alone?” she asked. The girl nodded silently and stepped inside.
Jenna watched as the girl walked through the dimly lit corridors, her footsteps echoing through the eerie silence. As the clock struck midnight and the circus began to close, Jenna decided to check on the girl, but she was nowhere to be found. Alarmed, she hurried to the ringmaster’s tent to report what had happened.
The ringmaster, an elderly man with a kind but knowing expression, listened patiently. Without a hint of surprise, he said, “Ah, that must be Emily.” He pulled out a weathered scrapbook and turned to a yellowed newspaper clipping. The headline read: “Tragic Accident at Circus: Girl Disappears in Haunted House.” The article featured a photograph of a smiling girl in a red dress, her braids neatly tied with ribbons.
Shaken, Jenna stared at the picture, realizing that Emily had been missing for decades. The ringmaster sighed and gently closed the scrapbook. “She appears every year on the first night, seeking the thrill she once loved. Don’t worry, she’s harmless. She just wants to enjoy the circus one last time.”