A Short Story

Based on Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, my class was asked to create short stories from a series of photographs. I did enjoy the process, but my writing skills are a little rusty. I hope you enjoy the story!

I highly recommend Ransom Riggs' book.

The Circus on the Cruise Ship

Chapter 1

Dear Nathaniel

While I would like to start this story with a witty anecdote or describe an extravagant party, it is quite impossible to do so. In fact, I must do the exact opposite. For, you see, Nathanial Jackson was anything but happy.

Nathaniel Jackson was a bachelor who lived alone in a small flat in London. Nathaniel thought he was quite the catch, to be honest, and didn’t understand why he was a bachelor. He expected one of the lovely secretaries at work to be infatuated with him. Nathaniel was the youngest member of the anthropology department at the University of London at a respectable 32 years of age. He was the professor who taught the introductory class to the Anthropology major. Nathaniel felt, in his great knowledge, that he should be respected and admired by all of his students and coworkers.

In truth, they quite disliked him. Oh, please don’t get me wrong. His work ethic was quite wonderful and he had a wonderful sense of dry humor. His appearance was the problem. Nathaniel was a stern-looking gentleman. He wore a rather strange hat with a wide, floppy brim. It might have looked ridiculous, but the brim cast a rather foreboding shadow across his eyes. His eyebrows had the habit of furrowing and making Nathaniel look very cross. His moustache mostly intimidated the students and coworkers. It was a stiff, bristly path of hair that covered his mouth completely. It was incredibly difficult to tell if he was smiling or frowning. Most of Nathaniel’s acquaintances thought he frowned more often than he smiled. As such, the students avoided him outside of class and the secretaries thought him very mad.

Nathaniel was very self-conscious about his moustache. He grew it out on purpose in order to hide a frightening scar. He was injured as a soldier in the army, drafted into war as a younger man. The fight had frightened him and made him wonder if he would ever return to his education and receive his degree. When he survived with a jagged scar across his lips from a piece of shrapnel, he was quite happy to return to college. Before he had managed to grow his moustache, he hid his face behind a medical mask and told his classmates he had a passing medical problem. It worked quite well, though his classmates feared for his health. Some even gossiped that he must be hiding some hideous deformity behind the little mask. But that seems to matter very little now. At this moment, we are discussing the concerns of the bachelor professor of Anthropology!

Worried over his lack of love life, Nathaniel sought advice from his good friend Jackson Surnought. Jackson was a professor in the archaeology department. A good deal more popular than Nathaniel, Jackson was very welcome at student gatherings and promoted the Archaeology department with humor. Nathaniel had met Jackson at one such party. However, Nathaniel did not expect his colleague to arrive in an Egyptian Sarcophagus. The anthropologist thought Jackson was a little odd, but trusted his advice. With this trust in mind, Nathaniel asked Jackson for romantic help.

“Nathaniel, dear boy,” Jackson nodded sagely and draped an arm across Nathaniel’s shoulders. “You need to find a place to have fun and let go. Let the ladies see you as a joyful man with a big brain and a bigger heart.”

           

“And where would I go to display such frivolity?” Nathaniel questioned.

“Hmm,” Jackson murmured thoughtfully. “I know the perfect place! There is a strange circus in town. The entire spectacle takes place on a marvelous cruise ship.”

“A circus?” Nathaniel frowned at Jackson. “On a Cruise ship. I’m beginning to think you very mad, Jackson.”

“Oh, it sounds very strange, but it is true. Why don’t you go and enjoy yourself?” Jackson nudged the young Anthropologist’s shoulder and smiled cheerfully. “Even if you don’t find a lady, you can study the circus performers for your new investigation.”

Nathaniel was very hesitant about visiting a circus on a cruise ship. How did one even get to such an event? Did you buy a ticket to the circus or to the cruise? Was it a very long cruise? Nathaniel decided that he didn’t care. He went to the docks immediately after his classes.

Chapter 2

The Ship at the Dock

           

The docks at London were a curious mix of frightening and awe-inspiring. The entire area was shrouded in mist from the river and smog from the industrial factories. Some of the ships and wooden docks were stained and falling to pieces. However, the towering cranes and singing of productive dockhands were another matter entirely. Nathaniel was fascinated by the vitality present in such a dismal place. The most incredible part of the London docks was the majestic, gleaming cruise ship resting peacefully alongside a tidy dock.

            Surely this, thought Nathaniel, as he climbed the little ramp onto the deck, is the cruise ship with the circus. It is the only ship large enough to hold such a grand event.

            As Nathaniel stepped onto the deck, he was met by a well-dressed man with a cheerful smile. The stranger was dressed in a formal evening suit, with a little pocket watch and chain tucked into his waistcoat. He wore a black top hat with a little red ribbon around the base. He carried a little notebook in one hand and reached out to Nathaniel with the other.

            “Hello, good sir!” He shook Nathaniel’s hand heartily. “Welcome to The Elizabeth and her circus, The Fascinating and Unusual!”

            “’The Fascinating and Unusual,’ sir?” Nathaniel inquired.

           

            “Oh! Some friends or acquaintances must have directed you here! Little scamps probably didn’t tell you much about the show, did they?”

            “No, he didn’t. I think he wanted it to be a surprise.” Nathaniel peeked around the stranger. “But I would like to know more before I decide to buy a ticket. Whom should I speak to about the show?”

            “Oh dear! I’ve done it again.” The strange man straightened his jacket and bowed. “I am the Ringleader of the show. My name is the Good Sir Gottenheight! In apology for these rude manners of mine, let me offer you a free ticket to the circus. In fact, the show is about to start! Let me show you where to go!”

            Good Sir Gottenheight gently ushered Nathaniel across the deck and down a narrow staircase. A little frightened and alarmed, Nathaniel could only follow The Good Sir Gottenheight’s directions as they descended into the depths of the cruise ship.

Chapter 3

The Fascinating and Unusual

            Nathaniel and the Good Sir Gottenheight exited the staircase into a grand ballroom. The ballroom was a wide room with small booths, stalls, and display stages on both sides. Some of the booths had painted backdrops of forests or decorated theaters. The other booths had plain fabric drapes and small wooden stages. A member or team of The Fascinating and Unusual Circus occupied each area. Nathaniel hadn’t thought that a whole circus group could fit into such a space, but the grand ballroom was extraordinarily long. The room seemed to stretch to the entire length of the ship!

            Maybe the grand ballroom is the main attraction of the ship. Nathaniel thought as he glanced at the performers as they walked by. Maybe the ship is more a theater than an actual cruise vacation.

            While Nathaniel was a little wary, he began to enjoy himself as he explored the crowded ballroom. The room was filled with other guests: young children and their parents, curious gentlemen, groups of ladies with their parasols and fans, and cautious dockworkers. Nathaniel watched the dockworkers as they glanced into the first few booths before dashing out the door. Nathaniel laughed a little to himself; these workers probably skipped out on work for a little bit to see the show.

            The first booth in the ballroom was a young, half-clad woman of exotic origin. She wore a flowery lei around her neck and a European petticoat with flower designs. Her long, dark hair was falling about her waist like the tide on the shore. Nathaniel did not think she was so unusual, but he had studied several native tribes in foreign places. She was probably more interesting to the native Londoner.

            The Second booth held two sisters in white gowns, playing in front of a garden painting.  At first glance, Nathaniel thought the younger sister was braiding the elder’s hair. A closer look revealed the young girl was holding up her sister’s hair as it turned into a tall carnation! Her hair was turning into a flower!

            This must be a common circus or magician’s trick! But it certainly looks like real magic.  Nathaniel nodded and walked further down the ballroom.

            The booths at the end of the ballroom were definitely the strangest. In one booth, a man and woman were dressed in strange costumes. It looked as if their torsos had grown enormous faces with bulging eyes, thin noses, and wide smiles. Their heads were hidden behind large hats. Nathaniel considered the costumes for a moment and was incredibly startled when the man’s eye winked. Another booth was a small black bear controlling a marionette of a young woman in a white nightgown. Finally, the last booth held two women in zebra costumes. As he watched the women dance cheerfully, he realized that these were not costumes! The large, equine ears and tail moved independently!

            Nathaniel stumbled backwards in alarm. This was too strange! This wasn’t a circus at all. This was a freak show! Nathaniel shuddered and began to sprint towards the door of the grand ballroom. He had to escape this hellish nightmare. Perhaps he was not as happy as he could be in his ordinary life, but anything was better than what he encountered here!

            Why aren’t the other guests as alarmed as I am!? Nathaniel suddenly asked himself. I will ask one person before I run out the door. Who is closest to the ex---

            Nathaniel froze in alarm. The grand ballroom was completely empty. There were no other guests. The laughing children with their parents, the curious gentlemen in their afternoon dress, and the young ladies had vanished into thin air. Nathaniel was almost too frightened to look around the silent room, but he glanced slowly over one shoulder. And he screamed.

Chapter 4

The Elizabeth

            Standing directly behind Nathaniel was the young, exotic woman from the first booth. Only she looked nothing like the calm, dignified performer she once was. The flower lei and petticoat had vanished. Her face had sunken in at the cheeks and eye sockets into a grotesque mask as she stared at him. The thick waves of black hair was draped over her shoulders and flowed down her torso. The strands were moving and twisting like black mambas. Nathaniel stumbled towards the doorway and crashed against a sudden wall.

            Has the door closed? Am I trapped here?!

            “Nathaniel? Why are you leaving?” Good Sir Gottenheight frowned at the young anthropologist. “I told the performers to put on an especially good show today. Didn’t you enjoy it?”

            “Enjoy it?” Nathaniel asked, a hint of hysteria leaking into his voice. “Yes. I did enjoy it. I’m terribly sorry, but I need to return home. I’ve paperwork to grade for my classes!”

            “Oh, Nathaniel.” Good Sir Gottenheight shook his head. “Jackson told us how unhappy you were. None of the students liked you. The women avoided you. How could you ever be happy in such a sad place?”

            “What-“ Nathaniel swallowed against the lump in his throat. “What do you mean by ‘Jackson told us’?”

            “Jackson is an old friend of ours. He used to be our Egyptian performer, rising out of a sarcophagus and surprising the guests. You’d never guess how old he actually is with how spritely he acts.” Gottenheight smiled fondly. “Jackson asked if he could leave the circus for a bit of time. We agreed as long as he sent a replacement. And he nominated you!”

            “Me?!” Nathaniel was breathless with anxiety and fear. “But…but I’ve nothing fascinating or unusual!”

            “Oh, you certainly do! That lovely scar from your time in the army! A little…. theatrical magic and you’ll be a prize performer! And there’s simply no time to waste!”

            Good Sir Gottenheight smiled in pure delight and snapped his fingers. Even as Nathaniel heard the sound, ropes of black hair were wrapping around his arms and dragging him back down the grand ballroom.

            “Now, just hold still, Nathaniel dear! We’re going to make you a star!”

…

While I would like to end this story with Nathaniel’s escape from the circus, it is quite impossible to do so. In fact, I must do the exact opposite. For, you see, Nathanial Jackson was anything but happy.