Vera the Ventriloquist
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Poor little Vera. She was always the lonely clown out. You see, she didn’t quite fit in at the circus. Too timid to interact with the large rowdy crowds, too soft spoken to be heard over the robust circus activities, too forgettable to be noticed by her squirrely obnoxious circus peers.
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The night was dark and musky this particular night. A circus top that was once populated with indulged parents and spoiled laughing children, now deserted and barren. The show itself was riveting of course, but Vera, again excluded from it all. That is until the dirty work needed to be tended too. You see, Vera’s duties only amounted to a glorified one-gal cleanup crew.
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While the triumphant circus crew went off to celebrate, drink, and be merry… Vera was left picking up sticky cotton candy, and dirt covered popcorn off the ground. Nothing new for little Vera. It was a task she did night after night. However, this particular night, would change her life in a most devilish way. While cleaning up the ungodly mess, Vera stumbled across a pitifully looking little doll. It must have been forgotten by one of the brattish children from the show, she thought. As she stared deeply into this dolls dark soulless eyes, she started to feel an immediate connection. For the doll looked just as lonely and forgotten as her. Vera decided to take the doll as her own.
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As weeks past, Vera became closer and closer to her new found “friend”, which she now named Dolly. She became so attached, in fact, that it almost seemed as they started to became one. Soon, Vera would carry on conversations with Dolly… and Dolly would talk back. Or was that Vera with a new Ventriloquist act?
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As time went by, her fellow clowns continued their undesirable harassment and bullying tactics, taking advantage of her soft-spoken coy nature. If it were a few weeks ago, Vera would allow this unwarranted behavior by her peers. But now, things were different, she had her new found friend. Now, Vera would rebuttal back and simply say, “Dolly Doesn’t Like When You Do That”.
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On a looming blistery night, the circus crew gathered onto the Big Top Stage to prepare for yet another one of their famous acts. However, this night was different from the rest. As they made their way through the curtains they came across Vera who was standing on center stage, next to a mass of… something.
As the crew grew near, they realized Vera was hovering over a freshly blood-soaked fellow clown. So fresh, that they could still see the warmth rising through the icy air from the lifeless body.
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Vera turned around with a smile and simply said, “Dolly Did it”.
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~ Short Story Written By: Shanice L. Wadell
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Makeup Artist / Model / Photography: Shanice L. Wadell