Palacio

Palacio was a midget who rode miniature horses in a circus of freaks. He pretended to enjoy it and after each show, would drown himself in a bottle of vodka till he passed out in a pool of urine. Sometimes, he would get attacked by a pack of wild dogs in the night as they mistook him for an animal.

His only joy in his sad and useless existence was Violet. She was the one who picked him from the streets of Baghdad and brought him into the circus. Her father, James, didn't like Palacio the moment he saw him. But Violet was insistent on keeping Palacio.

Palacio was heading back to his tent for a drink again when he passed by Violet's tent. When he heard angry voices from inside, he went nearer.

“We can't close the show dad,” Violet said. “Our employees need this job.”

“Have you seen the attendance lately? No one cares about these circus freaks anymore,' James said in his low husky voice.

James was right. No one liked these freak shows anymore. Families would rather go watch a decent movie or a sports game. Palacio was cut to the heart thinking of losing Violet. He wanted to spend every moment of his lousy life with her.

“It's final. We're closing the circus at the end of the month.” James strode out of the tent and Palacio hid in a dark corner. He listened to Violet sobbing and he crept towards the entrance.

She was sitting on the edge of the bed, her face buried in her hands. Her body was rocking back and forth with each sob. She was dressed in a blue checkered dress, his favourite.

“Violet?” Palacio said, hands gripped nervously behind his back.

Looking up, she wiped her tears away, her eyes red. “Y-you heard it?”

Palacio nodded.

“Come here,” Violet said, opening her arms. She pulled her amber hair stuck to her face by tears.

Palacio stumbled forwards and she pulled him against her body. His face pressed on her soft breasts and he felt the fierce rhythm of her heart beat. She continued to sob gently, as she stroked his hair. He breathed in her tangy perfume and excitement swept through his small body. He loved her smell as he breathed in as deeply as his small lungs could.

“Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you,” Violet said.

“I love you,” Palacio blurted and immediately wished he didn't say it.

She stared at him for a few seconds then started laughing. "I love you too."

“No, you don't understand.” Palacio reached up with his tiny hands and rested it on her breasts. “I love you like a lover.”

Her smile faded and eyebrows furrowed. She swallowed, struggling hard to think of the right words to say. “I'll be your friend, that's all.”

Palacio's heart sank but he didn't want to give up. He climbed up her bed and now was slightly taller than her. “Please, give me a chance.”

Violet let out a long sigh and rubbed her neck. “I'm really not sure.”

“I know I'm smaller than normal men but I can do it.”

Violet chewed the insides of her mouth and then nodded. Palacio grabbed her cheeks and locked his lips with her. His intense feelings flowed out of him as he kissed her with every fiber of his being.

Then she stopped him, her face flushed pink. “I'm sorry. It just seems off. It's not you, I-I'm just too tired.”

Palacio's blood began to boil. “Excuses! You never liked a freak like me!” He shoved her away and jumped off the bed.

“What? No! I didn't mean that at all.”

Palacio kicked her shin and ran out in hot tears. He reached his tent and downed a glass of whisky then two glasses of vodka. How stupid could he be? Violet could never ever in a million years love him. His whole body was on fire. He opened his cupboard, reached to the back and took out a Glock-19 pistol. He had to make her love him.

The first step was to remove all obstacles. James was not going to stop the circus or his relationship to Violet. He forced the whole drawer out and smashed it on the ground. Searching among the strewn clothes, he found the pistol magazine. He slapped a clip into the Glock and worked the slide, loading the chamber with a round.

The Glock-19 was perfect for smaller guys like him. Lightweight and able to pack a decent punch, he had killed many stray animals that tried to steal his food or eat him since he came to Belgium. The modular handgrip was custom made, designed by Fabian the gunsmith as a parting gift.

He turned around and was about to leave when Violet entered.

“Palacio?” Her eyes bulged with terror when she saw the gun in his hand.

“I'm going to stop James. Get out of my way.”

“You're not thinking straight.” She saw the bottles of alcohol on the table. “Keep the gun please. I promise to spend the night here with you.” She turned slowly and zipped the tent entrance close.

“Just the two of us?” he asked.

“Yes. I meant what I said. I'm giving us a chance.”

Palacio wanted to kill James badly but this was better. He aimed the gun at her chest.

“What are you doing?” Her voice was trembling.

Palacio circled around her and she edged backwards towards his bed. “Stay there and don’t move.”

“Alright. Alright. Put the gun away please.”

“I need it,” Palacio said with a smile, keeping the Glock trained on her. “Just in case you're fooling me.” He relished the idea of being in full control over her life. A gun gave him that power that nothing ever could.

He stepped over to his cupboard and fished out a pair of handcuffs. “Cuff your wrist to the bed frame till I get back.”

“What? You can't be serious.” Her mouth was curled downwards in disgust.

“Do it or I’ll put a new hole in you!” He screamed, jamming the Glock's cold muzzle hard against her belly button. He would really do it if he had to or maybe just out of curiosity. 

His mind wandered to imagining a baby growing under her ribcage, making her already heavy breasts balloon further.

Fear was plastered on Violet's face as she handcuffed her slender wrist to the rusty metal frame. “I thought you loved me.” A tear ran down her cheek.

“Oh I'll show you some loving after I kill your old man.”

“I'll do anything,” Violet said. “Anything.”

“You really don't want to know what the word anything really means to me.”

Palacio laughed as he exited the tent. The front of his pants were soaked through but he didn't care. He approached James's tent where he stayed.

He saw two silhouettes inside the tent and Palacio fired his gun at the shapes. A man and a woman screamed in primal agony.

A woman crawled out of the tent entrance, bleeding from her shoulder. She was a Russian trapeze performer. She looked up at him and mouthed the word, “Help”. Palacio fired a shot into her skull and she stopped moving. James was still moaning like a wounded beast in the tent.

Palacio said, “Heard you wanna close the circus.”

James tumbled around, his wet blood smearing the bed and table. His stomach was hit and blood flowed freely between his fingers as he tried to staunch it without much success.

“You crazy midget,” James said with great difficulty, sagging to his knees as more blood soaked the ground. “I don't know what the heck Violet saw in you.”

Palacio told him exactly what he was going to do to Violet once he left the tent and James was appalled. Then he fired a bullet point blank into James's forehead. His head snapped back and his body went limp. Palacio watched the blood spreading onto the soft ground and he fired two more shots into James's face to turn it into a chunk of minced flesh.

Palacio walked back to his tent and stopped in his tracks. A few of the other circus freaks were standing outside his tent entrance, wielding sticks and clubs.

“Stay away from Violet!” a clown said, waving a golf club clumsily.

Palacio had exactly five bullets left in his Glock. Even if he took down a few guys, the rest would be on to him. A midget couldn't win in a fist fight. Better to play it safe and track down Violet another time. 

Palacio raised his pistol at them and they tensed up in fear. “Another time you freaks.” He pedalled backwards, keeping the gun at them. None of them dared move a muscle.

“Wait, he's bluffing. He's out of bullets.” The clown lunged forward, golf club raised to strike downwards. Palacio fired twice. The clown's face and neck exploded in blood and the golf club flew out of his hands as his body writhed in the throes of death.

He fired again but the bullet jammed. No! The other freaks were stunned for a few seconds and Palacio broke into a run to the stables.

The group of freaks began chasing him. If he had a full magazine, he'd kill all of them. Climbing up his pony Maria, he galloped away towards the city as the screams behind grew fainter and fainter.

Palacio swore that he would get Violet back one day.