As Morgan blindly followed the bush's guidance, a nasty thorn pricked his finger. He opened his eyes and licked the wound. He was about to scold the sudden thorny bush when he noticed a sliver of light in the distance.

Sucking his wound, he marched into the direction of the light.

Just like the artificial melody, the light trickled through a small opening in the canvas of a huge, round, red and yellow circus tent.

Morgan looked at his wound. It had stopped bleeding, but he couldn't be too sure. He held up his injured finger as if it were his pinky while having tea and pushed aside the heavy canvas. He sneaked in.

The light in the tent was bright - too bright - and the never-ending artificial melody played much louder than it should. Morgan squeezed his eyes and let them adjust.

The tent was filled with cages. Big cages stood upon even bigger ones and all of them had occupants, but none of them were what Morgan had expected.

Instead of tigers and snakes, lions and elephants, Morgan saw Tian Wu and Naga, Lamassu and Yali. Instead of horses, there were Unicorns - and even some Pegasi - and in the corner sat a shackled Phoenix, its flames burning brightly in defiance.

Morgan stumbled through the tent, his eyes widening with every new creature he came across. Some he had never heard of before, like the winged rabbit with a lion's tail, and others he had only seen in fantastical books and had even laughed at. How could he have known Javiflufs were real?

He walked in on a humongous cage - maybe the biggest one there was. In its center stood a tall and wide tree and on its branches sat three women. Their hair was a dark as the night outside and longer than Rapunzels. They combed and combed and combed their hair with a comb as bleak as the moon and glistening in their hands as they tried to detangle their untangled hair and regularly pulling out plucks of it.

Morgan neared the cage. He reached out his hand. "Hello? Are you alright? Why did they lock you up? You're humans, right?"

The women ignored him and kept on plucking hair in between combing.

Morgan's hand grasped the iron of the cage. "Hello? I-- I'm Morgan... Ah!"

The women leaped from the branches and towards Morgan. Morgan let go off the cage and stumbled to the floor.

The women bared their sharp teeth. The smell of rotting flesh and molded fruit reached Morgan's nostrils. 

The women watched Morgan intently.

Morgan smiled sheepishly as he stood up and dusted off his clothes. "You scared me there."
He looked at the women and tilted his head.

The women tilted their heads too.

Morgan cleared his throat. "Why are you looking at me like that? Have you never seen -?" Morgan straightened his back and reached out his hand. "Like you can see, I'm a boy."

The women screeched much louder and much more obnoxiously than a car alarm.

Morgan held his hands over his ears and ran away. He ran out off the tent and into another one where he hid behind a crate and rolled himself up.

A soft, deep voice comforted him. "They can be really scary and loud, can't they, the Banshees? Don't worry about them, young human. You're safe for now. I'd worry more about getting out off here again."

Morgan looked up. His eyes met those of an old person. He couldn't really tell whether they were male, female or something in between, but the old person felt rather familiar.

Morgan rubbed away some snoth. "Who says I want to get out off here?"

"This circus is no place for young witches. You surely have family to go to. Some who actually love you?"

Morgan peered at the person. "What do you mean with witch? And no. My family doesn't love me."

The old person smiled. "They say that Time will tell, but this one you have to figure out for yourself." They winked. "What about granny in Netherlind? If I recall correctly she has always loved you for who you are? And I'm sure your parents will come around eventually; that I can tell."

"How do you know granny? How do you know my parents?"

"Let's just say that we're old friends." The person winked. "Now ask yourself why the Banshees screeched when they did."

"They screeched because they have never seen a boy before?"

"Nonsense, young witch. There are plenty of boys and men visiting the circus."

"Then one of those hurt them?"

"Luckily not, young witch." The old person put their finger on their lips as they thought. "What if I'd tell you they only screech to announce a death?"

"Am I going to die?!"

The old person swayed their head. "In a way, but not the way you think, young witch. Death is part of Life and sometimes we just have to let go off the older versions of ourselves - let them die so to speak - so that our current versions can live.
Let me rephrase my question: isn't it me to let go off the idea that your genitals define your gender? Who do you feel deep down inside? I think granny can help you with that. Her name is Hope for a reason."

Morgan remained silent. It indeed was time to be himself, herself or themselves - Morgan didn't know yet who or what exactly he was, but he wanted to find out.

The old person noticed the resolute twinkle in Morgan's eyes. "What do you say? Is it me to escape?"

"But how?"

The old person took a key out off their pocket. "Remember the Phoenix?"

Morgan nodded. "Say... Euhm?"

"Oh, where are my manners? I haven't yet introduced myself, have I? The name is Time."

"I'm Morgan."

"Are you sure?"

Morgan thought deeply. He shook his head. "Morgana."

Time nodded. "Welcome to this universe, Morgana."

"Thanks. Say, Time? Do you have the keys of the other cages?"

Timed smiled. "Hope will be proud of you." They took out a bustle of keys and gave them to Morgana. "Have fun."

|🌈🎪|

Hundreds of fantastical creatures rushed out off the tent. Some flew away - like the Pegasi and those winged bunny-like creatures -, others - like the Banshees - ran into the maze following the strong Tian Wu, Javifluf and Naga clearing their path towards safety.

Morgana held on tightly to the Phoenix' warm feathers as they soared through the night sky and towards the sunrise.

"To Netherlind!"

***

Total amount of words: 3.000