As you entered the big circus tent you were greeted by a spectacle of light and sound.
Tiered bleachers were arranged in a circle around the main stage, which was lit up by colorful spotlights.
A black-suited magician mascot with a curly mustache stood center stage, and standing slightly off to the side you noticed Zoey the clown girl clutching a microphone. Apparently she played an announcer role.
She brought the mic up to her mouth and spoke in a boisterously enthusiastic voice.
"And now ladies and gents, kids and grownups... Magnolio the Magnificent with pull a rabbit from his hat!"
Then she pouted and placed her hands on her hips "Hey Magnolio, isn't that trick a bit of a cliché?"
The way she spoke that last line felt scripted. Very much like a performance for small children.
"Aha, my dear Zoey, this is no ordinary rabbit!" The magician cheerfully replied, winking with one of his beady black eyes.
He placed his top hat on the floor and stretched his arms up above his head, wiggling his fingers.
Then he bent down and plunged one arm into the depths of the hat, all the way up to his shoulder.
You couldn't help but wonder, how was he doing that?
Magnolio made a big show of wrestling with something deep within the hat, occasionally looking like he might get pulled in himself.
This elicited laughs from the children in the audience. You couldn't help but giggle a bit.
"Did you pick the wrong hat again? I think that might be the one with the giant octopus." Zoey quipped.
"No no, my dear, the rascally little vermin's just being a bit... fussy." The magician grunted.
Finally, with one great tug, the magician somehow yanked a full-sized rabbit mascot from the hat. Your eyes went wide and you clapped and cheered along with the audience.
The rabbit took a bow, then scooped up Magnolio's hat and placed it on his own head before running off stage with the angry magician in hot pursuit. The kids in the audience laughed hysterically and you found yourself doing the same.
"Well let's all give a big hand to Magnolio the Magnificent for his rabbit in the hat trick!" Zoe said, taking center stage.
"Although it looks like the rabbit ended up playing a trick on him!" Her delivery was much cutesier than the manner of speech you were used to hearing from her in private.
"We're going to take a short break for now, but look forward to a fun performance from our good friend Bruno the Strongman Rhino!"
Zoey placed the mic back on its stand and stepped off the stage, heading towards the backstage area of the tent.
Now was your chance to talk with her.
You made your way around the back of the seats and knocked on the door marked "Staff only".
It opened a crack and Zoey peeked her face out.
"Oh good, you're here! Come on in." She half-whispered.
The backstage area looked like a cross between a changing room and a prop storage closet.
A pair of identical clown mascots in the back of the room appeared to be practicing their joke routines with each other, and a blue rhino in a weightlifter's bodysuit was inflating a set of fake weights. A lioness woman with a strangely shapely figure for a mascot was changing into a sparkly leotard and humming to herself.
"Okay, so here's the plan." Zoe continued to half-whisper as she ushered you in with her arm around your back and her face close to yours.
"I'll make it quick since I have to go back on stage in ten minutes.
For day one, our plan should be to get our hands on some maps. They sell them all over the park and I think they'll be essential for future planning. We'll also need something to write with, so we can mark our maps with important information."
You nodded. That seemed to make sense. Zoe continued.
"I also remembered that since you're a new mascot, you'll be getting a check-up from Dr. Z.
She's one of the admins of the park and she's in charge of mascot health. She's also a massive know-it-all who absolutely loves to talk. You could probably trick her into running her mouth while she's giving you your check-up. Just be subtle about it."
You didn't like the sound of a medical check-up, and tricking a park admin sounded extremely risky.
You also suddenly remembered the words of Jingles the cat that had been worrying you since the morning.
"Zoey, this isn't really related to the plan but... are we just mascots with stolen human memories?"
Zoey did a double-take.
"Huh? What? Where did you get that idea from? I mean it's definitely possible. But, I mean, I could believe almost any theory you told me about this place.
Maybe you could get some answers out of Dr. Z, I kinda wasted my chance with her by yelling about freedom and wanting to see my family and other things like that."
You must have been wearing an obvious look of concern on your doll-like face, as Zoey smiled reassuringly and placed a hand on your shoulder.
"It'll be fine. Just get yourself a map and then prepare for your little interview. I'll handle my own map and I think I'll be able to pilfer some drawing supplies. Now If you'll excuse me I really need to pee before I go back on stage. I've been holding it in for like half an hour." She winced comically and skipped over to the bathroom door at the end of the room. "See you after work." she smiled back.
With that, you left the backstage, now suddenly feeling much more nervous than before.