A mysterious circus appears overnight on the outskirts of town with no advance notices or advertisements. Its many tents are starkly striped in black and white, surrounded by an ornate wrought-iron fence, and a sign on the gates declares it “Opens at Nightfall” and “Closes at Dawn.”

News spreads quickly by word of mouth, drawing curious spectators to the closed gates as evening falls. The ticket booth is barred, the tents are still, and the only visible motion is a strange ticking clock inside the grounds; the circus seems empty, though there is a faint suggestion of caramel on the cold breeze.

As the crowd grows restless in the deepening twilight, a soft popping begins and lights flicker to life across the tents, like bright fireflies. The illumination spreads until the entire circus glows against the night sky, silencing the onlookers.

Lights then ignite across the gate’s ironwork to form an incandescent sign reading Le Cirque des Rêves, explained as “The Circus of Dreams.” Immediately after, the iron gates shudder, unlock on their own, and swing open, inviting the crowd inside as the circus officially opens for the night.