The Free Carnival

The Carnival

         Stephanie walked into the home office where Marshall was working. "Marshall? I read in the paper today, there is going to be a free carnival on Saturday. We should take the children."
         "Where is it going to be set up?"
         "It says it is going to be just outside of town. It sounds like it's going to be out by the old burned down factory, just off the highway," Stephanie said.
         "What time is it running? I do have some work I need to get done this weekend, so I can't spend all day there."
         "The gates open at noon, and it runs until 10pm."
         "If we can get there right after it opens, maybe we can leave by 6 or so. By then, it will be starting to get dark, and I'll still have some work done on this project."
         "Alright. I'll tell the children. I'm sure they will be so excited to be able to go," Steph said. "Marshall, you look tired, didn't you sleep well last night?"
         "No. I was awake half the night."
         "You should see the doctor. He might be able to help you."
         "I know. I'll call next week and set up an appointment after this project is completed."
         "Ok. I worry about you. You work so hard during the day, and then spend half the night tossing and turning."
         "I'll be fine. Don't worry."
         "I do worry. I'll let you know when dinner is ready. It should only be a few minutes yet," Stephanie said. She walked out of the office.
         Marshall knew the children would be excited about going to the carnival. Laurie was 13 and Adam 10. At that age, carnivals are better than going to the zoo, and usually more expensive.
         How could they afford to set up the carnival completely free? Someone had to be paying for it.
         Marshall could remember going to the carnival when he was a child. He would work and save his allowance all summer to be able to go to the carnival.

         The Jenkins family arrived at the carnival, just outside of town, a little after noon. They had people directing traffic. Marshall parked the car in the field, being used for a parking lot. It was a bit bumpy, but it worked in a pinch.
         "I can't believe how many cars there are here already. They must have been here before they even opened," Stephanie said.
         "It looks like most of the town is here," Marshall added.
         "Ok, kids. There are a lot of people here, so we need to stay together," Stephanie said to the back seat. The children were too busy bouncing in their seats to actually hear what she said.
         They got out of the car and started walking towards the entrance. The carnival was set up in a very large field. From outside, they could see the tops of a lot of the rides. There was also the smell of the fantastic carnival food lofting through the air. The sounds of children screaming and laughing could easily be heard. They walked up to the large entrance to the carnival. It was a huge wooden gate, with balloon and streamers attached to it. The gate was attached to a tall wooden fence which seemed to surround the entire carnival. The children could already see some of the rides, and were figuring out which one was going to be first.
         "Remember when we kissed on the Ferris-wheel when we were dating?"
         "Of course, I do. I also remember spending about $50 to win you a teddy bear holding a heart which said 'I love you'." They both laughed as they walked through the big gate.
         The family walked past a few clowns and a juggler on their way to the gate. Once inside the gate, the kids wanted to go on the rides. "Which ride do you want to start with?" Stephanie asked.
         "The tilt-a-whirl!" they both exclaimed.
         "That one gets me queasy just looking at it," Stephanie said to Marshall in a quiet voice.
         The tilt-a-whirl looked like it was one of the original one's ever made. It hasn't seen the working end of a paintbrush in many years. Rust was beginning to take over the visible surfaces. Even the lights in the sign were mostly burnt out. The rides should all be safe, right?
         Laurie and Adam got in line for the ride, and Marshall and Stephanie stood off to the side, where they could watch. They looked around and saw many different rides for different ages and stomach conditions. Around the outer perimeter were both food booths and games set up. Marshall saw his favorite game, skeeball. When he was a young man, he would save his allowance all year so he could spend the day at the carnival and spent most of the money on the skeeball games.
         How could they offer all of this for free? Marshall thought. I could understand just the admission, but everything?
         When Laurie and Adam reached the front of the line, Marshall noticed the young man running the ride. He looked like he could be out of the zombie apocalypse game Adam wants to play. I guess they travel from town to town, and they would get tired and worn down by this time of the season, he thought.
         "I wouldn't mind going on the Ferris-wheel with you," Stephanie said.
         "I would love it," he said. He stepped closer and kissed her.

         The kids had been going on rides for a couple of hours, and Marshall was starting to get hungry. After they had finished their ride on the pendulum, he thought it would be a good idea to take a break and get something to eat.
         "How can you kids find that fun? It just swings you back and forth," Marshall asked with a smile. They were now sitting at a picnic table waiting for the food to be done.
         "It's fun, 'cause you lift out of the seat at the top!" Adam explained.
         "Oh, so almost flying out of a ride, and plunging to your death is fun?" Marshall laughed.
         "Well, not when you say it like that," Laurie said.
         "I know. I was a kid once too. We would go on all of these rides for hours on end."
         Stephanie walked over to the table with a tray of food. They had ordered everything from hot dogs to funnel cakes. The kids were attacking the food as though they had been starved for the past month. Marshall and Stephanie took their time eating. There was some small talk between them, but most of the time was eating and looking around.
         "Marshall, did you notice the people working here look like they've been run ragged?"
         "Yes, I did notice. It's getting to the end of the carnival season, so they probably wore out. They've been going since the end of May or early June. You can't expect a lot if everything is free, can you?"
         "I guess not. I wonder how they are able to keep this thing running when it's all free?"
         "They must have some kind of sponsor paying for it. I would have thought there would be signs stating who the sponsor was."
         "It looks like a bunch of people have already left," Stephanie stated.
         "Yes, it does. The lines are much shorter for the rides than they were earlier," Marshall added.
         "Oh look! There's the Meyers family over there by the corndog vendor," Steph said. "I'm going to go talk to them for a few minutes." Stephanie got up and walked over. Stephanie had known the Meyers family since she was a child. Marie Meyers went to grade school with her.
         A few minutes later, Stephanie and the Meyers family had all come over to the table.
         "Marshall, the Meyers said they would keep an eye on our two hellions if you'd like to go on the Ferris-wheel with me."
         "That would be wonderful. Are you sure it's ok?" Marshall asked.
         "It would be no trouble at all. Go! Enjoy yourselves," Marie told him. "It's not every day a free carnival shows up in town."
         "It's the first time I've ever seen it in my life," Marshall said. "Any idea who's actually sponsoring it?"
         "I have no idea. It's gotta cost a lot of money just to get everything set up here," Marie said.
         "That was my thought too. The workers look like the walking dead around here," Steph added.
         "Some of them are kinda scary looking," Marie said. "Now, you guys go on the Ferris wheel!"
         "Yes Ma'am," Marshall said with a smile and a wink.

         The Ferris-wheel wasn't in any better condition than the rest of the rides in the park. It was difficult to determine what the colors were supposed to be, as they all appeared as rust. Even when the ride started, there was a squeal from the motor, indicating it wasn't happy with the job it had been given to perform.
         As the Ferris-wheel turned in short increments, so other people could board and unboard, Marshall and Stephanie were getting a nice view of the entire carnival. Marshall noticed the crowds had thinned quite a bit. The crowd had seemed to shrink by about a third of what it had been. Once they reached the top, they were able to see the parking area.
         "Marshall, if the crowd has gotten that small, why is the parking lot still filled?"
         "I'm not sure, Steph. Maybe there are more single people here now, where earlier it could have been more families."
         "Hmm. That could be. It doesn't seem like there are as many kids as there was earlier."
         The Ferris-wheel was now spinning happily along. The sound of the motor had calmed down as well and wasn't making as much noise as it had been. Marshall and Stephanie felt as though they were on their first date again. He reached over and gently pulled her chin towards him, and gave her a gentle kiss. When he pulled back, he saw the huge smile on her face, just like she had when they were dating. That smile, in turn, put a smile on his face. Marshall then reached his hand over and grasp her hand. During this short ride, Marshall and Stephanie fell in love all over again.

         As they walked away from the Ferris-wheel, still hand in hand, they noticed the size of the crowd was quickly dropping. It had to be less than half of what it was when they were on the ride.
         "This place is emptying out quickly," Stephanie stated.
         "Let's go find the kids."
         After about 10 minutes of walking around and searching, they found the kids sitting at a table over by the restrooms. "Where are the Meyers?" Steph asked.
         "They took their kids into the restroom. They've been in their forever," Laurie said.
         "They told us to stay here 'til they came out," Adam added.
         "I'll stay here with you. Marshall, could you go see if they're alright in there, please?"
         Marshall walked into the restroom and looked around. It was small, with only three stalls on one side and three sinks on the other. It didn't even smell like a restroom. It didn't feel right. None of the stalls were occupied, so Marshall opened the doors to make sure nobody was hurt in them.
         "The restroom is completely empty. There is nobody in there."
         "How can that be?" Steph asked.
         "We saw them go in there," Adam added.
         "I don't know. There isn't even a back door in the small room."
         "Something is going on, and I've got an uneasy feeling about it," Steph said.
         "Why don't we get going. It'll be dark soon anyway, and I've got to spend some time working tonight."
         All four of them started walking to the exit. The kids put up a bit of a fuss about leaving already, but they were getting tired. The exit would be on the other side of the entire carnival, Marshall thought.
         After a fair amount of walking, past the food trucks and game trailers, they reached the area where the big gate had been earlier, just to find the gate was no longer there.
         "Are you sure it was over here? I thought it was back over there," Steph said.
         "I'm positive it was here, but let's look over there."

         By the time the Jenkins family walked the entire perimeter of the carnival and finding no exit, the sun had set. Stephanie was trying her best to keep the children calm, but Marshall could tell she was scared. As they had been walking, he noticed the crowd trickle down to only a few people. After a few more minutes, he had noticed there was nobody left in the carnival but them. He stopped walking and started looking carefully.
         "Do you see any other people, anywhere?" he said.
         "I haven't been paying attention," Steph replied as she started looking. "Where did everybody go?"
         "I don't know, but all the lights are on and the rides are still running," Marshall answered.
         "We either need to find the exit or find someone to help us, now," Steph was almost in tears.
         "Don't worry. We'll find someone," he said. "The people didn't all just disappear." They started walking again.
         "Excuse me!?" Marshall had spotted a worker over by the funnel cake food truck.
         "Yes? Are we all having fun?" he said.
         "We were. Now we just need to find the exit. Can you show us where it's at?"
         "You're not having fun anymore? Why not?"
         "We've had our fun. Now it's time to leave. It seems everyone else left already."
         "Are you sure you don't want to go on some more rides?"
         "We are done with rides. We want to leave, now!"
         "Ok. The exit is over there," he said and pointed in the direction they just came from. All of the family members looked and didn't see the big gate where they came in.
         "We just came from that way, and the exit isn't there," Marshall said as he turned around. The worker was no longer there. "What is going on here? Where did he go?"
         Marshall started looking around the trucks, and behind the games. There was no sign of the worker, or where he might have gone to. He started looking to find a way to get out between the trucks, but they were packed tight together. It seemed like it was set up to keep people in, but how did everyone else leave?

         Marshall was starting to panic. He needed to find a way out of here. They started looking in the 'employee only' areas, trying to find a way to the outside. Finally, behind one of the game trailers, Marshall found a door to a building. It seemed like the building was on the outside of the carnival, so there should be another exit through it.
         "Damn it! The doors locked," he exclaimed.
         "Can't you pick the lock?" Laurie asked.
         "I wish I knew how. I'm gonna find a way to break the door down!"
         Marshall grabbed one of the garbage barrels and slammed it into the door. It didn't move, so he threw it aside. He then found a piece of equipment from one of the food trucks and slammed it into the door. This time, the door broke loose. He cautiously opened it and looked inside. The darkness inside was thick. Marshall fumbled for a light switch, but couldn't find one.
         "Steph, do you still have the flashlight in your purse?"
         "Yes. Here it is."
         Marshall turned on the flashlight. It was one of those LED lights, which almost looked like a long lightsaber in the darkness. Marshall almost chuckled. The family entered the building behind Marshall. The kids were holding onto Stephanie's hands and stayed right behind Marshall. Up ahead, there was another door. He tried opening this door and gave a sigh of relief when the door opened. He opened it and found this room had a light switch. After switching it on, it took a few moments for their eyes to adjust. The room was empty, except for, what looked like an exterior door to an old root cellar. Marshall lifted the door and swung it open. It made a heavy thud as it hit the floor. He pointed the flashlight down the hole. There were stairs going down, but it looked like it went to a tunnel.
         "I'll go check this out. I want you guys to stay here," Marshall said.
         "We are not leaving your side," Stephanie informed him.
         "Fine, but be careful."
         Marshall started down the stairs followed by Laurie, Steph, and Adam. Once at the bottom of the stairs, the tunnel went two different directions, either left or right.
         "Which way do you think we should go?"
         "I don't know. They both look dark and scary to me," Steph replied.

         The earthen tunnel was big enough for them to walk through, but not by much. There were times in which Marshall had to either duck or side-step. There was the smell of damp dirt in the air. As they continued moving forward, he noticed a glimpse of light up ahead. Marshall aimed the flashlight down, so he could get a better look at what it might be. He looked back at his family and put his finger up to his mouth, telling them to be quiet. The closer they were to the source of light; the more Marshall was trying to see what was there. He had turned the flashlight off when the light up ahead was sufficient to see the path. Marshall noticed movement in the 'room' ahead of them and stopped. He could hear people talking, but not well enough to understand what was being said. Marshall had turned around in order to get his family going back the other way when he noticed his family was gone. He turned on the flashlight only to see an empty tunnel.
         "STEPHANIE!! KIDS!! Where are you!"
         The light from the 'room' showed the figures were starting to come towards him in the tunnel. The shadows were getting smaller and closer. He could hear the sound of multiple footsteps getting louder.
         He started back the other direction in the tunnel as fast as he could. The only logical conclusion which came to mind was they had gone back at some point.
         "STEPHANIE!!!!"
         When he reached the intersection where they had started, he decided to continue down the tunnel. They had to be here somewhere, he thought. He could still hear the footsteps getting closer.
         "STEPHANIE!! KIDS!!"

         Marshall continued down the tunnel until he arrived at another 'room'>'room'>'room'>'room'>'room'. This one wasn't lit, so with the use of the flashlight, he looked around. The only thing in the 'room' was a ladder going up. He stood underneath it and aimed his flashlight to see what was up there. It went too high for him to see the top of the ladder. The footsteps were still following closely behind him.
         "STEPHANIE!!"
         Trying to find out where his family went, he started up the ladder. He would stop every so often and try looking up with the flashlight. Marshall was starting to reach the point of exhaustion, both physical and emotional, but could not see the top. He decided he would climb for another twenty-five rungs, and figure out what to do.
         "STEPHANIE!!"
         He had reached into his pocket and grabbed the flashlight once he got to 25, and looked up. After stopping, the ladder kept moving as though someone was following him. The way it felt, whatever it was, wasn't far behind him. At this point, he could just make out the end of the ladder, but not what might be beyond it. He decided to continue to the top and hope his family was there. A few minutes later he was at the top of the ladder. He pulled out the flashlight again to look around. It was some sort of metal fabricated room.
         "STEPHANIE!! KIDS!!"
         He got off of the ladder and took a closer look at what was in the room. He notices a hatch in the floor which covered the entrance he just climbed through. Reaching down, he pulled the hatch closed. Marshall hoped this would at least slow down whatever was following him.
         On one of the walls, was a large display, and what looked like a control panel underneath it. On the display was, what looked like a plotted travel path through planets. The opposite wall was plain metal. The walls on either end of the room, which were also metal, seemed to have a doorway or hatch in the center of them. He walked up to one of them, and it automatically opened. He stepped through and heard the hatch close behind him. All of these rooms had just enough light to not need the flashlight, although Marshall held onto his.
         This new room had a row of metal-like pods on either side of him. Each one was about seven feet tall and about three feet wide. Every one of them had a view window in the top section, making them almost look like robots of some type. He looked into the view window at the top of one of them and didn't see anything inside. He looked into the next one, and there was also nothing. When he looked into the third one, he saw the face of his sleeping wife. Going back to the other two, he looked down from the windows and saw both of his children. They also looked as though they were sleeping. Marshall tried everything he could to try to open the pods but was unable to. He started looking into the other five pods in the room and noticed other people which he had seen at the carnival.

         Marshall looked around the room. He was looking for some type of key or device which might open the pods. The only items in this room, besides him, were the eight pods, four on each side. He looked into the window at Stephanie again and started crying as he stroked the transparent window as though it was her cheek. "I will find a way to get you out of there. I promise you," he said.
         He had remembered there was another room opposite of this one from where he came in. He walked out the door to check it out. The hatch on the other end of the room opened as he approached it, and he stepped through. This room also appeared to have 8 pods in it, the same as the other one. He grabbed his flashlight again and looked into each of the windows on the pods. They each had another sleeping person in them.
         All of a sudden, Marshall felt movement. He walked over to the hatch, and it opened. He stepped through, and notice there was a person standing in front of the large display pushing buttons and turning knobs.
         "What have you done to my family?" Marshall yelled.
         The person looked over at me, but I could tell it wasn't human. It seemed to have a human body, but it's eyes were a bright silver color which didn't seem to blink. It then looked back at the control panel and pushed a blue button on the far right side of it. Marshall had then looked at the display, and it looked like images from space. He could see bright orbs of light approaching and disappear as if this were a ship flying past different planets.
         The hatch he had just come through opened again and something grabbed me. It pulled me into the room where my family was, but this time, there was another pod in the room. The pod was opened and I was pushed into it. Once it closed, I couldn't hear anything from outside. He could smell a gas being pumped into the pod, and he started feeling drowsy. He looked over at the pods where Stephanie and the kids were, and started crying again. "Is this how it's going to end? Are we going to die by ourselves in stupid pods?" he yelled.

         "Marshall?", he heard in the distance.
         "Stephanie?", he asked He picked his head up from his desk.
         "Dinners ready. Did you fall asleep in there?"
         "I guess I did doze off for a bit. I'll be there in a few minutes"
         "I just wish I could get rid of these damn nightmares", Marshall said to himself. He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
         "I read in the paper there will be a free carnival on Saturday. We should take the children", Stephanie said.
         His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. There is no way I am going to a carnival! Not this weekend. Possibly not ever! "I'm going to have to work on this project for work. I won't be able to this weekend", he said. His entire body started shaking.