Fae at the Carnival

         When I was younger, my family lived in a small farmhouse in a small town. There were plenty of wide open fields for playing football, having picnics, and doing all the things you would expect people to do in fields. That part I'll leave to your imagination. But beyond that, literally on the other side of the tracks (the outskirts of town was on a major route for shipping trains), there was one field people rarely used: Fern Field, named after Sir Hendricks Fern who founded the town in the 1900s, almost perfectly bordered a stretch of deep, dark forest; while, in actuality, the forest itself wasn't very large, periodically someone would get lost within, but never for more than half a day. Over the decades, people started calling it Faerie Field, because people who came out of the forest would say things about monsters and faeries hiding in it. Over time, more and more people avoided it; there was a span of about 20 years before no one short of the careless explorer would walk around that area. It wasn't until the circus came to town that this streak was broken.

         Getting to Fern Field was never easy: you had to take a car with 4-wheel drive, a tractor, or an ATV to get there fast. Most people, however, opted to go on foot, though this required some preparations beforehand. So, with a big bottle of water and a Clif bar I grabbed up my backpack, checked my hair in the mirror before splashing on some cologne, and went off to the carnival to meet my date.

         Cindy Johnson was a girl you could easily describe as "the ultimate date". She was a straight-A student, the head cheerleader, and had an amazing body. She was the epitome of femininity, and I was going out on a date with her. Imagine my surprise that Thursday prior: me, eating my lunch in the cafeteria, poring over a new book, when suddenly Miss Johnson herself comes to sit across from me. At first I though I was seeing things; no doubt my eyes were weak from the strain of reading too much. But when she spoke in her angelic voice, I knew it was no illusion. "Hey, Marcus," she said, a hint of giddiness and flirtation in her voice. "Uh...hey," was all I could muster under the circumstances. "Listen, I don't know if you have any plans Friday night, but I was wondering if you'd like to go with me to this carnival." My hand slipped away from my book, the page I was reading lost and forgotten. In a moment I regained my composure and hurriedly said yes. "Great," she said, "I'll see you then." And she got up, smiling her bright white smile, and walked away.

         My stomach felt like it had tied itself into a Gordian knot, so tight it felt from nervousness. I made my way across the grasslands towards Fern Field as fast and as nonchalantly as I could. I looked off into the distance and saw the lights of the carnival bringing a dull brightness to the darkening sky. Despite the size of the field, the carnival itself looked huge: a main tent, a Ferris wheel, and stands for food and carnival games. With the tall trees of the forest wrapping around the field, reflecting most of the light, it gave the whole space an eerie feeling. As I finally made it out of the grasslands, I caught sight of a ticket booth on the edge of the field. Standing right by it, I asked the man inside for 2 tickets. He was short, skin a deep red, like he was having heatstroke. His shirt was white with brown stripes, the armpits stained a bright yellow. "10 bucks, please," he said with a gruff tone. With a rough and calloused hand, he passed two small paper tickets, and a schedule of events in the main tent.

         After waiting just outside the carnival for nearly an hour, I sent a text to Cindy asking if she was on her way. Five minutes later, she called me. When I answered, she said, "Hey, Marcus. I hope you haven't been waiting too long." "No, only a few minutes," I replied, biting back my irritation. "Listen," she began, "I can't come out tonight; my mom is making me stay in until I've finished my homework, and it's a LOT of homework, so..." Suddenly I heard snickering in the background. I pretended not to notice: "Oh, that's fine. I understand. Maybe we can try again Saturday?" A moment of silence, then, "Yeah, I don't think so." Click. I stared at my phone in disbelief. Why would she lie to me? I almost left right then and there, but then something happened. I couldn't explain it; it was a feeling, an urge, to see this carnival myself. I turned on my heel, and walked into the carnival.

         Walking around, all I could think about was how Cindy had toyed with me. I felt so angry; I could tell people could see it on my face, so I tried my best to soften my expression. I took a deep breath, and felt my muscles relax. It was in that instant I heard it: off in the distance, I could hear the faint sound of someone crying. I looked around, and couldn't see anything, but I could hear it. I continued walking in the direction I was going originally, all the while scanning my surroundings for the source of the sound. Everywhere I looked, people were happy. I couldn't imagine anyone being this sad at a carnival. Then again, I had just been stood up, so it wasn't impossible. The crying was getting louder, meaning I was closer to finding who was doing it. As I turned a corner, I found myself in front of the main tent. Bordering the main entrance were several oversized posters. They seemed interesting: The Strongest Swordsman: his can cut solid concrete; Evanora, the Snake-charmer. One suddenly caught my eye: Alicia, Mistress of the Forest. I went up to the man at the entrance and asked, "What's the Mistress of the Forest show?" He answered in a bold and boisterous tone, "You, my good man, are in for a treat! Tonight only, we have the darling Alicia, supposedly the daughter of Oberon, king of the Forest! She has a power over all things in Nature: animals, plants, even the rocks and rivers bend to her will!" Suddenly the sobbing started again, this time even louder and even closer. Nonchalantly, I thanked the announcer and walked off. As I turned another corner, I saw her: crouching behind the main tent, a young girl had her head buried in her hands. I could see her trembling, and I felt an overwhelming urge to help.

         "Hey," I said, "Are you okay?" She lifted her head, startled, then started to pick herself up and was about to run. With a start, I said, "Wait, please. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. It's just...I heard you crying, so...I..." The girl started looking at me, first with nervousness, then wide-eyed curiosity, like a dog examining a beetle. "Um," I finally said, "I guess, if you're okay, I'm just gonna go." But as I turned to walk away, she grabbed my hand. If someone else had seen it, it would've looked less like a grab and more like a gentle cupping of her palm into mine. But in that moment, if felt as if I was caught in a trap, unable to move. Images and sounds flashed through my head: my memories of the last few days, all leading up to the present moment. Then a new string of images appeared: this time I saw the same girl, only she looked a few years younger. She was standing in the center of pit of sand, all around her circus animals moved and danced in coordinated patterns, while she herself stood in the middle and seemed to conduct them with her hands. It was breathtaking to watch, until one of the lions slipped on the back of an elephant, causing it to fall to the ground. Her concentration broken, the other animals began to fall into disarray. She gripped the sides of her head in agony; I could feel the sheer magnitude of the pain she was feeling. Then came a bellowing shout from the darkness; it said, "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He revealed himself as the announcer whom he had seen earlier. He brandished a whip and the girl shirked away, whimpering. "You get these animals under control, you little bitch. Don't forget who OWNS you!!" He uncoiled the whip and there was a sudden CRACK.

         I suddenly came back to where I was, feeling as if I had woken up from a dream. I looked around, eyes darting in every direction, until they finally settled on the girl again. It was only an instant, but to us, it had felt like a conversation that stretched for hours. I felt...bonded to this mysterious girl. "You are Marcus," she said finally. "And you're Alicia," I replied. After a moment of silence, I asked her, "Since I'm here alone, would you like to come with me through the carnival?" For a second, she looked at me; it was a look of frightened concern, though at the time I took it for confusion. "Don't worry," I said in a placating tone, "We'll be quick: just a couple of carnival games, maybe some cotton candy, and we'll be back here before you know it." With some apprehension, she nodded, so I squeezed her hand and we went off to join the festivities.