Haste was most certainly the element that I had been lacking making the first steps into the bare dirt beyond the entrance. Alongside this void would be the feeling of joy and excitement. I cannot fathom the thought of experiencing genuine happiness while inside such a horrid place. The gates that were behind us--soon closed shut, entrapping me and my party of people--had been enough to make my two legs tremble, as my eyes never left the mangled remains of animals that were hung above the archway sign…
Despite this, I found myself making progress in journeying deeper into this unknown land. Immediately, after making several paces north-westward from our arrival, a putrid smell had made its way into my nostrils. Gagging at the scent of what I can only assume was rotten flesh, I did what I could to search for a source, and soon my eyes lay upon several tables of various shiny circular-objects and thin wooden sticks strewn about haphazardly in unclear or unorganized pattern. Our group drew near not long after, and it became apparent to me that the smell had been coming from three different metal containers, each gargantuan in height contrasting to my own. Its rancid odor had increased in intensity as we grew closer. I dared not look nor even wonder what sort of atrocities awaited inside.
My conscious mind could only endure so much before my tolerance would stretch too thin to be stable. Knowing that this was not the worst of my worries certainly did not help. Trekking further in the unknown land, we soon came across the monstrous structures of spirals and loops connected to machinery, all made of steel that bore rust and age.
The purpose of these contraptions, I was not sure…but catching a glimpse of the poor souls that were being strapped to one unimaginably tall tower, my insides churned with fear and anxiousness. Seconds later, my anxiety was proven true, the entire batch of common humanity was suddenly lifted into the air, only their screams were left behind as they were forcefully ascended.
My mouth lay agape in shock, but I had forcefully driven myself to turn and run with a faster pace, still maintaining proper distance with the others. This still, was not the worst of my worries.
A catastrophic orchestra of long and unequal melodies played all around us. At one moment, it was required for me to cover my ears completely, straying far away from the possibility of deafness.
Foolishly following the crowd, I caught glimpses of suspicious figures walking by at the distance. Most had nothing in their hands, but others, I saw accompanying children with one hand and an axe with the other…
Yet I say once more, this was not the worst of my journey. For the very highlight of my suffering lay with a simple fact that diminishes any sort of hope that sparks within me…
I had to be here in this hell…
I am not entirely certain if there is a legitimate reason, my search for one has been halted the very moment we passed the shelves of over-stuffed taxidermies, their eyes having been replaced with misshaped, beady and glassy replicas.
Even with a reason, nothing would have changed. My whole self was locked to wherever my crew would go, stuck with them wherever they may lead. To suffer with whatever nightmarish events and entities may we come across.
I stop in place, noticing that everyone had ceased walking. Every member stared directly in front of them, as if entranced by a certain object or phenomena. Yet it is also them which blocks my view of the hypnotizing element. My attempts of gaining a better vantage point had lead to failure, as the crowd had begun to scream, jump and shout. Panic immediately set in within me, followed by an oh-so-familiar feeling of fright.
I prayed to the gods that my chances of seeing whatever horrific creature they were witnessing.
Yet…fate had other plans.
Before I could even so much as breathe for another second, I was being lifted off of my feet, to be soon carried away to where this trance-inducing entity had been located. I struggled and squirmed, any sort of action that might lead me to my freedom.
Try as I might, and by god I did, I did not have the luck to be able to escape. And once I was released, I found out that I did not have the fortune to avoid witnessing what I could only call was a monster of unspeakable horror! Before me stood, hunched over, was a large creature, one that oddly looked human in posture, yet the dirty brown fur all over its arms, chest and head begged to differ. Small cuts and bald spots were all over its body, and though the thing wore clothes, it obviously did not care to clean them.
Much like being whisked away, it was not my choice whether or not to see this creature's face…and by the gods! It was not a pleasant sight to have! Two large green eyes that stared into me, glassy and seeming to be deceased. A long snout that bore large teeth that yellowed with grime, and what I could only wonder to be as blood, smiling an oversized maniac's grin.
The beast began to lift its legs, and made its way towards me…
Both my feet were frozen in place, unmoving from the sheer sight of the creature looming over me. It was here that I noticed the item that he had been carrying all this time, a stick of wood as long as four feet in height…with a two foot wide axe head attached at the other end.
The beast, its green fading eyes in deep madness, looked at my cowering figure. It emitted a laugh from shrill vocal cords that sounded similar to glass breaking over and over, and then, it raised its large axe head in the air…
I screamed.
"Ronny! Ronny! It's okay, he's not gonna hurt you sweetie!" I stop my screaming as my mother picked my still shaking body in her arms. "I'm sorry, it's his first time here at the park" she says to the unblinking nightmare of a living organism.
"Oh, it's fine" another voice joined in, one of a deep feminine tone. "We expect these kinds of thing to happen everyday" the woman says, standing beside the beast. She wore an odd selection of clothing, a long-sleeved dress that ended below the knees that bore similar fashion to an existing victorian line, except the only colors were of black, white and orange. A wide brimmed hat sat on her head of long black hair, pointy at the top that gave me the impression of her possibly being a witch…
I glance back at the creature, and it waved one of its hands slowly, prompting me to retreat back into my mother's shoulder. "It's alright dear, he's not going to hurt you. I'm really sorry, hehe"
"Don't be, don't be. And…tell you what? Why don't you…" though I could not see her, I heard her rummaging through somewhere near. "Aha! Take this little guy with you?" she handed me another over-stuffed taxidermy in my face, yet this one did not look so horrifying; it was an oversized pumpkin with button eyes and a body made of green fabric shaped to look like roots. Amidst all the fear and suffering that I endured, I admit…I quite liked how soft and strange it was.
"Hey! Isn't that great Ronny? Say thanks to the nice lady now" my mother instructed me.
Still reluctant with the beast still a few meters away from us, dealing with other children who were a lot older than me, I barely uttered the words "T-thank you miss…"
The odd woman gave me an exaggerated look of happiness, cupping both of her cheeks with her hands saying "Aw! Thank you Ronny! But please, call me Carnie, because we're all friends here in my carnival… Isn't that right Bubba?" she asked, tapping the beast behind her. It didn't notice at first, until she addressed him again. "I said, isn't that right! Bubba?" it turned and raised its left thumb at us. In all terms of honesty, I was not convinced that it was a friend of mine…
It was not long before we had decided to return to our vehicle. My older sister and brother soon rejoined us along the way, looks of pure joy and excitement plastered on their faces--my sister even clutching at a doll that had similar clothing to miss Carnie.
I was filled with joy, knowing that we were leaving that truly horrible hell of a place. One that I shiver at every correlating thought I come up with…
A place that I have come to fear, a place known as…
"Carnie's Carnivale of Magic"
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