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Rob ran through the darkness, looking over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being followed. He had no idea where he was going, and only a slightly better idea of where he'd come from. When he faced forward again he noticed a glow in the distance. There was the faint sound of music; strangely dream like. Multicoloured dots of light turned high in the air – a Ferris wheel. He was certain none of that was there a few seconds ago, but there it was in front of him, illuminating the path he chose to follow.
As he approached, the carnival grew brighter and the sounds became louder. Even though he was still quite far away he could clearly make out the joyous sound of happy children, the rattles and clicks of roller coasters quickly moving along their tracks with the accompanying screams as they dipped. He found his feet moving faster towards it, like a rat to the Pied Piper.
When he grew nearer he was greeted by the large sign above the entrance. Sullivan Bros. Carnival.
Los Angeles, 2005.
As he roamed aimlessly through the carnival he wondered why they'd put the entrance there. It was facing him directly with nothing there but a forest. He couldn't even see the car park from there. It didn't make any sense. Yet here it was, full of life. A smile on every person he saw. The smell of fresh popcorn hit is nostrils as he passed the machine. He could practically taste it; feel it in his mouth. Warm and fluffy. He wanted so badly to buy a box but he didn't have any money on him, at least not in the right currency.
“One large portion please,” he heard the man next to him order. As Rob continued his slow pace through the carnival he heard the man again. “Hey, wait up,” he said in a louder voice. Rob stopped and looked behind him to see a tall man, between his late forties and early fifties, rushing towards him with the box of popcorn. “This is for you,” he said in an unusual Irish accent; his years of travelling undoubtedly led him to pick up bits of other dialects.
“How did you know?” Rob asked.
“I had a feeling.” He handed rob the popcorn. “Joseph Sullivan.”
“Rob Harrison.”
“Nice to meet you, Rob Harrison.” He paused for a few seconds before speaking again. “So what were you running from, if you don't mind me asking?”
Rob dropped a handful of popcorn back into the box as he started to get anxious. “What makes you think I was running from something?” he asked in a harsh tone.
“Relax,” Joseph said with a smile. “But you did come from that entrance,” he said, nodding over to where Rob had found the carnival.
“So?”
“There's nothing out there but trees, for you to be out there you'd need to be lost. There's also the small matter of the entrance itself.”
“What about it,” Rob asked as he started to grow curious.
“The entrance is one only a select few can find, that is why it faces nothing; why it's so quiet. You found it because you are special and because you needed it.”
“What do you mean... special?”
“The type of special that made you instantly stop being nervous when I told you to relax.”
“You have an ability?”
“And everyone else who works at this carnival. I can feel what you feel, it's how I knew about the popcorn and how I knew you'd be stumbling through that entrance.”
“What is this place?”
“A carnival, what does it look like?” Joseph joked. He took some popcorn from Rob and smiled as he chewed it.
“You know what I mean.”
“It's a place people like us can leave the outside world behind, along with all the worries that go with it. A place we can be safe.” Rob was comforted by this statement, but of course Joseph already knew that. “So what is your ability, Mr. Harrison?"
“I'm a magician,” Rob answered.
“Fitting. I guess the only thing left to ask is do you want to join us?”
“Yes,” Rob replied in a flash, not caring to see more of the carnival to see if he'd fit in.
“Welcome to the family,” Joseph said as he offered his hand to shake.
As he approached, the carnival grew brighter and the sounds became louder. Even though he was still quite far away he could clearly make out the joyous sound of happy children, the rattles and clicks of roller coasters quickly moving along their tracks with the accompanying screams as they dipped. He found his feet moving faster towards it, like a rat to the Pied Piper.
When he grew nearer he was greeted by the large sign above the entrance. Sullivan Bros. Carnival.
Los Angeles, 2005.
As he roamed aimlessly through the carnival he wondered why they'd put the entrance there. It was facing him directly with nothing there but a forest. He couldn't even see the car park from there. It didn't make any sense. Yet here it was, full of life. A smile on every person he saw. The smell of fresh popcorn hit is nostrils as he passed the machine. He could practically taste it; feel it in his mouth. Warm and fluffy. He wanted so badly to buy a box but he didn't have any money on him, at least not in the right currency.
“One large portion please,” he heard the man next to him order. As Rob continued his slow pace through the carnival he heard the man again. “Hey, wait up,” he said in a louder voice. Rob stopped and looked behind him to see a tall man, between his late forties and early fifties, rushing towards him with the box of popcorn. “This is for you,” he said in an unusual Irish accent; his years of travelling undoubtedly led him to pick up bits of other dialects.
“How did you know?” Rob asked.
“I had a feeling.” He handed rob the popcorn. “Joseph Sullivan.”
“Rob Harrison.”
“Nice to meet you, Rob Harrison.” He paused for a few seconds before speaking again. “So what were you running from, if you don't mind me asking?”
Rob dropped a handful of popcorn back into the box as he started to get anxious. “What makes you think I was running from something?” he asked in a harsh tone.
“Relax,” Joseph said with a smile. “But you did come from that entrance,” he said, nodding over to where Rob had found the carnival.
“So?”
“There's nothing out there but trees, for you to be out there you'd need to be lost. There's also the small matter of the entrance itself.”
“What about it,” Rob asked as he started to grow curious.
“The entrance is one only a select few can find, that is why it faces nothing; why it's so quiet. You found it because you are special and because you needed it.”
“What do you mean... special?”
“The type of special that made you instantly stop being nervous when I told you to relax.”
“You have an ability?”
“And everyone else who works at this carnival. I can feel what you feel, it's how I knew about the popcorn and how I knew you'd be stumbling through that entrance.”
“What is this place?”
“A carnival, what does it look like?” Joseph joked. He took some popcorn from Rob and smiled as he chewed it.
“You know what I mean.”
“It's a place people like us can leave the outside world behind, along with all the worries that go with it. A place we can be safe.” Rob was comforted by this statement, but of course Joseph already knew that. “So what is your ability, Mr. Harrison?"
“I'm a magician,” Rob answered.
“Fitting. I guess the only thing left to ask is do you want to join us?”
“Yes,” Rob replied in a flash, not caring to see more of the carnival to see if he'd fit in.
“Welcome to the family,” Joseph said as he offered his hand to shake.
