Carnival of Dreams (Incomplete)

[Hugo Prosperio]

Here is a new story. I am trying to try a different style of story than Pixie Dust (which was decidedly action adventure fantasy) so I figured a little dark and macabre would be fun. Some minor SW in this chapter, but the real process is on it's way, I promise. Hope you all enjoy.

Chapter One: The Carnival Comes to Town

The man stood on the train platform as the locomotive pulled away, causing the man?s long silver coat to flow in the draft of wind. He placed a top hat on his head and smiled. If one were to look at his face, you might say it was very pale, but in actual fact, it was not. It was white as snow, and always had been. His black hair flowed in the wind along with his coat, and he stood on the platform watching the train disappear into the horizon. He turned and left the platform as he walked towards the parking lot of the train station. There, waiting for him, was a shorter man, wearing a business suit.

?Glad you could make it, Mr. Nero? he said to the pale man, who simply nodded. ?When will your friends arrive?? he asked.

?They are already here.? Mr. Nero said softly, as he pulled out a pocket watch. ?I trust you?ve been putting up my flyers??

?Of course, Mr. Nero. We are very excited you could make it to Fall River.? The man said as he shuffled off to his car, opening the passenger door for Mr. Nero.

?Not as excited as we are, I can assure you? Nero said as he removed his top hat, sat down, and closed the door behind him.

-----

The autumn air swept around Laura Kerns as she walked, causing her long black hair to flow freely. Fall was her favorite time of year, the colors of the leaves, and the smells in the air. It was pure magic. She walked past her old elementary school, and smiled as she saw the children of the town running in the playground. One of the children, a little girl with cute blond ringlets for hair, smiled and waved to her, and she waved back.

As she walked she passed a telephone pole that had a single piece of paper stapled to it, flapping in the wind. It was an advertisement, it seemed. It read ?Come One, Come All to The Carnival of the Future. Below this large headline, there was a photo of a man with ghostly pale skin, wearing a top hat, smiling with black painted lips. Laura looked at the sign and it gave her an odd, uneasy feeling. She made note of the sign, but continued on her way, as she walked towards the house of her best friend, Kara Lane.

-----

?You saw it too?? Kara asked as she sat at her computer, typing away to her boyfriend on an Instant Messenger program.

?Yes.? Laura said, sitting on Kara?s bed. ?It gave me the creeps. That smile of his?? she added, shivering a bit.

?But, we haven?t ever had a carnival come to town. It?s kind of exciting.? Kara stated as she stood up. ?We should go. It opens tomorrow, according to the flyer.?

?Kara, I am not sure?Something doesn?t seem right.? Laura said while getting up and looking out the window. Being on the second floor, Kara?s window had a great view of the town.

?This is not a Stephen King story, Laura. This is just a plain old carnival. Nothing strange or unusual? Kara said crossing her arms, staring at Laura who just continued to stare out the window.

?Yeah, I?m sure you?re right? she said, her eyes fixated on the large circus tent that had gone up in a field in the distance. ?Nothing Strange or Unusual.?

-----

The carnival folk were working hard to get everything ready before dark. As they worked, a non-descript black car pulled up, and out stepped Mr. Nero, smiling as he walked towards his employees.

?Excellent work, lads? he said, a slight british accent apparent, ?We?ll be finished by morning.?

The man in the business suit walked over to Mr. Nero, as he watched them continue to erect the tent. ?Mr. Nero, your men do work fast? he said as he caught his breath.

?That they do, Mr. Denton, that they do.? He said as he walked through the booths already set up, some advertising fortune tellers, some advertising the chance to win great sums of money

?You know, Mr. Denton? said Nero as they walked.

?You can call me Charlie? Mr. Denton said smiling.

?Ah, yes, Charlie. You know, we?ve never had anyone invite us before.? Nero stated as he ran his fingers across the wood of a spinning ?Wheel of Fate?

?Well, I had heard great things, and being in charge of the town?s activites, I figured what way to boost sprits and the town economy than a Carnival.? Charlie Denton said proudly. He had only though of the idea a week ago, when one of Mr. Nero?s flyers floated into his bedroom window late one night, but Charles Denton didn?t believe in fate, to him, it was a mere coincidence.

?Very wise move, on your behalf, Charlie? Nero said. ?Now, if you?ll follow me, I?ll show you around??

Charlie followed exitedly behind the pale man, and smiled. He hadn?t been to a carnival since he was a child, and depite the business nature of this whole affair, he was giddy as a school boy seeing the rides go up, and the lights start to flicker on.

-----

?My parents are out of town for the weekend? Kara said as Laura looked out the window still, now with a pair of binoculars.

?Hmmm, Selectmen Denton is down there with them.? She said absent-mindedly as she looked down to where the Carnival unfolded onto the field.

?Laura, are you even listening to me?? Kara said. ?I said my parents are out of town, so you can spend the night? Kara?s parents were wonderful people, but they were not fond of ?sleepovers? as they called it, even for the young college students that Laura and Kara were. ??and then we can go check out the carnival tommorow? she finished.

?I guess. My parents won?t mind.? Laura said setting down the goggles she had been so tediously looking through, and sad down on the computer chair. Over the last hour, her curiosity had grown ten fold, watching the tents go up, the rides turn on, and the lights flickering in the distance. She couldn?t shake the strange feeling about the man in Flyer, but every moment made her want to attend more and more. ??and the carnival does look fun? she admitted out loud to Kara.

?Wonderful. Let?s head to your place and get your stuff, then come back. We can rent a few movies on the way home too? she suggested, but Laura merely nodded?in her mind she was already at the carnival, eating cotton candy, riding the rides, and even admiring the Sideshow attractions she had read about all her life.

-----

Darkness was all that Marlene Jessup could see. She couldn?t remember much, like how she got here, but she knew that ?Here? wasn?t were she wanted to be at all. She noticed that her feet were shackled with chains, and her mind flicked through all the possible situations. Kidnap, Prison, Torture, all these things came to mind, and more as she sat in the darkness of the large room she was in. She could hear the breathing of others in the room with her?possibly her captors, or other captives, just like her. She was relived to find that her hands were not bound, and was able to reach into the only piece of clothing left on her body, the shorts she was wearing wherever she was last. Inside was her trusty Zippo lighter. She flicked it on, and could see that there were eight other women just like her, all stripped of clothing besides their pants, all shackled together, like animals. The girl closest to her, a girl of around 18 years of age, saw the flame and gasped.

?Turn it out! Turn it out!? she shouted in a hushed voice ?Turn it out, or the Ghost Man may see!?

?Ghost man?? she said racking her brains trying to recall who had trapped her, but nothing came.

?She is right? said the oldest, a woman around 28 years of age. ?Put out the flame, for all of our sakes?especially yours!?

-----

?So you see, Charlie, we have been doing this for many years, and frankly, we find new acts all the time. I am sure that there will be something for everyone in your small town to enjoy.? Nero explained to the town Selectmen. ?Tommorow at Noon, the rides, the sideshows, all of our attractions will be fully operational for you and your town.?

?Thank you, Mr. Nero. It?s a wonderful thing you?ve got going on here. I am sure the town will fall in love.?

?I am sure they will too, especially when they see the star attraction!? Nero said with a large grin on his pasty white face.

?Main attraction?? Charlie asked with his head leaned to the site. ?What is it??

?Would you like to see, Mr. Denton?? Nero asked grinning as per usual.

-----

?The Ghost Man will hurt you if he finds your flame!? the younger girl said. She seemed very scared, but the older one, across from Marlene just sighed. ?The younger ones take a while getting used to the concept. How old are you?? she asked

Marlene looked at the woman and said ?Uh, 20?get used to what concept??

?Oh My, you don?t remember do you. Sometimes the process renders them unconscious. Well, it?s best you find out on your own? she said before closing her eyes and nodding off to sleep.

?Find out what?? Marlene hissed, when suddenly a loud muffled speaking voice could be heard.

?So you see,? it said ?This room holds the secret to my success. Come this way? The voice got closer??In this box? the male voice said hovering over the prison. ??lies the main attraction, my good friend. No one can lay claim to this sideshow anywhere in the world!?

Suddenly black covering of the prison was quickly removed, causing wind to rush all over Marlene, and she saw something that stole away her breath?looking down at her were two men?two giant men! The door to her prison swung open, and the eight other girls, lead by the oldest, marched out, dragging her behind. She struggled to stand, for all she could do was stare at the building sized men watching them march.

-----

Charles Denton couldn?t believe his eyes. In the cage below were Nine little women, all around six inches high?marching out of the cage in front of him?

?My God, Nero, what are they? he asked. ?Are they real??

?They are whatever you want them to be, Mr. Denton. The mind makes up many things to explain magic and that which we do not understand?Of course, telling you what they really were would ruin the illusion, so I won?t. Say hello to Mr. Denton, girls.? Nero asked of the girls.

All but one of the girls waved, and said ?Hello, Mr. Denton? in unison. The one on the end looked up, and suddenly collapsed.

?Oh, poor dear. She?s new to this. Girls, make sure she is well fed tonight?tomorrow we open to the public.? Nero said laughing.

Charlie stood there, and watched as the girls walked back into the cage, helping the collapsed girl back in. Nero locked the cage door, and stood smiling.

?So, Mr. Denton?what do you think of my little flea circus??

?It?s pure magic? was all that Charlie could muster, a childish grin on his face. He was thrilled, after many long years, the carnival had come to town.