Sophia felt the warmth of her pillow surrounding her head, engulfing her in a cocoon of airy softness. This would have been the picture of comfort, if not for the bit of slobber escaping her lip and staining the sides. The knocking at her door wasn’t ideal for her sleep, either. In fact, it was rather a detriment.

“Sophia Ann Pratchett.” A muffled voice called from behind a cheap wooden door. “Half the day is gone! Do I need to come in there?”

A hearty groan erupted from the sheets as the girl rolled over onto her side. “Just five more minutes.” She pleaded, as some hair made its way into the inside of her mouth.

Even through the walls, she could hear the voice on the other end huff. “What am I going to do with you?” It said, growing distant as the speaker walked away.

Now unwillingly awake, Sophia was greeted by a bright stream of sunlight beeping down on her from the part in her blinds. She had hoped that her darkly colored curtains would have prevented this from happening, but alas, here she was. With another deep guttural groan that only the tired or the dying can manage, she tossed herself out of bed and started getting ready for her day.

For her, this wasn’t a particularly hard task. The first step was generally to slip out of her t-shirt and pajamas and into something more formal. Typically, this was whatever she grabbed first. She didn’t really have a preference for her appearance- if it fit well and looked fine; it was good enough. This had the unintended side-effect of making her small, uneven wardrobe filled with an unappealing assortment of colorless hoodies and band shirts. Today, the lucky winners of the ‘clothing grab’ were a pair of baggy jeans and a ripped grey jumper.

Moving on, she slogged her way over the cluttered floor to the other end of the room. This wasn’t a far journey, with her only needing to take two or three steps to make it to her destination. On the wall was a small mirror hung up loosely by a jutting nail. Beside this was a poster for an old romance movie that she had never seen, with a flying saucer soaring above an ocean of crashing waves. She would’ve chosen something more up her alley, but an unexpected hole in her wall required a speedy cover-up, and it happened to be the first thing she could find.

Looking into the mirror, she watched as her eyelids struggled to remain open. It was like they were in a constant battle against droopiness and were losing badly. Picking a comb off a nearby shelf, she ran it through the knots entangled in her auburn hair. It always got this way whenever she slept. Her mom had told her that her hair was a gift. ‘You’re the only one in the family that managed to hold on to it after you grew up,’ she had said. But to Sophia, this was nothing but a curse. She hated standing out like a sore thumb whenever she was in a group, and the questions about what hair dye she must be using. Plus, it was never a mystery of who clogged the shower drain.

Her brief moment of tranquility was broken by the thudding of footsteps outside her door. “William, no running in the hall!” Sophia shouted, but the pitter-patter continued, like it always did.

Exiting her ‘sleeping chamber,’ she made her way down a narrow hallway. The carpeted flooring felt snug beneath her feet from years of stains and unfortunate spills. Most of those weren’t her fault, though she did have to take credibility for the massive yellow splotch that was the result of a terrible popcorn-bucket incident.

Her path led her to the rest of the house, save for one or two bedrooms that narrowly fit in the back. A living-room plus kitchen combo at first may seem like a bad idea, but upon further inspection, it becomes an even worse one. No one wants to have the garbage can sitting next to the TV screen, or the rickety washing machine next to the couch, but that was the way it was.

“Finally.” The voice of her mom spoke up from her frazzled position next to a small gas stove. “I thought that I might have to come in there and resuscitate you.”

It was the same line that she always used when Sophia wasn’t up early, and the girl responded with her usual response- a roll of her eyes. It was Saturday, so she didn’t have a shift at the diner she needed to worry about. To her, if there was no shift, there was no need to wake up early. This was a trail of logic her mom didn’t seem to understand.

Speaking of which, her mom seemed to be fast at work, throwing together what could, under extreme circumstances, be considered a meal into a plastic container. She moved around the kitchen frantically, opening creaky cabinets and fridge doors with a madman’s haste.

“What are you doing?” Sophia asked, although she felt she already knew the answer.

The mother shot her a knowing stare, with her blue hospital scrubs peeking out from over the counter for additional effect. “We’re short-staffed again. They need me.” She replied, continuing her tasks without missing a beat.

“It’s the weekend. You should be off.” Sophia said with a sigh.

“Well, Sophy, people don’t take a break from getting hurt, now do they?” The short woman said, calling the girl a name she detested deeply.

“Doesn’t mean that has to be your problem.” The girl retorted, pouring herself a cup of black coffee from a stained pot. “When’s the last time you had time off?”

The woman seemed frustrated as she sealed the lid of one of her containers. Sophia could see in her eyes that she was too tired to argue, and so compensated by changing the subject. “The carnival is in town again, and I promised your brother that I would take him today.”

She knew what was coming next. “No. Not happening.”

Her mother sighed, reaching into her purse, and pulling out a chipping leather wallet. “Look, it’s only a little way up the road and you can just walk. Here’s some money. Just walk around some, show him the sights, and then you can come home and do whatever it is that you do when I’m at work.”

“It’s a scam, mom!” The girl snapped. “It’s not worth the money. We have other things that we can use that for. Besides, who even likes the carnival? It’s a piece of shit.”

“It’s a piece of shit that I promised your brother.” The woman said sternly. “I know I’m putting this on you, but I don’t want to disappoint him. He’s been talking about how much he wants to see the horses.” Here she reached up and rubbed her eyes, taking a breath. “If the hospital didn’t need me, I wouldn’t be doing this. But I got to work, that’s just the way it is. So please, could you do this for me?”

Sophia took a long sip of her coffee, weighing her choice. There had been a time where she had wanted to go see the carnival too, but that was before she had been there. She remembered smelling the god-awful scent of caged animals and sugary candy congealing into one god-awful mess. The attractions had been terrible, while the clowns were all sad, both metaphorically and literally. She couldn’t see a single reason why she would ever want to go back there.

But then, she turned to look at her brother sitting on the couch watching his cartoons, with his leg kicking with a giddy excitement that he couldn’t quite contain. “Fine, but you owe me.” She said, snatching away a couple of bills from her mother’s hand.

With a relieved sigh, her mother nodded. “Be careful, and whatever you do, don’t let him eat sweets.” Jamming her container into her purse, she marched over to her son on the couch and planted a kiss on his forehead. “Mommy has to go to work now, okay? I love you.”

William’s face scrunched up like he was smelling something bad. “But what about the horses?” He asked, his words falling quickly out of his mouth.

“Your sister is going to take you.”

His face somehow scrunched up even more. “Okay.”

Sophia could tell that it disappointed him that his mom wasn’t the one that was taking him, and the feeling was mutual. She watched as her mom cave her a nod before making her way out of a broken, screened in door. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought that an animal had started tossing their guts out in the yard. But she knew all too well the distinct sound that the rusting family car made, and she heard the tires screech as they made their way out of the dirt driveway. Now she was on her own. Well, technically, she had William, but that never counted.

“What are you watching?” The girl asked, knowing quite well that her brother was viewing.

“Shows.” He pouted, his arms crossing as his kicking leg stopped in protest.

“What type of shows?” She prodded further.

The boy didn’t reply, even though he had clearly heard her.

Well, it wasn’t like she really cared much about the answer, anyway. Gritting her teeth, she strolled over to the remote on an uneven coffee table and hit the power button.

“Hey!” William protested, sitting up straight. “I’m gonna tell mom!”

“You do that.” Sophia replied. “But don’t you want to see the horses?”

His snideness vanished in an instant as he nodded his head hard.

“Well, you better go put your clothes on then. You can’t go to a carnival dressed in your pajamas.” That was a bold-face lie. She had seen plenty of people do the exact same thing, and no one really cared enough to fight about it. But she got a feeling that if her mom found out, her neck would be on the line. “Go put something on.”

William shot up from his seat and bolted to his room, nearly colliding with his sister on the way out. She shook her head and sighed, collapsing on the couch as she waited for him. The itchy fabric clawed at her skin, but the years of being exposed to its rough texture had built an immunity in her. A yawn started to build, and she let it out without any care to cover her mouth. Rubbing her eyes, she hoped that the coffee would do its trick and make this trip at least survivable.

Her brother’s return was announced with the sound of the floor creaking as he bounded up to her. He was wearing a horrible mismatch of colors, with blue pants and an orange-chartreuse monster of a tie-dyed shirt. Excitedly, he shifted in place, like a rocket that was about to launch.

“Your gonna wear that?” She asked.

He nodded frantically.

She shrugged. “Okay then.” It wasn’t like she was his stylist, and from the way she saw it, he could wear whatever the hell he wanted to. “Listen up. Here are some ground rules. One, don’t leave my side under any circumstances. That should be obvious. Two, no taking or touching anything without my permission. We don’t want a repeat of what happened at the bowling alley.”

William looked sheepish for a moment, though he was a little proud of how he managed to smuggle a six-pound bowling ball in his book bag.

“Three, whatever I say goes, understand? I say run away, you run away. I say come here, you come here. Simple right? Nod if you get me.”

Again, the boy nodded like a bobble-head.

“Good. Now then, I guess we can get going.” Sophia spoke, forcing herself to get up off the couch. “Got your good shoes on?”

“Yeah.” William said with a groan. “But they’ve gotten smaller.”

Sophia raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

“When I got them, they were good on my toes, and now they aren’t.” He explained sheepishly. “Mom said that things shrink when you put them in the washer sometimes. Did someone wash them?”

“Um, no.” Sophia replied as the two made their way outside. “They aren’t shrinking, Will. Your feet are just getting bigger.”

“Oh.”

The brief dirt driveway greeted them with the enthusiasm of dried pavement, which was ironic. They trailed it until they reached a strip of sunken sidewalk and turned their focus to following that. Sophia knew where the carnival would be. After all, it was in the same place every year. They would only have to walk a little while and through a patch of trees before they would see the sorry sight of a Ferris wheel in the distance.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

They stayed silent for most of the way, with William entertaining himself by trying to dodge all the cracks on the path. It was a difficult task, and he failed repeatedly, but it didn’t stop him. Sophia rolled her eyes. It had been a while since she was the age that would let her find enjoyment out of something so mundane. Though, as long as he didn’t get close to the road, she didn’t care what he did for amusement.

“Is there gonna be horses?” William asked, the tip of his tight shoe just barely missing a crack.

“Probably.” Sophia responded coldly.

“Is there gonna be rides and stuff?”

“Probably.”

“Animals?”

“Mhmm.”

“Candy?”

“Yeah, but you’re not going to have any.”

The boy stopped in his tracks, a frown painting his face. “Why can’t I? Mom would let me!”

“No, she wouldn’t.” The girl scolded. “They’re bad for you, and we all know what happens when you have too much sugar.”

“I promise I won’t be bad.” William said, with his puppy-dog eyes.

As his sister, Sophia was immune to his ways. “You said the same thing before you accidentally threw your action-figure at my wall.”

William looked at his feet, defeated. “But I said I was sorry!”

“You’re lucky I didn’t tell mom! Just be thankful I had something to cover it up with.” She shook her head. “So no, you aren’t getting any sweets.”

The leaves on the surrounding trees had fallen, making the journey one filled with the occasional crunch underfoot. Thankfully, though, they wouldn’t have long to wait as the obnoxious colors of a circus tent revealed themselves on the horizon. William could barely contain his excitement and started to bolt towards the sight.

What she lacked in energy, Sophia made up for with the extra length of her legs as she rushed to catch the boy by the arm. “Hey, hey, hey!” She called, slowing him down. “What was rule one?”

“Sorry.”

At a pace that would be considered normal, the two made their way over to the ticket desk. A woman stood inside the small hut, looking very bored and very underpaid. She barely acknowledged them as they approached. “Five bucks a person.” A squeaky voice said from beneath a pair of small glasses.

Sophia reached into her pocket, pulling out some of the money her mom gave her. Sliding it over to the woman, she noticed that she didn’t even bother to check if it was the right amount before ripping off two bracelets from a pile.

“Thank you so much. Enjoy your time at the carnival.” The woman said with the faintest of waves.

Snapping their flimsy yellow bracelets on, the two went through an opening in the small, plastic fence. The dreaded smell that Sophia remembered hadn’t changed. Actually, it was almost worse. She covered her mouth and nose, seeking a second to brace herself for the day ahead of her. William didn’t seem to notice though as his brown eyes went wide at the sight of all the colorful attractions.

The carnival was set up like a strip, with a vacant bit of land being the unlucky home of the event. The ground once used to be a field of green grass, but after all the years of ‘fun,’ it more resembled a brown wave of curling decay. There were the usual sights you might expect. The Ferris wheel barely reached above a short tree, with the bright lights being a hit or miss in whether they turned on or not. Clowns held balloons while frustrated-looking teenagers stood beside candy-cotton machines. There was a white guy in an outfit that he really shouldn’t be wearing, next to a bowl with an electric snake that would occasionally pop out from under a lid. Loud music blared in repeated and monotonous tunes, with the constant melody drilling its way to get stuck inside their heads. But, as Sophia quickly observed, there were no horses.

William looked upset as he noticed the lack of equine friends to see, and he glanced up at his sister for support. “Did the horses run away?”

If they had, then they would probably be better off. “No, we just haven’t found them yet. I’m sure there’s one around.”

They kept looking, but no matter how many red and white tents they checked inside, they couldn’t find any. Sophia’s sister-senses were going off and telling her that her brother was very disappointed. His shoulders slouched and his lips pursed, like he was holding back a tear.

“I’m sorry, Will.” She said, trying to sound comforting, but coming off more blasé than intended. “I know you wanted to see the ponies, but I guess they aren’t out this year.”

“Yeah.” His little voice was strained as he stared down at the floor.

She knew that she needed to make up for it, not for his sake, but hers. “Want to play one of the games? They look pretty fun.”

Even William didn’t believe that, but still, he had nothing else he wanted to do. “Yeah.” He said again, even downer than before.

Sophia gritted her teeth, cursing whoever decided that today would be a good time to start treating their animals better.

Leading him by the hand, she moved him over to where a shooting game had been set up in a corner. Stuffed animals and other knick-knack prizes hung from dull hooks on the ceiling and dangled helplessly in the wind. The goal of the game appeared to be to hit a series of moving targets on the far end of the room with a little blue dart gun. Well, it was mostly blue, but the paint had chipped away so much that it was more brown than anything.

A tall man, in an outfit that was clearly too small for him, greeted them with a vague smile. “Welcome!” He said, managing to sound at least a tad more enthusiastic than the woman at the ticket booth. “Who’s playing?”

William shot up his hand and jumped up and down in place.

“Alrighty then, mister.” The man said, tipping a red-stripped hat. “Two dollars per try.”

Sophia could barely contain the eyeroll, but she handed over the money without causing a fuss. “You know what to do, Will?”

“Shoot the ducks, duh.” He replied, gripping the plastic gun with anticipation.

The tall man smiled as he reached behind him, pulling some unseen lever. A racketing sound erupted from the back as three rows of yellow wooden ducks shot out from random compartments. They were fast, extremely fast. William barely managed to fire off a single soft dart from his gun before the first round was over. The automated music of quacking and cheery tones burst to life with a click, annoying Sophia on a level she didn’t know was possible. By the end of the whole ordeal, William had only managed to knock over one of the targets.

His eyes shot up to the man. “Did I do it? Do I get a prize?”

“Sorry, dude. But you need to hit three to win.” He replied, a boney finger pointing to a sign that displayed the rules.

“This game is stupid.” William huffed, crossing his arms. “Can I try again?”

Sophia felt the same way, but she doubted that her brother had the reflexes necessary to warrant wasting any more cash. “Yeah, no. That thing moves fast.”

The unmistakable look of sadness scrolled across the boy’s face like the world’s most depressing teleprompter. “Okay.”

A part of her wished that he would throw a fit, or demand that he could play the game again. That way, she would have an excuse to put her foot down and call it a day. But it was worse that he was listening to her. Now she was the one that felt like the bad guy.

“Move over.” Sophia said after a pause.

“What are you doing?” He asked, keeping the tears back.

The girl reached into her pocket and handed the tall man another round of money. “Winning you a damn prize.”

Concentrating, she gripped the gun in her hand. Weirdly, it felt cold to the touch, like someone had left it too long in the freezer. The man pulled the lever, and the ducks started to rush across the tracks. But as the obnoxious quacking soundtrack began to play, it was like the whole world zoned out. Maybe it was because of her focus, but she got the distinct impression that something was different.

The toys dangling in the air stood still, and the people seemed to harden in place. Flashing lights froze between off and on, and the Ferris wheel stopped spinning. It was like the power had gone out, or the wind had simply ended. The tall man and William watched on, like paintings stuck in a moment of time. All that was real was Sophia, with her gun, aiming at her targets.

She fired a shot, and it landed. A yellow duck folded down, being conquered by a soft foam dart. Her next round was a miss, but she resolved herself not to give up. A second duck fell by her hand, and her heart skipped in its place. But then, as the final notes of the carnival melody started to play, she saw something new.

The last duck was different as it came skidding out of a cubby. The yellow paint had either chipped away or been replaced purposefully with an off-putting grey color. The wooden panel it was on seemed ragged, with discolored patches and stripes. Unlike all the others, this one had eyes, and they seemed to stare at the girl with a troubled gaze. For a moment, Sophia hesitated, but then remembered why she was here.

The dart launched through the barrel, spiraling around and around through the booth. It was a close call, but the shot landed its mark, sending the duck tumbling down. Sophia was happy, although she could’ve sworn that, at the last minute, the thing had shut its eyes.

The world came back into view, with the humdrum picking back up right where it had left off. William jumped and clapped his hands, proceeding to give his sister a hug around the legs. “You won, you won!” He shouted, excitedly.

“Yeah, I did.” Sophia said, though she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

The tall man clapped his hands. “The girl in grey wins! Nice shooting! Well, go on, pick a prize!”

She shook her head. “No. Big man here is going to do that.”

William’s eyes gleamed, “really?”

“Knock yourself out.”

The boy ran up to the counter, leaning over to get a better view of all of his choices. There were just so many options, and it took him a good long while to make up his mind. Finally, with an ecstatic point of his finger, he found his reward. “That one!”

“The flamingo?” Sophia asked, looking at the stuffed animal dangling by its neck.

“Yeah!” William said with a jump. “The green one!”

Sophia’s face scrunched up, and it wasn’t because of the smell. “Why green? That’s ugly as hell.”

The boy seemed offended. “It’s my favorite color and I like it.” He said quickly.

Sophia stared up at the vomit-inspired bird, wondering how anyone could ever find it appealing. It reminded her of watching grass grow, or the bottom of a molding piece of bread. “Ugh, why?”

He shrugged as the tall man retrieved it from the ceiling. “I dunno.”

“There you are, sir.” The man said as he handed the ill-looking bird over. “That will be five dollars.”

“What?” Sophia gawked.

“Five dollars.” He repeated.

She crossed her arms. “I heard what you said the first time. What do you mean? I beat the game, didn’t I?”

He nodded. “Normally, the price of a prize is twenty bucks, but if you are one of our lucky winners, then it goes down to five.”

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Sophia spat. “What’s the point in playing the game if I just have to pay for the thing I win?”

“Well, technically, you’re playing to win the discount.” The tall man said with a shrug. “Hey, I don’t make the rules.”

“Yeah, and you don’t advertise them either! Where’s that bit of information on the sign?” The girl retorted as she gestured over to the fading plaque on the wall.

“Ma’am, do you want the toy or not?”

She recognized his tone of voice from herself at work. It was the one she used whenever there was a difficult customer complaining about a dish being served wrong. She had never thought she would be on the other end of it. “This is a scam.”

“I can take the thing back, if you want.”

Sophia shook her head. “William, what…” Her heart sank as she saw the empty space beside her. “Where did he go?”

The man looked around, with his eyebrows narrowing. “I don’t know. I didn’t see him.”

“Jesus…” She didn’t waste any time starting her search, and she bolted off with her eyes peeled open.

“Hey, you have to pay for that…” She heard the man call from behind her, but she didn’t care enough to look back.

The pounding in her heart reached her ears as she surveyed the long strip of land. The colorful tents and attractions seemed to be mocking her as she ran. “William!” She shouted, but all she got were annoyed looks from employees and carnival-goers alike.

She checked the seats on flying boat rides, behind fun-shop tents, and everywhere else she could think to look. Her vision started to go blurry as the panic set in. She had lost her brother, and anything could have happened to him. This was all her fault; she should have been watching him.

The next step was to bite the bullet and ask around. The first person Sophia questioned was a clown in sad face paint that also appeared to be crying for real. He only shrugged and said he hadn’t seen anything, and to check out the face-paint stall for a free fake-tattoo. She replied by telling him to do something obscene with his offer, which only served to sadden him more.

Sophia spotted a security guard and told her what happened. As soon as the words ‘lost kid’ escaped her mouth, the lady craned her neck and sighed. “We got another one.” She said into a radio on her shoulder. “What did he look like?”

The girl was struggling to remember anything, with the adrenaline pumping in her veins. Chances were that if someone had asked her what her own name was, she wouldn’t have been able to reply. “Sorta… this tall.” She said with a gesture just above her hip. “He had brown hair… and eyes.”

The security guard groaned. “We’ll look for ‘em.” But failed to start moving at all.

Sophia had enough presence of mind to know that this wasn’t going anywhere, and she left with a resounding, “screw you.”

Her legs were getting shaky, and she could feel the weight of the world resting on her shoulders. She continued her search, calling out his name over and over until her mouth was sore. The thought of losing him rested ever-present in her mind, like a landmine about to burst.

The girl fell to her knees behind a vacant hot-dog stand, struggling not to cry. Her breath came out in gigantic heaves, and her face had grown a cherry-red. Right now, her brother could be anywhere, and she wouldn’t be able to get to him. He could need her help! There was a chance that he could be screaming her name right now, but she just couldn’t hear him.

Bringing her face to the ground, Sophia gripped the dying grass between her fingers. She pictured her mom hearing the news of how she had left her brother alone, to fend for himself. The thought of it broke something deep inside her soul, and she felt a flood of tears bubbling in her sockets.

But then she heard it. It was the sound of clopping, followed by the occasional puff of breath. It didn’t seem important at first, but the distinct sound of a horse awakened her from her turmoil. Peering up, Sophia saw as a skinny, haggard-looking pony trotted out into the lane. Beside it, jumping up and down with a disgusting flamingo under his arms, was William.

Sophia shot out of her place faster than an Olympic gold-medalist. She was a blur of grey as she ran across the field, seizing her brother by the arm with the force she had never used before.

“Ow!” He cried, his sister holding on way too tight.

“Where the hell where you?” She screamed, attracting a few odd glances. “What happened?”

William simply pointed at the pony being led by a short man in a hat. “I found the horses!”

Air escaped from Sophia’s lungs as she was too relieved to be mad. She took him up into her arms, hugging him like a sailor holding onto the mast of a sinking ship. “Don’t you ever do anything like that again! Do you understand me? You could’ve gotten yourself killed!”

The boy nodded, although it was clear he was confused. “I thought we wanted to see the horses.”

“We do… we do.” She sighed, looking him in the eye. “But don’t you remember rule one? I thought you got that!”

“I’m sorry.” He replied, seeming genuine as he hugged his plush bird. “I won’t do it again.”

“No, you won’t.” Sophia said sternly. “Because from now on, I’m going to hold on to you everywhere we go! I’m not letting you out of my sight again. You can’t just go around doing whatever you want, Will! You don’t know what’s out there! There’s no way you can tell what will happen, so just stick with me, okay?”

“I said I’m sorry.” He muttered.

“Yeah, but a sorry won’t cut it if you get hurt.”

Standing up, Sophia wiped her face free of dirt. She hoped that it wasn’t obvious that she was upset, though by all accounts it was. Looking at her brother, she shook her head at the stupid poison-colored toy in his arms. What a stupid thing to cause such a ruckus, but at least she got a discount.

“Let’s go home.” She said, running a hand through her hair. “I think this was enough ‘fun.’”

William’s face grew wide with indignation. “But the horse!” He cried, gesturing to the animal ahead of him.

Sophia groaned internally, “can you pay to ride him?”

She received a hyperactive nod as a reply.

“Fine, we’ll go ride the pony, but home after, alright?”

“Alright!” William promised as he scampered off with his sister.