Halloween Carnival part 2

  The day of the Halloween Carnival had arrived, it was a cold autumn night, the invisible face of the moon stared down at the earth below. On the border of the Autumn Forest and the Haunted Forest was a clearing, on the clearing was the site for the exciting and new Halloween Carnival.

 

            Lights beamed into the air signaling all to come and join the fun, giant black metal gates surrounded the carnival and only had one entrance through the front. People slowly and cautiously approached the new carnival. Music played, ticket sellers waited in their booth by the front gate and Charles Orchard was in his human form yelling into a cone that amplified his voice. “Welcome, ladies and Gentlemen! Children and pets! This is the first annual Halloween Carnival, where scares and fun wait around every corner. The Carnival may seem spooky but this is a safe, family friendly adventure. If you loved the joys of my Autumn Carnival, try the scares of my Halloween Carnival” Charles shouted, his voice echoed through the clearing. The carnival was new and strange but seeing Charles Orchard there made the people feel more at ease. His Autumn Carnival was a yearly tradition and many residence of the Autumn Forest knew him personally.

 

            The large gates opened with an eerie creek that echoed through the clearing. No one said a word and the whole clearing was dead silent, then suddenly a marching band came pouring out of the carnival to greet the guests. The loud band music broke the silence with a sledgehammer as the band danced, marched and shot confetti out of their instruments. Most of the band members appeared human, but some were a little strange looking, so strange that the locals just assumed and hoped they were wearing costumes. Most notable band members were a goblin hopping along cheerfully with a baton, a horse headed man in a tuxedo playing a trombone, and ghost of a woman who wore old style clothing, had a knife sticking out of his back and played the trumpet.

 

            The crowded seemed to warm up to the strange marching band and some were even dancing along with the spooky scary skeletons that danced along behind the band. Charles beamed with pride as it seemed his plan was working.

 

            The inside of the carnival was filled with creepy rides and fun Halloween themed treats. Snack stands were placed at the entrance to entice people to part with their money in exchange for purple slime apples, which were just caramel apples with food coloring, or Devil sandwiches, which were spicy meat sandwiches with a tangy-sweet sauce on a red tomato bun and little toothpicks sticking out to look like horns.  The stands also had various kinds of candy, apple cider, and fruit punch with fake eyeballs floating around in each glass.

 

            At the center of the Carnival was the Pumpkin Tree. Charles Orchard took a seed from the magical Autumn Carnival tree and planted it in soil from the Haunted Forest, the result was an autumn tree that grew pumpkins from the branches, like an apple tree, but instead of apples this tree was filled with small pumpkins with glowing Jack-o-lantern faces. The pumpkin’s faces glowed with green, purple, blue and red light and were most certainly not edible.

 

            If you traveled further into the carnival you wound find rides of all sizes. There was the dead drop ride where people are lifted into the air slowly, then suddenly dropped causing fear and shrieking from the terrified patrons inside the box. There was also a towering set of metal beams with a Jack-o-Lantern at the top. Guests would get into a little lift at the bottom and then brought up into the pumpkin, then the pumpkin head would spin around super fast, insane laughter would echo out of the Jack-o-Lanterns mouth as the people inside the pumpkin screamed. Lastly an actual haunted mansion was at the Carnival, it was a huge house filled with things that would scare even the bravest of souls. Charles found lesser creatures from the Haunted Forest and trapped them in the mansion, but put up a spell to protect the customers.

 

            The carnival also had rides for kids and the faint of heart. The Bat flight ride would let people soar over the carnival while riding on a giant mechanical bat. The Bat even had a cartoon-ish vampire voice that recommended food and rides to people new to the park. The Kids of the Autumn forest enjoyed the bouncy pumpkin, which was a giant inflated pumpkin that had bouncy floors and a ball pit to mimic pumpkin guts and seeds.

 

            Games dotted the carnival, such as Halloween hunt, where you shoot a pellet gun at incoming Halloween themed monsters. The carnival also had a game called Cat claw machine, where you control a claw that looks like a black cat, with each claw hook being a cat let. Kids would hover the cat over spooky treats and small stuffed animals like plague rats, skeleton mice and poisonous frogs.

 

            Charles wished there were more rides and attractions but he was on a deadline. He hoped this Halloween his carnival would be a huge success so he could keep adding things and make a new one every year.

 

            While the crowds of people laughed, ate and screamed in terror a familiar face was walking among the humans. Pumpkin Jack, the man with the carved face walked through the Halloween Carnival and smiled at all the good cheer toward Halloween. He spotted Charles and patted him on the back “Good work Chuck, you did good” Said Pumpkin Jack, who was dressed in all orange and black as usual. His jagged pumpkin-carving sword was strapped to his belt, but everyone assumed it was fake or didn’t seem to notice.

 

            Charles could feel the joy and entertainment that the park was bringing everyone and it brought a warm smile to his face. Then a sense of dread over took him, he looked toward the Haunted Forest and saw an uprising of shadow fiends, ghosts and spirits gathering behind the Carnival. Charles looked at Pumpkin Jack, who also saw it. The two ran along the outer gate of the carnival, they ran as fast as they could in hopes that they would be able to intercept the shadow fiends before they reached the carnival.

 

            When Charles finally reached the group of spirits and fiends he noticed the Czars already standing between the fiends and the carnival. Pumpkin Jack and Charles quickly went to join their friends. “You won’t stop us human!” shouted a towering shadow creature carrying a black hammer. The shadow hammer had runes written into the side and Charles knew right away what they were. The shadow hammer was forged with shadow magic and physical magic, letting the wielder attack any ghost, spirit, shadow or human with crushing force. “Whats going on? We had a deal! Don’t you already feel the fear from the scary rides in my carnival?” Asked Charles. The leader of the small army laughed. “You promised a feast of fear and so far we’ve only had a snack. There isn’t enough fear to satisfy all of us. We all helped build your human entertainment and now we want the feast we were promised” said the shadow fiend leader. “Gentlemen, it doesn’t matter the size of your meal, this is a guaranteed yearly meal that you wouldn’t normally have. This is one meal you don’t have to hunt for, one meal that is delivered right to you. You all did a wonderful job helping build the rides, but now you have infinite years ahead of you of annual free meals. A month of work and now you have guaranteed fear to eat every Halloween. This carnival will go on for as long as I live and I plan to live a very long time” Explained Charles calmly. Some of the angry spirits and shadow fiends seemed satisfied with that for an answer. “ALSO if you go any further I will put every one of you whimpering spirits so far in the ground you won’t ever see the moon again!” Shouted pumpkin Jack who was holding his jagged pumpkin sword. Jack’s blade was also able to cut and destroy any ghost, shadow fiend, monster or human. Pumpkin Jack was older than most of the creatures in the haunted forest and the power of his sword was a product of absorbing years of dark energy from Hallows end and the Haunted forest.

 

            Between the rational explanation given by Charles and the convincing threat from Pumpkin Jack, the majority of the shadow fiends and ghosts decided to slink back into the Haunted forest and enjoy their free meal. The shadow leader and his closest followers decided to press the issue. “You don’t scare me, Pumpkin boy. My hammer can kill anything, no matter how old you claim to be. So I think its time to feast on those humans. Their pure fear will taste even better than this manufactured fear you are feeding us” Said the Shadow Leader as he began to march forward.

 

            Nyx and Poe, the Czars of Halloween, pulled their weapons out from the straps on their back. “I was hoping not to mess up my suit” Said Poe as he brushed his black and white suit with the back of his hand. “I was hoping to mess up someone’s face, so this works out” Said Nyx with a creepy smile. The Czars of Halloween, and Pumpkin Jack all charged forward with their weapons ready to strike. Charles stayed back and began to chant. After a few seconds Charles was able to create a barrier around the Halloween Carnival. The barrier let humans come and go, but anything supernatural couldn’t pass through into the carnival, the barrier also hid the fighting that was about to ensue outside.

 

            Pumpkin Jack charged forward and slashed like a maniac at the Shadow leader, Pumpkin Jack used to be a human sailor at one point in his life, he had sword skills, grace and a peaceful mind, now he had the mind of an animal and went berserk whenever he was in a fight. The shadow leader was able to block each sword strike with his shadow hammer but he was having a difficult time keeping up. The giant shadow monster swatted his large hand at pumpkin Jack then used both hands to slam his hammer into the ground. The ground shook and spirits rose up from the ground and began to latch onto Jack, sapping his strength with their supernatural powers.

 

            Poe ran toward Jack and swung his Axe scythe. The great blade sliced through the air, sending a spirit blade forward at Jack. The spirit blade went through Jack but only made contact with the summoned spirits. The Spirits all cried out as Poe’s special ability forced them back into the earth from where they came. The shadow leader melted into the ground and reappeared behind Poe, striking him in the head with a quick but deadly punch. The force of the punch sent Poe stumbling sideways before he crumpled to the ground. Nyx shouted in anger and alarm and rushed toward Poe. Nyx and Jack pulled their swords out and attacked the shadow leader at the same time. The force of two pumpkin swordsmen attacking at once was too much for the leader. Each strike of either sword left a trail of fire and burning wounds. The shadow leader tried to block with his hammer but the force of the sword strikes were too much and ever time a sword struck his hammer, the shadow hammer would shake and start to crack.

 

            The two swordsmen attacked with the force of an army of wild animals. The shadow hammer began to glow orange-red as it heated up. Poe finally stood up with a determined and deadly look in his eyes. He charged forward and swung his axe with all of his might, straight down at the shadow leader. The leader blocked and the force of Poe’s strike broke the already weakened hammer. The shadow leader flew backward as his hammer exploded.

 

            “uh…huh, fine. You win. But you can’t kill me. No matter how much I am sliced. Only a shadow fiend can kill another shadow fiend” Said the Shadow leader. Just then Pumpkin Jack realized he hadn’t seen Charles. The group of friends looked around only to see Charles in his true Shadow fiend form. A hulking shadow monster was ripping ghosts and spirits apart with his bare hands, then eating the ones who weren’t completely destroyed.

           

            Charles had been fed so well over the years from the Autumn Carnival that his true for was as big if not bigger than the shadow leader, who was an older shadow fiend than Charles. “You dare attack my carnival? You attack MY PAYING CUSTOMERS?!” Charles shouted, his voice shook the ground. Charles jumped in the air and landed next to the shadow leader. Charles had horns, glowing yellow eyes and jagged teeth inside his giant mouth. Purple and black swirls moved through his whole body as if he was a liquid, a smoke and a solid all at once. The shadow leader melted into the ground to escape but Charles reached into the ground after him and pulled the leader out, lifting him up in the air.

 

            Before the Shadow leader could beg for mercy Charles took a big bite out of the leader, crunching off his head with little effort. He dropped the leaders body in a slump, which quickly melted away. Charles opened his mouth, pulled the leaders head out of his mouth and held it up in the air. The leader’s head was still alive, losing his body didn’t seem to slow him down. Charles summoned a pumpkin out of this air and smashed the leaders head into a pumpkin. A face appeared on the pumpkin, it wasn’t carved but instead it looked as if it was painted on by glowing purple paint. The spirit paint appeared in the grim visage of the Shadow fiend leader. The spirit of the Leader was now trapped in this special pumpkin for all eternity, as long as no one smashed it open. Charles stashed the pumpkin away in a pocket that he seemed to open up out of the air.

 

            The Czars of Halloween seemed shocked and surprised, Pumpkin Jack looked like he had seen this kind of thing before and was unimpressed. “Well I am glad that is over” Said Pumpkin Jack. “Yes, me too! Thank you so much for your help. It may have seemed like I had everything under control but I certainly couldn’t have done it without you. The shadow leaders hammer alone would have put me down for the count” Said Charles as he slowly morphed into his human form.

 

            The customers of the Halloween Carnival had no idea that their lives were in danger and if asked they would say that they had a great time and looked forward to going again next year.

The Halloween Carnival part 1

        The night air was crisp and cold, each gust of wind howled and the full moon hung in the sky as it stared down at the world below.  

            Deep in the haunted forest was the Halloween loving town of Hallows End. Anyone inside the borders of Hallows End would see monsters for their true nature. No ghost could stay invisible and no shape shifter could hide their identity. Villagers of other towns would come to Hallows End for a yearly Halloween party and anyone who knew the magic of the town would be unsettled to see that the moon had a menacing grimace and eyes that fixated on the earth at all times. Many decided to believe it was the magic of Halloween playing tricks, but the creatures of Hallows End knew that they looked upon the moons true face. 

            Charles Orchard, the owner of the Autumn Carnival made his way through the Haunted Forest. The Haunted Forest was full of wild spirits, screaming pumpkins and gray, leafless trees that oozed green slime when injured. Charles Orchard had determined eyes and strode through the dangerous forest with purpose in each step. The man wore a black suit with a bright orange shirt, black top hat with a black and orange striped band at the base of the hat and a purple leaf sticking out of the side of the hat. Charles walked with a cane decorated with a silver pumpkin for a handle.  

            Soon Charles reached a clearing that lead to the ever-popular Hallows End. It was a week before Halloween and the town was lit up with orange, yellow, red and purple lights, brightly lit signs, and lanterns with green flames and Jack-o-lanterns on every corner and by every house.  Charles took one step into Hallows End and his appearance immediately began to change. His clothes stayed the same but his skin turned black as coal and his form became less solid. Charles Orchard wasn’t a human from the Autumn forest, he was a shadow fiend from the Haunted forest. It was entirely possible that he was the only friendly shadow fiend in the world. He delighted in seeing others smile and laugh and if he grew rich from it, then it was even better. While other shadow fiends fed on terror and pain, Charles was nourished from being around happiness and good will. The love of the Autumn carnival and the fun from the rides was enough to feed Charles for an entire year. 

            Shadow fiends didn’t care about hurting humans but Charles didn’t want to see anyone suffer, so he came up with a plan. He would make a Halloween Carnival that would scare AND delight humans once a year. By creating scary rides on the edge of the Haunted forest, the human fear would feed the Shadow fiends and keep the humans safe all at the same time. He would also be able to get a second, smaller meal of happiness and good will each year. He would use this extra energy to strengthen his magic, making it easier to teleport and maintain his Autumn and Halloween Carnivals. 

            Charles smiled warmly as he saw that production was ahead of schedule. His almost featureless face curled into a smile that would send most running for the hills but it was hard to look warm and lovable when he was in his true shadow form. Villagers of Hallows End and even monsters from the Haunted Forest pitched in the help to build the Halloween Carnival. For the residence of Hallows End the carnival would spread more Halloween fun throughout the land, the spirits and wraiths of the Haunted Forest only saw the carnival as a means to be well fed every year. Regardless of motivation, Charles was happy to see so many people working together. 

            The Czars of Halloween stepped out from a pumpkin shaped tavern holding beer mugs. They were both smiling and their smiles widened when they saw Charles. “Charles my friend, how are you?” asked Nyx who was dressed in a black and orange suit, a long sword was strapped to his back, the pommel was in the shape of an angry looking Jack-o-lantern. Poe waved “Hey”. Poe wore a black and white suit and had a large scythe shaped axe strapped to his back. No one was expecting trouble but the Czars of Halloween were not only chill Halloween loving dudes but also the fierce protectors of Hallows End. 

            “Boys! Everything is going wonderfully! We almost have all of the rides ready and when the construction is complete I will be able to teleport everything on the human side of the Haunted Forest” Charles said excitedly.

            The Czars of Halloween were in their late twenties and were still mostly human, but were often referred to as boys by the older inhabitants of Hallows End. Some monsters, including Charles, were hundreds of years old. For the Czars be relatively young humans and still be so respected, was quite a feat.

            Days passed since that day and Halloween was right around the corner, the Halloween Carnival had been completed and all was ready for the grand opening.

            This Halloween day promised to be one that no one would forget any time soon.

Autumn Carnival part 4 - The Clock struck 12

            The night rolled on as the family of three continued their adventure in the Autumn Carnival. Wyatt and Felix enjoyed their time so far, the grand opening of the carnival, reflecting back on their childhood, winning the cider drinking contest, getting delicious snack and then their father got them the coolest souvenir of them all, a seed from the Carnival tree. The large Autumn tree that had green, yellow, orange and red leaves evenly throughout its branches, the tree that towered over almost every ride. That tree had produced a seed and now Wyatt’s family owned that seed. Wyatt could just picture the tree in his back yard, towering over their house with every autumn color on its branches.

            Nathan yawned loudly. It was getting close to midnight had he had been walking around with his family since sundown. His kids, Wyatt and Felix still had plenty of energy. “whose excited to ride the Ferris Wheel?” Nathan said trying to sound more enthusiastic than tired. “ME!!” Both children said at once. Nathan chuckled and then yawned again. He took a small flask out of his pocket and took a swig. The flask had jack-o-lantern on it with a devilish grin. Under the grinning pumpkin symbol the words “Grinning Jack” was inscribed. Grinning Jack was a specialty liquor store that stayed in business thanks to Nathan and a few other loyal costumers. Normally the flask had maple scotch or pumpkin rum in it, but since he was out with his children, Nathan was filling the flask with the apple cider that Wyatt won.  The sugar from the cider and the maple candies was keeping him awake.

            The family slowly approached the North root. They could see the giant Ferris wheel towering over everything else in the carnival. It was not only giant but also covered in lights that twinkled like stars. As soon as Nathan, Wyatt, and Felix got the North Root entrance they noticed the Ferris wheel before anything else. As they walked more into the North root, that is when they saw all of the adult rides. Wyatt and Felix were in their late teens so they could ride any ride in the North Root. Nathan missed having little adorable children but was happy he didn’t have to go to the East Root anymore, if he had to spend another night watching small children slowly circle around a plastic tree he would need something stronger than apple cider.

            Nathan saw a ride called the cake mixer, which looked like a giant cake mixer, but instead of blades there were seats. “You kids wanna ride the cake mixer?!” Nathan said in his most excited voice. He loved the ride because it spun you around and scrambled your guts, also Nathan liked to pretend he was being mixed into cake batter.

“No thanks, We are going to keep looking around” Said Wyatt. “Alright, just don’t ride the Ferris wheel without me. Remember it’s the last thing we do before we leave” Nathan said then ran toward the cake mixer ride, child like excitement in his eyes.

            As Wyatt and Felix walked around they saw many new and exciting rides, like the screaming pumpkin. a giant pumpkin shaped ball that people would climb into, trap themselves in and then the pumpkin would spin incredibly fast. The sounds of the screaming people came from within the pumpkin shape, thus the name. Wyatt wanted to go on the battle boats ride, like Bumper cars but on water and the sides of your boat could fire water jets. That ride was sadly taken away, maybe the cool autumn air discouraged people from enjoying water rides.

           

            Wyatt and Felix decided on riding the Balloon ride. Wyatt and Felix excitedly ran toward the ride, Wyatt remembered this was a new installment from last year and it must have been popular enough to stay. The ‘balloons’ were solid plastic and shaped like hot air Balloons. The basket part had four seats. Two on either side of the basket, so if four people got into this ride they would be facing each other. The balloon part was just sculpted plastic and painted a bright color. There was a blue, purple, red, orange and yellow balloon. Wyatt and Felix chose the orange Balloon and were buckled into their seats. Each balloon was attached to a flexible metal arm, which was hidden as much as possible to give the illusion of riding in a hot air balloon. The ride started and all of the balloons were lunged into the air. The balloons shot straight up into the air one at a time, as if being thrown by an invisible giant hand.  Wyatt and Felix felt a rush as they were thrown straight up and wind rushed over them. The rush of moving quickly upward and the cool autumn air was exhilarating. When the balloons reached their highest point they stopped and began to gently drift to the ground. The sudden and exciting rush mixed with the slow and peaceful descent was a surprisingly fun combination. The Balloons did this three times in total. Quick and sharp rocketing skyward, then a nice drifting pace as they sailed toward the ground.

            Wyatt and Felix enjoyed their ride but couldn’t wait to go up even higher when they rode the Ferris Wheel. It was a higher height but much slower and steadier pace. It was perfect for a relaxing end to a beautiful evening.

            Wyatt and Felix decided to go find their dad before it got much later. The Carnival closed at 1am but the night was considered over at midnight. That gave the workers an hour to close everything up properly. It was almost midnight and Wyatt couldn’t find his father. Felix spotted him talking to a familiar looking man. Nathan and the man were grinning and shaking hands. When Nathan spotted his kids he introduced them to the man. “Oh Wyatt, there you are. Wyatt, Felix, this is Mr. Orchard, the Carnival owner. We were just discussing the new seed and how to raise it carefully” Nathan said. Mr. Orchard was a pale, slightly plump man with a big smile and a white hair. He wore a black suit with a white shirt and an old fashioned bowtie, which was orange. He held his top hat in his hands and fiddled with the brim as he spoke. “Good evening Young Sirs. It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Mr. Stephen Orchard. It is nice to meet you. Mr. Orchard said with a kind smile. Wyatt and Felix smiled and both shook his hand. The family had a nice chat with Mr. Orchard but had to cut the conversation short as it was getting late. “Well I had lots of fun taking with you, but I should go. I believe you kids have a Ferris Wheel to ride before the night is over, right?” Mr. Orchard said knowingly. Old people often spoke in such way that was mysterious to Wyatt, as if they were always hinting at something that Wyatt couldn’t understand yet.

            It was eleven forty-five and the family stood in line for the Ferris wheel. The night was almost over, which was both exciting and sad at the same time. Wyatt, Felix climbed into a ferris wheel seat and Nathan sat in the one right behind them. Instead of letting a stranger sit with him, he stretched out to get more comfortable.

            The ride started. Soft music played but Wyatt couldn’t figure out from where. Ferris wheel slowly climbed higher and higher. Wyatt and Felix scaled upward, passed the people, over than the food stands, above the adult rides and then finally, higher than the wall.  For the first time in hours Wyatt was looking outside the Autumn Carnival and for the first time in a year he was looking at it from such a soaring height.

            The blanket of night covered the autumn forest. Cold air rushed through Wyatts hair and passed his face. Everything was dark out there in the wilderness and the small towns. Everyone was either at the autumn carnival tonight or home asleep so the only light for miles was the carnival. The carnival shone bright like a beacon, like a burning star alone in the sky. Autumn trees, which were once such vibrant red and orange, were now veiled in darkness, making each tree look the same. The view from the top was extraordinary as well as peaceful. Wyatt enjoyed the Ferris wheel but he would have loved to just stay at the top for hours, gazing out into the distance, feeling the cold air on his face, being above everything even the tallest walls of the Autumn Carnival.

            Wyatt and Felix reached the very top of the Ferris Wheel and as they started to descend Wyatt saw something in the distance. Over by the haunted woods, where light never glows, where only the dead walk and no one ever goes. Wyatt saw a light, a bright orange light burned brightly and something was being raised up passed the treetops. Something, like a spire was raised up out of the Haunted Forest near Hallows End, light glowed brilliantly around it and then something began to move on the spire. Something large and dangerous looking, spiked and moving was on the spire. Wyatt only saw this for a few seconds before the Autumn Carnival wall blocked his vision. Wyatt tried to sit up or even stand up to see better but knew he couldn’t and didn’t want to fall out of his seat. He went lower than the wall, under the adult rides, down to the food stands and eye level with the people. Everyone on the Ferris wheel was smiling and having a good time, but what Wyatt saw was so strange he was upset that he didn’t get a better look.

            Then the Ferris wheel started to go back up again. Wyatt remembered that he only went around once and the Ferris wheel usually goes around a few times before stopping. Wyatt and Felix were lifted up again, higher and higher till they got to the very top. Felix had a large smile on his face and was enjoying the view just as much the second time as he did the first time. Wyatt was busy scanning the landscape for any sign of that glowing spire. He looked toward the Halloween city of Hallows End but it was dark. No lights, no orange glow, no spire. In the short time it took for the ferris wheel to go down and come back up around the spire was either taken down or vanished. Wyatt knew he wasn’t imagining things but he also knew no one would believe him. He decided to not let this bother him. He would enjoy his night and worry about Hallows End another time.

            The Ferris wheel went around a few more times and by the end Wyatt was already feeling better. The cool air, the gentle rocking of the ferris wheel cabin and the view all put his mind at ease. The ride stopped and the people slowly were let off. When Wyatt, Felix and Nathan finally met up again they was talk about how much fun they had, how cool the Ferris wheel was but no mention of spires or strange lights. Wyatt decided to forget it and figured he was the only one who saw it.

            The family began to leave the park. They slowly walked toward the center tree as the clock struck twelve. A clock tower bell rang out twelve times. Nathan looked all around for a bell and finally spotted one. A large clock tower with a bell attached to it was hiding behind the giant Ferris wheel. Nathan, Wyatt and Felix both started to laugh, they had all heard the bell and no one knew were the sound was coming from.

            After the bell stopped ringing the Carnival was silent. People had either left of were leaving. Only low murmurs could be heard as people talked quietly amongst themselves. Wyatt and Felix pretended to whisper to eachother to mimic the people around them. “Psst pssstssst” They both made these noises at each other and then began to laugh.

            The walk home was nice, quiet and peaceful. They were all tired and couldn’t wait to go to bed. Excitement still buzzed in their minds as their bodies slowly walked home. The autumn forest was dark but lit up in spot by people holding lanterns as they made their way home. Nathan held his lantern up so his kids could see the trail home. As they approached the town they smelled wood smoke. The delicate and rustic smell lingered and mixed with the cold autumn air. Nathan took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled. It was the perfect ending for a perfect night in the Autumn Carnival.

Autumn Carnival part 3 - Tricks and Treats

The family of three continued on their journey to the Western Root. The west root was home to the gift shop and food stands. The smell of cakes and pies filled the area, roasted meat was served on the bone to the more adventurous customers and hot and cold cider stalls were everywhere. Wyatt was still sick from drinking too much cider and didn’t even want to look at another glass of cider. Some of the other food looked good though and he was starting to get hungry. He hoped that eating solid food would help settle his stomach.

 The food stalls were set up on the grass all along the west root’s cobblestone path. They were all fairly small in size and only had the necessary equipment to make one or two dishes. So everything had its own food stand. Apple cider, candy and Carmel apples, fresh pie, various meat dishes and so on. At the end of the cobblestone path was the gift shop “The laughing pumpkin” the only slightly spooky thing in the whole carnival. The laughing pumpkin was a large building that looked like an old fashioned house, almost like a haunted house but with a wooden Jack-o-lantern sitting on the roof. The laughing pumpkin Jack-o-lantern was painted orange and had its mouth open like a laugh, which Wyatt thought looked cool but Felix found it unsettling. “You know sometimes that pumpkin comes down and eats kids” Wyatt told Felix. “S-shut up! I’m not a kid! So it doesn’t matter to me!” Said Felix. Nathan just laughed. The three went into the gift shop.

Inside the gift shop was not spooky at all, in fact it looked like a regular store. The store sold snow globes with miniature autumn settings and red and orange dots instead of white dots, to simulate leaves instead of snow. They were called Autumn Snow globes because leaf globes wouldn’t sound right. Wyatt found a small wooden model of the laughing pumpkin, which looked exactly like the pumpkin on the roof and Wyatt thought he might pick that as his souvenir. Not only was it cool but also Felix was scared of it, Win-win! Wyatt continued to look at the items, laughing pumpkin model in hand.

 Passed the carnival miniatures, the apple scented candles, the autumn landscape pictures and the plush toys of soft animals was a shelf that had an entirely different kind of product. In the back of the store Wyatt stood staring at a sign that said “Ready for Halloween? Come to Hallows end for a night to die for” The sign was hung above a shelf, the shelf was covered in spooky, scary and sometimes disturbing items. Wyatt had found the Halloween section in the gift shop, a section he had never seen before.

He stared fascinated at the Jack-o-lantern models that were painted to look like they were bleeding from their eyes, a painting of witches flying past the moon and a severed hand reaching up out of a potted plant, Orange and Black Candy canes, a mysterious box that screamed when you opened it and a ceramic doll that looked very ordinary but Wyatt was too afraid to touch it and find out why it was on the Halloween shelf.

Nathan found Wyatt at the back of the store. “Come on, champy. Time to go. Don’t start getting too fascinated with this stuff, remember what happened to those two boys Nyx and Poe from Harvest town. Went to Hallows end by themselves and were never heard from again” Said Nathan. Wyatt quickly turned to his father and nodded.

Felix was waiting at the front counter for Nathan and Wyatt. “I found what I wanted to get” Said Wyatt holding up the laughing Jack-o-lantern. Felix squinted his eyes and scrunched up his face to show he was annoyed at Wyatt’s choice. “I thought of something you would like better” Nathan said. “Excuse me miss” Nathan said to the young girl behind the counter. The girl turned to greet her customers “Yes sir?” She said. Her voice was soft, her skin was milky white and her hair was black like raven’s feathers. Wyatt was in love. Wyatt was seventeen and fell in love with every pretty girl he saw, so this was normal for him. Wyatt stared and was unable to talk.

 “I would like that bag of pumpkin seeds. I plan to plant a small pumpkin patch in our back yard” Nathan said to the girl. “Very well, anything else?” Asked the girl. Nathan smiled slyly. “Yes, I also want that seed there” He pointed to a small pouch containing one single seed. The pouch was behind glass and was locked in a box. “Sorry sir, that is the only item in this store that money can’t buy. The owner Mr. Orchard won’t sell it to anyone unless they have the purple leaf.

“Why do we need a purple leaf to buy a seed?” Asked Wyatt who was more curious than nervous. “Well cutie, its because this seed is from the Autumn tree at the center of the carnival. Only someone who has a purple leaf from the tree can buy this very special and very rare seed. Also no one is allowed to climb the tree to get the purple leaf. So they have to just hope the leaf falls from the branches and lands on them. So by getting the leaf, its like the tree chose them” Explained the cute cashier lady. Wyatt was still stunned when the girl called him “cutie” and couldn’t reply.

Nathan smiled “Yes and after coming to this carnival since I was a kid and bringing my kids almost every year when I was an adult, after all of this time, I found it. I waited and the purple leaf landed in my lap. On my face actually” Nathan said and pulled a bright purple leaf from his pocket. It looked like a purple maple leaf and was brighter than any color Wyatt had seen on a tree. The girl looked in amazement. “I thought the purple leaf thing was made up to get people excited” Said the girl. “Well its not, and I think you owe me a rare seed” Nathan said as he bobbed his head side to side in excitement. The girl unlocked glass case and the box the seed was in. She handed Nathan the rare Autumn Carnival tree seed along with the pumpkin seeds he bought. “Don’t leave the carnival until you have had a chance to talk with Mr.Orchard. He will want to meet you” Said the girl. Nathan took the seeds, smiled, nodded and said “Thank you”

Wyatt could hardly believe his Fathers luck. It explained why Nathan stared at the tree for all of those hours while his kids were off playing games. With the seeds safely tucked away Nathan left the store with his kids. “Aw man, I forgot to get a souvenir!” Wyatt said. I got you a souvenir, the tree seed. I got it for you kids. I want us to plant it together and grow it as big as it will get. The tree will belong to you kids and it will remind us of the good times we had here” Nathan said. The two boys were speechless. “So whose hungry?” Nathan said as he slapped his hands together.

Wyatt’s appetite had returned and he was able to enjoy a nice roasted sweet potato with cinnamon sugar. Felix got a Carmel apple and Nathan bought a whole bucket of Maple candies for himself. This trip to the Autumn Carnival was already the best one yet, but the night was still young and the family of three still had one final destination, The Northern Root and the giant Ferris wheel.

Autumn Carnival part 2 - Fun and games

The night continued on, the air smelled like fresh apples and pastries. The cool breeze blew through the Autumn Carnival. Wyatt and Felix walked through the east root, the eastern side of the carnival. They left their father to stare at the beautiful autumn tree at the center of the carnival.

Wyatt walked over the smooth cobblestone path that led through the east root. A circle of cobblestone surrounded the autumn tree at the center and then branched off into every direction. Wyatt remembered the feel of the stone beneath his shoes. He listened to the sound of the bells and whistles that would go off every time someone won a prize at a game in the east root. The cold air took him back to a day when he was still small enough to ride the little kid rides. The rides like the autumn leaf ride, where little kids would sit in these leaf shaped carts and they would slowly go up and down, gently moving in a circle like leaves in the wind. He remembered being on that ride when he was very small and he felt like he was flying when the leaves took off. Now at the age of seventeen, Wyatt realized the ride wasn’t fast at all and the leaves barely left the ground, but to a child it was like floating through the air. Wyatt remembered going on all of his favorite rides and then feeling a sense of joy when he got to see his younger brother ride he old favorites but also experienced new rides that Wyatt never got to experience.

The Autumn carnival was a yearly tradition and to keep things feeling fresh would often swap out the least popular rides for new rides that might be more fun. Wyatt’s favorites still stood tall after all of these years. As the two brothers walked by Wyatt smiled when he saw a small boy with the look of wonder in his eyes when the leave ride took off.

If Felix was asked what he remembered he would say that he remembered the ‘bug ride’ a tiny roller coaster where children would ride a bug cart as he whizzed through a wide, oddly shaped, plastic tree with tracks. The bug roller coaster ride was installed years after Wyatt was too big to ride the children’s rides so Felix felt special that he was able to experience it. There was something in this park that was his and not a ‘hand me down’ from his older brother. If you asked Felix what he remembered he would tell you all of this and more, but Felix wasn’t prone to reminiscing or nostalgia because he was too busy by how excited he was by the carnival.

Wyatt walked at a slow pace as he took everything in but Felix kept rushing ahead then running back. “Why are you sooo slooow? Felix asked Wyatt, putting emphesis on his ‘O’s to show his frustration. Wyatt smiled and hurried his step. Soon the two boys reached the games. The boys walked past the ‘Shoot every bell with a pellet and win a prize’ game, the claw machine games and bobbing for apples, which Wyatt didn’t think was sanitary. Finally they reached two games, the cider drinking competition and a game where you have to catch apples as they fall from a large tree. Felix paid a ticket, grabbed a woven basket and went for the apple tree game. Wyatt decided this year he would win the apple cider drinking game.

            Felix and four other children around the ages of 10-15 ran around the large apple tree as bright red apples tumbled from its branches. Wyatt smiled as he watched his little brother run around like a maniac. Wyatt was waiting for the cider drinking competition to begin. The cider drinking started every hour on the hour. The clock soon struck nine and a loud bell rang out nine times. The bell sounded large, like it came from a full sized bell tower. The small hand wound clock by the cider drinking table certainly didn’t make that noise.

Wyatt pulled up a chair at the cider table. Three wooden cups were set in front of him. Everyone that sat down had three cups. Before Wyatt could ask “what are the rules” a man in a red shirt shouted “GO!” And blew a whistle. Wyatt began chugging the cups of cider. After he finished one he placed it to his left and grabbed the next cup. The cups to the left were piling up but Wyatt always had three cups of cider in front of him, no more, no less. He figured someone came by and quickly gave him another cup while he was distracted. He chugged cider till he felt sick but he wanted to win. He had played a different game every year and he never found a game he was good at. He hated to lose and he felt like he let his little brother down. Every year Wyatt would promise to win Felix something and every year Wyatt lost. Felix never got upset at Wyatt for losing but Wyatt wanted to win something at least once.

Time passed and Wyatt could see Felix staring with wide eyes of amazement at how much cider the table of people was drinking. Wyatt finished another glass, slammed it down and fell off of his bar stool. He laid on the cold, soft grass as he fought the urge to throw up. The cool grass felt nice on his skin. After a moment he stood up and turned to Felix. “Come on ya Butt, lets go find dad” Wyatt said to Felix with a smile. “wait kid!” Said the man in the red shirt. “You won! Everyone else had stopped by the time you fell over. Even after everyone left you kept drinking. You won by five cups! That’s either sheer determination or a hearty love for cider! Either way you are a champ in my book” Said the Ref in the red shirt. “Whoa! Wyatt you did it!” Felix said. Wyatt turned to accept his prize. “What did I win, Sir?” Asked Wyatt. “You won our biggest jug of homemade, fresh apple cider!” Said the man in the red shirt. Wyatt smiled and promptly threw up.

Back in the center of the carnival also known as “The Tree”, Nathan was sitting under the tree smiling. His smile widened when he saw his boys return with a blue ribbon and a jug of cider. “Heh, You won the cider drinking game! Just like yer old man. I won that game too when I was young, couldn’t drink cider for a week after that” Nathan said as he reminisced the good times. “uhhrg” Wyatt groaned. “Hey, how about I just buy you a souvenir instead? Felix and I can get a snack and I will get you anything you want from the gift shop” Nathan said. Wyatt smiled “Thanks dad”

Nathan, Felix and a still woozy Wyatt had met up. The next step in their adventure was the West Root.

Autumn Carnival part 1 - Grand Opening

            Deep in the autumn forest was a sleepy little place called Maple town. Maple town was famous for two things, Maple syrup and originality.

            In Maple town there was a man named Nathan. Nathan was an old drunk who had two sons who he loved even more than he loved his Maple flavored scotch, which was a lot. Nathan’s children were named Wyatt and Felix. The two boys were seventeen and fourteen. Wyatt had shaggy black hair, was tall and lanky and had olive toned skin. Felix had light brown hair, short but athletic and had similar skin tone. The two boys had different hobbies and interests and while Felix preferred to be active, Wyatt likes to take things slow and easy. One of the things the boys always agreed on was their love of autumn and the Autumn Carnival.

            The Autumn Carnival was unusual because many carnivals took place in spring or summer. Autumn usually only had harvest festivals but once a year the magical and rare Autumn Carnival was open for a week and only a week. The owner of the carnival didn’t advertise or try to build hype, he just set everything up and people came. The carnival became popular through word of mouth but was kept a secret from the other lands.

            It was the day of the grand opening of the Autumn Carnival and there was already a crowd at the entrance. Nathan and his two sons walked up over a large hill to get a better view of the carnival before they went in. Pale green grass stretched out for miles, the Autumn Carnival sat in the open field with a forest of colorful trees behind it. Red, orange and yellow trees swayed in the pleasant breeze. The carnival sign stood tall over the grounds. “Autumn Carnival” was written in bright lights. The sign itself was orange and brown with tints of yellow. Orange, red, yellow, brown, black and purple decorated the various rides and signs. From the view on top of the grassy hill the Father and his sons could see a giant Ferris wheel along with many strange and exciting looking rides poking out from behind the Carnival gates and went up past the main entrance sign.

            Nathan had a sparkle in his eye as he approached the Carnival. He remembered when he used to visit when he was a kid and now he was overjoyed to be able to take his kids to the same place he enjoyed so much. Nathan had been to the Autumn Carnival almost thirty times in his life and his children had been more than ten times, but every year they were just as excited, as they were the first time they visited.

             Wyatt and Felix ran ahead when they saw the carnival gates, which had large metal gates with a pumpkin symbol on each gate door. Outside of the carnival walls was a variety of snack stands and local businesses selling their homemade and home grown goods. Homemade pie, fresh apples and of course more maple syrup than any one man could drink. Wyatt and Nathan always got fresh Maple lollipops before they went into the carnival but Felix insisted that he get an apple cider donut instead.

            The three nibbled their treats as they waited for the Carnival to open. The rolling field and fall colored forest looked beautiful during the day, but the carnival wasn’t open till night. Waiting for the grand opening was half of the fun. While people waited they sampled various foods and listened to musicians play soft melodies and festive tunes.

            Wyatt and Felix walked around the outside of the carvival. As they walked the talked about the rides they wanted to go on and tried to guess what new attractions the carnival would have. Every year the carnival added new rides and shows. The least popular attractions would be taken away or temporarily retired and the fan favorites would stick around. In the fifty years that the Autumn Carnival in business the only attraction to stay every year was the ferris wheel. It was a central attraction and the shape of the ferris wheel towering up above everything else was iconic. When people thought of the Autumn Carnival they always remembered how it looked from the outside, big bright sign, colorful banners, big walls and a towering ferris wheel.

            Night crept in and as the light from the sun dimmed and flickered out, lights from the carnival began to glow brighter and brighter. The chattering and music quieted to a hush. Everyone sat in silence as they waited for what happened next.

            A man in a black suit and black top hat stepped up onto the sign about the Carnival entrance. “Hello good people of the autumn forest!” Called the man. Just as he spoke a spotlight was turned on him. “For those who are new, I am Charles Orchard the owner of the Autumn Carnival. And to those who have been here before, Welcome back my friends I think this year will be the most exciting one yet” Said Mr. Orchard. The crowd cheered. Then fireworks lit up the sky. Booming explosions in the night sky, sending out colors of every kind. When the fireworks stopped a band began to play and the doors to the carnival opened.

            People rushed in, excitement was on the face of every adult and child. Wyatt and Felix had been off walking to pass the time so when the gates opened they were just barely getting back to their father. Nathan smiled “Ready boys?” He asked. The two boys nodded and they all walked toward the carnival. Already a long line was forming. People in the front bought tickets and then were let into the carnival. There were many ticket sellers but there were so many people that some people had to wait.

            Wyatt looked at the towering ferris wheel as it stood motionless. It was covered in white lights that twinkled like the stars. The ferris wheel wasn’t moving yet but the lights rotated in such a way that it first glance it looked like the ride was already in motion. Wyatt loved how the darkness of night contrasted with the bright lights and colorful rides in the carnival. Felix just liked looking at pretty colors.

            Soon the lines moved along and the family of three got their tickets and entered the carnival. Immediately they saw autumn tree in the center of the carnival. On just that one tree there were shades of green, yellow, orange and red. The green started at the bottom and changed gradually as it went up. Wyatt doubted it was a real tree because it was so big, it was almost taller than the large walls around the carnival and also he had never seen one tree with so many colors so evenly spaced. Yet the tree did look real and leaves occasionally fell off when a strong wind blew.

            The tree was in the center of the carnival, the carnival was broken up into sections and called ‘Roots’ because they all led back to the tree. The carnival entrance was in the south root, the ferris wheel and the adult rides were in the north root, the west root had the food and souvenirs, and the east root was children rides and games that give out prizes.

            Nathan stood under the tree and marveled at the beautiful sight. A large autumn tree so full of color surrounded by bright lights and soft music. “We are going to go on some rides” Said Wyatt to his father. “Oh ok boys, have fun” Said Nathan as he stared up at the tree.

            Felix and Wyatt shrugged and walked off to the east root. Nathan was always a weird guy so his fascination with the tree didn’t phase his two boys. “What do you wanna do first?” Felix asked excitedly. “Well first we need to win some prizes. Its been a whole year since last time, and this time I am going to win something! I just know it!” Said Wyatt sounding very determined.

            Wyatt and Felix always used the excuse of trying to win prizes to go to the east root and while Felix might honestly want to win a prize, Wyatt always went because he missed the days when he got to ride the child rides. Wyatt never won any prized but he always tried his best and always got Felix excited in the process but while he took his time ‘deciding on a game’ he was actually feeling nostalgic when he saw old familiar rides and felt a little jealous when he saw cool new rides that he would never be able to experience.

            While some would say the east root was filled with kids rides and cheap games, Wyatt would say the east root was filled with memories.

Watch for part 2 as the boys explore the East and West roots.