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 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.