When I was a kid, one of the things I always forward to every July was Slaborough's carnival. There were clowns, mimes, fun mirrors, a Ferris wheel and even food. My favourite was cotton candy, preferably the purple one. Well, it all started when I ran downstairs to the kitchen to help my family with the preparation. They were going to sell fried ice-cream and fried Oreo's.
My dad was pouring a bag of ice inside the cooler when he noticed me standing in front of him. "Oh, hey Bugsy," he smiled. "Could you help me to take out a few tubs of ice-cream in the fridge?"
I nodded and walked towards the refrigerator and opened the door, taking out an ice-cream tub one at a time. As I placed one inside the cooler, Aunt Inara's screams echoed in the kitchen. "Bugsy, come here and close the fridge door dammit."
I rushed towards the kitchen and faced my aunt's fury. "I was packing the ice-cream for the carnival," I defended. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPDUnlIwUJ
"Still, you're wasting electricity and electricity is not cheap these days."
My father chuckled as he walked in on our conversation. "Relax sis," he assured her. "It's just a small matter. Besides, she's only 10-years-old."
"A 10-year-old girl is old enough to know about saving electricity," Aunt Inara retorted. "When we were her age, we were expected to be responsible and obedient."
"Kids these days," she continued. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXGx2GkQgv
My father rolled my eyes. "Just continue with your work, Inara," he smiled. "Bugsy and I have this situation under control."
I continued to help my father when Em came into the kitchen, carrying Carter in her arms. "Daddy," she called. "Carter's hungry."
I sighed. "I'll handle it."
Em handed over Carter in my arms as I grabbed his baby bottle from the kitchen counter and poured baby powder and boiling hot water inside the bottle, shaking it to mix it well. I gave Carter the milk bottle, and he sucked its nipple with his mouth. He felt calm as he slurped on his milk.
"Bugsy," Aunt Inara shouted from the kitchen. "Could you help us carry some stuff to the car?"
I went downstairs, with Carter in my hands and opened the front door. "There you are," Aunt Inara grinned. "Now go help your father with the cooler."
I placed Carter on his baby seat and approached my dad, helping him to carry the cooler inside the car boot. My stepmother, Chaeyeong shut the boot and got inside the car, followed by Aunt Inara, Grandma, and Em. Meanwhile, I get to sit in front of my dad driving his pastel yellow Nissan 300ZX.
We drove along with the town, passing by rows of empty shop lots, Each of those shop lots was freshly painted with rainbow colours by our town's painter, Mr Lau, Ferdinand's father. The view of the shop lots from my car window shrank as we entered the grasslands, with daffodils fluttering in the summer wind and the grass dancing along. The sun shone as the clouds moved within the blue skies.
I counted each and every cloud with my fingers as my dad inserted a cassette, playing 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody' by Whitney Houston. All of us in the car sang along as we tapped our feet and danced along with the rhythm of the beat.
I saw the red-striped tents and a flag hanging on the top as my father stopped the car. I stepped out of the car and unbuckled Carter's seat belt and carried him. We followed my father as we set up our carnival booth. I helped him with the cooler while Aunt Inara and Grandma set up the deep-frying equipment while Chaeyeong decorated the counter with signboards and price tags. Carter sat on the counter and bit his fingers as Em ran around the kitchen area.
"Em, please play somewhere else," Aunt Inara scolded. "You'll get yourself killed here."
Em giggled as she dragged Carter out of our booth, running along. "Hey dad," I tugged his shirt sleeves. "Should I watch over Em and Carter?"
My father nodded. "Yes, you will," he permitted. "Make sure you and your siblings return by sunset."
"What about you, dad?" I asked. "Won't you find your hands full?"
He shook his head. "I'll be fine, Bugsy," he laughed. "You go have fun in the carnival. Besides, you've been confined in the house most of the time anyway."
"Thanks, Dad," I gleamed as I hugged him. "You're the best."
I walked out of the carnival booth and searched for Em and Carter, calling their names. "Em, Carter, where are you?"
Nothing but the happy screams piercing the air from little boys and girls chasing each other and pinging sounds from game targets. No sign of my little brother and sister. The scorching hot sun beamed as my throat felt dry and sweat poured from my forehead. As I paced in a slow manner, I saw a booth selling slushies in front of me. I walked towards the booth and ordered myself a cherry slushie, only to notice Mr Siva and my classmate Raj.
"Hey Bugsy," greeted Raj. "Fancy seeing you here, Raj," I replied.
"Aren't you suppose to help your dad to sell fried ice-cream and fried Oreo's?" he wondered. "No, I was assigned with babysitting Em and Carter."
"Oh, that's funny," he muttered. "They were just here."
My eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yeah," nodded Raj. "They ordered cherry slushies just now."
"Did they say where were they going?" I questioned.
"No, but I think they're headed towards the Ferris wheel."
Mr Siva appeared at the counter and handed me my cherry slushie. "That'll be two dollars, Bugsy," he said. I slipped two 1 dollar bills and thanked Mr Siva and Raj. I slurped my slushie and felt refreshed as I stepped into the seat and saw Em and Carter, who waved at me. I sat beside them and gave a death glare towards Em. "Do you know I've been looking for both of you for so long?" I snapped.
"Aunt Inara won't let us play inside our carnival, so we decided to play outside," she gave a mischievous grin. "Fair enough but both of you will stick with me after this whether you like it or not," I ordered. Em groaned. "You're such a party pooper, Bugsy."
The Ferris wheel began to move and our feet hovered in the air as Em held Carter tightly on her lap, making sure he doesn't fall off. The grass became smaller as we were lifted in the air, feeling the summer breeze. As we reached the top, the controller stopped the ride, leaving us swinging from above. My heart palpitated as I stared from above. The red-striped tent I saw earlier looked like a miniature dollhouse as the crowds shrunk into the size of toy soldiers. I gazed at the sky above me and saw the cotton candy clouds were enlarged and I felt closer to the bright sun.
"I'm on top of the world," Em shouted. I bit my lips as I sniffed the clear, crisp summer wind. The Ferris wheel moved again, this time moving backwards. The clouds became smaller as the ground below me grew bigger. As my feet touched the grass, the handle automatically pushed up, letting us free. I held Carter in my arms and my sister's hand, making sure I don't lose them again. We headed towards a booth, where people were tossing rings onto a cone.
I approached the ring toss booth and saw my best friend, Ferdinand, watching from the booth with his parents helping in the back. "Hey Ferdinand," I greeted. Ferdinand smiled and waved at me. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqosjPQRBdV
"Bugsy, I thought you were helping your dad," he exclaimed. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMD80UCtvYz
I shook my head. "Nope, I have to babysit Em and Carter."
"Sad," he teased. "Anyways, since you're here, how about you try your luck and win some prizes?"
I chuckled. "I don't know, Ferdinand. I'm pretty bad at aiming and tossing."
"Just try at least," he encouraged. "You'll never know 'till you try."
I sighed and handed a dollar bill to Ferdinand. He gave me three rings and gave me instructions on how to play. His dad, Mr Lau set the timer and I tossed a ring towards the cone, which fell on the floor instead. I tossed another one and another, but no luck. I groaned in frustration. "Well, as I said, I'm bad at this."
Mr Lau gave a small laugh. "Don't sweat it, Bugsy. It's just a game."
I sighed and was about to leave the booth and I bumped into my other best friend, Jessie. She gleamed and squeezed me into a hug. "Hi Bugsy, what are you doing here?"
"I was about to leave," I answered. "I just lost a game of ring toss."
Jessie laughed as she slipped one dollar at the counter and was given three rings. "Watch and learn, pal," she winked. Within a few minutes, she tossed all three rings into the cone with ease. Mrs Ong gave her a Woody Woodpecker stuffed toy, which she squealed in excitement. I frowned when Jessie gave me a light punch. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡby5fKXSkCI
"Don't be sad, Bugsy," she smiled. "It's only a game."
I shrugged as Ferdinand put his hands on my shoulders. "Cheer up, Bugsy," Ferdinand assured me. "How about we get some cotton candy?"
My frown curved into a smile as we left the game booth and got ourselves cotton candy. Mine was the purple one while Ferdinand and Jessie had blue and pink, respectively. Em and Carter, on the other hand, were forced to share it with me. Em whined about it but Carter was happy to share it with his big sister. We headed towards the carousel and sat on the horses. Carter was sitting on my lap while Ferdinand and Em were beside me, with Jessie sitting behind me.
The carousel moved forward as the horses jumped. Em and Jessie screamed in excitement as Ferdinand and I pretended we were brave knights who were about to save the princess. As the carousel sped up, Jessie appeared outside the ride, waiting for us to finish. I blinked and she disappeared. That's weird. She was behind me the whole time.
Then, I heard echoes. I stared at the carvings of dolls and bears on the walls of the carousel as it moves with the background music. I looked outside and saw Jessie again, this time grinning in a creepy manner. I rubbed my eyes and it disappeared. When the ride stopped, the dolls and bears carvings were in their original position. I looked down and saw Carter, who clapped his hands happily. I held my brother and got out of the carousel and joined Em and my friends.
"Hey Jess," I called out. "Were you standing outside the carousel?"
Jessie shook her head. "I was sitting behind you, Bugsy. Why would I get out of the ride early?"
I lifted both my shoulders. "Maybe it was just me," I dismissed. She wrapped her arms around my shoulder. "Is it okay for me to carry Carter?" she offered. "Your arms look tired."
My eyes widened. "Are you sure?" I doubted. Jessie bobbed her head. "I'll be fine. Besides, I carry my baby sister Kyla all the time."
I handed over Carter to Jessie and she grinned. I stretched my arms and followed them from behind when I heard the same echoes around me. "Bugsy," it whispered. I turned around and saw Jessie, standing in front of the fun house mirrors. I rubbed my eyes and still saw her waving at me.
I looked around and was surrounded by strangers, who were walking all over the carnival. "Bugsy," she shouted my name. "I'm here."
With a bewildered face, I approached her and watched her go inside the fun house mirror, prompting me to go after her. "Jessie," I bellowed. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, looking skinnier than usual. Behind me, I heard a giggle and turned my head and found Jessie beaming at me. "You look silly, Bugsy," Jessie teased. "Now catch me while you can."
I tailed her from behind along the hallways of mirrors. "You're such a poor runner, Bugsy," Jessie couldn't contain her laughter. "Jessie, where's Carter?" I asked. "You were holding him just now."
She pouted her lips and entered a room right next to her. I followed her into the room, only to find it empty. Nothing in sight but mirrors on the wall. "Jessie," I called her name. "Where are you? You haven't answered my question."
"Yes, Bugsy," she stood beside me, fluttering her hands. "Did you call me?"
I smirked and ran towards her, only to hit my forehead on the glass surface and fall. I rubbed where I had knocked and stared at my own reflection with my jaws dropped. I stood up, and exited the room, and saw Jessie laughing. "You're so bad at this game, Bugsy," she mocked. I came at her and lunged at her, only to land on the concrete floor. My head spun as I screamed for her, but she was nowhere in sight.
As I got up, the mirror in front of me shattered as water flowed through the glass, flooding the entire room. I panicked as I navigated for an escape, but the water level reached my lips, making me float. I dunked myself underwater and swam through the flood, hoping I would find the exit.
After a moment, I heard an echo. "Bugsy, help."
It was from Jessie. I swam towards Jessie's cries, to no avail. All I saw was my own reflection. Then, I felt something grabbed my arms. I tried to pull away, only to see that same witch, with long black hair and bloodshot eyes. Her long fingernails were nailed into my forearms.
"As long as you live, you will suffer in pain," she repeated the exact same word to me at the beach. "And no power can undo this curse."
I closed my eyes and opened them again, this time finding myself in the middle of the crowd. Among the crowd, I heard my sister's voice. "Bugsy, there you are," she hugged me. "We were looking for you everywhere."
"We were worried sick," said Ferdinand. "We had to ask around just to look for you."
"I was inside the fun house mirror," I explained. "And so was Jessie."
Jessie raised her eyebrows as she coddled Carter in her arms. "I was with Ferdinand and Em the whole time, Bugsy," she told. "You were right behind me."
I blinked hard as I gazed upon the fun house mirror tent, frozen. If Jessie was with Ferdinand, then who was I chasing?
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