The rusty gate creaked as I pushed it open. The old fairgrounds had been closed for years, but I still had to see it for myself before I would believe it. I walked down the overgrown path, past destroyed game booths. You could almost hear the kids laughing merrily as they won toys that would become precious objects of wonder that held treasured memories.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmswHKU9E1
But that was over now. All the once brightly painted tents lay faded, broken, and unused. The masks hanging from the lampposts no longer hovered happily over a bright and magical scene but rather creepily watched with big, exaggerated smiles as you trespassed on their sacred land. As I passed one that had fallen, I couldn’t help but stepping down on it and cracking the plaster that had once been an integral part of the abandoned park’s scenery. I glanced back a single time, sadly surveying the wreckage of a once wonderful place before I entered the old circus tent.
The shiny fabric was shredded and the wooden stands almost rotted through with age. The high diving board that the acrobats had used was gone, but the ladder still towered over the empty, destroyed stands. It took me back to the days spent watching the audience, feeling the tense anticipation emanating from them as Jessa leaped from it, no safety net below, only two wires, thin as fishing line, to catch her should something go wrong. She always caught David’s hands though, and the thunderous applause of the crowd would erase any sense of unease. I soon found my way to the cracked plastic podium that was worn from the amount of times I’d stepped up to introduce the circus.
The wind, whipping furiously, alerted me to the oncoming storm. I slowly left the old tent and then ran between the masks leering down at me. As I closed the old gate behind me, I could almost smell the popcorn, hear the laugher of fairgoers, and taste cotton candy on my tongue once again.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvr931uNzb
