He cocked his head slightly towards the noise. It wasn't really far as he could tell, but he couldn't see anything, even though he tried to look over the masses of heads. The ringing of bells was always in the background, as was the drums and the beat-music, booming from every vendor's pushcart. And every cart was selling something different, and it was midnight, all the sights and smells in the carnival were enough to create hallucinations or make you sick at this time of night. "Darling," the woman at his elbow said, nuzzling into his forearm, "Darling what are you thinking about?"
Her husband hadn't heard. He was captured by the noise, trying to listen. It was getting fainter. He strained his ears. "Darling?" the woman looked up at him, "Is anything wrong?"
There was a tight frown on the man's face, and colors flashed all over his face because of the fire, the changing disco lights, the balloons, the dizzying hues...
"Honey?" She shook his arm.
"Yes?"
"Is anything wrong?"
"No... I'm..." He walked with her at his elbow to a gap between two circus tents. He peered into the darkness. The grass was blueish and faded into black as the colors blurred further away from the heat of the carnival. He debated with himself whether or not to go through the gap. It was off-limits, sure, but the sound? The sound was coming from through there, and if he did not catch up to it, it would disappear completely and he would never know why it captivated him so deeply. His heart cried, tears coating his ribs.
"I've heard this before," he said to his wife, almost sadly, "I'm sure I've heard it before somewhere, but I can't remember for the life of me."
The woman frowned. She twisted her long blonde hair with her left hand, while still hanging on to her partner with her right, red lipstick crooked. She scowled. "Oh honey, I'm sure it's nothing. It's probably just Kyle - look there he is!" she turned her husband's head towards the singer on the stage, singing some cheesy love song. The man shook his head. "No... it's, it's something else, I'm sure! It's through there," he pointed through the gap. "I need to go see it."
"You can't," said his wife, "Can't you read the no trespassing sign? The circus people said we can't go there. Hey, let's go get a coke or something, aren't you thirsty after all that walking?"
The man pulled his arm away from his wife and stepped into the gap, almost being squeezed by the tents because they were too close. There was a small dim blue light far into the darkness beyond the canvases, and the tents seemed to never end. But he had to get to that sound!
"Honey!" The woman exclaimed, "Get back here this minute! Right now!"
He was halfway there, going in sideways so the tents won't squeeze him, and he heard it. He heard a sentence, but he could not recall what it was the second after it faded from his ears. What was it that voice said? A small blue glowing tiger swiped at his face, going through it, and a small blue woman screamed, her robes ruffling in imaginary wind as she reached for her little blue son, who was snatched by another woman, but this one was yellow. The little yellow woman ran with the child and put him on a couch, lowering to one knee and embracing the little boy, and he turned yellow too.
The man's eyes widened at the illusions before him, and he could almost repeat the sentence he had heard. "Don't let her drown you in--"
Suddenly, he was pulled out of the dark little hole, and back into the light.
"Are you alright darling?" His wife asked, her hand on his shoulders and he was on the ground, "You passed out."
The man blinked twice, surprised. Then, with the help of his wife, he stood up.
"What happened?" she asked, touching his face, worried. He held his head. It hurt and it throbbed really bad. He felt nauseous, he felt like he was going to throw up, he felt like he was going to faint again. "What happened?" he echoed after his wife.
There they were in the middle of the carnival, with the changing lights, the music, the drums, the beats, Kyle's cheesy love song. It was all still there. He looked towards the tents and they have closed, too tight for anyone to fit and there was no gap between them anymore. Wasn't it just...?
"Honey, you seem ill," the woman said, tugging on his arm, "let's go home, let's go. I'll drive you home. Goodness, you look sick!"
The husband didn't protest, he allowed himself to be led to the parking lot, all the while something rang in his pounding head. Wasn't there something he'd forgotten...? Wasn't there...
That thought, too, disappeared and his mind was totally blank. The woman settled him into the passenger seat and took the wheel of their little yellow car. She started the engine, with a stern troubled look all the while. She looked to her husband. He had fainted again. "Why those--!" She stopped talking before she allowed herself to become too angry. The woman breathed deeply and closed her eyes for a second, then pulled out of the parking lot. She looked towards the man in the passenger seat, out cold. Then she narrowed her eyes and looked towards the road. Well she had this much trouble getting him, no way was she ever going to let them take him back! "It seems that the poison didn't kill all your memories, darling," she put her hand on his chilly one and took the ramp to the highway.
Whoa this is so mysterious and spine-chilling! The style in which the story begins with rich descriptions of the atmosphere around them is spectacular and even almost dizzying - just like how the protagonist feels! His wife is also very interesting too with her own unique personality - for instance, the way she repeats all those terms of endearment... her sudden dialogue there breaks up the descriptions of their surroundings so abruptly! xD I really like your motif in this extract about those strange sounds that trigger perplexing memories - it feels so realistic and yet so dreamy! Also this particular phrase, "His heart cried, tears coating his ribs." describes the emotion he feels so vividly with that powerful metaphorical approach, just as if the reader is experiencing his trauma. ;-; Oh and the mystifying gap between the tents too! It's incredibly gripping... and then, just like in a dream, the man steps out of its grasp and this foreboding yet magical world has vanished like the extinguishing of a flame. The "no trespassing" sign is mysterious itself too... now why would it be there before the vision, and then vanish after? Maybe only the daring and chosen can step into its realm. ;) Blue and yellow seem to have a significant impact here as well... like, who are these mysterious characters appearing before him and how did it all happen? And does his wife have something to do with it? This is so sinister!! 8D Moreover, it's phenomenal how the man at first feels a deep longing for the "memory" he can't quite comprehend, but after experiencing the vision, he's struck with nausea and serious headache... it seems to imply that the memories are either too powerful or perhaps even have a dark side to them. ^^ But then, just as quick as he was swallowed by the vision, he's back in the middle of the bright carnival... this is just really well written?? ;-; The sudden ending to the story, that hints his wife knowing all about the poison and memories despite the fact that she hid it in the first place, puts the reader on edge and raises so many more questions... for instance, why were they at the carnival in the first place? Ahhh this is too good!! xD It's crazy that you've ended all these writings on all of these compelling cliffhangers, right when we're deep in the story. <8( I'm really enjoying reading them though!! C: <3
ReplyDelete