Our sneakers stirred up ancient dust that joined the night breeze to swirl in lazy circles around our ankles. A couple of ragged, faded orange flags halfheartedly fluttered atop their poles, marking the entryway. I tried my best to focus on their sporadic movements rather than face the horrifying specimen awaiting us, clothed in a full on clown outfit complete with Ronald McDonald shoes, a rubbery nose, and a painted face. The black surrounding his eyes had already smeared into the surrounding white to create messy gray streaks that made it appear as though his skin were in the process of melting.
The clown didn't speak as we approached, merely held out a gloved hand for our tickets. The boy behind me produced two from the pocket of his letterman's jacket and tentatively extended them, as though fearful of what would happen if their hands actually touched. Keeping Ronald in my peripheral vision but avoiding direct eye contact, I hurried through.
And was faced with the bleakest, dullest, most rundown carnival scene I could have ever contrived. Rotting pumpkins stood outside booths with banners advertising bloody spectacles, fire dancers, snake charmers, caged creatures, and a rather robust fortune teller. The boy beside me paid no attention as I moved towards the Hall of Mirrors, but sauntered over to a couple of booths that advertised live vampire bats for sale ("First pint on us").
"Figures," I thought as the sky darkened and the spider bedecked ferris wheel creaked in an attempt to prove its "creepiness." As if the place could be any creepier if it tried. The only reason I was here with whatever-his-parents-named-him was to appease my parents and the only reason he-whose-parents-thought-was-on-the-path-to-medical-school had agreed was because an "All Hallows Eve" carnival appealed to closet freaks. Now there's a man worth fighting for, a sarcastic voice chimed inside my head.
Huffing, I tossed my waist length raven hair over my shoulder and entered the Hall. The change to the atmosphere was immediate, and the sudden urge to turn on my heels and race back out was almost overpowering. I forcefully stifled it as my pride kicked in and told myself I was letting this joke of a Carnival get to me. How I wish I had let my cowardice win, just this once. But a part of me knows she would have found me either way.
It felt like prying up a board each time I lifted a foot but I ventured further in. My hairs quivered and a chill ripped through me as the most deliberately drawn out creak sounded behind me and the door slammed shut, sending rippling reverberations throughout the walls. Telling myself it must be it a part of the experience, I tried to take a deep breath but my airways were having trouble providing the necessary oxygen to maintain my accelerated heart rate.
"Alright. Ha. Funny" I called, but my voice came out much smaller than I'd meant it to. I yanked on the door but it refused to give and then the realization hit me that I was completely alone.
Panicking now, I willed my stalled limbs to obey and made a beeline for the opposite wall in a vain attempt to find a way out. It was so dark and I was thinking that someone had obviously forgotten lighted EXIT signs were a safety requirement when a glint of sharp light twinkled my peripheral. I cautiously took a step in that direction, not sure if it was small or just far away. After a moment I lost the wall and had no choice but to find out. The light grew until it became a large rectangle floating in midair and a form took shape on the surface. A wide eyed face staring back at me. Gasping, I spun around as more and more mirrored surfaces blinked in the moonlight, shining in through one lone window high above and reflecting my terrified countenance over and over again from every direction. Frozen, I gazed at the mirror closest to me and took in my pale skin, almond eyes, hair so dark it was a wispy shadow in this place, and lips the shade of cherry blossoms. Ever so slowly, my mouth curved upwards into a grin, a grin I knew I wasn't making because my hands had come up cover my face and I was screaming, screaming through my fingers...
The first thing I noticed as my crusty eyelids parted, besides the burning in my throat, was the sound of soft singing.
"Insiiideee" it whisper sang. "Insiiiddeee. I'll show you who you are insiiiideee."
The voice stopped, only to be picked up by another voice across the room.
"Awaaaakke" it giggled. "We're awaaaaakkeee." As the tremors took over and my brain tried in vain to process the reality of the situation, I realized why the voice sounded familiar. I hadn't noticed it at first, in part because of the lingering fog of unconsciousness but in larger part because my voice had never held such an eerie tone.
My muscles took over as my brain attempted to catch up, and I rolled on my side to see myself staring at me from a full length mirror with intense observation, amusement curling up the corner of her mouth.
"This can't...." I croaked.
"-be reaaal?" she finished sweetly. "Of course it can. Shall I prove it to you?"
And suddenly her-my-THE mouth opened wide and out slithered a scaly red snake about two inches in diameter. I choked as my airway seemed to close and could do nothing but watch and claw at my neck as it weaved its way around my head and slid across my eyes. I could feel its tiny tongue flitting over my skin as it groped for its target; my ear canal. It nudged its way in and my head split and I could feel it-I could FEEL it sliding around inside, wrapping around my brain and squeezing until there was nothing but pain and my skull was about to crack open.
"Would you like to play a different game?" This time my own mouth formed the words, but they were disembodied and the me I thought I was was slipping away.
The presence of the snake vanished and I could see again, but the edges of my vision were growing foggy and I was going to be sick, oh I was SO going to be sick. The me in the mirror was staring fondly at a little doll wearing a pink dress, with hair that matched mine, and petting her head with slow strokes. With a satisfied chuckle, she planted a kiss on her porcelain forehead. At the same time, the pain of before reignited above my right eye with new intensity. Confused, I reached up to find that blood had begun to trickle down my face, emanating from the same spot as the kiss. What was this?
"Why are you doing this?" I demanded, or I tried to sound demanding but my voice had become papery thin.
"Meee? Why are YOOOU doing this, dear?" her voice was as sickly sweet as cotton candy.
My last surge of adrenaline kicked in and I groaned as I rose first to a crouch, crawling forward until I felt splintery wood beneath my palm. Keeping my head down and one hand on the wall I struggled to my feet and limped for the door that I knew had to be here somewhere. But the mirrors were endless, and she followed.
"No fun!" she yelled.
And suddenly my stomach was on fire, my flesh was torn and what looked remarkably like a shard of glass was jutting out of my side, dripping crimson blood from its tip. A phantom cry bubbled up in my throat but got caught in a ragged gasp somewhere along the way.
Remembering the snake, I ignored reason, gathered all my will and what wits I had left, and pulled the enormous shard out. Agony ripped through me as the blood poured forth and my vision blurred every shade of red. An animalistic urge took over and I hurled myself towards the closest mirror with all my strength, using both hands to jab the slippery shard in. To my surprise, rather than shattering the glass, it passed through with a squelching noise and now my hands were bathed in the same deep, sticky red as my side.
The mirrored hall vanished and my face froze in a mask of shock as I stared into the face of my date. His head hung in disbelief, focused on his stomach; at the very same place I'd just impaled with a swirly red piece of glass. Frothy blood dribbled forth from his mouth as his glassy eyes lifted to mine.
"Shane?" I whisper-whined.
"Lana..." he choked out in disbelief.
"Shane, hold on! Just hold on!" But it was too late, his eyes were already glazing over and his body was falling away from me, ripping the shard from my hands as it dropped to the cold, hard packed earth. I guess he really would never make it to medical school.
My voice echoed throughout the empty field, taunting me now and forevermore.
"I live inside."
