Nightmares

Episode 4.1

10 hours. 12 hours. He's been sleeping a lot lately.

I've figured out a thing about him. If something scares him, then he has bad dreams. And then, he doesn't sleep all night and gets hallucinations the next day. So now, as he's not having any nightmares nowadays, hence no incident of him hallucinating.

He has shifted to making cartoons these days instead of those absurd dark sketches. Life is going pretty easy now. We hug, we kiss, we love, we play, we laugh. The last part is my favorite. But the thing is, I can't give him sleeping pills every day, it makes people addicted, then they start having withdrawal symptoms if they stop them abruptly, and it's way worse than nightmares. 

"Baby, get ready. We are going out," I said from the kitchen, washing dishes.

He came to me, bouncing like a rabbit. "Where are we going?" he said sitting on the kitchen countertop, dangling his legs.

"Salon, your hair is getting longer," 

"Ok,"

"Then maybe we'll go shopping," I said cleaning my hands on the apron. He looked at me excitedly with his big eyes. I wrapped my arms around his waist, "And then maybe ice cream?" and he smiled so widely. I leaned closer and kissed him. 

After our little making-out session in the kitchen, we got ready to head out in the streets. The weather is perfect today. Not rainy, not scorching heat, just on point with white cotton clouds in a clear blue sky. 

We go to a salon around the corner. It's quite empty today. I explained to a hairstylist about the haircut and sat on a sofa reading a magazine. Joshua sat silently while the hairdresser moved his hands with scissors. For a moment, I thought he was sleeping. Then I saw in the mirror and he actually was sleeping. I shouldn't give him any more pills.

After it was done, I took his face in my hands. Wispy bangs, messy hair, little strands peeking from here and there. He's looking more fluffy and cuter than ever.

Now, it's shopping time. I take him to a mall, it has all kinds of clothes which Joshua wears. Usually, it's me who chooses them for him. But today I let him roam around freely. He takes one thing then comes back to show me if he should buy it.

"Just take a cart and put anything you like," I said to him. He smiled then ran away like a child while I went to buy some groceries.

He came back with a cart full of plushie animals. Maybe one or two t-shirts but more games and different color paints. A thought in my mind came to scold him and order him to put everything back. But he'll get sad which I do not rather prefer over some plushies. On top of that, his smile and hopeful eyes wouldn't let me say no to his face.

I roll my eyes and sigh, "Do you want anything else?" I ask. He thinks for a moment then shakes his head. In the end, I had to buy his clothes. After checking the bills, I bought him ice cream, and then we left the mall. 

And boom! A loud lightning thunder rumbles in the sky. The ominous dark clouds, turning the environment black and white. It's not raining though, just rapid cool wind. I didn't estimate the weather to get this bad. 

We were walking on the pedestrian pathway with dozens of shopping bags when Joshua stopped suddenly to look at something. I turned to see too. Woah! What's happening today? There's a whole damn circus in a huge field. I don't remember it being here when we came.

The big tent with red and white strips resembling a large balloon when air fills it inside. A rollercoaster and Ferris wheel ride peeping from behind it. Posters of the shows of some circus artists are hanging on pillars. It's very inviting but dark, in an evil way.

 It's looking so peculiarly odd. So irrelevant. Like it shouldn't be here, among all the tall buildings and shops in the city side. There's no one outside, and I couldn't see anything inside either. There are no lights, it's too dark and dim that its entrance is appearing full black. It has a really creepy aura to it, a weird eeriness as if it was abandoned. In name of some lights, there's only a neon board with LEDs' around it, saying

THE CIRCUS IS COMING TO TOWN

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