Hollowed Ground

Sugar, Laughter, and Everything After

Once we had made our way out of the Hall of Illusions Cythral stopped to speak to the mime managing the attraction while Conna, Thynol and I stepped away from the long line of fairgoers waiting to be let in. It was strange to see so many people out past midnight. Ravensgard was usually such a quiet town. I'd dug a grave through the night often enough but it was usually just me and the earth and the moon and maybe Lisbeth. I opened my satchel and looked at the little grey bunny I had won for her. Its fur was soft and silky –softer than a real bunny's. I hoped it made Lisbeth happy even though as a ghost she wouldn't be able to feel it.

"We might be able to make Mr. Light and Mr. Witch talk," Conna said.

I closed the satchel and looked up.

"Mr. Witch and Mr. Light have a weathervane and a watch that help them run the carnival," Conna continued. "Thynol and I saw them when they congratulated him on his performance at the big top ceremony. The watch helps them set the carnival up when they arrive in a new town and the weathervane helps them know how happy everyone here is."

"Burly said that." Thynol said. "Leverage he called it."

"Who's Burly?" I asked.

"He works at the carnival," Conna said. "He's the one who told us Mr. Witch and Mr. Light are mixed up with the wyrd three. He said our chance to get close to them is when they crown the Witchlight Monarch. We'd have a chance to steal their watch or weathervane then."

"What's the Witchlight Monarch?" I asked. It sounded sinister.

"Whoever brings the most joy to the carnival is crowned monarch before the carnival closes," Conna said.

"I'll be monarch!" Thynol said excitedly.

It was as good a plan as any. Mr. Witch and Mr. Light's watch and weathervane sounded important. If we could get our hands on them Mr. Witch and Mr. Light would have to tell us how to open the portal into the feywild. Stealing them wouldn't be difficult. I'd picked enough pockets in my day. I just needed to be close enough to them.

"They will crown whoever brings the most joy to the carnival?" I asked.

Conna nodded.

"How do we do that?".

"Smile," Thynol suggested.

Smiling wasn't something I'd ever done much of but I tried it. I put my teeth together and opened my mouth wide. It was a strange sensation and it hurt my jaw.

"Not like that," Thynol said.

"You're going to scare people doing that," Conna said.

I glanced around at the crowd. Cythral and the mime were deep in conversation. The mime looked concerned, frightened even –not joyful at all. Some of the fair goers waiting in line for the Hall of Illusions gave up on waiting and walked away. Two halflings holding hands stopped near the thinning crowd. They seemed happy, giddy even, as they gazed into each others' eyes. One of them kneeled. He took a small box out of his pocket and opened it so the other halfling could see the tiny ring inside. The other halfling laughed. Sound burst out of her mouth like a trumpet. She rolled onto the ground, clutching her stomach.

"They look happy," I said.

The kneeling halfling looked confused. He stood up. Tears burst into his eyes, running down his nose and ripping onto the ground. He wiped them away with the back of his hand and ran past Cythral and the mime into the Hall of Illusions. The other halfling continued to roll on the ground, laughing riotously.

Thynol chased after the halfling with the little box. I stepped towards the laughing halfling. Perhaps she could tell us how to make everyone else as happy as she was.