Clockwork Carnival

Chapter 1

The carnival was ghost-quiet and I tried my best not to disturb the sheet of silence that lay dormant over the area. The only sounds audible were the quiet padding of my shoes and Storm's hurried footsteps. I wandered the barren carnival aimlessly, examining my surroundings, Storm walking behind me cautiously. The carnival was littered with antique attractions. Their once colourful coats of paint were now faded and peeling off with age. Some attractions were horribly mangled beyond repair.

As a child, I had always loved merry-go-rounds so when I saw one in the carnival, a sense of nostalgia welled up inside of me and I eagerly ran over to inspect it as Storm hurried behind me, trying to keep up. As I got closer to the merry-go-round, I began to notice the state it was in. The closer I got, the slower my pace became. My eager sprinting dwindled down to a jog, then to a slow walking pace till I came to a halt in front of the attraction. I studied the condition of the ride, frowning slightly at its state. Storm tilted his head, confused at my sudden sadness.

The ride looked as abandoned and forgotten as the rest of the carnival, mangled and broken beyond repair. All colour seemed to have long faded from it, making it look like a ghastly image of its once majestic appearance. The horses that were attached to the merry-go-round weren't in good shape either. Their coats of paint were peeling off, exposing their wooden cores. Most of them had parts of their bodies broken off, now laying on the ground and slowly decaying.

I mindlessly took another step closer to the merry-go-round, wondering how it had gotten in such a terrible state and why it was abandoned. Suddenly, a distant click echoed through the quiet carnival. My head whipped in the direction of the sound as Storm perked his ears in the same direction. I couldn't see anything there so I stood there, waiting to hear or see anything else. The silence continued for a few seconds till the carnival suddenly sprang to life.

Lights started flashing rapidly, the seemingly broken rides began running at full speed and music began blaring all around. I stumbled back, shocked by the sudden start of the merry-go-round standing in front of me and the music blasting around me. As I scampered backwards, I backed into something as Storm started barking wildly. I quickly turned around only to be met by a large figure towering over me. Storm noticed the figure and began growling at it as I stared at the figure in front of me.

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