Bedside Manner | Pennywise [Complete]

Carousel

Casper's POV:

I opened my eyes and found myself laying on a red and white checked blanket in a field of beautiful green grass. A light breeze blew, which ruffled the dark green leaves; the breeze felt nice against my skin and the smell of flowers filled my senses. The sky was a beautiful dark blue with a few fluffy white clouds. "Where am I?" I asked out loud. I sat up and breathed in the fresh air that was moving all around me. I could hear birds singing in nearby trees and bushes. Everything seemed to perfect and clean, but in a natural way. It wasn't the kind of chemical clean smell that I've been so use to, which is a good thing. But I still didn't know how I got here and why I wasn't laying in a hospital bed connected to millions of cords and tubes. I stood up and noticed that I was wearing a red dress that fit me perfectly. It wasn't too short and it wasn't too long. When I stepped into the soft green grass I realized that I was barefoot. The grass felt cool and refreshing, not only to the tough but to my soul and spirit as well. I felt light, almost as if I were floating. I walked a little ways away from the red and white checked blanket and spun around with my arms outstretched on either side of me. I felt free for the first time in a long time, and I never wanted to end. A part of me wanted to stay here forever, wherever here was. But something was off, and I couldn't quite pin point what it was. I walked back to the blanket and spotted my sketchbook and journal laying there. I sat back down and opened my journal first to a random page, and found a song I had written last year (the lyrics below are from Melanie Martinez's song Carousel).

Round and round like a horse on a carousel, we go,
Will I catch up to love? I could never tell, I know,
Chasing after you is like a fairytale, but I,
Feel like I'm glued on tight to this carousel

Come, come one, come all,
You must be this tall
To ride this ride at the carnival

Oh, come, take my hand
And run though playland
So high, too high at the carnival

And it's all fun and games,
'Til somebody falls in love,
But you've already bought a ticket,
And there's no turning back now

Round and round like a horse on a carousel, we go,
Will I catch up to love? I could never tell, I know,
Chasing after you is like a fairytale, but I,
Feel like I'm glued on tight to this carousel

This horse is too slow,
We're always this close,
Almost, almost, we're a freakshow

Right, right when I'm near,
It's like you disappeared,
Where'd you go? My dear, you're a freakshow!

And it's all fun and games,
'Til somebody falls in love,
But you've already bought a ticket,
And there's no turning back now

Round and round like a horse on a carousel, we go,
Will I catch up to love? I could never tell, I know,
Chasing after you is like a fairytale, but I,
Feel like I'm glued on tight to this carousel

Why did you steal my cotton candy heart?
You threw it in this damn coin slot,
And now I'm stuck, I'm stuck
Riding, riding, riding

Round and round like a horse on a carousel, we go,
Will I catch up to love? I could never tell, I know,
Chasing after you is like a fairytale, but I,
Feel like I'm glued on tight to this carousel

I wrote the song one night when I couldn't sleep, because I was feeling so depressed. It's about how I felt like no matter how hard I fought this illness I'd never beat it, it felt like I was chasing a fairytale. I always felt like I'd never get to see the outside world again, and I think I've felt that was ever since I was placed in the hospital. I closed my journal and then opened my sketchbook randomly, and it was one of the pictures of Bill I drew. "I love you Bill." I whispered softly. I looked up from the drawing and saw a floating red balloon a few feet always from me. Something deep inside of my was telling me to follow it, and I did so. I gathered up my journal, sketchbook, and I even folded up the blanket to take along with me. I followed the balloon into the tree line, and spotted Pennywise standing there with his white gloves hands resting on his hips. "So you brought me here?" I asked him curiously. "Yes. I did. Last night you said you wanted to leave the hospital, so I granted you your wish." He said in his creepy, yet friendly tone. "Can I stay here?" I asked as I walked closer to him. "No. You'll have to go back, but only when you're ready. Make sure not to stay too long, or you'll be stuck here forever; you're friends and family wouldn't like that too much." He replied with a soft smile on his face. I didn't quite understand what he said, but I had a feeling I'd find out sooner or later. "Take my hand." He said, breaking the silence. I hesitated, but took his hand anyway. He lead me through the thick wooded area. I expected the sounds of cracking twigs underneath our feet, but nothing happened; the only sound was the chirping birds and the rustling leaves. It felt as if we were walking for ages, but when the trees thinned out we were standing in a parking lot. I spotted an old rotting and rusted sign towering above us with the word Circus on it in yellow letters. The sky was already getting dark, which meant that days were a lot shorter where ever this place is. I followed Pennywise towards a large switch that was placed on the side of the sign, and he flipped it up. The yellow letters lit up in the padding sunlight, but most of the bulbs were either broken or busted. "Come, take my hand and follow me into playland." He said, which made me think of the song I had written. I took his hand once more and he lead me through the arching sign. The circus was all lit up, and the rides were working on their own. I was surprised that any of them actually worked at all, due to how decrepit they all looked. He lead me to a popcorn machine, which was popping popcorn on its own. "Popcorn is my favorite, because they go pop, pop, pop, pop." He said with a laugh that made me smile. It was strange sounding and peculiar, but it still made me smile. He didn't get any popcorn, and I was too scared to get any. I had no idea how old that stuff was. We stopped at the carousel, which was all lit up. This was the only ride that actually seemed new, because it wasn't rusted or covered in moss or mold. None of the lights on the ride were broken or burnt out. We both got onto the ride and it started moving. Pennywise insisted on ridding on the same horse as me, so he had his long arms wrapped around my torso. He was gentle and the smell of funnel cakes wafted into my face ever once in a while. I stared up at the multi colored lights and enjoyed the breeze that felt cool on my face. My heart felt full and light at the same time; it's a strange feeling to explain, but it might just be because I felt happier than I have in about three whole years. The ride started to slow down, which made me a little sad. "We can go again if you'd like." Pennywise said softly in my ear, and I smiled once again. We rode the carousel again and again until I started feeling sleepy. He lifted me into his arms instead of leaving me walk on my own, but I didn't mind. I was too tired to walk anyways. He carried me to the clearing I woke up in and laid the red and white checked blanket down on the few covered grass. He laid down and held me to his chest. I couldn't hear a heartbeat, but I didn't expect to. For some reason I knew he wasn't human, and I think he knew I knew. "Thank you, Pennywise." I said as I snuggled closer to him and fell into a deep sleep. I woke up and saw a room filled with the people I love. I was back in the hospital bed, but I didn't feel sad or depressed like I usually do. I felt happy...I felt healthy. My dad was holding my mom as she cried in his shoulder. August was sitting in a chair in the far corner like he always does, but he was holding his head in his hands. And Bill...Bill was sitting in a chair next to my bed holding my hand. I expected to see him holding Alida like my dad was holding my mom, but he was alone. His head was hung low, and I could tell he was crying...everyone was crying. "Why is everyone so sad?" I asked curiously. They looked over at me with shocked expressions on their faces. "Doctor! Doctor, she's awake!!" My dad yelled down the hall. "What happened?" I asked curiously as I sat up. "You were in a coma for three weeks. We didn't think you were ever gonna wake up." August said as he made his way over to the bed and gave me a hug. "Where's Alida?" I asked as I looked over at Bill's tear stained face. "We...we broke up." He stuttered in a hoarse voice. It sounded like he hadn't talked for years. "I'm so sorry." I said with sympathy in my eyes. "It's okay...we were fighting a lot anyway." He said with a slight laugh. He stood up and wrapped his long arms around me in a perfect hug. My heart and body filled with warmth I'm sure he felt. My parents both have me a hug, and the once sad tears changed to happy ones. The doctor and nurses came in to check on me, and they seemed just has happy as my family did. "Well, isn't this a miracle?" The doctor said. "What is?" Bill asked curiously with furrowed brows. "She's cured. We'll have to do several different tests, but she no longer had the symptoms. It's like she needed to be in that coma to heal." The doctor said with a smile on his face and hope in his eyes. That day my family stayed with me, and the doctors conducted tests on me the next morning. I got to leave the hospital room I've been living in for what seemed like forever, and I felt like the happiest person in the world. Maybe even a little happier that my friends and parents.

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A/N: Thanks for reading! Remember to vote comment, share, etc. And no, this isn't the end....yet. :) <3