Not a Night for Clowning Around

𝕋ℍℝ𝔼𝔼

"CARTER? ARE YOU there?" Jake's voice called in the distance.

I cupped my hands around my mouth. "Where are you?"

"Hold on, I'm coming."

I was hidden by the trees surrounding me, not a single source of light considering I left my cell phone at home. I didn't want to stand idly and wait for Jake, so I began to walk.

After a while I spotted a bright light in the distance, so I followed it. After a couple hundred metres I arrived at a fairground. There were food vendors, games, a merry-go-round, and even a ferris wheel. What caught my attention however was the giant funhouse. It was a massive rainbow coloured tent, and although there was nothing special about it, I couldn't help but be mesmerized. I was just about to take a step closer when I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders.

"There you are!" It was Jake. "How'd you manage to get this far? I spent like twenty minutes looking for..." His voice trailed off as he looked around. "Whoa."

"Whoa indeed."

"What is this, some kind of carnival?"

I peered around but there wasn't a single person in sight. "How come we've never seen this before?"

"That's because we haven't opened yet," a male voice not belonging to Jake spoke. We quickly turned around to see a middle aged man dressed in a black suit with a matching top hat. He had a black cane in one hand, while the other rested in his pocket. He had dark hair and an equally dark smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you folks."

"Who are you?" Jake inquired.

The man chuckled. "Mr. Van Dicen's the name." He stuck out his hand for Jake to shake, which he reluctantly did. "What exactly are the two of you doing on my property?"

"We're so sorry," I apologized. "We got lost and accidentally ended up at this..."

"Carnival," he filled in.

"When does this place open?" Jake asked.

Mr. Van Dicen stroked his beard. "My carnival opens on Halloween night."

"It's only here for one night?" I inquired.

He nodded his head, an eerie smile on his face. "It's going to be quite a show." He paused. "The two of you should definitely come."

"We'd love to," Jake said eagerly.

"We should get going." I locked eyes with Jake, pleading he wouldn't argue. "My parents are waiting for us."

"Well I don't want to keep them waiting." Mr. Van Dicen dug his hand into his pocket before pulling out two tickets. "I hope to see you both on opening night."

"We can't take these," I rejected nicely.

Jake elbowed my arm in response. "They're free," he whispered. "Just shut up and take them." He accepted the tickets. "Thanks!"

"You can simply pay me back by coming to my carnival," Mr. Van Dicen said.

"Will do," I said. "Now we should really get going."

"By all means. I don't want to keep your parents waiting."

"That was creepy," I said once we were out of earshot.

Jake shrugged. "He seems nice."

"The guy looks like a creep," I hissed.

"But he gave us free tickets," he pointed out. "I just saved us like twenty bucks."

I looked at the trees looming over us. "Can we just go? I don't like it here."

He nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let's get out of here."

~*~

"Will you be okay on your own?"

"My parents will be home soon, I'll be fine," I assured him.

"I can stay a bit longer if you want."

"It's fine, you've done more than enough. Thank you, Jake."

He squeezed my hand reassuringly. "You don't need to thank me."

I nodded my head, a smile tugging at my lips. "See you tomorrow?"

"Bright and early. Text me when your parents are home." Jake gave me a wave before opening the front door and leaving. I slammed the door shut once he was out of my view. Whoever this stalker was, they were outside and they knew where I lived. I couldn't be too careful.

I sat at the kitchen table, my cell phone in one hand, and a steak knife in the other while I waited for my parents to come home. I didn't know what this person was capable of, and I sure as hell wasn't interested in finding out.