Dream Journal

FAIR PART II: Experiment #5 Finds the Japanese Fair

My eyes were wide with shock, and awe, "how did she escape? There is no possible way she could have gotten out unless you let her out." 

The scientist shook her head, her hair bobbing. " She managed to somehow. I can't really predict at this point how she escaped, but there was a tiny crack the size of a small child in the exterior glass, and some of it was floating on the top of the ocean when I found that she'd gone missing. Her cables were all undone as well." 

My mouth fell open, the sea brine taste forcing its way into my mouth, "I know where she went."

"Where?" 

"Across the ocean, to the main land," I said, "she must have swam there somehow. There isn't a boat she could have taken, is there?" 

"Of course not," the scientist said, tossing away her cigarette butt and stamping it into the sand, never to be seen again. "Let's get going, she's not going to find herself." 

The scientist and I contacted the boating service, and got two tickets for the next ferry to the mainland. The ride across the ocean was nearly instant, as my mind was focused only on finding Experiment #5 before the scientist did. The small, wooden boat pulled near the port and docked itself. I climbed out and grabbed the scientist's hand before she could fall into the water, although now I feel I should have let her. 

But the moment we stepped on the cobblestones of the mainland, everything changed. An explosion of music, laughter, and celebration surrounded us, and we found ourselves trapped in the midst of a festival of some sort. People wearing masks in all shapes and sizes, of every variety and every animal, passed by us, waving party favors and appetizing foods on sticks in our direction. Sparklers in the hands of carefree children tossed wisps of smoke at us, and I smiled. Salty fish and sweet buns and honey filled the air. The rich smell of sauces and meats made my nose twitch. My stomach rumbled, and the scientist grabbed my arm, lightning another cigarette with her other hand. 

"We've got to find Experiment #5, that is our main priority, not food and fun," she scowled, flicking some ashes away with her pinky. She continued to drag me through the narrow streets, barely giving me a chance to catch a glimpse of anything. That is, until we made our way into the urban part of the festival. 

Small shops and stands placed fans on the streets, to lift the wonderful smells of parchment and ink and delicious food onto the streets. Latex filled my nose as a crowd of small children ran by with balloons filled with coins and confetti. People tossed bits of paper and fortunes in my face, and nearly everyone was happy. Someone bumped into us, and the instant the scientist raised the hand bunched up with my shirt to tell him off, I was free. 

I quickly parted the ocean of people and sped away from her, pretending to be separated in the writhing crowd. I shaded my eyes with a hand visor, and fanned myself with a paper fan that a vendor had given to me. The confetti that clung to my hair was damp with sweat, and my feet were sore after only another twenty minutes of searching. These people never seemed to tire of celebration, and I'd thought I'd seen enough excitement for the rest of my life until I came to the boardwalk. 

It was a simple set up: a line of small vendors with striped top canvases, handing out goodies and hosting games and other events. The ocean beat up against the stone boardwalk, spraying me with a refreshingly salty mist. I drank it in, letting it kiss my sticky skin. But I wasn't truly amazed until I looked to the air. Above the tents and the vendors and the enormous crowds of people were miles of nearly invisible wire networks.

It was on which that colorful carts filled with people hung underneath, and confetti rained down from them. Unicyclists dominated the wire above, sharing it happily with the sky riders. Tiny gift bags and toys rained down, and the unicyclists juggled and performed tricks while suspended dozens of feet in the air. And although some of the wires looked high enough to scrape the clouds, some of them were near enough to the streets that they nearly scraped our heads. A unicyclist's tire rolled right over me, and I smiled up at the man riding it in amazement. He smiled back at me and the monkey sitting atop his shoulder tossed a small bag of crackers. I picked up a small felt hat from the ground and placed it on my head, bowing politely to the cyclist. 

I watched as he rode his unicycle to one of the tents, and climbed down onto a platform, climbing down into the streets, changing places with another cyclist. What was this festival? 

I followed the U-shaped boardwalk to a strange plaza, where an enormous fountain sat. It spewed jets of colors water high into the sky, each of their droplets like crystals as they fell. Children and parents crowded around, snapping pictures, and tossing coins into the water. It was there, in front of the fountain, that I spotted her. Experiment #5. 

But she didn't look like Experiment #5 aniymore. She was a little girl. An adorable little brunette girl. I ran to her and wrapped my arms around her tightly. To my surprise, she hugged me back and thanked me for coming to save her. 

"How did you recognize me?" she asked. I shrugged and brushed her hair back from her eyes, smiling down at her. 

"How did you get like this?" I asked, studying her pinchable cheeks and thin stands of perfectly curled baby hair. She took my hand and led me toward the edge of the fountain, sitting me down beside her. 

"You see..." she started, "When I was a child, I sold my soul to a witch. It was only on the day of the festival that I could re-live my childhood. So I lived a horrendously long life as a child in an adult's body, and now I am living as an adult in a child's body once a year. I longed to escape, and knew that I only could when my body had more strength. Because you see, all of my adulthood went into this child's body, and all of my weak childhood went into my adult body, which explains my poor condition. I was supposed to die many years ago, but here I am, very alive." 

"That's... that's incredible," I said, my mouth near hanging open. 

"It is," Experiment #5 agreed, "and while I like you, no one can ever know my secret except my guardian. It's nothing personal, but now it's time for you to die." The scientist appeared from the crowd with a giant needle. I braced myself for her to transform into something horrible, but she didn't. Instead, she came at me incredibly slowly. But when I got up, Experiment #5 grabbed my hand and yanked me back down. I yelped and struggled to get away, but if I had tried any harder, my skin would have been pulled off. 

The scientist flicked the tip of the syringe just as she did her cigarette, and pulled a small, sqaure wipe from her pocket. "If you're going to die, you should do it cleanly," she said, and winked at me. I screamed, but none of the people surrounding us seemed to hear. They snapped pictures, laughed, ate food, played games, had a good time... 

The scientist lowered the needle to my arm and I shut my eyes, but no pain ever came. I tried to open them again, but the darkness remained, and I knew that the festival was finally over.