Pamelya

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, STEP RIGHT UP.” A melodious voice echoed throughout the night. A plump man dressed in stripped pants and a dirty orange tailcoat. Raising his polished bullhorn to his dusted white face, his red painted smile bellowed and growled. “STEP RIGHT UP AND ENTER THE CIRCUS, IF YOU DARE! WELCOME TO THE CARNIVAL CARNAL!”

Dust blew off and around the ground as people shuffled through the main gate. One by one people passed through the gates, handing over a piece of food or something of more value to them, water. As they dropped off what they had into wicker baskets, they were given tickets by little things that looked like Krampus helpers. The ticket holders were cattle in winding cues that seemed to go on for a very long time. One by one they made it to the ticket both, one by one judged for the ticket they possessed.

A young couple finally made their way to the red-faded ticket booth. Waiting inside, sat a figure shrouded in a blackened cowl. Sitting patiently, it waited for the next person to present their ticket. The young man held his woman’s hand as he nervously put their ticket on the ledge of the booth, sliding it forward into the opening.

“For those who had fresh fruits or vegetables they were given a bronze ticket, good for one admission.” The figure said in a death growl, pointing towards the turnstile that stood in front of them. “Chose quickly and don’t hold up the line.”

“But we’ve come so far to see this together.” The young man said. “We gave the last of what we had.”

“Chose quickly and don’t hold up the line, or you both forfeit.”

“You go Samantha, I’ll wait for you here, have fun.” The young man said, stepping out of line.

“No Bobby you go, I can wait, maybe get someone to give me a ticket.” Samantha said.

“Chose quickly and don’t hold up the line, or you both forfeit.”

Bobby stood out of line and motioned Samantha to go through the turnstile. Reluctantly she nodded her head and went through. Looking around, he noticed Bobby had already disappeared into the crowd. As he began to walk a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him back into the line. A woman wearing a beaten down hooded horseman’s duster simply put her index finger in her lips, motioning him to stay quiet as she pointed in a forward motion of the line with her walking cane.

A middle-aged couple with four children came up to the booth. The father wiping his brow slammed down his ticket, looking over to his wife who had given up wrangling her children. “Breads or unspoiled meats mean the receiver was given a silver ticket, allowing an entire family to enter and enjoy the sights and sounds of the circus.” The figure said as smoke appeared to come out of the faceless void. “Also keep your hell spawns in line, or I will add them to the attractions.”

A smile washed away from the couple’s faces as they realized that this was no joke. Both husband and wife hastily scooped up their kids and walked through the turnstile. After what seemed to be hours, the woman with the cane and Bobby finally made it up to the ticket booth. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her fist. Placing her hand on the ledge, palm up, she opened her fingers to reveal a golden ticket.

“For those who had fresh water, untainted by the lands, were given a special golden ticket that allowed them and a guest access to a special and very private attraction.” The figured growled as a skeleton hand reached for the ticket. “Unfortunately, your guest was already rejected.”

“He was rejected before, now he is my guest now which means he enters with me. Those are the rules.”

The cowled figured began tapping its boney fingers in a numerical set, one after the other. After a moment of hesitation, the tapping stopped and the figure raised it arm, pointing towards the turn stile.

After entering the turn stile, Bobby met up with Samantha and embraced her. “Thank you miss that was awfully kind of you”.

“Both of you need to leave immediately.” She said as lowering her hoodie, revealing her jet black hair that had been dyed red. “Act natural, play a game and then leave. Don’t ask questions, just go.”

The woman, cloaked in dark of night, turned away from the couple. One footstep before each she places her cane, death grasping it as she lifts it for the next strike of the land. Step by step and strike by strike, the woman walked around the grounds. Searching for something hidden, something her golden ticket entitled her to. Or so she thought.

Walking past the food huts and the games, a feint smell followed the wind itself. Lighting would crackle above the lands, revealing the misshapen carnies. As people played the games and ate the food, each carnie rejoiced with a twisted smile.

“I know you, ha ha ha ha.” A shrill voice said from high above the woman. “Oh, oh, oh I know. I know you little one.”

“Do you now?” The woman said standing still, letting the monstrosity tower over her. “Do you know what I am you gigantic, ugly prick?”

“I would be careful with your words, bitch.” The voice said as the stilts moved over the woman. Turning around the skinny and twisted carnie summersaulted off the stilts, landing in front of the woman. “For the could be your last and it would be such a shame to see a beautiful little sheeple like you be wasted for nothing.”

“You know what an absolute true shame would be, you miserable carnie fuck?”

“I said I would be careful with your words, didn’t it?”

“You didn’t answer my question, carnie.”

“My name, you little wretched bitch?” The twisted carnie said as he pulled out a thin, glowing knife. “Temptation. Remember it with your last fucking breath.”

Temptation lunged forward towards the woman with his knife in his right hand. Without a hesitant breath, the woman moved two inches to the right and dropped her cane. As it bounced off the ground, Temptation caught it in between his feet moving forward, tripping himself to the ground. His knife still held in his right hand, caught the business end of his left eye.

“A true shame would be if cared about your name, you fumbling twit.” She said, picking up her cane then stretching with it. “Now that looks painful.”

Facing away from Temptation’s body, the woman continued walking with her cane. Hours must have passed before she started hearing whispers. At first the voices were undistinguishable; loud, soft, no two were alike. Waking closer and closer towards the House of Mirrors, the voices became unified with a single voice repeating two words “this way”.

She stood in front of the entrance of the House of Mirrors, listening to the music coming from within. As she kept her eyes closed, she could hear screams coming from different directions of the house, all leading back to her.

“Ah Oui Mademoiselle, come please, come.” A Frenchman said with a pleasant voice. “I have been expecting you, no?”

Standing next to the doors stood an overly large, tall Frenchman with a hawkish nose. His blonde spikey hair on the back of his head, slimmed moustache and pointed beard gave him a slightly demonic profile as he stood, staring at the woman.

“Entrez s'il vous plaît. We have been expecting you.”

Yeah, expecting me. The woman thought, walking up the stairs. One by one He bowed to her before opening the doors. She tapped her cane loudly up each step, making herself known to the man. The Frenchman stood in front of the doors and she walked up the stairs.

“Entrez, Entrez and enjoy the attraction.”

The woman walked through the door, coming to a standstill as the doors slammed right behind her. Keeping her eyes closed she listened to the music being pumped through the halls, a combination of old-timey carnival music and EDM techno. Breathing in the pungent and stale smells of fog and glass cleaner, she began to make her way through the flashing lights and into the rotating tunnel.

Exiting the tunnel, she walked, cane to foot, through the mirrored hallways. Each mirror designed to give you an uneased sense of what you were or what you will be. She ran her fingers across the mirrors while she walked, as if she was memorizing the position and texture of each one. No two surfaces were alike, yet each one seemed to go one for a very long time, before it met the next one. Wavy, beveled, dripped, or cracked they all felt the same, as if each were in pain. Making her way through the funhouse, she could hear muffled screams and high pitched laughter and she could feel the beating of the music off the mirrors, almost as if the beating came from within.

After what seemed like hours of walking, the woman finally made it to a broken down door, held on by one hinge. Touching it with her cane, the door dropped to the ground. Without hesitation he proceeded through the door, only to be greeted by the Frenchman.

“Wonderful, you have made it to the final room.” He said as he hastily clapped his hands. “I am so glad, si heureux que je t'ai. Please come and accept your prize.”

As the Frenchman bowed towards the woman, a life-sized pendant mirror lowered from the darkness above. Lights reflected off the brass finish that filled the room and spilled out of the doorway. The woman raised her hand to her face attempting to protect her face from the light and heat that was radiating off the mirror.

“Please Mademoiselle, step forward and gaze into the mirror. Let it show you what your heart truly desires.” The Frenchman said with a twisted grin.

The woman pulled down her hood to reveal her ivory complexion that had been aged with time, like every other person. Her hair was jet black, with a streak of red in it. She faced the mirror and stood, not moving. The Frenchman’s grin slowly began to fade away in fear.

“Mademoiselle, is there something wrong?”

“Don’t lie to me monster, what is it supposed to show?” She said staring into the mirror.

The monster began to twitch in desperation, sensing something about this woman. Something from the past. Something that should have died.

“Your true desire.”

“Please monster, enough of the con.”

“I suppose there’s no reason to lie to you, you won’t be around long enough to do anything about it.”

“Oh, why is that freakshow?”

“This beautiful mirror shows the view how he, or she, will die.” The monster said as his body began to crack and deform. His limbs becoming elongated and his mouth a twisted sea of teeth. “So, tell me human, what did you see?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? That isn’t possible.”

The woman looked up to the monster revealing her true face. As a grin sat upon her chin, her milky eyes moved back and forth revealing she was blind.

“It’s like looking into two cue balls, isn’t it monster? You probably don’t know what a cue ball is, do you?”

The monster shuffled back from the light and snarled at her. A screeching hiss came out from its belly.

“This is what happened to many like me when your kind came and conquered our planet.” She said as she unbuttoned her duster, revealing an alien device with a bomb attached to it. “For those who weren’t lucky enough to die from the first attack. Like my two boys.”

“Before you kill me, would you like to know their names?” She said as she the held detonator in her hand. “I’ll tell you in 5…..4…..3…..2…..1….. Goodbye monsters.”