It is said there are times when the realms of dreams and reality overlap.

The carnival was intoxicating. The scent of candy, fun, and sweat. The taste of the air. The blaring sound of rides clanging, people laughing, screams of excitement and terror all mixed together like the cotton candy spinning in its machine. The lights: blinking, neon and bright in an unnatural way- colors that aren't supposed to exist. The world loses all order; in this twisted, beautiful fair chaos reigns supreme and the dreams begin to flutter out of the mind and manifest into something more. Neither dream nor reality, the thoughts and feelings swirl and gather...

It is said there are times when the realms of dreams and reality overlap.

In the excitement of the carnival, the portal to the Middle World, the world of secrets, the world of impossibilities, flickers open ever so briefly...

~

Addy Salizar
Cirque de Sueños

The smell of caramel apples and cotton candy wafted through the air, tickling the noses of the inhabitants. Uncanny strings of music played on repeat as popping balloons and the metal clink of horseshoes competed to be heard. Addy inhaled the feeling of sugar buzzed children and adults emerging back into childhood, as a smile danced across her lips. These were the energies that drew her to carnivals. She purchased some roasted peanuts and walked lazily through the rows of booths, chewing contentedly to the rhythm of her steps.

She approached the ferris wheel conductor and, with a familiar smile, produced two tickets from her pocket.

"Aye lassie, when are ye goin' ta stop buying tickets an' realize da' you belong with us?" An old Irish man with an unkempt beard beamed at her as he refused to take her tickets.

"Thanks O'Reilly..." she hummed as she slid into the ferris wheel bench. O'Reilly only shook his head with a smile.

"Extra time at the top it is then..." he responded.

As her compartment ascended among the stars she thought about the things she only allowed herself to think about on ferris wheel rides. Thoughts of her mother flooded her mind. It had been one year since Addy had run away. How was her mother holding up? No doubt she had dealt with Addy's disappearance the same way she had dealt with life up until Addy left; with boos and strange overnight guests. Addy shook her head sorrowfully. It was her choice, it's not your fault. She tried to remind herself. Then her mind shifted to a more present matter. Addy had finally used up the last of her savings and was on her last tank of gas.

Earlier that day she had seen a help wanted poster for the Cirque de Sueños, the current carnival she was following. The idea had enthralled her but frightened her at the same time. She wanted the job so badly, but who would hire a 16-year-old run away? What if they called the police and Addy was returned home to her mother, or worse - her father? Before she knew it O'Reilly was lifting up the lap bar and telling her to come back anytime.

Addy walked the carnival grounds, wandering aimlessly while being caught up in her thoughts. She was brought back to reality when she felt her shoulder bump against something. She looked up only to realize that it wasn't a something but a someone.

"Oh gosh, I'm really sorry..." a boy around her age spouted. "How clumsy of me!"

"Ah, uhm, no big deal. I wasn't paying attention either." she murmured and continued walking. His fingertips brushed against her arm as he reached after her, sending a chill up her spine. She whirled around with a cross look on her face, which the boy didn't seem to notice.

"I-, uh, sorry. It's just, I'm new here. Tonight is my first night and I'm in charge of taking tickets for the Tilt-A-Whirl..." he trailed off, only to start-up again urgently. "Only, no one rides the "Hurl-Whirl". So they shoved it clear in the back corner."

Addy's cross expression changed to one of confusion as she watched the boy scramble for words that seemed meaningless.

"I guess what I'm trying to ask is, will you give it a try?" the boy pleaded. A night breeze swept a few strands of dark, curly hair across his forehead as he waited for a response. The pleading in his hazel eyes reminded Addy a little too much of her mother and she had to look away.

"Okay, yeah. That's fine." she answered.

The boy grinned excitedly and bowed, his left hand pointing the way.

He must have checked Addy's lap bar three times, and he now seemed to be talking to himself and trying to remember which buttons to push and when. This is who got the job? How hard can it be to press sta- The ride jerked into motion and the gangly boy gave Addy an enthused thumbs-up. The revolutions of Addy's compartment started out slow and large. They began getting faster and faster. Addy was spinning in tight circles while going around in a circle, while on a platform moving in a circle. Addy squeezed the sides of the ride as the speed continued to accelerate until she was sure she would break away from the ride completely. Faster, faster and faster.

"Okay, stop!" Addy tried to say but her words were taken from her before she could even complete their utterance. The entire carnival had turned into a massive smear of colors and lights.

"STOP!" she screamed. Suddenly, Addy was hurled through the air and landed with a thud against the ground, flicks of dirt burying themselves in her face. Her scream echoed in her head as she tried to peel open her eyes. She blinked but noticed no difference from when her eyes were closed and when her eyes were open. She tried to wave her hand in front of her face. Fear gripped Addy's heart as she realized that it was either completely dark, or she was blind.

"H-hello?"

A short teenage boy, about the age of 16, slowly walked through the crowded carnival. He only stood five feet three inches tall, his grey eyes pierced the crowd. He was walking behind his aunt and uncle when he bumped into someone. He looked up and noticed it was one of those guys that walk on stilts. "Oh sorry." Sage said and then looked around trying to find Jake and Sandy again, but couldn't. He went back to walking around the carnival looking for them, but it was too busy, until he ran into a fire breather. Sage stopped frozen as the man shot fire from his mouth, the fire taking Sage back to the day his parents died, causing a cold sweat to rolled down his face. He took the sleeve of his jacket and wiped the sweat away, looking around to try and figure out where Sandy and Jake went, but with no luck.

"Hey young lad, the haunted house is a great bit of fun, for only 3 tickets, you'll have yourself a thrill of a time." an older amn spoke to Sage. Sage snapped out of his daydream and looked to the man and pulled out three tickers. "ok" he softly said. Sage then slowly entered the haunted house, but noticing no one else was in there. He knew Sandy and Jake loved these kinds of things and was sure he'd find them here. Just when Sage was about half way through the house, something fell on him. He wasn't sure what, but pulled out a black and decker pen flashlight from his pocket, some reason he always carries it with him, and shined the light on the ground. That's when he noticed a few snakes around him. Sage didn't hesitate, he took off running, and quickly ran out the emergency exit door. He didn't looked back behind him, but he didn't look infront of him either. Sage tripped over a root and fell to the ground, rolling down the side of a hill and smacking his head and back against a fallen log on the bottom of the hill.

Sage held the back of his head, as he opened his eyes to see where he was, nothing. He couldn't see anything, but not only that, he couldn't hear the carnival anymore. "What the hell am i?" He asked himself outloud. deciding to wait a few minutes before standing up.

A colorful comic book hit the carpeted floor suddenly, dropped from the possessor’s hand. The wide eyed girl stared at her parents before her in disbelief and utter shock, though there was a sense of joy in her eyes.

"A carnival?" She managed to say, still at a loss for words. They nodded with nervous smiles; they weren't too confident in the idea but wanted to do this for their beloved daughter. There was a bright glow beaming from the pale skinned girl, unable to contain her excitement she jumped for joy and hugged both her parents in a tight embrace "Thank you thank you thank you!!" She repeated happily.
Her mother rubbed her head lovingly, "Go and get ready Naoko, we'll wait up front." Without wasting a single minute she dashed off to her room and shut the door with a loud slam.

Emerging from the room after a few minutes, Naoko wore a special outfit her parents recently picked for her. She brushed her fingers along the white high collared dress shirt, than twirled the red frilled skirt in a carefree manner. She turned in the mirror and smiled at her reflection; the frilly outfit and her small stature made her more doll-like than normal.
"Naoko, are you ready?" Her father shouted from outside, they were both waiting outside for her.

Outside. The thought of finally reaching outside of the house and enjoying the feel of the sun gave her a thrilling chill. She felt that today would really be the start of her young life and was going to enjoy her time as much as she could.

The whole way Naoko was jumping around, never staying the same spot for long, asking questions about everything she saw that caught her interest. Her parents didn't tire of her questions but encouraged them, answering and giving her more to think about. Finally the family had reached their destination and Naoko's heart started to beat faster than ever before, her eyes wide like a child in a candy store.
"Mom, dad! Let's go over there!!" Naoko suddenly grabbed them both by the hands and pulled them along with her to the cotton candy stand. The three laughed heartily as they enjoyed the confectionaries and interesting sights.

Even after the few hours they spend wondering the park there was still so much more Naoko wanted to see and experience but her parents could only do so much with their limited stamina. Though Naoko was getting a little tired herself, not having moved around this much before or even used to the outside air, she kept going on as energetic as ever.
"Mom, dad, can I go over there? I promise I'll be right back!" They looked at each other, reluctant to let her wonder by herself in such a large place afraid something could happen to her. "We brought her out here so she can start getting used to it and settle her curiosities. Let her go." Her father answered her mother's worrying gaze. Naoko's mother sighed and hugged Naoko tightly, "If anything happens, just meet us back by the cotton candy stand, okay?" Naoko nodded and kissed her mother on the cheek before running off.

Naoko stood still and enjoyed the sudden breeze, letting her hair fly in the wind, "I never want to leave this place!" She stretched out her arms and spun around till she bumped into something. She looked up to see a sign with an arrow pointing down, "Escape from Reality… What adventures will you find down the Rabbit Hole?" She read aloud to herself and looked over at what looked to be a hole in the wall to crawl through.
Letting her curiosity get the best of her, Naoko crawled through with a determination to find out what she'd find "It's really dark in here" she mumbled to herself, as she got further from the entrance the light started to disappear till there was barely a spark of light behind her.

But before she realized it, her hand slipped and ended up rolling downwards. She crossed her arms in front of her face before she hit the bottom. Not being able to stop herself, Naoko continued to roll till she hit something hard in front of her, "Ouch!" She rolled onto her back holding her head in pain. Naoko got on her knees, still holding her head, and tried to opened her eyes but it was so dark around her she wasn't sure if she still had them closed or not. "Where am I?" She wondered aloud and held her arms for security.

The three children were all inexplicably lost into the gap. Seemingly at random these children happened to be the few that slipped out of reality...

Here on the precipice of two worlds, they were lost- utterly removed from the confines of logic. All they had was a feeling, an attraction. From the initial darkness, the glow of the lights playing against the dancing shadows of an immense, colorful building drew the scared, but curious children in like fireflies to the flame. For some reason, each child found himself or herself looking up at the hulking building before them, only somewhat conscious of the others around them. They stood in the stone pavilion, lanterns burning and a sweet incense's aroma mixed with that of the flower garden wafting through the air. An orange moon, full and lonely in a starless sky bathed all below it in a smooth light, surprisingly gentle for the intensity of the glow.

The building soared up almost endlessly into the sky, and stretched out farther than their eyes could follow. It had an odd style - a weird sort of architecture that rang a bell (Eastern Asian perhaps?) but at the same time seemed impossible. Verandas were suspended seemingly without support, parts of the roof narrowed, widened, then tapered off again, trapping their minds in paradoxical puzzles.

It loomed over them, seemingly its own entity. It radiated with an unplaceable aura; a sort of pulse carried the feeling into the hearts and souls of the young bystanders. A rhythm that beat like a creature, slipping into them, synchronizing their hearts to its own and creating a perfect metronome of life.

They were so overcome they did not notice the body of a stooped old woman waddling toward them. It wasn't until a birdlike "Squawk!" pierced their ears that they noticed the creature. The old woman stood in an old, flowery dress several yards away, yet her sharp, beady little eyes bore right into Addy's from behind glasses only inches from her face. The body was attached to the head via an incredibly long, serpentine, navy blue neck. It curled about with sharp, cautious jerks as the wrinkled face which, rather than a nose and mouth, had a large sharp beak tilted about looking over the children. Her wispy gray hair puffed out in all directions like an angry little storm cloud clinging to the end of the tempestuous weather. "Ah... you are... UGLY! SQUAWK! What vile creatures are you? Speak now! I can sense you're not spirits. My eyes may be old, but my Sense is never wrong! What are you?!" She pecked viciously in Naoko's direction. "SQUAWK! Speak! Or can you vile creatures not?" The beak lurched at Sage, pushing him backwards. The boy fell to the ground, his fall only cushioned by a thin layer of moss and grass creeping through the spaces in the stones. "Answer Kameyo! Identify yourselves, ugly filth!"

Addy burst forward, reaching out to yank the bird mask from the pretender, but stopped short in her rage.

"Is this your idea of a sick joke?" She spoke with a sharp edge in her voice. With a wrinkled brow she looked at the others around her with a bewildered scowl.

"Well, is't this an elaborate scheme." She spat as she crossed her hands over her chest, many different accusations towards her father flying through her mind. "It ends now!"

Her commanding tone overpowered the angst-filled shake that her hands failed to subdue. Truth was, Addy was terrified. All alone, no one in the world to miss her if she was gone. No "life" to miss, no friends or family to mourn, no earthshaking love to instill an unstoppable will to escape. Addy was in no different a place now than before she stepped onto the Tilt-A-Whorl.

The ear-piercing squawks from the old lady broke her dismal thoughts. "Answer Kameyo! Identify yourselves, ugly filth!"

Addy quickly stepped forward, blocking the bird-lady from inching closer to the one stranger left standing.

"Listen lady. There are three of us and one of you. I don't think you're wise to be making such demands. And you're not going to get any, until we have a few answers of our own!" She glanced to each of her companions, giving them a pseudo-sense of reassurance. Addy squared her shoulders, taking a long hard look at the intrusive stranger. "Now, where are we and why are we here?"

Naoko’s large dark gray eyes stared up at the large building in awe, not yet taking notice to her fellow adventurers. Still new to the outside world she was fascinated by its size and towering features, all she could utter was a simple “Wow.” She inhaled a long whiff of the scents that surrounded her, a floral and sweet smell mixed together would give anyone a pleasant feel. She almost forgot about the fact she was in a strange, unknown place. “Outside is even better than I thought!” She exclaimed throwing her arms outward and jumped in the air full of joy.

Almost violently being pulled from her joy, Naoko’s attention was drawn to the loud noise that pierced her ears uncomfortably. Naoko looked up at the old woman, but Naoko had never seen a woman let alone a human that looked like her. She started to wonder if this was all part of the act still or she had gotten knocked out and entered her vivid imagination once again.

Naoko jumped back once the head jerked in her direction, almost losing her balance. Its aggressive tone scared Naoko and she cowered back, holding her arms close to her chest for protection, her lip quivering. She looked to the boy who had fallen to the ground and gulped lightly.

The other girl that was there, older than Naoko, spoke up first in an equally aggressive voice. The woman was about to poke at Naoko again but the girl stood in the way bravely; Naoko looked up at her in relief but was still terrified. She looked back at Naoko with a kind look of reassurance which actually helped settle Naoko’s heart. Not knowing anything else to do, she stood behind her protector peeking her head out to still view the matter at hand.

The young lad stood staring at the building, wondering how it go there, and what it was for. Many questions ran through his mind as he stood there staring at a building, that he didn't realize there were others around. He didn't realize it until a strange looking creature came over and started squawking and yelling at them, which made him cover his ears from the sound. As Sage turned around, the bird lady was already moving towards him, which caused him to fall back.

Sage slowly stood up, brushing himself off. He looked at the bird lady and shook his head. Sage slowly walked over and stood next to the other three, staring at the bird lady. "What the hell are you?" Sage demanded from the bird lady. Sage wasn't the type to be intimidated by anyone or anything, but he wasn't sure where he was, who he was with, or how to get back home. He zipped his jacket up a bit more to stay a bit warmer. Sage's arms fell to his side, but stayed tense, he wasn't sure what was going to happen, but he was going to be ready for it.

Addy sharp words threw the creature that identified itself as Kameyo into a rage. "Cheeky girl!" she cried, her voice screechy and grating on the ears. "How dare you speak to me in such a way! When I'm through with you, you'll know your place and speak with respect for your superiors! SQUAWK!" Her head reared back, and her sharp beak opened in preparation for a strike. She lunged at Addy, only to stop just short of her face when the lovely voice of what sounded like a young woman rang out across the courtyard.

"Kameyo! Please stop harassing our guests!" Two women, one with a feather duster waving wildly in her hand, came running down the steps from the building. "Forgive me," she muttered quickly at the trio. "Kameyo, please allow Jennifer to escort you back to your room." The other woman, Jennifer, who was holding the feather duster, grabbed the bird creature's arm and began to lead her back to her room.

"Don't touch me you little brat!" Kameyo yelled as she snatched her arm away, but continued to move forward with Jennifer. The long neck turned back to give Addy in particular an angry glare.

"Sorry about that," the other woman said. She pushed some of her dark brown hair from her eyes and finally turned toward the three children. The woman was exceptionally beautiful - almost flawless. Beauty seemed to flow from her, and every move she made, no matter how small, exuded grace. "So what kind of spirits are you?" she asked, pulling out a pen and paper a beginning to write. "You're a group I presume? Shall you have separate rooms? What baths shall you have? What kind of spirits did you say you were again?" She rambled off her questions quickly at the trio, finally pausing and waiting expectantly for an answer.

Sage looked around when he heard a voice. He was confused when the lady asked what kind of spirits they were. "I'm not a spirit. I'm Sage. What was that thing?" Sage asked referring to the creature with the beak. Sage placed his hands into his pockets to keep them a bit warmer. "where are we?" He asked another question, he wanted answers and he was going to get them one way or another.

Naoko feared for the girl in front of her when the woman lunged for her again but stopped short when a woman’s voice called out. Naoko stepped out from behind her protective wall to see two young women run up to them. The one known as 'Jennifer' took hold of the bird woman and dragged her back towards the building, though she resisted all the way.

The dark haired woman that stayed behind apologized to the trio; Naoko was amazed by her beauty and mature features. She caught them off guard when she asked what kind of 'spirits' they were. Naoko didn't understand what she meant by that and had to ask, though she preferred to keep her mouth shut "S-spirits? I'm not a spirit and my name is Naoko. Can you please tell us where we are?" She asked in a low but soft voice.

She was much more willing to speak to this woman, feeling a better sense of security around her and with that creature gone she didn't have to worry. But her guard was still up; this was a foreign place as far as Naoko was concerned, though everything outside of her house was foreign to her before today.

Addy glared untrustingly at the smooth skinned lady in front of her, quite the opposite in every way as the old bird-lady being led away. The two young ones on either side of her started to question the sweetly flowing words spilling from the gentile woman's mouth. Addy listened, her brain spinning in a confused fashion, as she thought about what the woman seemed to be offering. It was as if she thought they were guests from the next town or something! Didn't the lady know that she had been put here against her will?! Addy tried to remember exactly how she did arrive at this strange, strange place but a razor sharp pain immediately cut into her forehead.

Addy didn't know who these other two teenagers were, and she didn't particularly want to trust them, but they would be stronger as a group - for whatever was in store for them.

"We're a group." She spoke up. "A room or two would be fine." Addy paused glancing around, a pseudo-control gripping her tone, silently urging the others to play along. "We would love to learn more about you and your...uhm... town." she ventured. As the lie slipped from Addy's tongue, she tried to shut out the panic that was gripping her lungs. She had felt this feeling only once before. The feeling of being in a place that you hate and not being able to leave.

Sage turned to Addy and Naoko and nodded some. "We are a group." Sage said in an agreement with Addy. He wasn't sure who they were, but they both stood up for him and he'd stand up for them as well. They were a group now, even though he had no idea who the other two were, but he'll learn who they are as soon as they got a chance to be alone.