First Impression I

Chapter Twenty-Four - I wish to forget...

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Chapter Twenty-Four – I wish to forget…

Sleep eluded me that night.

The girl had changed so much. She had become thinner, prettier. She had grown up to become the Ria I knew now.

There was no way I could have recognised her.

Until I realised she was his daughter.

*

I was twelve.

The sweet smell of popcorn and candyfloss was the first thing that hit me when I reached the carnival. I was hungry immediately.

“Iris! Let’s get some candyfloss.” I dragged Iris to the nearest food stall.

“We just had lunch two hours ago, Ella,” Iris snorted but obliged anyway.

Iris wasn’t too fond of carnivals. She claimed that they were noisy, crowded and dirty. But since she came today, I was going to make sure she had fun.

First on the list was the roller coaster, the carnival classic. We screamed our lungs out along with everyone else. Then, Iris dragged me to the haunted house. I was close to having a minor breakdown by the time we were back in the sunlight. Iris, on the other hand, was laughing hysterically.

“Your face at that fake vampire doctor was epic,” she chortled. “I mean, his teeth was obviously fake.”

I sniffed. “You screamed too.”

“But not as loudly as you. I bet the vampire guy was just as freaked out by our combined screams. He jumped a foot in the air. What kind of actor is that?” Iris giggled some more. “Their hiring standards aren’t very high. Even you can work there.”

And then, I had to laugh too.

We strolled around leisurely, arm in arm, observing everyone. It was a favourite activity of ours. Examining people and guessing who they were, what they did. We saw all sorts of people, from toddlers with ice cream dripping down their chin to middle-aged couples simply drinking in the festive air. One thing was common, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

We headed there to a small jewellery stall, attracted by the glittering but inexpensive accessories. Girls often flocked there like bees to honey. We were eyeing a pair of earrings when a girl our age who caught our attention. She was well dressed but plain, plump with two pigtails of blonde hair.