An Alphabet of One Shots

C Is For 'Carousel'

"Mamma, tell the stowy." Bria tugged on Carina's hand as they made their way over to the nearby bench.

"Again, Bambina? Really? You've heard it so many times." The Italian chuckled at the small girl as she brushed wayward strands of wavy brown hair from her eyes.

"Pwweeeaaasseee Mamma! It my favwit!" Bria gave her best puppy dog eyes to the woman, who slightly shook her head.

"Yeah, please, Mamma! It's our favourite!" Maya reciprocated the same puppy dog eyes as her daughter, knowing the Italian would cave.

"You pair are trouble!" Carina playfully shook her finger at the two girls. "You know I can't say no to those eyes!" The older brunette chuckled before relenting.

"Fiinnneee. I'll tell the story again." Carina sat on the bench as Maya sat beside her, picking up Bria to place in her lap.

"Yaaayyy!" The pair cheered and shared a high-five before Bria cuddled into Maya's chest.

"It all started right here when me and mommy were just a little older than you are now..."

—

Flashback

A myriad of colours decorated the fair as dazzling lights flashed and flickered. The atmosphere was filled with loud music, exhilarated screams, and cheerful shouts. Mouth-watering aromas of sizzling hot dogs, melt-in-the-mouth candyfloss, toffee apples, and sugar doughnuts were notable in the breeze. Stalls lined the park selling multitudes of warm foods, sweet treats, and steaming beverages. Each scent acted as a spell, enticing visitors towards them. Amid all the chaos, there was one sight that caught the young brunette's eye: the carousel.

Resplendent with mirrors that caught and reflected the light, the carousel turned as fairground music tinkled through the air. The horses under the bulb-lined top-canopy were colourful with different expressions painted on their faces. Some looked like they were prancing with flowing manes whilst others uniformly stood as if under inspection. All were flamboyant and decorated with jewels and golden reins. One particular horse stood out amongst the rest: a snow-white mare with a cream-coloured mane. A topaz star was etched onto its hind leg matching the colour of the saddle that adorned its back. Captivated by its beauty, the youngster decided that was the horse she would ride on.

As the carousel came to the end of its turn and all the previous riders disembarked, the brunette clambered through the gates racing straight to the animal. Clumsily placing her foot into one of the stirrups, the girl placed her legs on either side of the magnificent creature and clung tightly to the support beam anticipating the beginning of the ride. She watched patiently as others chose their desired seats and was brought out of her thoughts when she noticed a blonde girl mount the horse beside her. Quite opposite to the pure white horse she had chosen, the one beside her was shadow black and had a striped candy cane adorning its hind leg instead. The brunette held a chuckle back as she watched the smaller girl lumbering herself into the chestnut saddle, placing one of her hands on the support beam and lacing the other around the creature's ears. The pair briefly locked eyes before the blonde sheepishly looked at her lap. The brunette was more confident and wanted to break any tension that existed between the two.

"Hi! I'm Carina DeLuca. I'm six years old and I just moved here from Italy." The Italian stuck her left hand out to the girl, ensuring to use the manners that had been drilled into her from a young age.

The blonde was slightly taken aback by the confidence of the girl beside her as she slowly lifted her head to meet her gaze. "H-Hi. I'm M-Maya Bishop. I'm six years old too and I've always lived here." Maya's voice was barely above a whisper, just loud enough for Carina to catch what she was saying. The pair shook hands before the blonde turned back to her horse.