Gateway

Carnival

My mother and father decided to take my younger brothers and I to the carnival. They think that this will be some great bonding experience for us, but as the only one in the family who doesn't go one rides, I knew this was going to be a boring day. I was allowed to go over to a friends house but of course, they were all busy. Realistically, it shouldn't be that bad-- I'll get to eat funnel cake, play in the arcade and not be stuck at home for once

The road disappeared into the horizon. Cars buzzed by our SUV, as my parents sangalong with the radio, turned to the 80's station as always. I couldn't even use my headphones to block them out.. Adonis and Darius were watching the same movies they always watched, so they weren't paying attention or bothering me.

I woke up when I felt the car come to a stop. From the windshield, there were towering roller-coasters of all colors and height, with the ocean rushing right behind it. There were cars full of people unloading and lining up at the entrance, waiting for the gates to open.

In the next thirty minutes, hundreds of people were in a line that twisted all the way across the parking lot. When the golden gates opened the line moved quickly and my brothers immediately dragged my parents to a ride. With all the people in going to different rides, it was easy to get lost. The crowds were just too much for me. I began to drift away from my parents, and tried to find the least populated place. I was following the sound of the waves crashing on the pier when I tripped over a series of wires. Slowly picking myself up from the concrete, my eyes traced the cords to an old machine. I gazed up to the very top of the contraption and read the words, "Your wish is my command," in a vintage script. There was a pair of eyes suddenly staring a me—human eyes?