The Carnival

Olivia sipped on her strawberry lollipop as she strolled along with her parents to the carnival. Every once in a while, the villagers came together for a special reunion along with fun rides and scrumptious meals. Every single villager contributed for the occasion to take place and it is believed to bring the community together.

Anna glared at Rob and looked away in frustration. Rob clicked his tongue. " Why are you being like this...this is the first fair she's gonna attend. Way to ruin the mood" he mumbled.

" Me? To ruin the mood? I already told you I didn't want to come but you didn't listen. Just like every other time. You never listen."

The carnival gates were just a few feet away. " Can you at least pretend to be happy? For the sake of our daughter at least" Rob threw his hands mid-air, unable to comprehend his wife's logic. Anna just wanted to be done with it.

" Fine, I won't ruin your precious little time with YOUR daughter. All I said was you could've consulted me first. T-That is all" Her voice cracked and she clenched her teeth tight. It was beyond her understanding how he just could make decisions without even informing her. She didn't have any problem attending the fair but she just wished he had told her beforehand.

Olivia, however, was finally excited to be there. She was tired of walking all the way. The enormous gates were wide open and the trio felt more than welcome there. There were candy shops, photo booths, a Ferris wheel, and even crazy mixer rides. Everyone in the village, from the oldest elders to the youngest sweethearts were participating and having a ball.

" Liv, you stop that right now" her mother swiftly held her hand tight, as in a reminder to behave. Olivia waved at the fellow kids near the cotton candy shop and Anna clutched her hand even tighter. Robert quickly cut in and glowered at his wife. Anna turned bright red." If anything happens, it's all on you" knitting her brows in anger, she walked away.

Robert bent down to his daughter and fixed her blue scarf around her neck. " Don't mind your mother. She's just in a bad mood. That's all" Liv fluttered her eyes innocently and asked, " Is she mad at me daddy..?" Rob answered right away " Of course not, love. She's mad at me. Now, don't you worry so much. We'll have so much fun here!" He high-fived his kid and looked back at Anna who stood at a distance, watching the Ferris wheel going round and round in the air. The duo joined in the sightseeing. Olivia smiled ear to ear and sprung up and down clapping her hands enthusiastically. Anna couldn't help but smile inside. Rob held her hands tight and calmly whispered into her ears. " You can relax now. It's okay...I won't let anything happen to either of you" She gazed into her man's eyes, misty-eyed and nodded ever so lightly. He put a hand around, comforting his wife. Anna did seem to relax but all of a sudden she dug her nails into Rob's arms.

" Wh-where is liv?!"

****

As she watched the kids scream their heads off, Olivia noticed a bright red balloon far behind the Ferris wheels. She got so excited, that she scurried with her skinny legs. The more she ran, the further it felt. Her ponytails dangled from side to side as she dashed her way to the end. The balloon was tied to a wooden pole and it wavered in the wind. Liv stood right in front of the pole and contemplated on her next move. Just then, a husky voice spoke;

" Are you lost, child?"

Olivia turned around to find a giant man, in his late 40's standing with his arms resting on his hip. As she stared at him blankly, he leaned in and examined her.

" You're not from here, are you?"

When the girl didn't pay any heed to his questions, he slowly walked over to the pole and stood right beside it.

" Do you want this?"

Liv bobbed her up and down like a doll. The man grunted and loosened the string. Her face lit up like a sunny morning and tightly held on to the balloon, now quivering in her tiny hands. The man looked at the girl and pondered. As if answering his questions, she turned around and realized that she was far off from her parents. The hefty man kneeled to the ground and pointed his index finger towards a booth that stood a bit far from the stalls. It was nighttime and the grasses around the area were uncut. A single light bulb dimly lit the booth amid the darkness.

" We can go over there and make an announcement. So your parents can easily know where you are. Okay?" Liv eyed him but didn't say a thing. The stranger took her hand gently and walked hand in hand over to the booth.

*****

Rob and Anna spent the next twenty minutes trying to find their only daughter. The place was jam-packed and people walked in all directions. Anna pushed through them and called her little girl's name. She just wanted to scream at the top of her lungs.

'None of this would have happened if he had just listened to her for once.' Rob was in absolute disarray and he clearly didn't want to hear an 'I told you so'. They searched every nook and corner but couldn't trace the girl. Robert didn't want to ask the people but the circumstances left him no choice. As he made his way to a darts game stall, his wife immediately ran up to him. Anna tugged him along by his arm and scampered towards the peripheral region of the fair. She had spotted the blue scarf lying on the ground next to the tall grass. The parents ran as fast they could and panted as they reached over to pick the scarf. Mother was on the edge of tears and she sniffled holding the piece of cloth close to her heart. Rob looked over to the left and was dumbfounded.

Olivia squatted on the ground, chewing relentlessly with both her hands stuffing her mouth. She had bit open the entire abdomen of a man and was feasting on her favorite part of the meal. The intestines. Her bloodshot eyes instantly recognized her parents presence and she quickly stood up, wiping her hands on her starry pink skirt. Anna bumped her husband in the chest and scoffed.

"What did I tell you? huh? What if someone else had come by? What do you think they would have done" she hissed. Robert didn't take his eyes off of his daughter. Anna nudged him again " Answer me! You know what humans have done to our kind. And you still wanted to bring your daughter to this ridiculous fair..." she inhaled deeply, trying to hold her breath. Rob couldn't focus on his wife's bickering but instead, he walked over to his bloody daughter and ruffled her red hair gently.

"I'm proud of you little one." he sneered, wiping off the stains from around her mouth. Olivia giggled and hugged her daddy in contempt. Anna eyeballed her husband.

" Your little adventure is over missy. We are leaving NOW."