The Carnival

I like this one. Trust me, it is good. Please read.

She entered the building with cautiousness that of an approaching animal, afraid yet very intrigued. The building was tall with huge white pillars in the front and little naked angels blowing horns on top of each one. It was a spiral building, forming a huge dome above the ground, where people in strange masks danced on the perfectly polished marble floors, each one of them an enigma of an entity. The huge doors that rose up far above her were intimidating as they welcomed her inside, where she would have no choice but to abide by the unspoken rules of the carnival.

She stepped over the red carpet; she glanced at the floor, seeing her own reflection, which seemed a bit jagged. The perfectly curled blond hair that weaved downwards like the waves of an ocean, giving off a yellowish glimmer as if reflecting sunshine, the sparkly blue eyes that were like shining dimmers of a lighthouse in the middle of a lost sea, kindly welcoming all kinds of strangers into it, the rosy cheeks that cutely puffed up when she stretched the tightly formed lips to give off a flirtatious smile, which would lift anyone’s spirit. Coming down from her ladylike and gentle neckline was a well fit body enveloped in a bright crimson dress that gave off a sense of attractive wonder, along with scarlet crimson high heeled dress shoes that were wrapped around her delicate feet. The entire combination was stunning, instantly catching attention of any wondering eye like a Venus flytrap, yet there was some air of mystery around her, a shade of secrets behind the magnificent blue eyes that made you want to get behind them and into her sentimental mind, no matter what that trip might bring.

“Would you like a mask?” A tall man in a black dress suit that was standing by the door asked her kindly, watching as she made a frightened noise and moved away a bit, taken by surprise. The tall stranger had black hair that was curled in a messy manner, staying still like he did, due to the hair jell, matching the unbuttoned and loose ends of his dress shirt sleeves that were sticking out from under the slick black tuxedo, adding to the entire untidy image. He had a mask that covered his entire face, except for the spot where his brown eyes poked out at the world. The mask was strange, having no nose or mouth, only many multiple lines that looked like knife cuts colored red sprawled across its wooden surface. His brown eyes met her blue gaze in a quick moment, in which they became locked together. His eyes seemed mysterious and calm, giving her a feeling that he would already know the answer to his own question, as if he knew her for a lifetime. She could only wonder why it gave her the impression that those eyes knew every answer to her every question, as the haunting silence between them continued, accompanied by the dancing music that came from somewhere much further down the hall. For a second, she felt like she could trust him with her secrets, like he could see behind her blue eyes and interpret the things she had on her mind, but that trust was broken by his mysterious words.

”Ahh… I see you already have one… Miranda.” He whispered and she could sense a satisfied smirk that appeared somewhere on the inside of the wooden mask, beneath which was an enigmatic personality.

”Yes, I would like one, and how do you know my name?” She disregarded his deeply mysterious remark, even though it kept bouncing around her mind, making her wonder what could have he meant.

”Simple, milady. You are the only one left on the guest list.” He made a gentleman nod to her as he handed her the mask, the only one that was left. She carefully took it; quickly glancing around the desk behind him and at him but not managing to find anything that looked like a guest list or even a paper. The mask in her hand was heavy, made out of wood also, but colored crimson red like her beautiful silky dress. The mask only covered the middle region of her face, leaving her forehead and her mouth and chin open to view. Below one of the eyes of the mask that were shaped in a very sad and grieving manner was a silver teardrop engraved in the wood, along with the trail that led from the eyeball all the way down the cheek and almost to the end of the mask. But Miranda couldn’t see the unusually fantastical image that was printed on the mask; she could only see it as a blank piece of wood that was lying in her soft palms, begging her to put it on. So she did, feeling a sense of extreme nervousness rise up inside her gut as she stepped onto another plush red carpet while walking closer to the hall. She felt the man’s brown eyed gaze latching onto her graceful back that was exposed by the dress. As she walked further away from him, the more nervous and unsettled she became until a feeling of deep grief took over her body. She tried to shake it away, but it felt unachievable, until the loud music and the flashing lights woke her up from a losing battle within her soul and she stepped inside the carnival.

She felt overwhelmed and charmed at the same time as many couples circled around together, moving majestically under the melodious sounds of a string quartet. There was an orchestra behind them, adding support to the song that sounded overtaking and sinisterly sad, filling her soul with more deep sadness in her lonely state, like a sour wine that fills the exotic glass. She looked onto the pairs that were dancing with a bit of jealousy in her jewel-like eyes, wondering if she would ever find a partner to dance with. And then she looked up and saw him.

On a balcony, about twenty yards above her there he was. In a black tuxedo that was open down the middle, revealing a tightly fit and ironed white shirt that wrapped around an athletic body, along with black leather shoes and dress pants. On his face was a wondrous mask that was split with an “S” like golden curve down the middle, splitting the mask in two pieces, one of which was midnight black and the other prevalently white. On the white half of the face there was a little black dot in the cheek area, meanwhile on the black half of the face there was a white dot. Above the mask shiny blonde and playful curls were dropping down from his head, which was full of them, always weaving around freely like he did. He saw her too; she had noticed him looking at her with extreme interest as soon as she entered the immeasurably vast ballroom. She patiently waited until he appeared coming down the stairs, and just like it was planned, a new song began playing, pulsating around from wall to wall with the gentle sounds of a white dance. She only watched through the eyes of the mask as he walked up to her, rising somewhere above her by about five inches. She felt her nervousness calm down when he grabbed her hands, gently and softly, just like the first time they met, but a new one arose in its place, the kind she always got when he held her so lovingly, just as he did now. The aroma that came from him was drowning her in its dazzling charm. Before she knew it, their arms were around each other and her head was trustingly lying on his chest as they gracefully circled around and around, following the melody of the bittersweet sorrowful song, like the many couples that were dancing in the same ballroom.

”I… I had flowers for you, Miranda. Pink Roses. But you took so long that they all withered away…” He whispered into her ear as they circled once again, his arm becoming tighter around her waist as he drew her closer to him, seemingly never wishing to let go.

”Chris… I thought you have forgotten me… Moved on.” She replied, trying to hold back the tears of intensely nervous joy that was running like a wild stampede across the insides of the stomach. Truthfully, it had surprised her at the most that he was still here, still waiting after all this time.

”Chris? Hm,… Nobody called me that in so long.” After she said his name, he truly felt that it was indeed her he was holding in his arms, as nobody called him Chris but her, instead addressing him as Christopher. They moved slowly in circles more and more, holding each other even tighter, feeling as if the world around them stopped revolving, halting its movement for the two lovers that were finally reunited, but of course, no world is that merciful.

”We have to get out of here. Please, we must go.” She took one step back from him and looked deep into his mask, seeing his green eyes full of loving flames rejuvenated by her presence, her being in his arms.

”Why? We have all the things we ever wanted. The music… Each other…” He said dreamily, while gazing back inside of her mask, witnessing the blue gems that were now becoming rebellious. She suddenly realized that they were still dancing in circles, the music soothing her, the sadly moaning chorus of saxophones was somehow making her feet not able to stop, and the crying solo of the violin was gripping her soul with eerily cold hand, not allowing her to stop the dancing.

”What are you saying, we must leave this place!” She only now regained some sense and noticed that every other couple was dreamily locked in different positions as they danced and danced in circles, tenderly hugging their loved one. They all weaved as if in a mystical trance, continuing the motion like wind up toys and not human beings with souls in them. She noticed how their eyes seemed to be blank, and how hugely vast the room was, where she could see no end of it, or witness the orchestra that was playing the enchanting tune.

”No… We must dance… I waited for so long…” He said as if all feeling but his love for her was taken away from him. To her he sounded demented, unreachable, so she did they only thing that would bring him back to her. They kissed. It was reminiscent of their first kiss, filled with passion and daring love that hadn’t died out at all in her heart, only grew stronger with their reunion. When her eyes opened, they were met with a determined and headstrong flicker that came from beneath his mask. He grabbed a strong hold of her hand and pulled her through the couples that were in a deepest trance, rushing to get to the door of the hallway. As soon as they pulled away, they both felt extreme resistance from their muscles, as if they were refusing to stop the dancing, becoming filled with pain because of breaking away from their routine, but the will of love was stronger and they pressed on.

”Come back… You’ll never leave… Come back… He will never let you go… Come back” The voices of all the couples were now singing along with the haunting violin, infusing deep fear into both of their souls as they chanted away while continuing to dance. They couldn’t ignore it, leaving this place was becoming harder with every step as they ran down the barely lit hall following the red carpet, hand in hand, while the chants were echoing all around the walls and they weren’t able to ignore them any longer. As they frantically raced across the hall, closer and closer towards the exit, they couldn’t help but to sense another danger ahead of them, much worse that creepy dancers, enchanting music and frightening chants, but they only held onto each other’s hand even tighter because they knew they had each other.

”I am truthfully sorry… But as you may have already heard, you will never be able to leave this place. You are here to dance in the nostalgia of your love for eternity. I will ask you to please turn around and go back to the carnival.” The tall stranger with brown eyes was now standing in front of the huge doors that were now closed shut. His gaze seemed friendly and helpful, yet somehow something wickedly strange was in his tone of calmness.

”Out of our way!” Christopher roared at the man and charged at him, headstrong with all his might. He wasn’t a weak man; far from it he was quite strong and had a very good athletic prowess. He raised his right hand, about to deliver a blow to smite the wicked stranger away from their path out of here, when the stranger caught his fist with seemingly no effort at all. They stared at each other’s masks for a second, before the stranger spoke, his tone not upset at all.

”Ah yes, Christopher. The headstrong young man who can find the tiniest good inside the worst of evils and the worst of evils in the most generous good, a rather unique individual you are, I can see why she fell in love with you.” As he spoke, he squeezed Christopher’s fist, making him grimace in pain as the stranger talked in the calmest of tones. He gave Christopher a punch in the chest, making him fly all across the room and onto the red carpeted floor of the hallway. Miranda gasped at the sight of her loved one being hurt, as Christopher couldn’t even manage to get himself up off of the floor, clutching his chest where the heart was, hurting.

”Go back and never try to do that again. Nobody leaves The Carnival of Eternal Love!” His voice became hellish in an instant, flames shot of all around his palms and his eyes flickered with sinister blazes of grim intentions. He was like an impenetrable guardian that stood between them and their freedom, sending his vile wrath down upon them.

She stood up with a determined look, even though a single silverish tear was coming down her face. A real face, the mask seemed to have vanished, leaving the exact same expression on her flushing red grimace. Her blue eyes were full of bravery and the will to not back down in front of whoever this was, despite all the power he had, she came from much too far and her longing was far too great to be stopped right at its doorstep, where she could almost taste the freedom. She didn’t punch him, didn’t struggle against him or even say a simple word. She just grabbed his right hand, covering it over with both of her palms, despite the flames that were burning around them; she forced herself to forget the pain, remembering of her true love she begged him with her eyes, while a single tear graced her beautiful face with all the words she needed. The flames around his hands disappeared, and so did the ones in his eyes, although his mask stayed on him. He read her mind like an open book that had millions of pages flipping around wildly, but he could see the one she wanted him to look at and he understood it. A sense of sadness and deep grief overcame him as he read her expression over and over, the remains of his hardened heart burned with deep regret of a loss that he tried to forget for an eternity. He was finally reminded what true love really was and as it burned deeper into his tempered heart, he understood that it wasn’t anywhere near his power to stop it. He understood her, all of her, and he simply stepped away from the door. It opened by itself as soon as he stepped away, letting in some of the light along with freedom.

”Why?” She calmly asked the black haired stranger before stepping out from the carnival. Christopher was waiting outside for her, impatiently and nervously walking from side to side and glancing at his beloved, whom he never seen look this gorgeous before. He stood in the doorway, his mask still on, waiting for them to leave.

”Even the Devil can love, but only once, milady, only once…” He said as he guiltily took a step back, but seeing as she wasn’t moving but waiting for him to continue, he began talking once again. “It was quite a long time ago by your standards, back when there was only Heaven and Hell, no purgatories and no carnivals. Her name was Roxanne. She was a woman whose soul was so pure that even I could not deter it, no matter how hard I tried to. She was sinless and perfect. Something new arose inside of me and it was love. I became a human for a week and we met. What a week it was, full of joy and laughter, whispers of the cutest things under the moonlit stars. I became fond of her, so fond that in fact I had forgotten my duties as the Ruler of Hell. We became lovers quickly and before I knew it we became married. She was the most gorgeous thing a Devil could ever ask for, so beautiful and gentle, yet strong and sentimental. We never had kids though, oh no, I was afraid of having a demon child because, well… She was so perfectly sinless, so clean and loving, while me… She made me feel guilty about myself, so much guilt in fact that I could never tell her that I was the Spawn of Hell, for no mortal ever thought that a the devil could love. Funny, on her deathbed she told me…” He paused, looking down at Miranda’s feet before taking a deep breath of confidence and continuing, “She told me, “I’ll see you in heaven.” Those were her last words to me. I suppose it is useless to tell you of the heartaches I had and the mindless rages I went through after it, cursing myself for not telling her who I really was, for actually hoping that she could be sent down to me… Don’t get me wrong, I am a cruel and malicious being, but her… She made me feel so much different.” He reminisced and she did not move at all, paying all of her attention to the stranger as he nostalgically let all of his soul out onto her. She had no doubt that he had a soul, at least during these moments.

”So instead of grieving another forever, I created this. The Carnival of Eternal Love. It is a masked carnival because that is where I first met Roxanne. I made it for those who were deeply in love once, but had that love taken from them one way or another. If their love had been great enough both of their souls come to me, reunited at the carnival they may dance forever, together in each other’s arms, full of the love they longed for and lost, once again. Nobody ever leaves this place, dancing to the tune of the greatest orchestra the world had never known as it plays the melodies from the times they were in love, each couple hearing a different tune, their tune, until the End of Time itself. One may call it a demented place of lost souls, while another may say it is eternal bliss. I believe it is both.” He paused once again, not even short of breath but because he knew she needed to take it all in. He then reached out to the door, grabbing the door handle he began pulling it towards himself, closing out the carnival to them, when he saw another flicker of her gemstone-like blue eyes. Before she could ask the question, he was already answering it.

”I let you leave because your love is not a blissful memory of what once was. It is very well alive. His longing for you was so great that when he died, I allowed him to stay here, waiting for your arrival, but as I may guess, God did not have you scheduled to be here yet. You are quite early. So go and let your love grow. I will allow you to return to the land of the living together, but only this once. Just remember this place when you die once more, because if you die without having loved greater than you do now, you may very well end up here again. So for now on…” He almost closed the door, his image was gone from their view as the carnival began disappearing along with its music and the room of their apartment building began to appear all around them, along with the rest of the living world, she heard a whisper,

”Goodbye. I shall see you very soon.”

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