Scene Seven: The Chosen

“My name is Nuit, Egyptian goddess of falling stars.”

The violet orange sky hung above a fresco of burnished silver coin leaves. It was the roof of a vibrant carnival tent. The birds called out for the attention of passerby, sang of wonders just out of sight, dared their listeners to try their hand at impossible games, to lose themselves in the mazes of the world, to take a chance, to climb onto the roller coaster, to spend their final quarter, to look at their reflection distorted by a fun house mirror or the unsettled water of a pond. Fireflies made mockeries of the quickly dying stars.

The girl with the bob of blonde hair and the glitter on her ears, around her eyes, over her lips, encircling her neck, ornamenting her wrists, flashing on her fingernails, spoke, as the curtain of forest drew aside for her entrance. In the clearing where the motorcycles and the truck and panther like convertible were parked, thirteen faces turned to look at her. Some were painted with masks of blue and porcelain white, dotted with rhinestones and tattoos. Others looked normal until one met their eyes, their strange, vibrant eyes that shone with the light of another world.

The tents were gone, packed into the back of the truck. An oriental rug was spread over the ground in lei of a table and on this rug was set a feast of feary food and carnival candies. Baskets of brown muffins dotted with a confetti of colorful ingredients, wooden plates of dried raspberries and almonds, blueberries and strawberries, brown pear slices, green apple wedges and chunks of dusty chocolate, cotton candy and caramel, popcorn swimming in salty butter, pink, white, black and orange scoops of ice cream and sherbet, bowls of eggs and bowls of brightly colored cheese.

The carpet itself depicted a huge bird ensconced in fire.

She remembered a story her english tutor had told her about a child who walked out into the woods and got lost. Late that eve the child had come upon a huge banquet laying untouched and untended. The child was so hungry that it took a seat at the table and began to eat. Never had the child tasted anything so wonderful and lost in the magic of the food the child stayed at the table forever. Another story of faery magic beguiling human sensibility.

Nuit clutched the old leather and gilt tome against her breast, her green eyes wide. She took a deep breath and repeated herself. “I am Nuit, Egyptian goddess of falling stars. I am the falling stars. I am a member of the Phoenix Eye Traveling Carnival.”

Eris rose. Her eyes were rimmed in dark liner that mimicked the markings of a cat. A strange line of runes ran along her left cheekbone. Her lips were dark red. She smiled and held out a hand covered in turquoise jewelry.

“Welcome home, Nuit. Come have breakfast. We leave in an hour.”

Chosen: A Modern Day Carnival

About the story

I've always loved the allure of the old Carnivals, the idea of traveling gypsies who told fortunes, pirates who lived by a skewed code of honor, the stories told in Indian folklore. Chosen tells the story of a girl given a chance to join a modern day carnival of dreams. Each character is named for a god or goddess that matches their personality. I plan to write more stories similair to Chosen, perhaps even with the same characters, simply because for me, the idea is one that I would one day like to make real. I believe that it could be possible to have something akin to The Phoenix Eye Traveling Carnival Co.

For more great stories about carnivals, check out Ray Bradbury's works. Along with short stories of Martians and sneakers, he shares my enchantment with the old carnivals. His novel, Something Wicked This Way Comes, is a great fantasy about a nightmarish carnival that comes to town one dark night in October. The Dwarf, is a short story about a carnival as well that can be found in his collection of horror stories, The October Country. His book, The Illustrated Man, has a very carnival-esk feel to it. Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert Heinlien, while not specifically about the carnival, does have a few great scenes in it that take place there and the writing is wonderful.

My family has been a carnival family for generations. My mother tells stories of life on the carnival and my grandfather never runs out of reminiscences. If the old carnivals were still around, I would have been a sixth generation Carny, how many people can say that?

I hope you enjoyed this story and check often for more tales of carnivals, strange worlds, darkness and adventure.

-Cassia Scarborough

Benten- Origin India – God of eloquence, riches, and good fortune

Forseti- Origin Norse, Icelandic- Goddess of justice, truth, wisdom

Vesta- Origin Rome- Goddess of Fire

Eris- Origin Greece – Goddess of Chaos

Nuit- Origin Egypt – Goddess of Falling stars

Tilo- Origin Zambia – God of sky and stability

Locke – Origin Norse – God of Mischeif