David crashed his bike in the park and stumbled upon a mysterious fairground in disrepair. He got up, removed his helmet, and looked around. The Ferris wheel was the king of the fair, towering over his subjects. However, the king had seen better days. It was covered in cobwebs and the paint had chipped off, exposing the metal underneath. David looked to his left and several tents, booths, and rides came into view. The dilapidated rollercoaster lit up with sporadic flashes of red, yellow, and blue, like a TV with a bad connection. The plants had begun to retake the amusement park, with botanic growth visible all around the ground and on some of the booths. Even after years, he could still smell the sickly scent of spilled soft drinks all over the park, smelling like cough syrup with sugar added. The silence was deafening, but then David suddenly heard an eerie noise. He had to stop for a moment just to make sure that his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him. People always told David he had trust issues, but he knew he was right to be skeptical. However, it came again, louder this time. The noise was unmistakable. It was laughter, laughter that sounded joyous but also strangely sinister, laughter that reverberated all the way throughout the fairgrounds. His whole body shook as the floor rumbled with another round of mirthless laughter. 

Then, as abruptly as it began, the laughter stopped.

David was engaged in an internal battle, with one side of him saying “Leave, this place is clearly dangerous,” and another side saying “Stay and explore, what’s the worst that could happen?” In the end, the latter side raised its flag over the former’s capital. He tentatively shuffled over to the prize booth, where stuffed animals were lined up row by row in boxes labelled by letter. David reached out his hand and picked up a lollipop from the Tier A prize box, the lowest one. He unwrapped it and took a lick. The texture was mysterious, halfway between saltwater taffy and a gummy candy, and the taste was subtle, like he couldn’t even tell what flavor it was supposed to be. He then walked up to the imposing shelf and picked up a stuffed penguin. It was surprisingly firm to the touch, feeling almost like a stress ball that he would squeeze when anxious. The giant stuffed bear stared down at him from its perch at the top of the shelf, seemingly to say, “You don’t belong here.” Crickets chirped in the distance, and David looked away towards the booth that sold Crazy Cotton Candy to see if the park was anywhere nearby. However, when he turned back around, the teddy bear had enigmatically shifted from the top of the shelf to the desk right in front of him. 

Before he could react, the laughter came again, clearer now, and it was loud enough to drown out the sound of cars on the nearby road. Adrenaline rushed into David, triggering his fight or flight response. David sprinted with all his might back towards his bicycle, desperately trying to recall his time on the high school track team. He drew closer and closer, his heart pounding in his chest, but right when the bike came into arm’s reach, a figure appeared in front of him. David crashed into him before he could slow down. Then, before he could even catch his breath, he took a plunge through a trapdoor that opened up beneath him. 

Dizzy and disoriented, David opened his eyes and looked up from the bed he was on. David’s head rushed with relief. He wasn’t actually in an abandoned fairground, he was safe and sound at home. He had just dreamed all of those events. He yawned, and rubbed his eyes, preparing to get out of bed, when suddenly he noticed that his bed was circled by clowns. His eyes widened, but before he could react or try to run away, a clown who looked like the leader simply shushed him and said “Well, well, well. Another visitor. Would you like to show him how we take care of visitors, Sean?” 

“My pleasure.”