I Just Want To Thank The Three People That Follow Me. I Don't Know How You Found Me But I Really Appreciate

I just want to thank the three people that follow me. I don't know how you found me but I really appreciate you all and love each of your works.

@chrollohearttags

@lanirawhoney

@trashmoutheggowaffle

The flashlights illuminate our way as we walk towards the old carousel. No one has been in the old mall off of I-82 in years. People say that the old place is haunted. But I think they’re all being dramatic

The dust grows thicker the closer we get to the carousel. We can barely see two feet ahead of us. My heart begins to beat faster with every step I take. I glance left and right, afraid that something is going to jump out from the dark and grab me. ‘Calm down. It’s just a silly story Nana told you to scare you.’.

The dust breaks revealing the old carousel that brought many generations of the people in this town joy. I look at my surroundings and notice that the dust encircles the carousel like a barrier. ‘How odd.’.

“This is boring. Let’s go-”. “Why don’t you take a ride? You’ve come all this way.” I whip my head around searching for the source of the sounds. “Meredith? Is that you?” “Meredith is waiting for you Teddie. Why don’t you join her?” My heart rate speeds up dramatically. Sweat begins to run down my face as I feel tears well up in my eyes from fright. “This isn’t funny Meredith!” I yell to what seems like nothing.

A child-like giggle echoes throughout the empty mall as I spin in a circle out of fright.

Creak creak creak. The noise makes me freeze and turn my gaze to the carousel in front of me. A bright spotlight shines on the carousel as it turns with no operator. Broken music plays from the old speakers add to my fear.

The carousel finally stops turning and the light goes out. “Help…me…” a coarse and ragged voice emanates from the carousel. The light returns but is brighter than it was previously, it focuses on the horse right in front of me. My eyes adjust and my body breaks down as a guttural scream erupts from my body.

Strings were tied around Meredith’s wrists and they had been maneuvered into position that made her hands seem like they were holding the pole that connected the horse to the rest of the ride. A frilly pink dress took the place of her original clothing to illuminate the feeling of her being a young girl. Bows decorated her once straight, now curled, hair. Stockings adorned her legs and a pair of Mary Janes were on her feet. But her face was the worst of it. Her lips had been stretched to the point of a permanent smile and her eyelids had been sewn open so that she could never close them.

The light disappeared and the carousel began to spin again. But it spun faster with every turn it took. Soon it had become a blur and created a small gust of wind. I stood up and began to run away from the carousel as music began to play and echo. “Why are you running Teddie? Don’t you want to ride the carousel? Meredith has been waiting for you.” The voice calls out to me as I run as fast as I can to the exit. Shadowy tentacles begin to come after me as I reach the exit. “LEAVE ME ALONE!” I scream just as the tentacles reach me. With a final leap I make it out of the abandoned mall.

I keep running to make sure that the shadows can’t reach me. When I finally stop to catch my breath I process everything that just happened. Tears begin to fall as I remember what happened to Meredith.

“Why did you leave Teddie? I thought you wanted to ride the carousel?” Alarm bells start to ring in my head as the voice begins to speak to me. I feel something cold wrap around my ankle and drag me. My head hits the ground and I fall unconscious.

Silent? I don’t think I can remember a time when things were truly silent. There had always been noise. But not just any noise. Anna’s noise. Anna has always been the opposite of silence. She is loud, but not the overwhelming kind of loud that will leave you with a headache. Anna loves to talk. Whenever she can, even if she will sometimes get into trouble for it. But that’s just Anna.

Twelve years. That was how long I have been friends with Anna. Twelve years of nonstop noise and laughter. Anna loves making people laugh. I don’t think there has ever been a time where she hasn’t been laughing. That smile of hers so bright it could rival the sun.

But now everything is silent. The sirens, the screams, and…Anna.

The sky has turned a burnt orange color as the fire rages. The smoke has left a haze over the abandoned city. Not even the brightness of the moon could break through. Cars lined the silent streets. What once was a cold November night had turned into a searing hell.

Overlooking the city was a hill that had a lone swingset set atop of it. The hill was surrounded by trees that too were ablaze in the great fire's rage. The old swing set hadn’t been used in years. The chains were rusting and the seats of the swings were cracked. Nonetheless it was still usable.

Two shadows emerge from the smoke. Faces covered by masks and heads covered by hoods. Each figure takes a seat on one of the two swings. A haunting tune started to play brokenly over the city’s alarm system as the figures started to swing.

The fire rages as the grass surrounding the swingset begins to burn and overtake the swinging figures. Even as the fire continues to burn them, the figures continue to swing. They swing until the fire burns them to death.

Many would say that it was a house fire that burned their fair city to the ground. Others believe it was an act of God to punish for not attending church. But the truth died with the two figures on the hilltop swingset.

Part One: The Beginning

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Cade Manning (singer songwriter): "Music has always been part of my life. My parents were young when they had me. Still in high school. My dad and his friends had formed a band, I forget the name of it, and they'd always be practicing in the basement of my dad's house. I'd be down there, just hanging out and listening to them play from as far back as I can remember. I think they were pretty good too. But, uh, they disbanded after Dad and the guitarist had a falling out. After that, it was me and him in the basement listening to records and playing together. My dad actually was the one who taught me how to play the drums. I didn't pick up a guitar until I was like 7 maybe because I didn't want to bring up the ugly memories of the fallout."

Anne Manning (Cade's Mother): "From the moment he found things made sound when you hit them Cade was ready to learn anything and everything he could about music. I vividly remember the day he found out that things made noise. I had been at home with him while his father was away at work and Cade had this little plastic drum my mother had given him that he didn't really use much until this particular day. He balled his little fists up and hit the drum as hard as he could. BOOM! I remember his head turning to me so fast like he was trying to figure out if I had heard the noise too. (laughs). After that it was all over me and John. Peace and quiet were flung out the window after that day. But yes, Cade was always interested in music. I remember going over to John's from school some days and going down to the basement and seeing the two of them engrossed in sheet music. Probably some songs that John had written. It was almost comedic at some points. Here you had this little toddler, 3 or 4 years old, sitting in his young father's lap, learning how to read music notes! (laughs)."

John Manning (Cade's Father): "I met Anne through a friend of mine. She was my buddy Don's cousin. Don had brought her to one of our band's rehearsals and it was love at first sight. About a year into our relationship is when Anne found out she was pregnant. After Cade was born our lives changed dramatically. For me it was balancing my band, school, and fatherhood. For Anne it was balancing work, school, family life, and motherhood. It was hard on us but we managed. Sadly I lost the band during the early years of Cade's life. The fallout was hard. Those guys were my best friends. I mean they meant a lot to me. They were with me throughout Anne's entire pregnancy and they were with me when Cade was born. They even helped us raise him. Cade was like their nephew. We went through a lot together. But then we just lost each other so quickly when me and the guitarist, Axel, got into a fight. We disbanded after the fight. It hurt to lose them, sure, but each day I'd see Cade, sitting in his corner, messing with whatever musical toy he had and I slowly began getting over it all. I had decided that if I couldn't play music with my buddies liked we'd dreamt then I'd at least teach my son."

Mom used to tell me that giving people second chances is like giving someone a second bullet because they missed the first time. When I was younger I didn’t quite understand what she meant.

Now I understand…

The walls are alive with shadows as the flame consumes the flower. The one he gave me. I watch the petals that once meant so much to me burn down to the stem. The memories of our time together run through my mind as I watch my last memory of him die in my hand.

I used to be an emotional person. The smallest of things used to send me into an emotional spiral. But things are different now. The eyes that once shone bright with childlike innocence are now sunken and cold. All their life was stolen from them.

Now all that is left are the thorns. I pick them up and hold them in my palm. Weakened by the heat of the flame they crumble easily when I crush them. When I crush my past self.