Edward the Ringmaster

I've lived in a few houses growing up but out of all of them only one of them remains in my mind. It was the house where my parents died. When I was fourteen we moved into a small two bedroom house in a small town in Oregon. The house sat at the end of a half mile driveway that snaked its way through dense spruce trees. At the end was a clearing and in the center of that was our house, looking as if it had been pulled straight from a fairytale. Little did I know, it was the farthest thing from.
At the time I was a loner, the type to drown out the world with my headphones or hide from it by sitting alone. One day I was sitting alone like usual when a girl named Emma decided I would be a good friend. She walked up to me and started talking to me. It came as such a shock that all I could do was stare. Only after she asked me my name for the third time was I able to reply. “Oh… im Toby I said barely over a whisper. “I'm Emma. You're new in town, right?” she nearly shouted. Her energy was always equal to that of a squirrel who just did a line of coke off a car battery. “Yeah, I moved here from a small town down in California” I said, still not sure why this living fireball of a human was talking to me. She sat down next to me “cool, so what house did you move into?” i hesitated before replying “the small two story on the edge of town, with the really long driveway” her face went pale as i mentioned that house. “Oh, that's cool” Emma said with a very noticeable hint of uncomfort in her voice. “Your voice says that it's not” I looked her in the eyes as Emma tried to look anywhere else. “Is there something wrong with that house?” I decided to probe the subject. “Just stay out of the woods, trust me” Emma said quietly. “Look, I have to go to class” Emma said before getting up, “Why can't I go into the woods?” I was confused and a little unsettled by the statement that i felt needed more elaboration. Emma stopped and thought before turning and walking back to me “meet me at the park after school, i will explain then”. Her words tingled in my head all day. “Stay out of the woods, why? What needs explanation? Is it bears, or what?” I couldn't focus for the rest of the school day. 
The final bell rang and I packed my school stuff and began to walk to the park. When I arrived I saw Emma, sitting on a bench under a tree. “Hey, so why can't I go into the woods?” I asked as I sat beside her “I can't tell you here. Follow me” I looked confused “Follow you to where?” “the woods” Emma replied. I stared at her for a second before slowly saying “so we need to go into the woods so you can tell me why not go into the woods?” Emma looked like her brain did a flip in her head before it fully processed what I had said “I ment don't go at night, gosh, just follow me” I was nervous as I watched Emma walk into the tree line but decided to follow her anyway.
“So where are we going?” I asked, “I'm going to show you why you should stay out of the woods.” She didn't say another word for the entire walk. It took us maybe an hour of walking but soon we began to come across evidence of life, well where life used to be. Old lightbulb strings running between trees, some old flyers half buried in the dirt, even an old railing like the ones police use. As we trekked farther and farther in, I began to see more and more evidence that there really was a carnival here. Up ahead I could see a clearing where a few metal structures still stood. There was some form of generic spinning ride you see in every carnival rusted over and overgrown with vines, there was an old drop tower once again nearly rusted beyond recognition, an old snack cart, knocked over and decaying. It was creepy and yet it felt almost warm and inviting. Like the memory of all the happy people who had come through had seeped into the land itself. It was almost addicting. “This is why you should stay out of the woods” Emma said in a grim voice, nothing like the energetic tone she usually had. “Because there's an abandoned carnival?” I said with a slight chuckle. Emma looked at me “no, it's because of what happened here.” this caught me off guard “wait, what happened here?” Emma took a seat on an old rusted bench before talking. “This carnival has been here for a long time, back when it was still running the man who owned it was named Edward. He was a nice but strange man, an immigrant from the UK and he would rarely leave the carnival grounds. So when kids start to go missing, who else would the people of this town blame rather than the weird foreigner who lives at the carnival?” I was enthralled by the story she was telling. “Well the police came and investigated and do you know what they found” I said the first thing that came to mind “The children?” Emma chuckled, “Nope, they found nothing. It seemed that Edward was completely innocent. But the locals didn't see it that way. So one night a group of men came out to the carnival and well. Edward was never seen again.” My jaw dropped “They lynched Edward?!” “Yup, but legend has it that Edwards' soul is still here, waiting for his chance to take his revenge on the people who killed him” I got a chill down my spine “that's a pretty interesting story. But I doubt a ghost would wait in a rusted old carnival” Emma shook her head “if you dont wanna listen to me then fine, you're gonna end up missing too” Emma said with a slight scowl on her face “wait… people still go missing? Does that mean that the guy was never caught?” “Toby, that all happened fifty years ago. And yes they did catch the guy who killed those kids back then. It was a man named Henry Beaumont, he passed away in prison about twenty years ago.” 
I walked through the front door of my house only to be met by the sounds of two people screaming at eachother. My mom and dad were fighting again. This was nearly a daily occurrence, if only I knew what would happen. I walked upstairs and into my room, the walls were thin and I could still hear the yelling so I put my headphones on and layed down.
The sky was dark and the air was filled with the scent of various fried foods. The night air was cool and the lights strung from tree to tree shone bright. There were rides and booths with games, and yet there was something wrong. The place should be teaming with life but it was only me and one other man. He stood in the center of the clearing, his back turned to me. “Hello?” I called out to the man “Hello” I heard him respond. “Yes, hello. You're not here.” the mysterious man said. “What do you mean, who are you?” The man turned around and yet I couldn't see his face. “I can not answer, you're not here.” the man cocked his head and said “Come here and i show you”
I woke up from my nap, the strange dream still vivid in my mind. The house was silent so I decided it was safe to get something to eat. I walked into the kitchen and looked out the window, my dads car was gone. Another rage fueled retreat to the bar from the old man. I made a sandwich and walked back to my room. As I walked down the hallway I could hear my mom crying quietly to herself in her bedroom. I continued back to my room and as I sat down I noticed a light in the woods, probably just someone camping. I thought to myself before falling asleep to a movie. 
Emma walked up to me “hey toby, how was your night?” She asked “Decent, i had a weird dream but that's about all.” Emma scooted a little closer “oh, a weird dream. Well I'm definitely interested. What happened in your dream?” I thought for a second trying to replay the dream in my mind. “I dreamed I was at the carnival, but the carnival looked brand new, like it had opened yesterday. There was this man, he just kept telling me ‘you're not here’. It seemed like he was trying to get me to go there, I don't know, it was pretty weird” Emma looked very interested in my words “Did you see what he looked like?” “no, his face was… obscured, it's not like it was covered or anything just… blurry” Emma looked like she was contemplating the mysteries of the whole world before replying “I don't think this is a coincidence. You had a dream about the carnival the same night that the carnival lit up. It's strange.” I thought before what she said really settled in. “wait. The carnival lit up?” Emma looked at me like I was an idiot. “Yeah, it happens every now and then” It was a little to perfect to be coincidental. “So what do I do now then?” Emma thought for a second. “I think you need to stay away from the carnival. If Edward wants you to go there then it's likely not in your best interest” 
I entered the house after school thinking about all the strangeness of my dream last night and the lights I saw. While recapping everything from my conversation with Emma I had an idea “I think Edward wants to talk to me. Should I go to the carnival? Why not, Edward didn't hurt anyone, it was Henry. I should be safe” After rationalizing it for about an hour I finally decided.
Sneaking out was easy, my dad still hasn't come home and my mom still hasn't come out of her room since the fight. I just walked right out the front door. The sun was half submerged in the tree line when I left. As I walked through the forest I got this feeling in my chest that I was doing something bad, but curiosity was far more powerful. I walked under the old strings of lightbulbs hung between trees. As the sun fully sank into the horizon and night rose a single string began to flicker before staying on. Like an old man rising from a long sleep, slow to rise but still steady in its job. Then another string lit up and another. Within ten seconds every light had flickered on and was guiding me to the carnival. As I walked into the clearing the carnival shone bright just like in my dreams.
I began to wander through the carnival, trying to find something, anything. I noticed a tent near the back of the carnival. From inside I heard something that sent shivers down my spine. It was a music box playing to the tune of This Old Man. I didn't want to look inside out of pure fear, but like I said, curiosity is more powerful. After a minute I peeked inside to see a desk, lit up by an old lamp. Scattered across it were papers and sitting directly in the center was a music box. A beautiful ornate box with a brass crank extending from one side. I walked in and I noticed that it wasn't all just useless papers. Directly underneath the music box was an old leather bound journal.  Written on the inside of the cover was the name Edward Blackburn. I opened it to a random page and began to read “I'm so happy that the carnival is going well. Only a week and we seem to have had most of the people in town visit. Profits are through the roof, I might even be able to make this a permanent arrangement. That deal seems to have been the best thing I could've done. Let's hope it doesn't come back to bite me.” As I read that last sentence I heard the hoot of an owl. Realizing how late it was I decided to take the journal and head home. I arrived just in time. Seeing the lights of my dads old Mazda right as I closed the door. I ran up to my room and pretended to be asleep. As I lay there I could hear my dads drunken footsteps stumble into the house and then the squeaking of him landing on the couch. Knowing him, he would be asleep in seconds. I layed there falling asleep not long after. 
I was woken up to my alarm. It's time to go to school. I got ready and left the house. Walking by my dads still sleeping frame on the couch. As I walked I heard a voice call out behind me “TOBY WAIT UP” I turned to see Emma running after me. I stopped to let her catch up. “Hey Toby, did you have another weird dream?” I answered her honestly. “Nope”. “What about the lights, did you see them?” I thought for a second about how much I should tell her. “Yeah, i saw them” Emma replied teasingly “you didn't think it was a bonfire again, did you?” I chuckled softly “no, i knew what it was.” Emma thought for a second “it's strange how active Edward has been” “what do you mean”, Emma looked at me “oh yeah, you're not from around here. Edwards carnival normally only lights up once every month or so, but for some reason we have seen the lights two nights in a row so far. Something is different” 
I returned home from school. My dads car was gone again, was he at work or the bar? I walked into my room to see that Edwards Journal was sitting open on my desk. The page was blank except for two words “Come Back”. Rather than getting scared, I got angry. Edward was toying with me and I was sick of it. I decided right then and there, i was going back.  I don't think I need to describe myself sneaking out again.
I walked through the forest into the carnival. The sun was still in the sky, the carnival looked exactly like when I was here with Emma. “WHAT DO YOU WANT?” I yelled into the sky. The only response was my voice echoing into the distance. I walk over to an old bench and sit down. “I'm not leaving until i know what is happening” as i sat there i thought about all of this and i started to realize how useless this temper tantrum i was throwing was. Just as I was about to stand up to leave a light began to flicker to life. I looked at the sky, it was night time. As the carnival flickered to life again something was different. This time there was more power to it, carnival music began to play, I could smell the sweet scents of the snacks. My blood ran cold when a shadow formed in the middle of the carnival. The human body has a natural defense mechanism called fight or flight, essentially when put in a high stress situation one will either fight or run away. Something they don't talk about is the third response, freeze. I was currently frozen in fear. It was taller and stood completely still, it grew darker and darker until it was solid black. The black faded away and there he stood. Edward was there looking as real as you or me. He walked up to me “Hello Toby, I would introduce myself but it seems that we have become acquainted already” he smiled gently at me “You have nothing to fear, please enjoy everything my carnival has to offer.” Edward snapped his fingers and behind every counter a puff of purple smoke erupted and as it cleared in each spot stood a person, wearing the same outfit as Edward but they all wore masks. I walked up to one of the games and looked at the person. Their mask was black and white, split down the middle. A smile painted across in gold. As the person leaned down, Edwards' voice came from behind the mask. “Toby, want to win a prize?” The masked person held out four baseballs “Just knock the bottles down and win one of these”. He raised a large racoon plushie over the counter. 
I spent the whole night there, I played the games and stuffed myself with cotton candy and funnel cake. It was one of the best nights of my life. Before I left Edward pulled me aside “I hope you had fun kiddo but I'm afraid the carnival is closing. I recommend you head home now but dont cry, my carnival will be here for you tomorrow night”. I already knew I was coming back.
At school I could barely keep my eyes open and Emma definitely took notice. “Hey Toby, you ok?” Emma looked genuinely concerned for my well being “Yeah i'm fine” I did my best to wave away her concerns “just had some trouble sleeping”. Emma looked at me skeptically like she knew I was lying. “So anything new with the carnival?” I thought once again if i should tell her everything but i decided against “No, just seeing the lights again” for once Emma looked confused “the carnival didn't light up last night” I tried to play it off “oh, it was probably just a dream or something” she agreed but looked like she didn't believe me. 
I came home only to hear the screaming match from outside, as i walked up to the door it flew open and my dad stormed past pushing me onto the lawn before getting back into his car and leaving with a squeal from the tires. I walked in and my mom was sitting on the couch, not crying this time. Just looking forward. I walked up to my room and waited for sunset to head back to the carnival. 
I had gone there every day for a week, a place that creeped me out had become my own piece of heaven. A perfect escape from the constant air of darkness that hovered over my house. One night Edward pulled me aside “Hey Toby, how do you like my carnival?” i threw a baseball at a stack of bottles before answering “I love it, it's the best place i've been in a while” Edward smiled “well how would you like it if you didn't have to go” i turned my attention fully to Edward “what do you mean” “There is nothing better than being happy. Why not be happy forever. Stay here with me” Something about the offer made me uncomfortable “I don't know” the edge of Edwards' smile twitched before responding “there's no rush, think about it and tell me tomorrow, now it looks like the sun is coming up. You should go home” I said my goodbye and left but something felt off this time
I went to school the next day, Emma stopped me as soon as she saw me “Toby, you look awful. When was the last time you slept?” I chuckled and muttered “that's a good question” Emma looked worried “What have you been doing at night?” In my sleep deprived state I let my secret slip. “The carnival”. Emma's face went cold “Toby, have you been going to the carnival?” it was then that my brain realized that i've messed up. I scrambled to cover up my slip. “What, no. Why would i go there, you said not to go there” Emma's face looked calm but her eyes were burning. “Toby, if you go missing then that's on you. I warned you. Now tell me everything” after about a half hour i finally finished going over everything “So Edward wants you to stay there forever?” i nodded “well that's an easy answer” Emma said “never go there again, don't give him an answer” i nodded again “yeah that would probably be for the best”
I got home and sat on my bed looking toward the carnival. I knew it would be a bad idea but I wanted to go back. I decided I would have to wean myself off so I decided to wait till I saw the lights. 
Today I saw lights before the sun went down. Only these lights weren’t from the forest, they were coming from my dads car coming down the driveway. He parked and sat in his car for a while. After the sun had been down for a while now, he climbed out of the car, finished off his beer and reached back in and pulled out a shotgun. I will never know what my parents fought about That week before but it was enough to drive my dad over the edge. I began putting on my boots as he stumbled to the front door. Once I heard the front door open and close I began climbing out my window again. By the time I was halfway across the clearing to the forest line I heard a sound that has been engraved in my head. A shotgun blast echoed out of the house. In the dark I could see the muzzle flash in the window of the master bedroom. I began sprinting. I didn't have long before my dad would know I was gone. I ran as fast as I could into the forest, I could hear my dads voice screaming my name behind me. While I ran I knew I was getting closer to the carnival. I could see the lights, hear the music, and smell the food. It was the only place I could go, something deep in my mind told me I would be safe there. I entered the park but it stayed dormant, Edward was nowhere to be seen. I hid behind one of the game stalls as my dad entered the clearing. I heard him yelling my name. Then suddenly things went silent. I peaked over to see my dad standing gun aimed at Edwards head “who the fuck are you” Edward made a face i had never seen before a smile that portrayed rage and hatred rather than kindness. “I am Edward. The owner of this carnival. The one you are currently trespassing on.” My dad seemed to be getting angry ”Where the fuck is my son you circus freak” Edward chuckled “You think im a freak now? Just watch this.” Edwards mouth stretched open showing hundreds of razor sharp teeth. My dad pulled the trigger but it only succeeded in angering the beast I knew as Edward. The newly formed monster reached out and grabbed my dad by the head and bit his neck, severing his head. There was a sickening crunching sound as blood sprayed across the grass. My dads headless body collapsed to the floor. Edward turned to me and called out “Come Toby, stay here forever with me. I can make you happy” the beast didn't even try to hide its sinister self from me anymore “don't you want that, no pain, no fear, only this place you love so much.” Without saying another word I turned and ran. I heard a scream of frustration behind me, like a predator who lost its prey. Only now that the spell had been broken could I see the bodies in various states of decay. Some were skeletons, some still had meat on them. All were kids, they all looked to be ages 5 to 15. I noticed one body that made me stop if only for a second. The body couldn't have been more than two weeks old but I could still recognise who it was. The body of a young girl was Emma. I took off running again. I never looked back. I ran back into town and was picked up by police. They investigated my house and the surrounding forest. They found my moms corpse in bed and my dads body in pieces, ripped apart and strewn around the forest but they never found the bodies of children at that old abandoned carnival. They ruled it as a murder suicide. They said my dad had lost it after a fight, killed my mom and then went out into the woods and killed himself. Then his body was ripped apart by local wildlife. I was sent to live with my aunt. I stayed with her until I was 18 and I moved as far from Oregon as I could. I don't ever want to go back. 
Category:Places
Category:Beings
Category:Dismemberment