The Night Fair

s i x- I

As soon as she entered the fair, she stopped breathing. The air was lit up with the multi-colored lights that shone from different stalls. The fair stretched so far that even when she stood on the tip of her toes, she couldn't see the end of it. It was brighter than the sun and merrier than weddings and birthdays. Huge rides, sizzling food, and children and adults running and laughing in groups, everything was so full of life. She paused, taking in sights. Feelings of joy and slight satisfaction filled her heart. Slightly parting her lips, she stood their taking in everything she could see.

The huge roller-coaster was standing at the extreme corner. It was all pink, and was somehow rotating anti-clockwise. Next to it were smaller rides like the merry-go-round. A line of stalls stood from left to right corner, covering one fourth of ground. About fifty stalls filled with food around the world. All the stalls were covered with shades of yellow instead of usual white, making the fair seem colorful and scintillating. They were as big as individual cottages. Smell of food wafted towards her, and she closed her eyes, inhaling it along with the smell of fresh mud beneath her shoes.

Another fifty stalls or so were lined up; games, tattoos, clothes and jewelries, on the other side of food stalls. She was torn between what to do first. Rides, games, shopping or food?

Before she could decide, a boy bumped into her, spilling his tea onto her cloak. The same cloak which Naanai had specifically insisted her to wear. Her eyes widened, as the boy mumbled a small sorry. She waved her hands as if saying it was okay, even though her skin burned from hot tea. The boy still apologized profusely.

He said, his tone honeyed and his green eyes apologetic, "Please, at least let me bring you some tissues." His coffee-colored hair was split into bangs, which covered his forehead. He looked quite young, enough to pass for a high-schooler. His blue t-shirt and jeans were loosely hanging on his body, highlighting his extremely thin figure. Avika struggled to find words. Finally she nodded, letting him take her hand and guide her to the nearest food stall.

As she was being dragged by the boy, she kept looking around. Awkward silence clung to them, but chattering people and kids laughing and running around them, lessened it a bit. Finally, they reached one of the stalls. The stall owners were selling freshly baked bed and cinnamon tea. The boy asked for some tissues, and Avika stood there not knowing what to do. Smell of melted cheese and just baked bread filled the air, making her feel hungry.

She looked at the stall owner, and a weird feeling of uneasiness filled her mind. The lady didn't look--er--right. Her dress: a blue anarkali*, looked too rich and stylish for fair, her hair were all bubblegum pink contrasting to her dark skin and her dress. Her eyes were dazzling with different colors, and her lips redder than normal. Her hands were the oddest. They were covered with red spots, and instead of having five fingers, there were six. Before she could dwell on those thoughts, the boy handed her the tissues.

She said, "Thank you," and took the tissues from his hand. The boy turned around to leave but then seeing Avika struggle with her cloak, he paused. Avika tried to wipe the tea strain from the cloak, but for some reason the tissues didn't soak it. Instead, the stains just turned black, and the cloak was beginning to feel hot. So hot that she had to remove it.

The boy stared at her, his head tilting up in confusion. He said, "Why is your cloak turning black?" He looked at the empty cup which was stuffed with used tissues and then stared at her. Avika sighed and said, "I don't know. It's too hot to even hold," and dropped the cloak onto the ground. She had been wearing a red t-shirt and blue jeans inside the cloak.

Chilly air nipped her bare arms, making her feel cold. She shivered slightly so she rubbed her arms, trying to warm them. The boy said, scratching the back of his neck, "Your cloak is turning black and is fading away...and so is my cup." His skinny hands clutched the empty plastic cup tightly, but it slowly disappeared from his hand into nothingness. The boy rubbed his eyes, not understanding what just happened.

Avika looked at the guy, her lips parting slightly, as her green-to-black cloak also faded into nothingness. The ground looked slightly black, but then turned green like the grass around it. There was no trace of the cloak. A fuzzy feeling which appeared in her heart after she had taken her coat off, was increasing. Her heart felt light for no reason at all, and she suddenly felt as if she was flying. The air smelt like cakes, which for her was the best smell in the world. Everything around her felt as if it had been touched with something full of joy.

A bubble of happiness filled her heart, and she was feeling dizzy for no reason at all. The fair suddenly looked brighter than before. So bright, that she felt it was daytime and not nightfall. A buzzing sound filled her ears; instead of being irritated by it, she felt it was soothing.

Looking at the lanky yet somehow cute boy next to her, she said, grinning for no reason, "Do you want to go on ride?" and then added, "I am sorry, I didn't catch your name--"

The boy gulped, and then said, sounding annoyed, "Why do you want to go on the ride, suddenly? What about your coat?" Avika swayed slightly, and said, "Because it's fun." She wanted to dance for no reason. She thought she was going to burst from happiness. Why am I happy? She thought, walking--stumbling towards the merry-go-round. Eh, who cares. She thought, grabbing the boy's arm. As soon as she touched him, he said, giving her a dazzling smile, "My name is Aditya. And yes, let's go for a ride on the merry-go-round."

~~~

a/n : sorry for abrupt ending. Things will get clearer in next chapter.

Anarkali: it is an Indian dress. it looks something like this:

also, what do you think of the story. do you have any theory? what do you think will happen next?