english,
Literary: Arrival
Three days until we meet again, three days till this year's big event… Carnival Day!
- Day one -
My name is Merry, short for Merry-go-round. I am a ride in this carnival and I have been here for about four years already.
One early morning, I woke up because of two voices. I recognized one of them; it was our manager. They were talking about the clean-up schedule today. He mentioned that he had already hired enough workers who would arrive soon. I looked around slowly and saw thick layers of dust on me and the other rides.
I gazed at the morning sky, and after a few minutes, I saw at least ten guys in blue and green uniforms wearing masks. After some time, more guys came and they started to use leaf blowers, water hoses, and damp towels to remove the dust and dirt on everything.
Many hours later, we were all squeaky clean. But one worker said that Octopus, the Octopus ride, had too much dirt on him, and it turned out that the dirt he was talking about was rust.
He was so rusty that he looked like it would cost millions if he were to be fixed, it was quite clear that wasn't going to work as well as he did before.
They said they would sort it out tomorrow since they were to have two test runs for each of us to check our quality and see if they would still include us for the big event.
- Day two -
We were all set and ready for Carnival Day. They approved all the rides except for Octopus. They tried to turn him on but his engine was burned out; he even started to emit smoke. He was broken. When our manager saw what state he was in, he didn't hesitate to say, "He's a goner. Get him outta here. We might get sued if we let him through." Those words struck me like lightning. I kept thinking to myself, "What if he says those exact same words to me one day?" It haunted me since I was also one of the old rides. But I didn't let it bother me.
Anyways, tomorrow is the day, the day we meet. I hope I can make you smile the way you used to every year.
- Day three -
Carnival Day!!!
Opening time! I couldn't wait to see your smiling face and hear your excited little voice. Five years ago, you always enjoyed going to Carnival Day. You always came to visit me and even got in line twice or thrice. You caught my eye; you were the only kid I saw who wasn't screaming for their guardian every now and then. You were smiling, laughing, and bringing out so much positive energy. Since then I knew that you were different.
Hours had already passed since the carnival opened and I still hadn't seen you. I felt sick after multiple rounds, I somehow saw familiar faces here and there. Some faces were slightly familiar but I also got the feeling that they were complete strangers. After all that, there still wasn’t a single sight of your face. Only thirty minutes left till closing. I started to lose hope of you coming to visit this year.
With ten minutes left, finally you came! I saw you pass by but you didn't fall in line. You didn't even look at my bright lights. A fistful of emotions went through me, and my bright lights dimmed.
Three minutes passed and you came back, and my lights brightened again! But when I took a closer look at you, you were on your phone with a serious and uninterested face.
Before I could think about anything else, I saw your brother pull you towards the now short line and tell you to ride again just like the old days. But you said you didn't want to, and my heart stopped. After an argument with your brother, you went on anyways, but I could tell you were only forced to.
I focused my eyes on you. You sat on the same spot where you always did, on one hand you were holding on to the rod while on the other was your phone. You were even letting go of the rod every now and then just to get a tighter grip of your phone, I was thinking about your safety while you were thinking about something else.
You looked like you didn't care at all, you weren't the same happy person you were five years ago that used to hold on tight to the rod with both your hands with a tight grip. I guess time does change a person, and it changed you a lot.
As the carnival closed, I felt sadness run through me. At the end of the day, you walked home with your brother and got a good night's sleep. I stayed still in the dark, unlit, waiting for you and your happy and energetic arrival. Just like how you were before.
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