“Earplugs? Why, how ingenious,” says the barker to
Gelquie . “I wouldn’t let yourself be too bothered, I’m sure the weather’s just acting up. But now we have a generous trick-or-treater who’s got your back and your ears, and our carnival has a variety of excellent tents to shelter under whilst you enjoy our games!”
You have received 1 Midnight Carnival Raffle Ticket!
You currently have 3 tickets total.Turning to
RielCZ as another soft rumble rolls in and out like the tide, the barker nods heartily. “I think you’ll find we have a wide variety of both ski-ball and pinball machines, hopefully all to your taste!” he says, taking the plastic octopus bone and pocketing it so smoothly and subtly it’s as if he has many arms already. “And I think you’ll also find,” he adds with a grin, even though you didn’t say that part aloud, “that our carnival is indeed more than it seems--why, I daresay it’s even
more fun!”
You have received 1 Midnight Carnival Raffle Ticket!
You currently have 2 tickets total.With another distant rumble and another flourish of his sleeve, the carnival barker checks his watch one more time.
“Well, folks!” he calls. “And with that, are you ready?! The moon is high, and it's high time we got this party started! The ticket booth is now closed--because it’s finally time to select our winners and open the gates!”
The crowd bubbles with anticipation, tickets clasped in hands and eyes roving over the carnival games (and some ears still listening for rumbling).
“Second prize, if you will recall, dear trick-or-treaters,” the barker announces, “will win this dandy smaller trophy, filled with enough candy to earn you a gold tooth, and enough game tickets to circle the Midnight Carnival at least twice! Now let’s see who our lucky second prize winner is!!”
He withdraws a glass fishbowl from beneath the ticket booth counter, and it’s filled with tickets with trick-or-treaters’ names on them. (You don’t remember when the barker had time to write down everyone’s names according to their tickets.)
He pulls out the first name.
“Second prize goes to--
downrightdude !! Congratulations, my good Snaw and Charlie!! I told you purple llamas were lucky, what did I tell you? Come on up here!”
Snaw hurries to the front of the crowd and receives the great smaller trophy.
When the applause dies down, the barker clears his throat for added suspense. “First prize,” he goes on. “First prize will receive
this grand beauty of a trophy, somehow stuffed with even
more candy and game tickets! And furthermore--don’t forget, folks--our esteemed first prize winner additionally has the honor of opening the Midnight Carnival officially!”
He sifts around in the fishbowl of names once more, and draws out another name:
“
Liou !” he announces. “You lucky scalawag, come up and take your prizes, and let’s get our carnival started! --Everyone! Give it up for the luckiest mermaid of the night, winner of the raffle at the Midnight Carnival!!”
After Liou has hefted their proud prize however a reverse mermaid chooses to do that, to much applause, the barker gestures them over to the carnival gate, still draped in the fancy ribbon. Somewhere, you can hear the chimes of a clock, counting up to 12. As the clock continues its countdown, the barker gestures to the crowd.
“Are you ready, folks? Get ready to welcome yourselves to the Midnight Carnival in--Four! Three! Two! One!”
Finally, Liou pushes open the gate, unlocking it and prompting the entire fairgrounds to suddenly light up with brilliant multicolored lightbulbs. The games and rides flash on with life, and the buzzing of electricity rushes to fill the air--as does the crowd’s excitement.
“Enjoy our Midnight Carnival!” crows the barker. “Thank you all for coming! It has been--well and truly, believe you me--a privilege to serve you!”
And, flinging a sparkly smoke bomb to his feet, the barker completely vanishes. Geez. That seemed unnecessary. It was overly dramatic, even for him. You turn towards the games at last in anticipation.
“Hey!” cries one of the trick-or-treaters, the skeptical one wearing the weird costume with 31 faces. “Why, that dirty, grinning grifter! My wallet’s gone!”
A flicker of alarm ripples through the crowd. If you had any extra money or other extra valuables on your person, you might find that they’re no longer there.
But before the indignation at this revelation has more time to sink in, you suddenly realize that that buzz of electricity that began when the carnival gate opened...has continued to grow. It is now that familiar rumble--but this time, it doesn’t seem to be ebbing or quieting down. Low, clinking, clanking, metallic, scraping, rumbling, rumbling like an empty stomach--
And suddenly, a beanbag from the nearby cornhole game launches itself into the crowd of its own accord, narrowly missing you.
“ALMOST,” its electronic scoreboard flashes.
Wait--are the carnival rides and games moving? And coming
towards you? They’re definitely coming “CLOSER,” like the cornhole game board flashes next, as another flurry of beanbags rains over the crowd. The apple bobbing game machine is flinging wet apples. The Pick A Duck ducks are quacking with a vengeance. The crane game is hungrily snapping its claw. The Test Your Strength bell rings like it's the beginning of a wrestling match.
What do they want??
Wait--they seem to be especially targeting the two winners of the raffle in particular. What’s different about--... Wait wait, all the games
are attached to ticket machines. ...Are they hungry for your tickets??
Welp.
This went south quickly (even though this post was so long). Can’t say you didn’t see something like this happening, though.
Soooo, it’s up to you if you want to stick around and try to take on some of the carnival games (just, not
quite in the way you had first anticipated), or you can just politely call it a night and get the heck outta here.
It’s a win-win! Happy Halloween! ...that barker might say, if he hadn’t already flown the coop and left you all here with these things.