October

I could feel the last of the orange sunlight caress my chilled skin and I stared up into the burning sky from my lonely seat on the metal bench. The October festival carried on around me, without me, and that didn’t affect me at all. My heart was weighed down with the autumn air and I watched the Ferris wheel slowly roll around, carrying its passengers gently. The bright lights flickered, taking dominance in the dark as the sun drifted away. Voices of excitement and voices of joy flowed around me, barely touching me. They were like bubbles, invincible and light. I rolled down the sleeves of my thin cardigan, feeling the cold prick like needles into my skin. Sighing, I felt my warm breath tumble off my lips and into the air, swirling into a beautiful masterpiece before a brisk wind stole it away. My bones ached for movement, to slide the chills out of them, but my mind ached for eternal sleep. An autumn melancholy had taken over my mind and I witnessed reality through numb eyes. I shifted my gaze from the ferris wheel, and all the adoring couples bound on its short journey, and back to the retreating sun. It’s vivid orange hair spread out onto the sky, as though it were a ginger mermaid, and it sank further down behind the buildings and horizon. A tangible darkness crept in slowly, around the rides and tents of the carnival, and set the entire scene into a lovely twilight.

Reviews

[Circe]

wow!! this is magnificent writing.. you paint a rich scene.. the breathless beauty and melancholy... so thick it can be tasted and smeared... I don't think I could ever look at another festival and not think of this piece.. those descriptions that ground you to a public scene. the voices and cardigan... the ferris wheel, rides and tents... you can feel this moment all around you. incredible.