The Carnival

The fair arrived in the middle of the summer each year. The event set up on a big empty lot right in the center of the city, between the Coliseum and the interstate. Unmarked trucks would roll in and raise their bay doors, allowing an array of brightly colored booths and structures to spill out. The various bits of metal and wood would rise up like inflating skeletons, creating lanes and streets surrounding bizarre polyps of lights and sound. The smell of cotton candy and fried dough would swirl into the hazy summer air to create a sugary miasma that welcomed attendees as if they were cartoon characters floating along in mid air.

Dennis loved the fair. He loved the gaudiness of it all — the rides and the food and the people. The people are what really amazed him. The ride hawkers filled the air with sing-song voices, their bright and deceitful eyes calling out to people to test their strength or win a prize or ride to the top of the world. Behind them lurked the unseen Carnies. Hulking men and women of ill repute worked just out of sight, constantly supplying the continual flow of food and drink to all the carnival goers. Finally, the attendees themselves lumbered into view. A rush of humanity as the gates opened, and people of all sorts flooded into the makeshift town.

The summer heat led to odd choices in clothing. Young people tended to want to look their best, even at a seedy carnival. They chose smart looking, stylized versions of themselves to parade around for each other, each expecting the others to notice. The men dressed normally, as they always do, in shorts with polos or t-shirts, but the women could be yet another treat for the senses. Pony tails showed off delicate necklines. Tank tops revealed smooth middrifts. Short shorts bordering on inappropriate tantalized the eyes with the curve of young, ass. Dennis doubted any of the women dressed in such a manner would be able to carry on more than five minutes of conversation, but that didn't keep him from enjoying peeks at their tits or, if there was a lucky enough breeze and skirt, to see a bare ass in a pink thong.

His girlfriend, Susan, on the other hand decided to wear an old concert T-shirt and some loose fitting jeans. They had been dating on and off for a long while, but finally decided to consider each other seriously about two months before. They moved in together and started looking at life as a couple rather than two singles who happened to be doing similar things. Dennis naturally expected her attitude to change somewhat, but he didn't anticipate the dramatic shift in her character. She rarely dressed up any more, and their sex life dwindled rapidly. Prior to their cohabitation, he'd been staying at her apartment most nights, fucking like rabbits until the late hours. The next morning, they would often pick up where they left off. She would come to bed wearing nothing but a pink nighty, grab his hand and move it to her ass as her other hand took a firm grip of his hardening cock.

Since the move, she would either be in bed by the time he came to the bedroom, or she'd quickly dart into the closet to change into some dull, granny panties. She'd hop into bed with a quick peck on the cheek and be asleep before Dennis could plug his phone in. She still made the effort some nights, and Dennis supposed that this is what a day to day life was like. He told himself he didn't mind. Still, something under his skin, just behind a thought, nagged at him.

"How much longer do we have to stay?" whined Susan. "It's hot and sticky, and these people are just gross."

Dennis tried to remain upbeat, "Come on, we haven't even been on a ride yet. Look. You wanted cotton candy a few days ago. They have entire shops of cotton candy. I think you can buy a barrel's worth. Literally, like a big plastic barrel."

"I'm not going on those rides," she said flatly. "Look at the Ferris wheel. It's held together by duct tape and gum."

"Oh, come on, Sue it'll be fun!"

Susan pursed her lips and scowled, "What have we talked about? My name is Susan, not Sue. I don't like nicknames."

Dennis could only shrug as they continued to stroll through the brightly lit paths. "Ok, fine. We can go."

She smiled, smugly, "Best news I've heard all night. I think if we turn the corner here it'll sort of head us towards the entrance without having to push back through the wads of people." Susan grabbed his hand and pulled him off the path, behind a tent. The bones of the carnival appeared before them. Unsightly trailers and bins of trash beside crates of stuffed animals and whirring machines creating food for the masses. Still, it formed a path, likely for service vehicles. A prickling feeling crept over them as they walked. The air grew a bit cooler, and the sound of the crowds quieted as if they had stepped behind an unseen barrier. Orange, glowing lights spilled into the sky from the lanes on the other side of the wall of booths, but an unsettling shadow cloaked their new path. They passed the multicolored booths quickly, both suddenly possessed by the feeling that they were not supposed to be in the back lane.

As they walked, Dennis considered the clever layout of the carnival's construction. Each booth had a small door, obviously as an entry and exit for the workers. Other than the door, the backs of the booths were solid wood and metal, placed close enough to one another that this wall went uninterrupted except for slight cracks, no bigger than an inch. The sudden gap in this austere wall surprised him. It looked as if one of the booths had simply been cut out of the wall, leaving a blank lot with a wood backdrop. A billowing tent occupied the vacant space. It stretched up higher than the booths on either side, yet Dennis had not noticed it when walking the lanes earlier. The tent itself had stars and moons embroidered on the cloth. They shimmered slightly as the lights of the Ferris wheel moved through the night sky. The folds of fabric slightly parted beneath a shoddy sign that read, "Games of Fortune - Change your Fate!"

"Ohhhh, this looks awesome!" Dennis said in a low whisper. "Susan, come on, we have to do at least one carnival thing."

"Dennis, look at that place. It's clearly a scam of some kind. And I don't like being back here. Why is the opening on this side?"

"Of course it's a scam! Everything here is a scam," he said, exasperated. "Maybe they just set it up backwards and haven't turned it around yet for some reason. Or maybe the other side is all mystical and they like sending people around here for added mystique. Come on."

She firmly planted her feet and crossed her arms. "No, I'm not going to some silly fortune teller."

"Fine, then you can wait out here," Dennis growled and disappeared inside of the tent.

Susan boiled with anger. How dare he leave her out here to wait. The odd prickling feeling crept over her again, and she looked up and down the alley. No one in sight. She wondered where the carnival workers had gone. She could barely hear the throng of people only a few feet away, but she heard the low whistle of the wind, slow and rhythmic, like the breath of some giant beast. She let out a huff of disgust and followed her boyfriend into the tent.

She collided into the back of Dennis immediately. He'd barely stepped two feet inside before stopping. "Whoa, watch it," he let out in a harsh whisper. They stood in front of a strange altar. On the top of the altar, a crystal ball waited, glimmering with shifting light. Inside they could see the moving shapes and figures of people. The images changed, sometimes growing close to the shadowy figures. A few faces revealed themselves completely. Others remained covered in a thick, grey veil. The image changes as though it were the view of a bird, flying from one person to the next and spending the interim looking down on all of humanity. Both Dennis and Susan marveled as to how it looked so real, but the grinning mask on the wall distracted them.

The pallid green thing made of mossy wood stared at them. The mouth stretched into a grotesque smile, and the eyes were covered by a white porcelain, painted to show blue irises. Neither would have been shocked to see the visage blink at them, for they both felt that it was looking at them as much as they were looking at it. The intent of the mask, though, was fairly clear. It drew their attention to an old top hat just behind the crystal ball. On the edge of the hat, someone had used a clothespin to attach a bit of cardboard which read "$3 to enter." Dennis rifled through his pockets and produced two dollar bills and four quarters. He dropped them into the hat, and they heard a loud click followed by whirring gears as the curtains around the altar shifted to reveal a room.

A small room lit by candles waited for them beyond the veil. Two wooden stools, a table, and a large wooden chair occupied the balance of the room. Beside the chair stood a man. A tall and imposing man. Dennis thought it might be a trick, one of the forced perspective rooms where they stood at the low end, making the man look taller by comparison. Nevertheless, the man seemed to be seven and a half feet from toe to tip. Long spindly hands clasped together in front of him, looking neat and tidy in accordance with the rest of his appearance. He wore a black suit that fit his thin frame with some flare. The only hint of color was a red ascot artfully trussed around his neck. Wispy grey hair topped his head and beetle black eyes watched his guests keenly as they entered. The man bowed low to them while not breaking eye contact, leading to an unsettling craning of the neck.

"I am Thaddeus, the Fortune Reader, the Fate Changer, The Gambler, The Rogue, and The Sorcerer. Welcome, please have a seat."

Susan rolled her eyes as she plopped down on one stool, but Dennis took his own seat wide-eyed and awestruck. Dennis scooted closer to the table as Thaddeus swept into his chair. The man moved with quick but graceful bursts of speed, as if he never wanted to be seen in motion, but only as a static version of himself.

"Allow me to save you the trouble of introductions," Thaddeus said in a low boom. He emphasized each word in a heavy, pointed voice was heavy. "You are called Dennis, and you are Susan."

Susan scoffed, "Did you hear us arguing outside? Very clever."

Thaddeus gave her a tight lipped smile, reminiscent of the mask in the foyer. "You may believe that if you wish. But you have come to my realm, perhaps it would be wise to believe in your eyes rather than in your own preconceived notions."

Susan smirked and shook her head. Dennis spoke, "So, what do we do? Are you a palm reader or like a psychic?"

Thaddeus did not look away from Susan, but his demeanor shifted slightly. Dennis's question apparently pleased him. "I do know these parlor tricks among many others. I can make cards vanish and reappear. I can read your thoughts and tell you your darkest secrets. I can pull rabbits out of hats, turn them into doves, and let the doves lay eggs that contain the untold names of your first loves." His eyes flared at Susan, shimmering black in the dim light, "But you are not here for parlor tricks. You have come to play a game. To change your fortunes."

He swept his hands across the table and as they moved away, two small sacks were left behind, one in front of Dennis and another in front of Susan. Dennis picked his up and opened the small drawstring. He upturned the bag and four pieces of white bone rattled onto the table. "These are the knuckle bones of young guitar player I met once. He wanted to be the best so he made a deal. He became a famous man whose name will always be remembered. In payment, I kept his bones."

Dennis held one of the bones in his fingers, noting the number on each of the four sides. "Awesome..." he whispered.

Thaddeus continued, "The game is simple, but the stakes are high. Each of you throws the bones. You add up your sum for three rounds. The one with the greater number ebbs the flow of fortune in their favor. The one who loses, loses a bit of themselves for the other."

Susan grabbed the bag and started to drop the contents out on the table, "Let's get this over with."

Thaddeus shot his hand out and stopped her, holding her by the wrist, "This will change you. Do not throw the bones unless you are ready to accept the consequences."

"I don't scare easily," Susan said, pulling away from him, but he had rattled her nerve. She didn't understand how a man his age could be so quick or so strong. The noise of the crowd had vanished entirely. Even the wind could barely be heard from within the tent.

"Very well," Thaddeus nodded. "What shall you play for? Great riches? Immortality? Or something more permanent. The ideal relationship?"

Dennis was intrigued. "What do you mean?"

"Three rounds," Thaddeus said holding up three bony fingers. "The game is worth a small shift in fate. If Susan wins, then you Dennis become a little more her ideal man. If you win, then Susan becomes a little more of your ideal woman. I will caution you once more. This should not be taken lightly."

"Alright, come on. So we play this stupid game. He does his slight of hand stuff and tells us to be better people or something. Let's just get on with it."

Thaddeus sneered at her, "Very well. Shake the bag, and then cast the contents on the table."

Dennis's mood soured. He couldn't understand why Susan needed to be such a downer about things. He halfheartedly shook the bag and spilled the contents on the table. Susan did the same. He counted his quickly, eleven to Susan's eight. They looked at Thaddeus expectantly. He said nothing, but held up one finger in front of Dennis.

They gathered up the bones and rolled again. 8-6 in favor of Susan. Thaddeus raised his other hand to show a single finger in front of Susan.

Dread gathered in the pit of Susan's stomach as she gathered up the knuckles one last time. Thaddeus was unmoving, his hands displaying the score with inhuman rigidity. Superstition, she told herself. Then cast her lot. 12-4.

"Congratulations, Dennis," Thaddeus said in a slithering, smooth voice. "I hope you enjoy your reward to the fullest."

The candlelight flickered only for an instant. When the darkness retreated, Thaddeus and the bones were gone. Dennis and Susan sat in an empty tent, the raucous noise of the crowd just inches away, and the stifling summer heat filling their lungs. "Pfft, Susan, I'm sorry, this was dumb. Just spent three bucks on some guy to do a vanishing trick. Let's go home."

Susan looked at him with big eyes and a broad smile, "Ok!"

They did not speak much on the drive back. At one point, Susan reached over to grope at Dennis's crotch as he drove. He'd snapped her out of it with a cry of alarm, and Susan went back to blissfully staring out of the passenger window. They arrived home, and Dennis took a shower, leaving Susan sitting on the edge of the bed looking at the wall. He thought it strange, but she'd been peculiar since they'd left. Assuming she was experimenting with some new form of passive aggressive anger, he chose to ignore it. Hours later, after preparing for bed, he entered the bedroom to find his girlfriend sitting, still fully clothed on the edge of the bed. "Jesus, Susan," he said somewhat alarmed. "Have you not moved in two hours?"

"I've been thinking," she said in a light, airy voice. "What does it mean to be the perfect girlfriend?"

"Sweetie, is this about what the carnival guy said? He was just poking fun at us. Like you were saying, they probably have people listen to us as we discuss going in and then play off that stuff. We'd been kind of squabbling about it, and so he mentioned that."

Susan screwed up her face like she was trying to understand, "No...it's not about Thaddeus," she said slowly. "I want to know what it means to be the perfect girlfriend."

Dennis sighed, "Look, I don't really feel like having a fight tonight."

"Oh...no! No, no, no!" Susan said wringing her hands. "No fighting, I just want to make you happy! Like, like....um, a good girlfriend is naked a lot right?"

Susan started stripping off her clothes. Dennis watched dumbfounded, "Susan, what the hell has gotten into you?"

"Oh! That's something else a good girlfriend needs to do! You should screw me all the time!" She pushed her jeans and underwear down past her hips, letting them crumple to the floor. She pulled her top off and unfastened her bra, letting her tits pop into view. "Look, your cock is already getting hard! I'm doing such a better job already!" She pushed him back on the bed as she crawled on top of him. Trailing kisses up the side of his face, she locked him into a long kiss as she started to grind her bare pussy against the cock straining through his shorts. She slid down his body and got on her knees in front of him. With a quick jerk, she pulled off his shorts and boxers, letting his aching cock spring free. "Oh! There's my lolly!" she said with a dumb grin before taking his length into her mouth.

"Susan! Since when do you do blowjobs?! You always said you didn't want me to cum in your mouth."

His cock popped out of her lips with a wet splurt. "What? That doesn't sound like me!" She batted her eyes at him while letting his wet cock rub against her cheek. "Besides cum tastes yummy. I can't wait for you to cum in my mouth. Oh, but I'm still not a good enough girlfriend yet!" She let go of his cock and stood up, leaving him to grunt in vain as his cock strained against the air. She looked at herself in the nearby mirror. "Look at these boobies. They're not very big." She frowned. "A good girlfriend would have really big boobies." As she said the words, her skin began to ripple as her tits swelled three sizes larger.

"What the ever-loving fuck?" Dennis yelped. Her skin sort of bubbled and blurred, becoming larger with each second. Despite his mingled surprise and horror, Dennis's cock hardened as his girlfriend turned to face him with teardrop shaped DD's swaying on her chest.

"Oh, looks like you like them," Susan said with a smile. "These big tits will be great to rub your cum all over. And you can suck on my nipples now all you want." She held her finger up to her lips as she pantomimed thought. "Oh! I know, big puffy lips for cock sucking." Again as she spoke, her lips swelled up to plump pillows of wet flesh. Dennis didn't know if she was intending it, but her hair also changed, turning platinum blonde. "Am I a good girl now? Does my boyfriend like me?" she purred at him as she got back between his knees. Her plump new lips wrapped around his cock as she sunk his length into her mouth. Blonde locks fell around her face as she watched him wiggle in pleasure. The taste of his cock made her wet. She brought her hand up to cup his balls, pulling slightly on them as she let her tongue slither up and down his cock. Precum oozed into her mouth, and she greedily licked it down like the cum thirsty girlfriend she thought she should be.

Dennis was in a warm heaven. He didn't understand. Maybe he'd been drugged at the carnival. Did Thaddeus give them anything? Maybe some hallucinogenic coated the bones? Nothing could feel this real without actually being real, though. His blonde bimbo girlfriend expertly sucked him off while his mind tried to comprehend what had happened to her. Her mouth made any thought difficult. Pressure built up in his cock, "Oh...I'm gonna cum soon," he murmured. Susan doubled her efforts, bobbing her head up and down with excitement. Dennis couldn't hold back any more and cum burst from the tip of his cock and splashed against Susan's throat. The intensity of his orgasm rippled through his body as Susan sucked and pulled at his cock, teasing out each and every drop of cum.

Susan raised her head with one final slurp. She pushed her now shoulder length blonde hair out of her eyes as she licked her fingers and lips. One dainty hand preserved a pearly white drop of cum, which she took to her nipples and rubbed it in slowly, her body shuddering from pleasure as she did. Dennis watched her, and his cock twitched. Sitting up, he took off his t-shirt and pulled her up to the bed, throwing her forward onto her hands and knees. "Oh, are you going to fuck your bimbo now, Dennis? Are you going to put your hot cock in my little bitty pussy? Come on stud, stretch my pussy with your fat dick."