1. Chapter 1 (1/2)

one carousel ride

"susan!" aunt alberta yelled.

ever since her family died with the

others, she's been living with her aunt alberta and uncle harold:

and, they treated her more like a servant than a niece who just lost

her entire family in one day.

susan rushed down the stairs,

looking like a total mess. she hasn't taken a bath yet, since she's

been busy ironing their clothes and cleaning the dishes. her face was

spotted with dirt, her hair all tied up in a messy ponytail, her

bangs mostly covering her eyes.

"yes aunt alberta?" she said,

arriving at the door.

"since your uncle harold won't

be home until tomorrow, and i have a party to go to, you can go have

a day off."

"but i haven't-"

"i said you can go take the day

off." her aunt repeated sternly.

susan nodded her head and went

straight to her room near the attic. she slipped out of the dirty

shirt and dusty skirt with the apron and entered the little bathroom

beside her room. she finished her bath and proceeded to pick what she

would wear. well, she didn't need to pick something that looked

extravagant, because, she lost contact with her friends ever since

she moved to cam

idge to live with her relatives.

she put on a blue skirt and white

top, just right for her. she didn't pick them to look stylish, she

just felt like she should. after that, she started

ushing and

styling her hair in a half ponytail, thinking it proper for her

outfit. she didn't bother putting on make-up, anyway if she wanted

to, she couldn't, because her uncle took them from her; as we would

say, 'confiscated' them because she wasted too much money on it.

she went down stairs and found her aunt, still sitting in the living

room.

she was about to go out the door

when her aunt yelled for her again.

"yes aunt alberta?" she

repeated.

"how are you going to go out

without money?" she asked, getting her wallet. her aunt pulled out

a 50 bill.

susan stared her eyes out. she

thought is she really giving me this much?

her aunt knew what she was thinking,

and said, "what are you staring at? go ahead and take it! don't

worry about your uncle, he doesn't know."

susan took the money and stuffed it

in her right hand pocket, she walked to the door of the living room

and said "thank you" to her aunt.

she walked to the door and opened

it, the sun shining

ightly, but no too

ight. she walked down the

front steps and crossed the street.

her aunt saw her outside and opened

the window. "now, go have fun out." she called.

susan started walking, wondering

what she would do with 50.

she was about to give up when she saw a man handing out flyers. she

walked up to him, his pipe steadily letting smoke out.

"here you go lass." she said,

handing her one of the flyers. it said 'state carnival' with a

sketch of a clown juggling balls, and a circus tent.

she asked him, "excuse me, when

will this be?"

"oh, today's the last day

missie. you better go on ahead if you want to go there." he

replied, smiling a fatherly smile.

"oh, thank you." she said

joyfully. she hasn't been to one of these carnivals since her

family died.

"nothing to it." he said,

smiling. when he said that, he looked oddly familiar: just like

peter.

she rushed to st. james square,

where the carnival was held. there were many people rushing to little

stalls with puppets playing, or where food was being sold. she walked

to a man in the exchange booth, and bought a few tickets, just to

lessen her money.

susan walked around, not knowing

what to do, when she spotted a carousel, wonderfully painted in red

and gold, with animals so majestic, they looked real, like the

talking beasts in narnia: but no one noticed it much. she walked up

to the man letting people in, and paid for a ride. it didn't cost

her much, but she just wanted to. she remembered the fun she used to

have with lucy on a ride like this.

she got on a lion; it looked a good

deal like a real one. no, not a real one: it looked very much like

someone she new: someone...or something she used to love so much. it

looked so noble, innocent and solemn that, if it were real, even

though she knew that it might be harmful, she would wrap her arms

around it's mane and stuff it with kisses.

the carousel started to spin slowly.

oh, what wonderful memories she could remember! she and lucy riding

on a lion's back; her coronation with her

others and sister; a

prince she kissed (she knew the prince's name, she just couldn't

remember); and a place where she knew anything was possible.

tears started to well up in her

eyes. she wiped them as they rolled down her cheeks. all these

memories flashed in front of her, revealing the reality she lived

before her new life: the life that made her forget the other one.