• [Roger]

    The grey stoned gate opened and we went inside. The entrance was immensely crowded so we stayed inside the wagon. Nana was getting too excited and hyper.
    “I’ve been here about three times but it feels like the first with you guys here!” she beams, giving each of us a quick lung squeezing hug.
    I laughed as she and Trek started teasing Kert.
    “Amazing, isn’t it?” Jen asked me. “Way better than the village”
    “Yeah” I said, staring at the town in awe.
    The gate we just went through was so tall and wide. The buildings here stack up next to each other, higher and higher the deeper we go. It was like stairs. We were going up a hill on the street which was made out of stones, unlike the village. There were small stores along the sides. All of them were crowded, selling items like crazy. People were waving money in the air, shouting at the owner, trying to get something first before it gets out of stock. There was music coming from all directions, too. I couldn’t figure out where it came from until later on when I saw the musicians playing on rooftops. All the instruments you can imagine were there, even a piano! It seemed each roofs were connected because they were roaming around freely, laughing and singing together. It was almost like a different world up there. This town, Symphony, even has a whole area dedicated to candy and toys. When we went through there, there were bubbles flying everywhere. Colors painted every wall with different patterns, stripes, polka dots, zigzags. Kids skipped around holding ice creams and balloons. Soon later, we were at a place that looked calm and very normal. It was unbelievable quite and not much loud people were seen. Orange leafed trees grew from the sidewalk in rows. There were some coffee shops and small restaurants around, but the rest, the main buildings, were like houses. It even had a chimney. I was thinking that this whole street is the homes of the towns’ people but then I saw signs on the windows. I read, Wood Carving, Toy’s, Olden Day’s, Ringing bells, Crafters, Blacksmith, and much more. I think they were workshops. All the buildings were the same size and were made out of glossy cinnamon wood. They had red orange doors with white window frames. Everything here gives me an autumn feeling.
    Then finally, we reached the center of Symphony, the giant water fountain. It was bigger than the workshop houses. A few minutes later I noticed that Jen, Kert, and Trek were gone. I asked Nana where they went.
    “First, Jen climbed up to the roof with the musicians” she replied. “Second, Trek went into the toy stores. Third, Kert went to the workshops”
    I smiled, so they went to where they wanted to be. I wonder where I’d like to go.
    “Would you like to go look around?” she asked. “My dad and I have some work we need to do here”
    I scratched my head. “Yeah, yeah I would” I hopped off the wagon, said goodbye, and started walking. Now that I’m actually on foot, I feel small, like and ant. Everything here towers over you like a giant.
    “You new here?” a girl asked me. She had black hair tied into a ponytail. Her friends were giggling next to her.
    “Uh, yeah” I laughed awkwardly. I guess I looked lost wandering the streets.
    “You’re really cute!” one of her friends says. “So were the other guys that where with you”
    “Thanks…” I think they were watching us from the moment we came here.
    “Want to get something to drink?” the black haired girl asked. “Or maybe ride on the water slide? Watch a play or a musical?”
    “Actually I’m going over…over there” I pointed at a random direction.
    They stared, baffled. “Ellor Ella’s?”
    “Um…yeah” I hope I choose the right place. The building looked okay, sort of.
    “Why there? It’s such a useless place! Nobody goes there, ever. I heard it’s getting shut down for good soon” her friends nodded in agreement. “Someone like you should go somewhere exciting, with us. Come on, lets go to the amusement park!” she was going to lock arms with me but I backed away and pointed back to the place.
    “See you, then! I’m going there” I turned and ran before they could object.
    Okay, now that I had a good look of Ellor Ella’s, I’m beginning to have second thoughts of going inside. It was an enormous round building with cracks and stains all over it. The orange color was faded and the wall was peeling off a bit. “Like a haunted house…” I muttered to myself. I turned the door knob and it broke off so I kicked my way in. Dust exploded out instantly, making me cough and sneeze. I’m surprised this place lasted this long. As the area cleared, I started walking forward. It was a small hallway, dim, no lights to bright it up. I think the walls were blue but I wasn’t sure. Far ahead was blinding white, the ending of this hallway and the entrance of something else. I was so eager to see what it was that I started running at full speed. I raced through the light into a bigger, insanely bigger room. There was a round stage in the center and thousands of red theater chairs circling around it in rows. I don’t think there were any aisles except for the one in front of me. I slowed down the red carpeted stairs. This looks like an entertainment area, like clowns, comedians, and acrobatics. There was a walking strip that connected the main stage to a different one that seemed indented into the wall; it was shielded with a red thick curtain. “This isn’t so…bad” I dusted off a chair and sat in it. The lights focused in the center and at the door where you enter. Somebody must be here, I just know it.
    The curtain suddenly opened revealing a crowed of people. Some were playing instruments, the music sounded so playful and fun. The rest were performers, I think. There was one person there that seemed like the leader, the head of the place. He looked around his mid twenty’s and wore a black top hat, holding a cane with a hole at the end of the handle where bubbles come out of. The tail of his red suit was extended, almost touching the floor. The top of his chest pocket was black and he had white ruffles in the front along the middle. He had long blond hair and his face was young. Everyone was smiling and laughing, having a good time. They didn’t notice me until the red suited man walked across the pathway onto the center stage.
    “Hey, boy, what’s your name?” he asked. Everyone got quiet and the music stopped playing, all their attention was focused on me.
    “Roger” I replied, our voice echoing.
    “Explain yourself”
    “Well, this is my first time in Symphony, and Ellor Ella’s is the first place I came to” I paused, pretending to think as I watched his reaction.
    His expression brightened but he didn’t smile.
    I laughed, leaning back on my seat. “I thought this place was an old possessed building, but now that I know what it is, I expect to see an amazing performance, one that will explode my mind”
    That made him smile, made the others jittery with excitement. “This place is all about exploding minds” and with that, the room pitch black. The stage lit up bright white. Colorful lights coming from the ceiling quickly scans over the chairs, like children chasing each other. There was a drum roll as the curtain closed, the performers disappeared behind it.
    The circus act began.

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