The Carnival of Wishes & Dreams

by Jenny Lundquist

  Audrey stepped on the gas pedal, but her car stubbornly refused to move. She muttered a word that tastes like soap in your mouth and the car—seemingly shocked by her soapy language—shot forward. Audrey’s arm jerked the steering wheel and she nearly drove into the perimeter barrier. But then she righted herself and joined the flow of other cars.

  Or tried to, anyway. From behind she felt a sudden thwack! She turned her head; Grace and Jean had slammed their car into hers. “Hi, Audrey!” Jean waved playfully and then they were off, gunning their car toward their next target.

  Audrey’s car was slower to recover, and by the time it was finally moving forward another thwack! came from the side, this time from Julia, Erin, and Lulu’s car. “Hi!” Audrey said, trying to sound cheerful. But the other three didn’t seem to have heard her. While her car stalled, getting pushed and slammed this way and that, Julia, Lulu, and Erin’s car shot around the track, expertly dodging the other cars until Julia gunned it straight into the side of Audrey’s car.

  “Hey!” Audrey cried, as her car stalled a second time. “Lay off, will you?”

  Once again, her friends didn’t seem to have heard. Or maybe they were just ignoring her.

  They definitely weren’t ignoring her bumper car, though. While she was stuck in the middle of the track, her car shuddering and sputtering, Julia kept running into her. One time she rammed Audrey’s car so hard it went flying straight into the barrier perimeter. Just as she was trying to right her car and head back into the flow of traffic, her gaze strayed to the crowd passing by and settled on a woman wearing a pirate costume.

  For the briefest flash of a second—before the woman was swallowed by the lights and the crowd—Audrey thought she saw her mother.

  “Wake up, Audrey!” Erin said as they rammed their car into Audrey’s yet again.

  Audrey shook herself, certain she’d only imagined it was her mother’s face she’d seen, and tried to get her car moving. It was a lost cause, though, because all the cars were coming to a halt. The ride had ended.

  Audrey climbed out of her car and exited the ride behind Julia, who had thrown an arm around both Erin and Lulu and left without a backward glance at Audrey. As she followed them she couldn’t help but wonder: Was Julia mad at her?

   12

  Grace

  GRACE COULDN’T DECIDE IF HER magical carnival story was turning into a comedy or a tragedy. Julia had dragged them all around the carnival grounds searching for Diego, Grace’s heart hammering the whole time. Then, just when Diego appeared and it seemed like they were about to run right into him, Audrey had suddenly led them over to the bumper cars.

  Grace was grateful no one else had noticed Diego, but now she was starting to wish the night—her last night in Clarkville—wasn’t flying by so quickly.

  “Where should we go next?” Lulu asked as they were all leaving the bumper cars.

  “Let’s get funnel cakes,” Grace said, her stomach rumbling, just as Erin answered, “Let’s go on another ride—before the lines get too long.” Then everyone looked to Julia to make the final decision.

  “Erin’s right,” Julia said. “The lines are getting long. . . . Audrey, can you do me a favor and go get Grace a funnel cake while we wait in line?”

  “Audrey doesn’t have to—” Grace began.

  “Sure,” Audrey said. She looked distracted and eager to leave for some reason, but still, Grace rolled her eyes anyway. Julia had a habit of sending them on errands. Usually she sent Lulu or Erin, but lately it seemed to Grace that Julia had been treating Audrey like her own personal assistant. And anyway, it wasn’t like Grace wasn’t capable of buying her own dinner.

  Grace was just about to say exactly that when she caught the faint sound of an organ playing a slow, melancholy tune. It was the music of the carousel, the one that some people swore could grant wishes. Grace figured a little wishing magic might change her night for the better.

  “Actually, let’s go on the carousel next. I want to make a wish.” Grace turned to Audrey. “And I think you should ride with us.” She turned back and began walking. Everyone was so startled Grace had spoken up and made a decision that they followed her.

  “The carousel doesn’t really grant wishes,” Julia huffed as she fell into step beside Grace, regaining her usual place at the front of their group.

  “Yeah,” Lulu echoed. “Carousels are dumb.”

  As they walked, Jean began chatting with Erin and Julia about a TV show it turned out they all liked. There was something odd about that girl. Something Grace couldn’t quite put her finger on.

  She kept following the music; the brightly lit carousel was placed at the back of the carnival. A light fog was descending on the wheat field beyond, giving everything an eerie orange glow. At the top of the carousel, golden tragedy faces looked down over gilded oval mirrors, laughing and leering at the crowd below. Grace shivered. Was it her imagination, or had the temperature dropped suddenly?

  “What are you wishing for, Grace?” Lulu asked as they took their place in line.

  “That living in California won’t completely suck,” Grace answered, but she was lying.

  “I’ve been to California,” Jean spoke up. “It’s awesome. People go there for vacation—and you’ll get to live there. Think about how awful winters are in Clarkville.” Jean’s voice was raspy, but there was something familiar about her. Plus, wasn’t she from out of town? How did she know about winter in Clarkville?

  “Well, I believe the carousel can grant wishes,” Erin said, “so I’m making as many as I can think of.”

  Everyone fell silent as they waited, pondering all the wishes they could make.

  It was just folklore, Grace was sure, but there were a handful of people in Clarkville who swore they’d made a wish while riding the carousel, only to have it come true afterward. Besides her mother, Mrs. Pearson—the bus driver—swore up and down she’d wished she could take her daughter to see her favorite band in concert. Then a little while later, she found two tickets lying in the grass.

  But how exactly was it all supposed to work? Grace wondered as the line began moving forward. Did she make a wish at the end of the ride? Did she wish now? Grace wanted her magical carnival story; she didn’t want to take any chances. She had a list of wishes ready to go. The minute she stepped onto the carousel she quickly whispered each one:

  I wish that my mother won’t find me tonight so I can make it to the Ferris wheel at midnight.

  I wish I could find my dad’s missing baseball ring.

  I wish I didn’t have to move to California.

  I wish that nothing bad will happen to Harlow Carlson tonight.

  I wish Diego Martinez would kiss me at the carnival.

  The last one was something she would be too embarrassed to tell anyone. But she had this picture in her mind: Kissing the boy she’d always loved, the carnival lights flaring and flashing all around them, on her last night in Clarkville.

   13

  Harlow

  HARLOW WOVE THROUGH THE BRASS poles and hurried to the fiercest and strongest wooden horse she could find, a white stallion with a large black mane that looked ready to break free from the carousel and go running into the foggy wheat field beyond the carnival gates.

  Things were looking up! Erin and Julia seemed to really like “Jean.” The whole time they stood in line they’d talked about a show they liked on TV and a boy in Erin’s English class she had a crush on. Harlow had even managed to snap a couple great photos of the carousel that she was definitely putting in her presentation.

  “Hi, Jean!” Julia and Erin claimed horses on Harlow’s right and left, and the three of them took turns taking selfies while they waited for the ride to start. Harlow examined their shining faces and was struck by a burst of inspiration.

  She turned to Julia. “Hey, can you help me with a school project I’m doing?” She held up her camera. “Can I make a short video of you telling me why you like Clarkville?”

  Julia�
�who loved being on camera—didn’t seem to think it was an odd request. “Sure!” she said. After Harlow started filming with her phone, Julia said, “I love Clarkville because . . .” She glanced around at the carousel and said, “Because it’s the place where dreams come true!” She giggled and Harlow stopped filming. Perfect. That one was definitely going into the presentation.

  A few seconds later Erin leaned over and whispered, “There he is!”

  “Who?” Harlow said.

  “The guy I was telling you about? The one in my English class? He’s over there, eating a candy apple.” Erin pointed—right at Lucas Carter, the boy who’d handed Harlow the unsigned pumpkin gram earlier that day.

  “Oh, he’s—” Harlow stopped herself. She’d been about to say, “He’s in my Spanish class—he’s really nice!” But of course she couldn’t say that. “Jean” didn’t go to Clarkville Middle School. “He’s really cute,” she said finally.

  The music started up; the horses began to rise and the carousel began to spin. Harlow hadn’t planned on making any wishes—she didn’t believe there was anything special about the carousel—but now the whole night seemed to be crackling with possibility and she thought, Why not? A little wishing and dreaming never hurt anyone:

  I wish the factory would get rebuilt.

  I wish I could get my friends back.

  Maybe sometime very soon she would reveal her true identity. As the carousel spun around she imagined a touching scene where she would take her mask off and say to everyone, “I’ve missed you all.” The girls would be surprised and amazed, but Julia, clearly moved that Harlow had kept her secret when she confided about the canceled birthday party, would say, “I’ve missed you too.” Why not wish for it to happen just like that? And while she was at it, she had one other wish:

  I wish someone wonderful will be waiting for me at the Ferris wheel at midnight.

  She was starting to change her mind about the anonymous pumpkin gram. The way the night was going, anything in the world seemed possible. Why couldn’t someone wonderful be waiting for her at the Ferris wheel? She was willing to find out.

  She was definitely staying till midnight.

   14

  Audrey

  THE CAROUSEL CAME TO A stop, and Audrey knew she’d missed her chance. She really wanted to believe in magic. She liked to think there was magic in everyday things like dust motes and twinkle lights and lavender sunsets and autumn leaves. So when the ride had started up, she’d had every intention of making a wish. But then she’d started thinking about all the wishes she’d made over the last year. Not one of them had come true.

  What was the point of even pretending to wish when you knew it was all pointless anyway?

  She watched as Julia and the others exited the ride, feeling strangely separate from everyone. Didn’t any of them notice she was still sitting on her wooden horse?

  The carnie operating the controls didn’t seem to notice. He opened the metal gate holding back the line and with a lazy wave beckoned the crowd forward. Audrey stayed where she was, still as mouse, as the ride filled.

  The music started and the carousel began to spin again. Audrey looked up and through the fog she glimpsed a star shooting across the night sky. For one wonderful second it seemed as though her horse was chasing after the stardust. Maybe the carousel plus the star would make her doubly lucky. She figured you were only supposed to make one wish per shooting star. But when you’re down on your luck, you can’t afford to be frugal, so she made five:

  I wish my mom would come back.

  I wish I’d get the lead in Middle School Daze.

  I wish my dad would get a real job.

  I wish to not be afraid of heights anymore when I ride the Ferris wheel at midnight.

  I wish something amazing would happen tonight!

   15

  Harlow

  HARLOW’S MASK WAS STICKY WITH sweat and her wig itched the back of her neck, but she didn’t care. The night just kept getting better and better! After the carousel they—well, Julia—decided they’d ride the Clown Faces next. Everyone—except for Audrey, whom Harlow figured had left to buy Grace’s funnel cake—was laughing and talking as they made their way through the carnival, and Harlow was in the middle of it all!

  She took a couple selfies with everyone and studied the photo. Her black-and-white mask looked slightly eerie among everyone else’s tiaras and feather boas, but she didn’t care—maybe she’d even put one of them into the yearbook. It could be a reminder of the night she got her friends back.

  Harlow loved the Clown Faces; they reminded her of the teacup ride at Disneyland. Except instead of teacups, people crammed into a spinning top painted on the outside to look like a clown face. It spun round and round until you were so dizzy you wanted to puke your guts out. Harlow loved it.

  It seemed a lot of other students from Clarkville Middle School loved it too. The line was really long, but Julia began pushing her way forward past several of their classmates, shouting, “Make way! Grace Chang wants to ride.”

  Harlow saw Grace frown, and she was pretty sure in that moment they were both feeling the same way: Grace wasn’t disabled, after all. She didn’t deserve to go to the front of the line just because her dad had died. But Julia seemed to think that was exactly what she—what they—deserved. Harlow felt an uncomfortable pit open up in her stomach. Julia had always been a little bossy, but this was way different.

  “Move,” Julia said when they came up to Ethan McKinley and his friends. “Grace wants to ride.”

  “So what?” Ethan said. He blocked their way, and Harlow had to stifle a giggle.

  Ethan, who had apparently heard her, turned to her and said, “Who are you?”

  “Who are you?” Harlow retorted, and everyone laughed. She had forgotten how nice it felt to have people laugh with her. To be part of a moment instead of merely capturing it through the lens of a camera.

  “This is Jean,” Julia said to Ethan. “We just met her tonight.”

  “Nice mask,” Ethan said. “Why don’t you take it off?”

  Everyone turned to Harlow expectantly. She should have seen this coming. Of course they’d want her to take the mask off and see who she really was underneath.

  The thing was, she oftentimes felt like her own face was a mask. The kids at school just saw her outside; they didn’t see the girl she really was on the inside. Granted, most days Harlow didn’t actually know who she really was on the inside, but she knew she wasn’t the terrible person many of them thought she was.

  She also knew the night would be over if she took off her mask.

  “I can’t take it off,” Harlow said.

  “Why not?” Ethan crossed his arms. “Why don’t you want anyone to see your face? What are you, a ghost under there or something?”

  “Yes,” Harlow said, thinking fast, “and if you’re not careful, I’ll haunt you!”

  Everyone laughed again, and the moment passed. It was nice to have Ethan look right at her. At school he always ignored her. Back when Harlow, Audrey, and Grace had sleepovers at the McKinleys’ house, Ethan always hung out with them. Harlow missed those days. She and Ethan would constantly dare each other to do crazy things. The best one was when they dared each other to climb the really tall sycamore tree in the McKinleys’ backyard. Afterward, Ethan had said something to her that she’d never told anyone—not even Audrey.

  “Hey—have any of you seen my dad tonight?” Ethan said suddenly.

  “No, why?” Erin asked.

  Ethan shrugged and looked away. “No reason.”

  Just then Ethan’s best friend—Travis McManus—joined them in line. He was carrying two plates of chili fries.

  “Get those away from us,” Erin said, wrinkling her nose. “They smell disgusting.”

  Travis shrugged. “Then get out of line.” He held out a plate to Ethan. “Dude, here you go.”

  “Dude,” Ethan said, pushing them away. “I’m not eating those right before we go o
n the Clown Faces.”

  And because it had always been so much fun to tease Ethan, Harlow spoke up and said, “Why not? Afraid you’ll be sick on the ride?”

  “No,” Ethan said. “I just—”

  “ ’Cause I totally understand if you are,” Harlow continued. “Those chili fries look really tough. I wouldn’t want to go up against them, either. I bet you’d puke them right up.” Harlow smiled. Her mask was giving her a new boldness tonight. Or not new, exactly. Forgotten, maybe.

  “I bet I wouldn’t,” Ethan said.

  Harlow shrugged. “So eat them . . . I dare you,” she couldn’t resist adding.

  “Fine, then.” He held the chili fries out. “But you first.”

  She was about to snatch them when she realized she couldn’t eat anything without taking her mask off.

  “Next time,” she said.

  “Chicken,” Ethan retorted, and Harlow was tempted to rip off her mask right then and there.

  “Not hungry,” she countered. “Besides, I’m right—you will puke them up.”

  “Oh yeah? Challenge accepted,” Ethan said, and began shoving them into his mouth.

  The line surged forward and Ethan had just enough time to finish scarfing down the chili fries before they all piled into the same clown face. A carnie came around to check their ride was secure before heading back to his control post.

  The ride started up with a jerk; round and round they went, going faster and faster, until Harlow began to feel woozy and everyone seemed to swirl together in a tangle of arms and elbows and tiaras and laughing faces. Until it seemed they were one giant herd, unable to distinguish any one individual person.

  This is what she had missed all year—being a part of something. Harlow wondered if her carousel wish would come true and she could get her friends back tonight.

  All of a sudden, there was a loud thump! and the ride came to a juddering stop. Harlow and Ethan’s knees knocked together, and Ethan made a slight retching sound. He was sweating, and his skin had taken on a greenish sheen.