The Moon Goddess

His friend’s eyes had glossed over. A new personality had joined them. The alcohol settled into his body, bringing forth the inebriated version of himself. His tone of voice increased and a lack of focus was unquestionably present. It seemed as if his friend had no cares in this world, which, sadly, he knew wasn’t true. Rio observed his old associate with sorrow. They sat face to face at the sticky table in the beer tent. The smell of old beer splattered all over the floor made Rio uncomfortable. He had joined his friend out of sheer pity, which now, he regretted. He watched as his friend gulped down the last bits of his stale beer and bang the glass on the table. He reached out for the pretty waitress.

“Another one doll.” He told her. “And for my friend.”

Rio intervened. “Not for me, thank you.” He looked at her politely.

She smiled and left. The tent was full. People squeezed up against each other. All drank, some danced and most flirted. The music was loud. Rio thought about rhythm as he watched the bar full of people shake and jump out of time to the song.

***

He bumped into his old friend near the stage. Rio noticed him first. He looked older. A man moving quickly through time. The grey hair fighting through his natural pigment seemed dry and hopeless. He appeared shorter than he remembered. His body slouched and his large belly protruded out of his shirt. Rio was about turn the other way, unsure exactly of what he would say to his old friend. Then he recognized him.

“Rio!” His friend waved from the distance.

Rio smiled. They walked towards each other. His friend embraced him. He smelled of sour alcohol and body odor.

“Come my friend, let’s go have a beer. We have a lot of catching up to do.” His teeth were damaged. Rio hesitated. He felt sorry for his friend.

“Sure.” He said finally.

***

The waitress brought his beer. She placed it on the table and disappeared quickly into the crowd. A tall, skinny man approached their table. He greeted his friend and then introduced himself to Rio as a colleague of his. He pulled out a chair and joined them. A perfect opportunity to escape, Rio thought.

“Excuse me gentlemen,” he said, “nature calls.”

He got up quickly and walked towards the restroom. He turned around to see if his friend was watching, but he wasn’t. He and his colleague were taking turns spitting drops of beer in each other’s faces as they shared their tales of woe. Rio turned quickly, making a break for the exit. With his sudden shift in direction, he hit square into a woman. They collided with force but he was able to keep his poise. She lost balance and shuffled her feet while she centered herself.

“I’m so sorry.” He said as she gathered herself. As she looked up, her green eyes focused on his. Before she could say anything, a large man with bulging muscles put his arms around her. He glared at Rio and pulled her away towards the bar. She turned back and with a gentle smile, she told him that his apology was accepted.

***

The smell of candy floss and popcorn felt lighter than the beer. He moved quickly away from the beer tent, walking left and right through the footpaths of the carnival. He made sure the music from the bar was far off into the distance before slowing down. The sound of children screaming with excitement felt pleasant. He watched as a young boy carried a lilac-colored fluffy toy double his size in one hand and a lollipop that was even bigger in the other. He ran towards a shooting game while his parents tirelessly ran behind him. Rio smiled. And then something caught his attention. A purple balloon floated in front of him. It hovered in the midst of the crowd. Rio looked around but no one seemed to notice. The balloon lifted higher and then dropped gently downwards. Children, fathers, mothers, teenagers, grandparents overwhelmed with stimulation, aunts and uncles went about their business, buying hotdogs, throwing balls, and buying ride tickets. The balloon floated towards him directly. He had a peculiar sense that it knew he was there but he quickly brushed that off. It hovered right in front of his face. As he made a grab for the string, a gush of wind blew it left. He turned towards it. It floated ahead of him, through the people and through the passages. Without thinking, he followed it. He kept his eyes on it as he began walking faster. It was moving quickly now and he tried hard to keep up. They were moving towards the far end of the funfair. The pathways grew quieter where there were less children and more teenagers who took the time to be in love. The balloon disappeared around a corner. Rio stopped. All of a sudden it became very apparent to him that he was following a balloon. He laughed at himself as he turned the corner. There was a small pathway. A dead end. At the end of the road was a silver tent. And no balloon.

The passageway was empty. The sounds of the excited children were faint. He looked around and then walked closer. A sign hung at the top. It read: Fortune Teller Khitana. He was deciding whether to go in when he noticed a blue eye hanging next to the sign. He hesitated.

“Come in.” He heard a woman’s voice from inside.

His eyes widened. He gently lifted the silver material and stepped inside. A gypsy sat at a dark round table. She was younger than he had expected. She wore a violet-colored dress and a silver headscarf. She had a black book open and didn’t look up. He looked around. The tent was small. He noticed crystals of all sizes placed around. It smelled like herbs he hadn’t recognized. A large ornament of a white owl stood at a smaller table to her right. Next to it were some dusty books and more crystals. He felt strange. Finally, she closed her book, placed it next to the owl and gestured to the chair across from her. He didn’t move.

“I… don’t know if I believe in this stuff.” He said honestly.

“Then why did you follow the balloon?”

He tried to search for an answer.

“Sit.” She said.

He pulled out the chair and sat down. Immediately, she grabbed his hands, turning his palms upwards. She examined them deeply. Her hands were hot. He stared at her as she tilted her head left and right. Eventually she let them go and then she looked at him. He felt instantly dizzy and realized that he wanted to leave. Before he could speak, she grabbed a small deck of tarot cards from the table drawer and began shuffling them.

“Wait…” He said, “I don’t want to know my future.”

She laughed loudly. The way she chuckled sent shivers down his spine.

“The future is not ours to know.” She said carelessly as she continued shuffling.

A card fell out onto the table. She placed it face down in front of him. She continued shuffling. He stared at the card. Another card jumped out, this time right near the first card. She placed it carefully next to it. He stared at them both. The third card shot out of the deck onto the floor. They both looked at each other. She picked it up and lay it next to the other two. One... two... and three. His heart began beating faster and he realized his palms were sweating uncomfortably. He wiped them on his jeans. Part of him still wanted to leave but the curiosity that sat in his chest compelled him to stay.

“I really don’t believe in this…” He wanted her to know.

“Then what are you so afraid of?”

He sat silently, again, racking his brain for an intelligent answer. Before he could find one, she turned the first card over. It had a circle in the middle. At first it looked like a compass but when he looked closer, he saw symbols he didn’t recognize. A creature was holding the circle on its back and a snake fell from the sky to the left. An Egyptian sphinx sat on top of it and four winged creatures occupied all four corners of the card.

“Do you believe in karma?” The gypsy asked. There was a seriousness in her voice that he hadn’t noticed before.

“I think so… I believe that…”

She stopped him mid-sentence with her hand. She turned the second card over. A tall building was on fire. Two figures fell from the windows, they looked terrified and desperate. Rio immediately felt uneasy. He shifted in his seat.

“There is always destruction before rebirth.” She said quietly.

He turned in his chair, facing the exit. He desperately wanted to leave. He turned back to her, about to thank her and go but she had already turned over the third card. Two figures faced each other. A female and a male. They were naked. A bright sun shone at the top of the card and a large angel with open arms floated above them.

She touched each card one at a time.

“Wheel of Fortune. The Tower. The Lovers.”

He looked at the gypsy. He felt dizzy again. “I don’t know what that means.”

“Then neither do I.”

He frowned.

She picked up the cards swiftly, opened the drawer, grabbed the deck of cards and placed the three cards back in the deck. She shut the drawer. He felt irritated.

“I’d like a little explanation please.” He sounded annoyed.

“Why?” She asked with a cruel smile. “You don’t even believe in tarot.”

He moved his chair back irritably and stood up. She pointed to a handwritten sign on the left that he hadn’t noticed before. Tarot Reading: $10. He looked at her.

“Really?” He asked sarcastically.

“Really.” She said with a mischievous smile.

He took $10 out of his pocket and tossed it onto the table before walking out the tent back into the carnival.

***

It was nearly sunset. Rio sat on a bench in the theme park. The noise from the rides infiltrated his brain. He watched as hundreds of people went up in mid-air and back down again. He drank a grape slushy, trying hard to forget the images from the cards. He took another slurp when his drunk friend and his tall colleague walked near the bench. Rio noticed his friend was holding the hand of a young girl. They stood at a candy floss stand. She looked sad. He tensed as he hoped they wouldn’t notice him. Out of nowhere, a large black bird landed on the bench next to him. He jumped as he caught a fright. The little girl turned away from the candy and pointed to the bird.

“Look uncle! A bird!” She shouted in excitement. His drunk friend and his colleague turned to look.

They paid for the large pink candy floss and gave it to the little girl. Then all three of them walked over to the bench. Rio sighed as his friend and his colleague, with beers still in their hands, wobbled over towards him. Rio put his slushy down and stood up. The little girl ran towards the bird and started feeding it candy floss.

“Hey!” His friend said as spit flew past Rio’s face. “Where did you disappear to?”

“I said hello to a friend at the bar and when I came back, you guys were gone.” He lied.

“Apologies old friend. My sister called and asked me to watch Charlotte.” He pointed to the little girl. “She’s my niece.”

He leaned over away from the girl and tried to whisper to Rio. “Her and her new boyfriend wanted some alone time, if you know what I mean.” He nudged Rio with his elbow.

Rio gave a toothless smile and then looked at the little girl who had heard everything. Her drunk uncle couldn’t whisper. He felt even more sorry for her. Suddenly, the black bird flapped its wings and flew away towards a large Ferris Wheel. Charlotte’s eyes grew bigger.

“Uncle, please can we go on that ride?” She pointed to the slow-moving machine.

“What do you say?” He asked his colleague. “Fancy a spin?”

His colleague shook his head and sat down on the bench next to Rio’s grape slushy. “I’ll watch from down here.” He responded.

“Okay Rio, looks like it’s just us three.” He patted him on the shoulder.

Rio was about to lie to his friend about being afraid of heights when he noticed the little girl staring at him. Her eyes were enormous. She pleaded with him in silence. His heart sank.

“Okay. Why not?” He said to her.

She smiled, gave her candy floss to her uncle’s colleague and ran towards the ticket line.

***

The amusement attendant opened the door to the ride capsule. Rio looked at the giant mechanism from up close. It made him feel anxious. They walked inside. The attendant was about to close the door when another attendant shouted from the line.

“Room for two more?”

The attendant looked at them. His drunk friend shrugged.

“Sure.”

Rio was stunned as he watched the green-eyed girl from the bar and her bulky boyfriend step inside in the cart. Rio moved next to Charlotte and her uncle. The couple sat across from them. The woman smiled at him. He smiled back. He wondered if she recognized him. Her boyfriend definitely didn’t.

Rio’s stomach felt like it was floating about half a meter in front of him as they lifted higher into the sky. Charlotte kicked her legs in excitement. His drunk friend looked as if he was about to throw up. He looked at the man sitting across from him. He had his arm around the woman and was typing on his cell phone. The woman stared out the cart into the sky. Rio turned too. The sun had just about set and he counted the few stars he could see. He turned towards the carnival. The flashing bright lights and loud, happy music suddenly made him feel alone. The women looked at him and then looked back at the sky. Rio looked down. The people at the bottom were tiny dots. He could barely make out his friend’s colleague on the bench. They were nearly at the top when the colossal machine stopped abruptly. The capsule swayed side to side as they came to a halt. Charlotte looked scared. She grabbed her uncle’s hand but he was leaning on the door with his eyes half closed. He looked at his drunk friend with disappointment. The woman noticed too.

“This is supposed to happen.” She assured her. “It makes us appreciate the view.” She pointed to the moon. Charlotte let go of her uncle’s hand and leaned over Rio facing the sky.

Suddenly, the lights of the gigantic Ferris Wheel switched off, leaving the ride and the people on it in concentrated darkness. Screams and gasps filtered through the air. The rest of the theme park continued as normal, except for the Ferris Wheel. The only light available to them, at the top end of the ride, was the moonlight which seeped onto them. Charlotte grabbed onto Rio and shoved her face into his arm.

“I don’t think that’s supposed to happen.” The boyfriend said rudely to the woman. He shone his phone light in Rio’s direction. He turned to his drunk friend, now entirely passed out.

***

“It’s been over an hour! What the heck are they waiting for?” The boyfriend finally spoke. They had been sitting in silence since the ride broke down, watching police cars, ambulances, firetrucks and theme park officials gather at the bottom of the ride.

“At least we’re giving them a show.” Rio said to Charlotte as he pointed to the hundreds of people gathered underneath them. The screams and panic coming from people on the ride calmed down after policemen reassured everyone through a distorted megaphone that help was on its way. They were so high they could barely hear a thing.

“Is he okay?” The woman asked as she pointed to his friend.

“Yes. He’s just… tired.” Rio replied, nudging his head towards Charlotte, hoping the woman would understand his nuance. The woman nodded. Charlotte looked at Rio. Something in her eyes told him he didn’t have to lie to her. That she was young, but she had seen a lot, and that she preferred the truth, because she could handle it. The boyfriend stood up.

“For Pete’s sake!” He screamed down at the people at the bottom. “Hurry up!” He shook the bars aggressively which made the cart sway violently back and forth. Charlotte held Rio’s arm tightly.

“They’re doing everything they can.” The woman said calmly. Rio got the sense that she was an expert in dealing with his anger issues. Suddenly a loud scream came from just below them. They looked out the cart. A man was squeezing through the bars, out the capsule and hanging on to the enormous bars that held the ride together. A woman in his cart was screaming at him, reaching out to grab him but the man was already out. He looked miniscule compared to the wheel as he slid down and landed somewhere in the middle of the contraption. A policeman began shouting through the megaphone. People stuck on the ride started screaming again. Some women cried in hysteria. The boyfriend started laughing.

“What an idiot!” He screamed down at the man. Rio felt disturbed that he seemed to be enjoying the man’s insanity.

“Look at the moon.” Rio said to Charlotte has he moved her away from the distressing scene. The woman had her head in her hands. The screams got louder as the man navigated his way down and through the ride. Panic filled the air. The boyfriend continued looking out the bars, shouting encouraging slurs at the man. Rio made sure he wasn’t looking and then slowly moved the woman’s hands away from her face. He pointed to the moon. Rio, Charlotte and the woman stared at the moon as the screams around them faded softly. A shooting star shot rapidly across the sky, almost too quick to notice. In that moment, the screams and panic became unbearably loud as they heard a thud at the bottom of the ride. Rio felt sick to his stomach. He looked at the woman. One, discrete tear fell gently onto her cheek.

***

Three hours later, they were firmly on solid ground. Rio kicked his legs as he tried to revive some life into them. There were hundreds of people scurrying around the victims. Policemen were writing names down and putting blankets around traumatized people. The ambulance sirens rung loudly as the injured and sick lined up for assistance. His drunk friend had come to life only about half an hour ago. A frantic woman ran towards them.

“Mommy!” Charlotte ran to her.

They embraced as the mother kissed her head. She came forward and hugged her brother too, Charlotte still in her arms. He hugged her back but Rio could tell his mind had left him, still hovering somewhere in the Ferris Wheel cart. The woman stood next to Rio. She seemed relieved for Charlotte. Her boyfriend was on the phone telling his friends about his incredible adventure.

“Let’s get you home.” Charlotte’s mom said to her and her drunk uncle. Charlotte jumped out of her arms and ran towards Rio. She embraced him with a tight hug.

“Thank you.” She looked up at him. Her eyes sparkled like the moon they had spent time with. She then turned to the woman and hugged her too. The woman hugged her back.

They watched as Charlotte, her uncle and her mom disappeared into the crowd. Rio turned toward her. Her eyes had shifted from jungle green to emerald. They felt deep with sorrow. He wanted to thank her for some reason but no words came. Her boyfriend arrived.

“Where’s the drunk?” He asked crassly. “Actually, I would’ve preferred to have been him through that whole nightmare. But then I wouldn’t have seen that crazy guy fall to his death.” He snickered again. Rio was stunned. The woman turned to him.

“Go home. Go home and never call me again.” She walked away from them and vanished into the swarm of people. Rio’s heart sank. He didn’t want her to leave. The ex-boyfriend looked furious. He pushed Rio out the way and walked in the other direction.

***

The carnival was closed and there were much less people around. All the rides were off and the music had stopped. The firetruck had left. Only a few policemen and some ambulances stayed. Rio had been searching around for the woman. He wanted to make sure she was okay. After an hour of walking around, he realized she may have left. He felt hopeless and flopped down onto the same bench he sat on when he met Charlotte. He noticed that his grape slushy was still there but didn’t pick it up. Then something caught his eye. He squinted. It couldn’t be. The purple balloon floated near an ambulance van. Again, no one seemed to notice. It hovered like it did before. He got up to follow it. Just before he reached it, a spurt of wind moved it left. It began floating into the darkness of the funfair. Sudden images flashed in his mind. The Wheel of Fortune - The Ferris Wheel. The Tower - The Falling man. The Lovers… And then he saw her. The green-eyed woman. She was standing near the gypsy tent holding the purple balloon.