Estienne the Carousel Centaur 2 (rough draft)

The operator of the carousel is a tall, thin man with extremely long fingers and palms. He wears a cap that covers his forehead because, well, underneath he has extra eyeballs that, for some reason, his glamour can’t hide. His name is Arty and he’s been exceptionally kind and lets me hang out in his booth while I wait for the carnival to shut down for the evenings. It is during this time that the carnival really comes alive. It is when everyone who lives and works here drops their glamours and comes out of hiding to celebrate a hard days work as themselves with the people they adore.

Mr. Faire is a collector of sorts, but mainly he’s a man who has always longed for a large family. I am not sure who or what Mr. Faire actually is, but he’s father to everyone here. The monsters and spirits and creatures he takes on as family are all happy and adore Mr. Faire, which is rightfully so. Not everyone is some sort of fairy tale, there are humans here. Lots of them are mates to the creatures here. The more time I spend with Estienne, I begin to wonder if I’ll become one of these mates as well.

“They’re coming out, Ms. Dita,” Arty says to me, stooping in the doorway. 

I slip out of the booth, watching as the figures on the carousel start slipping away from the golden poles. The swan boat turns into two swans who rise and form into multi winged humanoid shapes. I believe they’re some sort of fae. The pumpkin carriage opens up and a princess and prince step out of it. The giraffe steps down, approaching Arty and turning into an even taller woman who wraps him up in her arms and then he picks her up and carries her away.

I race up, watching as Estienne steps down from the platform. His grin is as bright as always and he races up to me, grabbing me and swinging me in his arms before he lands a solid kiss on my cheek.

“There’s my darling.” He hugs me tight then sets me back down on the ground. His butterflies scatter about, floating around the carousel and into the booth. “You and Arty have a lot to talk about today?”

I raise my hands to talk. “I brought him some of the donuts I got at work today so I stopped and got us coffee on the way in.”

Estienne stoops down, kissing my forehead before we walk together, going down one of the pathways of the carnival that leads to the Fairy Circle. It’s a stage near the main three-ring tent. It’s where most of the fair folk hang out after the carnival has closed to the public. Right now, the Changeling are all dancing and spinning while some of the other fae are making flowers and vines grow, forming a canopy between the peaks of the two tents.

“What’s going on here?” I say, facing Estienne so he sees my words.

“Avo and June are getting married tonight,” Estienne replies. He takes hold of my hands and squeezes them tight. “I thought you would like to see the festivities.”

I pull my hands back. “A wedding? For serious?”

Estienne chuckles and nods. “Very serious. Weddings here are quite the big deal.” He then points to where I see Mr. Faire hanging out near a wall of flowing vines covered by flowers. He’s crying, or at least trying to hold himself together. He’s wearing black hair tied back in a simple braid, rather understated for him.

“The fae do things on a whim, so this was only announced this morning,” Estienne says with a dreamy smile. 

I tap his side to make him look at me. “You aren’t hinting at anything, are you?”

Estienne’s eyes go wide and he gasps. “No! Of course not! We’ve only known each other for two weeks now, barely enough time to even consider marriage, let alone where the wind will take us.” He then sighs and touches my cheek .”And the wind is beginning to blow any day now.”

I’m a bit shocked. I knew the carnival would pack up and leave soon, but I guess in my blissful little mindspace, I had decided to ignore that fact. Estienne could be leaving any day now and where would I be?

Estienne and I take seats for the wedding, watching as the Changelings dance around Avo, who looks positively fit to burst. Music plays and Mr. Faire brings out June. Her dress is amazing, it looks made for her and her shape. Avo’s grin is indescribable when he first sees her. I look up at Estienne, seeing the serene and lovely smile on his lips. There are tears in his eyes, watching as his family grows a little bit bigger this day. The ceremony itself has no words, the fae at the front performing the ceremony wave around what looks like giant feathers while smaller fae dance around them. The way June and Avo look at one another is the real magic taking place. Once the fae presiding step back and bow, the bride and groom kiss and every one erupts with applause and joy.

From there, the celebrations move to the mess tent and spill out in front of it. There is dancing, music, drink, everything you would expect from a massive family wedding. I sit back, watching the dancing and merriment as I sip a sparkling cider that tickles my nose and makes me feel peaceful. 

“I wasn’t expecting to see an employee here, but I suppose I did set you up to get caught up in it.” My supposed relative, Robin, walks up to me, his extremely pregnant wife holding on to his arm.

I jump to my feet and shake his hand. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here either.”

“Eira is close to a lot of people here, and of course, Mr. Faire invites us to everything when we can come.” Robin turns to his wife and kisses her cheek happily.

“Are you having fun, Dita?” Eira asks me.

I glance across the room where Estienne is trying to get us more drinks. “I love it here.”

“Oh, good!” Robin sighs. “Because I have a brand new job for you. Or, well, I suppose Mr. Faire likes you and wants to keep you around. But anyways,” he huffs. “Mr. Faire needs a curator for his collections. I told him how good you are with that sort of work and, well, you’ll be working for both of us, considering the trade work the two of us do-” Eira shoves Robin to make him get to the point.

“What he’s saying is that, if you want, you have a job in the carnival working for Mr. Faire, as well as doing some work for Robin while you’re on the road.” Eira says in plan english. “Would you want such a job?”

Estienne has returned to my side at that moment and kisses the top of my head. “Strange look on your face. What’s wrong?”

I look up at him then back to Robin. “How long do I have to answer?” I ask.

“Mr. Faire told me the carnival will start packing up tomorrow after the last performance and they’ll leave the following morning,” Robin replies.

I turn back to Estienne. “We need to talk,” I say and then I grab his hand. We leave the bustling mess tent and go back to the carousel where everything is quiet and peaceful.

“What’s wrong?” Estienne asks me. “You looked strange back there. Is everything ok?”

I nod and tuck my hair behind my ear. I then raise my hands to speak. “That was my boss,” I start, “he’s offered me a new job.”

Estienne grins. “That’s wonderful!”

“I would be working for Mr. Faire and the carnival,” I continue.

Estienne’s expression was almost as joyful as the one Avo had when he first saw June in her bridal dress. “That’s even better!”

“Is it?” I ask. “I know we’re getting along well and everything, but is it really ok? What if something happens? What if we-”

Estienne kisses me and my hands slow. My fingers move into his hair and onto his face. I am still jealous of how soft his lips are. As he breaks the kiss, slowly pulling back and sighing softly, he brushes his thumb against my bottom lip.

“Are you worried something will happen if you stay?” He asks.

I try to remember how to talk after that kiss. My mental dictionary has fallen shut on the floor of my mind and it feels like my fingers have switched places with some other part of my body. I start to talk again after a moment. “I was prepared to say goodbye. Now I don’t know what to think,” I answer.

Estienne chuckles. “I was hoping to never say goodbye. I was even thinking of leaving the carnival and staying with you.”

“Are you insane?” I snap at him.

“A little,” he laughs with a shrug. “But now, if you want to take this job and join the carnival, we can really figure out what we want with each other. You’ll have a great job and I’ll have my friend to look forward to seeing everyday. A friend I have very deep feelings for.”

My cheeks burn and I slowly lift my hands back up. “I have those feelings for you too.”

Estienne dips down, kissing me again. I had always read in those silly romance novels I always got from thrift stores that a kiss could take your breath away, and it always made me giggle. But Estienne did more than steal my breath, he took the gravity around us and made me feel as if I was floating in midair.

I take the job from Robin and confirm it with Mr. Faire, who is still weepy from the wedding, so he gives me an extra tight hug. When I go home that evening, I pack up everything I will be taking. Robin promises me he will keep the place for me while I am away. That way, I still have a home and a place to keep my things if need be. 

The next day, Mr. Faire sends Arty and a few others to help me move what I am taking. As I am getting ready to walk out the door, I see a photo of me and my dad sitting on the side table and quickly collect it.

“Forget something?” Arty chuckles.

“Almost?” I look over the photo and grin.

Arty looks at it as well and then his eyes narrow. He lifts his hat so all eight eyes can stare at it. “I know this man.”

“My dad? How?” I ask.

“He saved my wife, Oshun,” he replies as he takes the picture into his hand. “He built the carousel for Mr. Faire back when he was a young man.” He looks down at me in awe. “Is this really your father?”

“Who else would it be?” I take the photo back and look it over. That explains why the carousels match, the big one and my toy. That’s why the music that plays is the same as well, my father was the one who created it.

“He saved the swan twins as well, he even built the new carriage for the prince and princess,” Arty tells me. “He and Estienne used to be very close until your father left. I guess that was around the time you were born.”

When we return to the carnival, the tents are down, but the fence is still up. I run through the crowd, getting to the carousel. The figures are all off it and watching as Mr. Faire pulls a lever that makes it spin in an opposite direction and fold up until it turns into a toy music box just like mine. Mr. Faire then sets it in a special box and hands it to Estienne.

I tug on Estienne’s arm and he turns to me with a great big grin. “There’s my darling!” Before he can touch me, I show him the picture of my father. He takes it in his hand as his expression goes gentle and warm.

“I can’t believe it-” he whispers.

I tug down the picture so he can see me talk. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew my father? All this time and you could have told me.”

“I didn’t know,” Estienne answers. “All I knew is that you felt familiar. I had no idea who your father was!” He looks back at the picture. “He left just before you were born. That’s when he left the carousel and its upkeep to Arty,” he replies. “He said he had a new job now and that was making sure you grew up. Trust me,” he laughs as he kneels down to look me in the eye. “Had I known that Joseph was your father, I would have been asking all about him all the time. I miss him.”

I smile at him. “I know he misses you too.” I touch the box that contains the carousel. “When I first got sick, he made me a replica of this carousel. It became the most important thing in the world to me.”

“Is he-” Estienne’s voice chokes off. “Is Joseph….”

I stop him and grin. “He’s gotten older, but he’s fine, we talk all the time.” I take out my phone to show him the massive scrolling wall of text we share. “He had cancer a few years back, luckily it wasn’t on his vocal chords,” I tell him. “He’s recovered and doing great.”

Estienne sighs with relief. “Where does he live?” He asks me excitedly. “Mr. Faire still doesn’t know where we’re going next. Maybe I could drop him a hint.”

It is an idea I like very much, so Estienne and I go and tell Mr. Faire the whole story. He remembers my father and is overjoyed at the news. The rest of the carousel is just as excited, so Mr. Faire agrees to take the carnival back to my hometown so everyone can visit my father. 

I message him, letting him know I am coming to visit and I have a very big surprise for him. “It’s all because of my new job,” I text him. “It’s really great and I’ve met someone. So we’ve got a big surprise lined up for you.”

“You ain’t gotta do that, sugarbean,” he texts back. “Just knowing you’re coming for a visit is more than enough for me.”

“Trust me, you’re going to love this.”

I go and visit my dad while the carnival gets set up. The first day is usually just set up and dress rehearsals, but it’s still a lot of fun to see. So after dinner, I take my dad to the carnival. He looks confused, almost like he can’t believe what he’s seeing. He recognizes everything, but that’s impossible. Everything he saw is getting close to thirty years ago!

“Dita,” he says with a quiet and awed voice. “What is this-” his voice then chokes up as he sees the carousel. His hand covers his mouth and he walks away from me as he approaches it. Arty comes out of the booth.

“Welcome back, Mr. Joseph,” he says and bows. “We’ve been expecting you.”

“Holy shit, Arty,” Dad laughs in disbelief. “No way,” he looks up at the carousel as the music starts. “It’s the same place.”

The figures on the ride step down from the carousel, each one of them grinning as they see my father. The twin swans wrap him up in their wings, the prince and princess dance around him before hugging him. Oshun kneels before him and both of them are crying. He hugs each one of them, and I haven’t seen him cry this much since I was little and able to leave the hospital. The joy I see in his eyes as Estienne comes to him finally is what makes me cry and I have to hang my head to wipe my face with the hem of my shirt.

Mr. Faire comes up behind me, putting his hand on my shoulder. “Some friendships, no matter what, never change,” he whispers. He watches dreamily as all the old friends reunite. “Time cannot touch everything,” he continues. “No matter how hard it works.”

I go forward as Estienne and my father share a long, strong hug. “Dad,” I sign on his cheek and he turns to look at me. I grin and take Estienne’s hand. “This is who I met.” I tell him and I watch his eyes go wide and his jaw drop.

“No shit,” my dad laughs as he wipes the tears off his face. “Ain’t this the surprise of the century,” he sniffles. “All the different paths that lives can take, all the different roads and journeys, and yet...somehow, they become the same road home again, don’t they?”

Estienne puts his hands on my shoulders. “I adore your daughter very much. I had no idea she was yours at all. All I knew was that I sensed in her the same welcoming feeling I always got from you and our friendship.”

My dad grins at me. “I always wanted to bring her here,” he says with a soft voice. “I always wanted to come back and see it all again. I wanted to see the look on her face.” He laughs and wipes more tears from his eyes. “I just never knew how to get back when I left.”

“You have a key now,” Estienne replies. “Now that Dita is here, we will never lose each other again.”

“Good,” my dad nods. “Because in old age, you get nostalgic and I’ve been thinking a lot about my first home.”

“You’re always welcome here,” Mr. Faire says. “And who knows, there could be a wedding soon.”

“Now, now,” my dad fusses. “Calm down there.”

I chuckle and look up at Estienne. “True, who knows?”

Estienne kisses my cheek and nuzzles to my hair.