Something was different about the town, though at first I couldn’t figure it out. The whole place was lit, bright lights glowing high into the night sky. But as I watched, the lights began to extinguish, at the furthest edge at first, but then creeping nearer and nearer, plummeting the town into darkness. A strange energy came from Sage Springs, an anti-energy, and I thought that if I got too close, it would somehow destroy me. My heart beating hard, I turned my back to run away, planning on taking the road out of town, but the road was gone. In its place, numerous pine trees blocked my way, as if the forest had somehow closed in around me and swallowed the road. I gasped and spun back around. I saw something I hadn’t noticed before. One place was still illuminated in Sage Springs. The carnival. The Ferris wheel was brightly lit, the huge wheel turning slowly, though no patrons sat in the buckets to enjoy the ride. The horses on the carousel lifted and dipped as they rode round and round and round, their backs bare, their nostrils flared and eyes rolling.
