Everyone looks forward to the Charlestown Carnival every Summer. In a small town like ours, it's one of the biggest attractions. Rides, inflatables, music, food. It brings everyone out, even people from a few towns over, and for a while we stop worrying about the year that just passed or the one that's coming next. For a while we just bask in the sun, in the terrain of childlike wonder and fun. You can hear the music from a mile away and, if you're patient, you'll see the sun pass by the center of the Ferris wheel as it slowly descends after a long, humid day. It's as if time comes to a standstill and that matters is the here and the now.
Everyone looks forward to the Charlestown Carnival, but not me. I'm counting down the days until the end of Summer, the end of small town living and the start of a new chapter. A small town like hours can only hold so many people and so many stories. This year will be my last. This year, everything changes. And nothing is going to stop me.
Or so I thought.