Chereads / Shape of Darkness: The Moonlight's Touch / Chapter 17 - The Grand Hours on the Town of Joy

Chapter 17 - The Grand Hours on the Town of Joy

An exhibition awaits before one this afternoon. Everyone awaits by the frontline as the mystery folds behind the red curtain, following the sparks and clanks of a diligent worker. There will be dramas, games, and even a show to project in a brand-new light. The town will soon immerse themselves with the happiest face!

Eve had stood over hours behind the curtain, watching his companion doing all the deeds by himself with frown and dismay. The icy staff clings to Charger's hands tightly before it does to Eve. Watching the scene in the backseat made her feel even lower with the city and its inhabitants.

Something fun is waiting outside, with wonders open on the road nearby, gathering customers' and visitors' attention amidst the opening. In addition, there seems to be a band nearby rumbling with drums. It aches Eve's ears to hear the banging so loud.

Never had she grown with such discomfort with the people. The citizens' neverending laughs boil her blood even further than she would ever do to people on Earth. Their instruments, bells, and the choir disguised by chuckles and humming a hymn—The sound of the people outside makes no difference from the inside.

"It's showtime!" A man arrives with a box full of poppers. A party thrower with a surprise of confetti and a buzzing blast.

*Pop* *Pop* *Pop*

"Quit it!" Eve snatches the box of poppers away from the workers. If another of those things pops again, she would lose her mind. Or worse, she could've popped others.

"Hey, why don't we just go look after the others? Let's show them some fun!" Workers piling up near the curtain to peek the outside.

"Look, they brought the opening cake!"

"Watch out, everyone! We can't let the others peek at the surprise yet!"

"Then let's head out for a snack now!"

"Yeah!!" The workers left through the backdoor.

As the last figure left the curtain, silence became a friend again. Shaded under the thick cotton, Eve was comforted with packs of wood toppling above her head and a book she could write her feelings. Soon, her mind was interrupted yet again by a popper.

*Pop* "Ouch! Hey! Who did that?"

"Eve, why are you ruining my fame? Those workers would've gazed upon me if we both were there!" Charger stands behind her with a popper in his hand.

"Well if your fame was built by annoying people, then I gladly dethrone you anytime. How are you okay with those loud noises outside?"

"You mean the awaits for the exhibition hall? Isn't that normal for people to be excited about? I'm sure you would've done the same if we weren't here building stuff together."

"Anyway, you're writing something cool now? I wonder if you got some inspiration about this town yet..."

"I do. And I hate it so much I think I have an idea on how to tear this place upon...piece by piece."

"That's rude, friend. Why are you so persistent with keeping yourself isolated from people?"

"Because people are annoying! You ever see a human so terribly infuriating to speak with? Let alone a walking star and their dull jokes..."

The place conflicts with her interests and dislikes. The appealing opportunity of the essences dwelling in this city is slowly being outperformed by the children's laughs and neverending joy she resentfully by the noise. She felt less energetic during the hours of work and insisted upon rest. After all, the shaded ground was the last place she could use to close her eyes from the sun.

"So, have you assumed my role in this story yet? Am I a hero? A knight? A wanderer? Anything but a mechanic, okay?" Charger slides in for an opportunity. His gazing eyes and praying hands were excited for an inclusion.

"Eve?"

"How can I make this story about an adventure if it sounds like I'm not enjoying this, Charger? This isn't adventure to me, don't you think?" She handed him a blank paper. Her face is stressed and bugged out by the outside noise, leaving both uncomfortable to speak.

"Aww, friend. Why do you have to make it like one? It's an adventure if you're not staying at home!" Charger grabs a preserved apple on a plastic wrap for Eve.

"Besides, we're supposed to smile and cheer for this bright day or else the mayor will punish us for ruining this day!"

"And how are we going to do that when I couldn't be more disappointed and unfocused? Should I use my staff to set winter into this city?" She raises her staff mightly with fury.

"Look, feast yourself, and let's get some fresh air so we can swerve that negativity out. We've reached this far with our legs intact and we deserve to do it again with pride."

"Okay..." She grunts, following Charger's footsteps away.

Her arms were stiff and loose—bored from watching her companion nail sharp edges to the ground. Her reaching out from the site is an effort she could only make in this town since her first arrival, led by her companion to drag her together from the curtains.

Suddenly, she felt a strange feeling from a tent nearby. Her body was drawn to the presence of fire and a luminous orange light coming to a door, followed by a grunt and fisting of a hammer casted upon a shadowy figure. She recalls the voice as Cyrus, with him struggling and breathing heavily under the intense pressure.

"You feel that? That's a lot of heat coming from a sun..."

"It must be Cyrus. Wasn't he supposed to brew something inside? Or forge?" Charger stops before he gets further by an intersection.

"Better find out."

A furnace lies so big, with its fire burning brightly under Cyrus's hands. His bow commands the flow of its hair—from up, he swings till it descends and rises again like a sea of flame. Not one could stay in such heat but him. And how much a sweat would ache their smiles. This feeling pushes Eve with force—an uncontainable pain that scratches her skin like a dry wood.

But Cyrus took this job willingly, collecting dozens of raw whites to forge a metal so bright it illuminates by itself. From a bowl to a chamber, into a layer of glossy gem stacked into a cart. He enjoys every second of holding hot materials from the furnace while pondering his own reflection on the raw glass. It gives Eve a feeling that a word couldn't describe—albeit jealousy but relief.

"He's such a hard worker, isn't he?" Charger looks over the entrance.

"The bravest yet stupidest thing he could ever do is endanger himself for someone. Only for that someone barely held anything for him."

"But at least he learns something new, right? Something...comforting. You want to help him out with those things? Lyte surely is a dangerous material to wield with bare hands."

"I wish I could, but—I don't think I have the energy to withstand such heat. Especially as an ice wielder." She looks reluctantly at leaving Cyrus. But her feet say otherwise.

The two headed again on their way, leaving the park by the narrow exit on the east and finally leaving the stone fences that shielded the whole forest inside. Their departure went unnoticed, and their reach was somewhere among the blue tents' residence of blue Joylings. The air around here was refreshing with a minty flavor—stings but chilly for Eve's dried skin.

"Have you noticed that none of this place is familiar? Have we been here before?" Eve grabs a minty flower from a minty pot. The spicy-like smell can be felt even in her ears.

"Nope. Not for you, I'm afraid..." Charger sass around.

"Then what are we doing in here?"

"We're looking for an adventure, friend. You said you want one so I'll give it to you! I'm sure there's a stage show around here we could watch so you can get more readings from this city."

"Heck, we could even get a new look than this thief-like shirt I've been wearing for so long. Buttleboo..."

"Can I even get into a show stage with this size? Where do I sat, then?"

"On the front seat outside where there's a huge glass panel for you to watch from the outside!" Charger stops her at the intersection.

"Really? They have that here?"

"Nope. But we should find out..." Charger tricked her with a word. She was unamused by his impression.

"Charger, if you did that again, I swear I'll—huh?"

The passersby tighten the road for Eve, with her size taking too much space to walk faster. Their brushing bells and coarse cotton hats jabbed and rubbed on Eve's skin until it became red. She followed the road signs until her attention was dragged elsewhere.

The playground was here again, filled with the same children Eve had left in chaos. The parents of every child sat on the bench with faces that Eve had never seen before. Then, a vision sparks in her head of someone she recalls in that place—one she couldn't find anywhere.

"Aw, come on! How long do I have to wait for this? Eve, can I have my DS back? I put it in the wrong bag when I—"

"Eve?"

She had left to the north, walking away to a playground where the tree shaded her and the children from the sun.

*Woosh*

The furnace cleans after a squall, and Cyrus leaves with a cart complete with his orders and steam on his hair, burning the forge to ashes on his way out. His cape stays bright and luminous, edging with fire as his hair. He had less to wear on his chest than he does on any formal activities, so sparks don't hang around his shirt.

"Phew! That was a hell in there! I could use some fresh air right now..."

He froze, "*cough* *cough* *cough*—Aagh! Ugh...Umph!"

"No—*cough*—Not again! *cough*—Aah!"

The boy fell ill in his lungs, choked by the overheated air mixed from the outside and inside—exchanging in his breath in a different wind. It is a fire that only weakens him, crushing him from the inside and leaving him down on his knees. But Cyrus was not out of reach with this case.

"Where is—*cough*—it?—*cough* Where—*cough*—Is—*cough*—It?"

His pocket contains an inhaler, packed with one medicine enough for two shots to get his breath back with a suck. In a hurry, he set the nozzle straight through his mouth and closed his eyes for a deep breath. Soon, the heat left his lungs, and he breathed life once more.

"Aah...phew. That's another shot taken in my inhaler—and I only have one more use. Damnit..."

"Do they even have an inhaler here? They better be..." He looks nervous, which reminds him of Eve.

"Why is the construction stopped? Where are the others?" The boy walks to the empty tent with his bow in his right hand.

He finds the tent empty of people, the curtain still stands, and remnants of the party have been left on the grass for so long that they decayed instantaneously upon his fiery presence. However, everything seems ready for the main event—that of which could be relieved to see.

"Excuse me, sir! Sir! Have you seen a girl and a tiny creature here?" He finds a Hyperian cleaning the mess with a broom on a grassy plain.

"Huh? Oh, you're not coming for a party, big guy? Everyone went to the party, you know? Ha!" The man stares back jokingly.

"Oh, there's a party here? I thought we were supposed to be on work?"

"We do, sie! Except our little friend gave us a long break so we can have fun outside! I mean, have you seen how lively those people are?"

The party turns into a ceremony with a red carpet and flower boards congratulating its presence, which everyone seems to follow in line on their chairs. Yet, no sign of Eve and Charger was found among those crowds—yet he recalls that such a noisy and tight place wouldn't serve a need for Eve. But all the builders were there, throwing drinks and riding bikes for the children.

"Hm. This is strange...where would she be right now? Eve wouldn't leave far from this town." Cyrus walks around the food court area, unconsciously grabbing treats with the workers.

"Hey, you there! Would you like to join us in eating on this hotballs together? We're in need of a new competitor than another cheap glossy face." A man calls him on a contest stage. Seeing Cyrus taller than anyone sitting on the chair gives the man an idea for him.

"I'm sorry, but I'm looking for my friend first! Eve was supposed to be around here. Did you see her? Anyone?"

"Never heard the name, boy. Could you tell us more?"

"I'm *cough* rather not! *cough* *cough*" The boy coughs out after a smoke passes by.

"Woah! Kid, watch where you threw that slime of yours!"

"S-sorry! Can I buy you a drink for that? No? Alright—here you go!" Cyrus treats the worker with a penny. It has a scratch on the rim that feels like rubbing a comb's hair—soft and plastic.

"Hey! I didn't want this! I want the red one over there!"

The heat of a party is livid—and burning on the air. But Cyrus had time to spent to look forward to Eve, searching through crowds, and keeping his nose up. His cape rubs through the air with sparks unknowingly landing on fragile cotton, leading a fire down a helpless piece of furniture.

The excitement turns to horror as the flames rise to a pyre. Fear spreads quickly to people, like the fire reaching their clothes, leaving them dancing by ashes and their undies.

"What was that whistle? Aah??" A chime of the wind passes his ear like a bell on a school marking the lunch hour.

The boy looked back to see his cape spreading longer than his neck. Everything is set ablaze by his touch, and the ashes spread further like a blight.

"No no no no!!"

"Hey, you there!" Yelled a worker to Cyrus.

"Call the fire banishers! Where's the ice enforcer and her staff working with us? Ha!" The workers yelled afar with a plan two steps ahead of Cyrus. They ran burning with fire and left slowly to their pristine glossy skin.

"Oh, right! Eve, can you go help the—" The boy pauses in a self-realization.

"Ahh!! I forgot! Where is she?" He yelled louder than he panicked before. But nothing of his body could help to set the fire off.

[Playground]

The Joylings, or as they called the children here, are met by Eve with a silent face. For a few minutes, she stood there—watching them twist their hands on rails and hangers like ribbons. Her gaze moves from child to child, looking for the missing boy with her arms holding her waist in disappointment.

She peeks around, searching for a boy, but finds no one familiar with their shirt color and mask to associate. The parents were excited when they caught Eve talking around the children as an enforcer, whom they see as a brave figure among the Joylings. However, she was neither and not one to look after the many present children.

"So, I guess that's one space for me. Good job, girl..."

A flower girl, a dancer girl, a boy in a lion costume, a Pierrot boy, an acrobat girl, an actor boy, and a ringmaster sitting far from the group. The boy Eve once shattered her happiness used to have a glossy mask.

"Hello, lady! What can we help you today?" The flower girl approaches Eve. Sadly, she has no flowers for her.

"Officer, where is your smile?" The Pierrot pulled his lips upwards. He wishes Eve to pull her frown away like him.

"You look happy. All of you. It is as if today was a great day, huh?" Eve kneels to the children's faces. Her gaze is not comforting but rather a suspecting one.

"Oh, so you have heard? It's the grand opening of the exhibition hall! We were all going to be there in an hour after! Have you found your front seat yet, officer?" The acrobat girl stretches her ribbon arms for a hug. But Eve refuses such a price for a reason.

Her gaze was locked on the swing for a long time, with a memory she still held tight from a wooden seat. It creaks and swings just as she remembered somewhere a decade ago, echoing with her laugh and the praise of someone. Seeing the empty seat fills her with a need to fulfill that past again.

"I'm not going anywhere but here. This is my place now..." She swings back and forth slowly, watching the kids rise and fall.

"Oh, this place feels so different now without the old me—a very old me. If it was really where he and I—uhm—did I say something?"

"Forget about that. You don't hear anything—and you don't tell anyone anything. You hear me?"

"You got it! Uhm, Ms. Officer?" The lion boy had his fangs swing above his eyes, clenching and opening like a beast's mouth—annoyed at Eve's irresponsiveness.

"Can we have our swings back?" The Pierrot walks forward. His face is soon to be arched with sadness and boredom.

"Okay! I'm angry now! Let's get to a hopscotch before someone else did here!" The lion boy left.

The children do not like being left silenced by Eve, so they look around for games with Mr. Charger and have their way through the hours without a swing. But the Pierrot boy and flower girl stood, wanting to play on the swing Eve had taken by both seats.

They knew time and paradise but not her motive. But they do not wish to show their discomfort to Eve nor a frown—even if their eyebrows had been curved by an insecurity. But with Eve's swinging on their ride, they were more unpleasant standing alone, looking at each other for what to do.

"Oh, uhm—I suppose you could look around for that somewhere? We are playing right here, officer..." The dancer girl was the first to break the silence. It gave Eve a sharp stare to look at her.

"I mean—we can wait. But, can we help you by any means, officer?"

"Then you can start by helping me search for a boy here who got turned into a downer yesterday—by a human." Eve clenches her fist and leaves the swing free for the taking.

"Downer? For what, officer? I thought you didn't look around for downers. They don't look for downers, right?" The flower girl continues talking while the boy tries to remember the boy Eve was looking for.

"Oh, why don't you just shut up and—I mean, is there any reason I'm prohibited to do so? I'm working on a—daily check for children! Yes, I checked on children around this town and I need to look over a boy here..."

"Oh, you're talking about Happy? He was sent away after being a downer, lady. It was such an unfortunate thing to him—but we can't risk frowning at anyone in this beautiful town."

"What do you mean sent away? Where do you send a child when he's not smiling? Graveyard?"

"I don't know, I think it's an exclusive place in this city."

"Exclusive? How exclusive? Exclusive for someone like me to visit?"

"It's a camp! A camp on the east!" The Pierrot boy flicks his finger the moment Eve feels a shivering shoulder from the word.

Terror ran down her throat like a snake slithering down to her stomach, leaving her speechless and choking. She wondered again about her parents, whom she had deserted far beneath on Earth without a word and a brochure she still kept in her bag despite how much pain it hurt her to carry out.

"A camp. Not like any other camps do I know, right?"

"Yeah! It's a well-known place around here for downer on the eastern bellflower residence! The one with yellow tents and *sniff* *sniff* a scent of lemon and sunflowers." The flower girl thought of the place as a heavenly home.

"If Happy was a downer, he would be there and learn to smile again! Oh, Happy—what a tragedy to have you there without us here with the officer and her friend."

Seeing her eyebrows made Charger come to stop Eve beforehand. The train he led had to be stopped early on the free road.

"Eve, I don't think you can just borrow a kid here..." Charger advises her in a whisper.

"I can't? Of course, I can. Anyone, come with me and find this child together!"

The boy returned to his train and guided it back to the station.

"Anyone?" She was left in silence and an awkward stare.

"We don't want to go there. It's a terrible place..."

"Oh, it's only a place for a downer. You wouldn't be there if you aren't a downer. Besides, you're making yourself a downer with those words."

"We are? Noo!!"

"Is there anyone here who wants to help me? Anyone??"

"Do you take a service in return?" Said aloud by a Joyling. Among the cries, he turned it into silence.

That one boy dresses like a ringmaster. His black bowler hat, the gentleman's red and white shirt, followed by black pants and cunning smile mask. When he approaches Eve, he has already addressed his authority among the children.

"Finally. Thanks for the help—uhm...?"

"The name's Jovial. Son of the Bon Circus—leader of this playground."

"Who are you?" Eve looks at the boy with an ick. The boy approaches her with a flower—stolen from the girl's hand.

"The guy you were looking for. I'm the one you needed when it comes to feeding you intels on this town. After all, a lady like you could give me more than any members of Ringmaster's family."

"Ringmaster? Aren't you too young to hold a circus?—woah!!"

The girl slipped and dropped her bag into a puddle, drenching her papers in water and making her clothes wet. She awakes with shame, watching at others with an irritated face before throwing fits into a swing—only to be hit from the back of her head.

"Nobody say anything!" She yelled with a red face.

"Oh, but what about our deal?" The Ringmaster stands calmly and unjudging. He reaches her hand for Eve, but she slaps it with no hesitation.

"Just tell me what to do." She grunts, and she growls behind her gritting teeth. Her pants are soaked, and her feet feel uncomfortable with the humid sensation between her toes.

"This is a great idea! We can finally do some work of greatness for once, Eve!" Charger joins the conversation, leaving the children at the station to depart.

"Alright, so what do we do, then?" Eve stood up hesitantly with soaked dress and melting caps on her dress.

The boy chuckled behind his mask—a plan set on foot.