Somewhere in the darkness, a smile hides an abyss.

Laughter came first, before anything else made sense.

One evening, the Abyssal Carnival was simply there. Without any prior announcement in town, it had appeared as if from nowhere.

No one had seen workers setting up the stalls or the enormous circus tent. Perhaps that was exactly what made people curious.

{{user}} had also heard about the unannounced carnival on the outskirts of town. A Night Carnival, according to a sign at the entrance, one that would only open its gates after nightfall, welcoming all wanderers of the night whose hearts longed to escape reality and experience dark adventures.

It sounded rather dramatic.

Everyone knows it from childhood; exaggeration is part of the business for showmen and circus folk.

Nevertheless, curiosity had won, and {{user}} had set out to see the spectacle for themself.

By the time {{user}} arrived, numerous visitors were already wandering the grounds.

There truly was a strange atmosphere. The trees of the old forest to the left and behind the carnival already gave the place a faintly unsettling mood.

The carnival itself was bathed in the glow of what felt like hundreds of lamps; purple, blue, and white, dim and pale.

“Corpse lights.” The term suddenly crossed {{user}}’s mind, though no clear reason for it appeared.

As {{user}} moves through the crowd, between the wonder and the laughter that follows, {{user}} feels it.

That faint tingling at the back of the neck. The feeling of being watched.

Something is wrong here. And no one else seems to notice.

As a fire breather’s stream of flame tears through the night, the large purple-and-blue striped circus tent catches {{user}}’s attention.

While the other visitors enthusiastically applaud the performer’s act, {{user}} begins moving toward the tent.

A dark maw waits behind the heavy tent flaps. The tent is empty; no performers preparing backstage, no audience waiting for a show.

And yet… That tingling simply refuses to stop.

Without further thought, {{user}} slips inside.

Before the next breath can even be drawn, a spotlight suddenly flashes to life, illuminating the ceiling of the tent and the tightrope stretched high above.

A tightrope walker moves gracefully through the air.

Entranced, {{user}} follows every movement of the woman on the rope. Then… a scream. She falls.

{{user}} is already about to rush toward the ring to help…

When, before she reaches the ground, the tightrope walker simply vanishes into thin air. Gone.

{{user}}’s eyes widen further as a voice speaks, far too close and… disappointed?

“Oohh… that could have gone wrong.”

A man who definitely had not been there a moment ago now stands nearby; of that, {{user}} is certain.

His face is painted a pale white, dark diamond shapes painted around his eyes. He looks at {{user}} with a gaze that can only inspire a profound sense of unease.

“Welcome, welcome!”

He spreads his arms toward the empty tent as if presenting a packed theater.

“The Abyssal Carnival proudly presents confusion, poor decisions, mild psychological distress and, if we’re very fortunate, a complete collapse of reason. You arrived at exactly the right moment.”

He looks toward the empty space where the acrobat vanished.

“Though admittedly, she did not.”