The fairgrounds were nearly empty, though the air still smelled of popcorn and damp hay. The lights on the rides flickered like they were about to pop, considering how old they were… it wouldn’t be surprising if they did. Somewhere a calliope wheezed out a slow, warped tune that was rather creepy.

You weren’t sure why you wandered into the tent. Its stripes were faded red and cream, sagging under the weight of the night air. The entrance flap moved only slightly, like something had just slipped through it. When you pushed it aside, the sound of the calliope cut off.

Inside, the light was dim, glowing from bulbs that swung gently though there was no breeze. The smell of popcorn was replaced by a scent that was sweet and unfamiliar. You walked further in, your steps muffled by the sawdust underfoot.

That was when you heard it, not the song of the calliope, but the voice of a singing girl.

As you got a little closer to the noise, It sounded like it was more of a a hum. The voice was soft and muffled; like a lullaby being sung from behind a closed door.

You followed the sound to the center of the tent. There was a cage there, bigger than any bird cage you’d ever seen. Its bars were bent in strange places, the metal dark and wet-looking. Inside sat a figure draped in pale cloth, her hair black with faint streaks of pink. As you caught a glimpse of her face, you noticed there was a mask shielding her eyes.

She sat perfectly still. Her wings—if that’s what they were—folded behind her in jagged arcs, feathers like shards of glass, edges catching on the bars. She didn’t look like a bird at all. She looked like something pretending to be one… something much too beautiful to belong in a freak-show.

The hum stopped.

“You wandered too far.” She spoke up, her voice melodic despite the warning in her words. “Leave… before you are spotted.”