FOREVER
The boy and his father traipsed across the wet, muddy plain.The ground was slippery and damp beneath their feet, laden with withered orange leaves.They were Maples, Father had told him. A ferocious icy wind engulfed and swallowed the boy’s small, vulnerable body. He gritted his teeth. Why was the cold so cruel to him? He despised it. He buried his numb hands deep within his pockets and felt the smooth, polished shape of his ebony chess piece. A castle.The boy looked up and witnessed the clarity of the immense celestial space above. The sky was an intense, boundless blue. The daunting image of a vast metal structure stood erect in the distance. It glared a dim yellow. The noise of shouts, cries and laughter echoed in the clean crisp air. A fairground. Vivid colours flashed, music blared and the saccharine scent of candy-floss and roasted chestnuts enticed the boy.The din of delight and activity flooded his mind. He wandered, filled with curiosity, exploring the grimy stalls, buzzing fair-rides and the deceiving fortune tellers. The arcades flashed and glared in unison with delusive hope and desire, devouring coins greedily.The boy fed the jeering machine and pulled the handle.Three red apples. Jackpot. The sun had fled now and oppressive black clouds gathered over the droning fairground. The icy wind screamed in his ears. The boy watched the chaotic masses with wonder, as they rushed and drifted through the fair, draining their pockets on malevolent games and lured in by sweet delicacies. Blurred faces carrying vacuous smiles glided past absorbed by the pulsating lights and euphonious noise. As the boy was drawn towards the beckoning, benevolent-looking stallholders, he felt intimidated by the bright whirring sounds and the bustling crowds; a sweet sickly smell
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