The Funhouse Mirror's Truth

The Funhouse Mirror's Truth The air was sweet with cotton candy, bright and pink, a whirlwind of laughter before I could even think. My little brother's eyes were wide with pure delight, My twin sister's hand was wrapped so very tight. My mother's gentle smile, my father's hand in line, all in a world I could no longer call mine. We rode the elephant, a slow and gentle sway, through the carnival chaos, on that summer's day. But past the spinning lights and painted stalls, I saw him watching, a face behind the walls. A jagged grin, a tear of painted blue, his eyes locked on me, no matter what we'd do. I tugged my mother's sleeve, "Look there!" I tried to say, But she just smiled and looked another way. My brother's cheer, my sister's joyful cries, sounded so distant, beneath the painted skies. We won a prize, a stuffed bear, fat and round. but I felt no joy, no solace could be found. Because in the reflection of the funhouse glass, I saw him standing, a shadowy, silent mass. And in that moment, all the fun fell out of me, A private terror only I could see.