Remember, spelling, punctuation and grammar are not taken into account for a 500 Words story, therefore all the top 50 stories have been published how they were submitted.
Strings of midnight by Maya U.
That night, the stars hid their faces.The moon crouched behind clouds, a pale coin trembling in the sky.Even the air felt alive-thick with the scent of burnt sugar and something secret.Then, drifting through the dark, came the faint curl of carnival music, twisting and tumbling like ribbons made of sound.
"Milo, look!" I breathed.Through the trees, light shimmered-emerald, scarlet, sapphire-pouring across the grass like spilled treasure."Do you think it's safe?" Tasha whispered, her voice fluttering like a trapped moth.Milo grinned, wild-eyed,"Since when is adventure safe?"And before we could stop him, he sprinted into the light.
We followed.
The empty field had transformed into a world that shouldn't exist.A carousel spun lazily, its horses carved from moonlight and mist, eyes swirling like trapped constellations. The ferris wheel towered over us, carriages glowing like lanterns filled with ghosts. The entrance arch was made of mirrors-hundreds of them-bending our reflections into grinning strangers that shimmered like heat haze.
Then he arrived.
The ringmaster.His hat shimmered like spilled wine, his coat stitched from shadows and stars.His smile stretched too far, too bright as though it had been painted on by someone who didn't understand people.
"Welcome, travellers, "he purred, his voice like velvet soaked in danger,"Tonight, the carnival is free.The cost…"He paused."…comes later."
The ground hummed beneath our shoes.The music grew teeth.Still, we stepped inside.
The carnival breathed.Coconuts whispered riddles.Goldfish leapt through glittering hoops.Candy floss spun mid-air, glowing, softly, almost alive.Laughter echoed-too sharp, too hollow- from somewhere unseen.Milo darted ahead, fearless. Tasha clung to my arm, trembling.
I stopped by the carousel.One horse turned its head toward me. Its eyes flickered with galaxies.I reached out-SNAP!Its teeth slammed shut, inches away from my fingers.
A booming voice cracked the sky."Ladies and gentlemen! Children of the night! The performance begins!"
The ferris wheel spun quickly.The earth beat like a heart.
"We need to go!" Tasha cried.
But the gates had vanished.In its place stood a wall of mirrors.Our reflections were no longer us.They grinned wider, eyes dark with mischief.
The ringmaster glided forward, half-smoke, half-shadow."Leaving already?"he murmured, and the words curved like claws.
Threads of light burst from his fingertips-red, silver, gold-wrapping around our legs, wrists and hearts.
"You belong to me now,"he whispered. "My little stars. My strings of midnight."
My body moved like it had forgotten me.Tasha spun, eyes full of fear. Milo laughed a laugh that wasn't his. In the mirrors, our reflections bowed, smiling their endless smiles.
The ringmaster tugged his strings. And beneath a sky that had stopped breathing, we danced.
Need more inspiration?
Back to 500 Words
Click here for more information on 500 Words.
The Library that Laughed
By Harveen S.
