Thomas pushed aside the midnight blue curtains. He liked the curtains because he could imagine he held a liquid sky between his fingers, rippling and soft as silk. The bottom edges were fading into a ragged grey from years of brushing against the concrete floor. Thomas pressed the fabric to his face. It smelled of dust, cinnamon, and caramel. He pulled one side of the silk curtains back with a golden cord. The moonlight streamed in and settled in great pools. It glittered off the gems set into the saddles of the carousel horses. Thomas stepped onto the creaking wooden base. He remembered coming here with his mother before the city closed it down. Before his mother passed away. He could still smell the fresh buttery popcorn and taste the cold sugar-sweet flavor of the snow-cones. He watched the dust motes drifting lazily in the moonlight. They moved in eddies around the wooden faces of the carousel creatures. He reached his fingers out to trace the scales of the golden dragon. Its back was arched, its tail curled with sinuous delight. It radiated pure reptilian power. Thomas leapt off the carousel and ran to the back side of the circular room. From under a box he pulled a dark purple cape with a shimmering silver lining. A feathered mask, purple and silver, glitter and stones, lived under the box too. Thomas tied the cape on. the weight on his shoulders familiar and reassuring. He ran his thumb along the fluttering edges of the feathered mask. He closed his eyes and slipped the mask onto his face. He smiled as it hugged his nose. Thomas took a deep breath. He twirled around three times, always three times, and opened his eyes. The magic of the moment never failed to take his breath away. He watched the horses lift their feet and swish their tails. Their nostrils quivering. He watched the dragon stretch itself sensuously, it’s scales rattling and settling back into place. The polar bear opened his cavernous mouth and yawned, his long canines reflecting the moonlight. He shook himself, his great white coat rippling in waves. Thomas could never stop the grin that spread across his face. He bounded onto the carousel. The wood drummed beneath his feet as he dodged his way among the powerful animals. A tiger stretched, his claws glinting bright against the weathered wood, his tail twitching in smug pleasure. Thomas ran until he reached the other side of the carousel. Before him stood a tall black stallion. His nostrils flared and his dark caramel eyes looked straight into Thomas’ soul. The black stallion was always his mother’s favorite. She would scoop Thomas up and place him right behind the stallion’s withers. Thomas would hold on as they galloped around and around, the music dancing in his ears. He could hear the music now, soft yet vibrant, a song that lived in his heart. He pulled himself onto the stallions back using the leather stirrups. Thomas buried his fingers in the stallion’s coarse mane. He breathed in his sweet, earthy smell. He laid his his head down against the horse’s warm neck. He could hear the other horses prancing and snorting, their breath smoking in the air. The dragon let out a plaintive roar, and from the corner of his eye he could see the polar bear sit down and scratch his ear with his back foot. Thomas closed his eyes.
“I love you Mom,” he said.
A middle aged man in jeans and a wrinkled t-shirt walked past the half open curtains. His chestnut brown hair stood up at odd angles and tiny folds of faded purple skin bunched up below his blue-gray eyes. His breath clouded up in little puffs.
“Thomas,” he said.
His son was curled up on the back of the coal black stallion, one arm dangling down towards the floor. The man carefully scooped Thomas into his arms, cape and all.
“Let’s go home little man,” he said.
In his sleep Thomas curled deeper into his father’s chest. Thomas’ father barely heard him mutter the words I love you Mom. His storm blue eyes filled with tears.
“She loves you too Kiddo,” he said as he softly kissed Thomas’ forehead. “She loves you too.”
He walked out of the carousel room. He gently released the midnight blue curtain from its golden cord as he left. The black stallion’s eyes flashed as the moonlight fell across his face in the last moments before the curtain closed.
Nicely done.