So far, little Kitten has overcome a lot of challenges. She has learned to walk in spite of her CP. She has developed a love of stories despite her dyslexia. She has learned to love life and to be positive, no matter what happens. In chapter seven, she meets her next spiritual test when her beloved Pegasus and the carousel he calls home face disaster.

Scene 01: Kitten Discovers Her Dream in Splinters

A few weeks passed, and the autumn leaves began to fall. The rich, vibrant terracottas of the season saturated this Saturday morning. As Karen walked to the pier, she heard the rustling leaves under her feet, but there was another sound. It was not a welcome sound. At first, she thought it was her left foot dragging on the ground. But it was not that. It was much more. It was something insidious and sinister. It was an undercurrent within the rustling of the leaves, an unusual vibration and frequency not heard by the human ear, but by her sixth sense. It was not her gait or her imagination. Something concealed lay in wait for her, and it made Kitten very uneasy, very uncomfortable, and very restless.

With each step toward the carousel, she felt herself become more unsettled and troubled. Vague premonitions of disaster rushed through her without warning, as she wondered what they meant. She hoped and prayed that everything was okay with Pegasus and the other carousel horses. She had never sensed anything so unusual, so threatening, and so bizarre. Her instinct told her that something was wrong, that something horrific had happened. She could not shake the feeling. In spite of this fear, she was determined and driven to take action. If something was wrong, then she would help. Her determination consumed her.

Hurrying past the park entrance, she noticed the dim lights and lack of action around the hippodrome. Outside, the arcade lights burned low. They did not dance with joy or flash on and off as they usually did. Looking in through the windows, she saw that the ticket booth was dark. The spotlights, which had always shone on the horses, were off. Only a minuscule night-light illuminated the room from above. Without the normally bright illumination, the room seemed gray and dead. The lively magic that animated it had been taken away.

#premonition #disaster

©2021, Karen Lynn-Chlup. All rights reserved.