The County Fair.
The green fields were strewn with flowers of red, and gold, and lilac. The gravel road ran in a brown ribbon, winding through the meadows. It was late afternoon and the sun was starting to set in the west. A dark-red fiery ball suspended in glory on the horizon for just a short while longer.
The countryside was spread out green far and wide under the fading pink and blue sky. A few wisps of tainted clouds drifted high above, as night started to fall softly. Out in an open field was the sound of people and merriment. The county fair had come around again, as it did each year at this time. A large Ferris-Wheel stood in the centre of the grounds, and it was filled with people which it carried around and around in a circle in the sky.
The Merry-go-round was filled with children riding the toy-horses around and around. There was a lot of noise here, and the sound of the children’s joyful shouts. Their parents watched vigilantly, but happily, from the side beyond the railing. The swings were close by, and here too people were seated and swung around in a circle on steel cables attached to a centre pole. All over the fair there were rides filled with people, out for a night of entertainment. Small cars took people on a track through the ‘House of Horrors’, or a similar ride close-by could take young lovers through the ‘Tunnel of Love’.
Between the rides and the food-stalls the crowds thronged and looked about them. Some in a hurry to get somewhere, and others just idling casually about looking at the people on the rides. It was a place and time for amusement and happiness, and the people enjoyed themselves as they did each year at the fair. Colorful clowns capered with pranks and antics among the people, and generally just made welcome nuisance of themselves. One of them walked around a pair of stilts, another rode a unicycle with a monkey on his shoulder. The group of clowns played and performed as they moved through the crowd.
The food stalls sold candy-floss, hot-dogs, and a number of other popular food and drink. Floating balloons on a string were sold to the children at the entrance. There were many stalls with games of skill or chance, where one could win small prizes by competing. The prizes were usually teddy-bears and stuffed toys, and they were seldom won by the participants.
The fair was noisy as the crowds milled and wandered around. The public address system occasionally made an announcement over the loud-speakers, and would then continue playing music. The parking lot was filled to capacity with parked cars.
The merriment of the fair continued as the night drew on. And from far away in the fields under the dark, starry sky, one could see the bright glow of the lights. One could hear from far the hum of people talking and laughing, and hear the sound of the music…
