Episode 402 Carnival by September Sui

This month's Circlet Press sponsored story is "Carnival" by September Sui, read by Nobilis Reed.

"Carnival" was originally published in the Circlet Press anthology, Like a Spell, Volume 3, Air: Heterosexual Fantasy Erotica edited by Jennifer Levine.

Listen through to the end for a coupon code you can use on the Circlet Press website, or pick up this anthology on Amazon.

She is a winter child; her hair and eyes are the limpid darkness of the solstice. She confuses everyone in spring, because she runs with light feet over melting snow and budding flowerbeds, throwing fertilizer every which way and generally appreciating growing things. In summer, she hides from the sun with books in hand and bag, or seeks out dark corners where secrets hide.

But when the leaves turn brown and the air grows cold enough to slow the smoke stacks as they climb, she becomes expectant: this is when carnival comes to the city.

"Carnival will take her someday," she hears them whisper as she walks past the crowded cafes and the silent sidewalks. "Carnival will claim her as its rightful child." She ignores the gazes, flinty from fear of blackmail. The city people's secrets are mundane, and she has stopped looking for these; the city's secrets are more interesting, and she has found some of those.