The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

Not all that long ago, when you were only a small child under ten, the Witchlight Carnival visited near your village. Tempted by the bright lights, otherworldly music, and the smell of delicious carnival foods, you slipped inside… Without buying a ticket. Surely no one would notice a small child just looking around, right?

Wrong.

While you took in the magic of the carnival, you lost something – but not merely some bauble or button, something deeper. Some small piece of yourself was stolen and though you searched high and low, you never found it. Time passed and you adapted, giving less and less thought to the foggy memories of magical wonder and loss and regret. 

Until now. Recently the ache to retrieve what was taken returns as sharply as if it had only just happened, and though you cannot explain this sudden intense desire to find what was lost all those years ago, it is all consuming. 

And then as if drawn to it, you find yourself in front of the ticket booth at the entrance of the Witchlight Carnival at twilight, purchasing a ticket…