As explained in my previous post, I participate in Twitter hashtag games, and bulk those tweets up for Instagram…and sometimes they’re too big. So, instead of deleting them, I decided to post them here.

Original Tweet (the prompt was the word #twisted):

I walked through the rusted attractions of the abandoned amusement park and heard the faint sound of laughter and screams coming from the empty rides and realized the rumors of this playground luring children to become a part of its eternal, twisted carnival were true.

The too large for Instagram remix:

The abandoned amusement park had been an urban legend for as long as I could remember. Tales of missing children and strange happenings were whispered amongst the locals, but as a thrill-seeker and skeptic, I couldn’t resist the pull of the abandoned carnival.
The entrance was eerie, the once-colorful banners now faded and peeling. I pushed through the creaking gates, taking my first steps into the empty park. Despite the silence, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched. I walked past rusted attractions and broken rides, my footsteps echoing through the empty pathways.

As I approached the old funhouse, I heard the sound of laughter and screams coming from within. Against my better judgment, I went inside. The dimly lit room was filled with children, their faces contorted with fear, and their mouths stitched shut.

I could feel their terror, and it was contagious. My heart raced as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing. How could there be so many children in this abandoned place?

Suddenly, the room went dark. I could hear the sound of twisted laughter, and I knew then that I was trapped. The children around me were reaching out for help, but their hands were cold and lifeless. I tried to run, but something held me in place.

The laughter grew louder, and I felt a presence looming over me. I tried to scream, but my mouth wouldn’t open. I was now one of the many children who had entered the gates of the cursed amusement park, never to return.

As the laughter faded, I was left alone in the darkness, trapped forever in the twisted carnival that had claimed me.