Oren’s Carousel Ceiling Secret — Under the striped roof of the midway carousel, Oren kept one finger on the cool brass pole and counted the tiny painted stars above the horses. Read the full story →
Under the striped roof of the midway carousel, Oren kept one finger on the cool brass pole and counted the tiny painted stars above the horses. He had promised himself he would find all twelve before the birthday music box reached its tinkly last note. Around and around, the platform sighed, the bulbs hummed like bees in glass, and the air smelled of popcorn sugar and rain on wood.
On the seventh turn, Oren noticed the stars were not scattered at all. Each one pointed its silver tip toward the same scalloped fold in the canopy, just above the horse with the moon-shaped spot. When the music box clicked, a square of ceiling eased open without a creak. Down drifted a little paper theater, no bigger than a lunch tray, with curtains painted blue and a row of folded riders inside.
“Was it up there the whole time?” Oren whispered. The next tune began, and the paper riders bobbed as if the carousel had grown a secret carousel of its own. Oren let his curiosity run ahead of him, from star to star to star, while below, the ivory horse rose and dipped around the cool brass pole.
