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Description
A Rattling Conclusion

Cheers and fireworks, distant clapping and laughing, joy filled the air as a long plot finally came to its epilogue. The strange creature from a far away home was victorious, a problem had been solved, and a villain had be undone.

Overwhelming joy washed through the guests and employees of Cartoonival, to them it was a time to celebrate. However, outside of the park with her back against a wooden face, was Erin. The brown haired, green eyed girl didn’t look happy either.

These noises and sounds of joy were but noises to muddy up the air to Erin. This wasn’t a moment for celebration. Her arms crossed, she glared angrily at the concrete sidewalk. For poor Erin, there was a lot to think about. Both her mind and her heart struggled to process the events of the day. To put it simply, she simply didn’t know what she should do and how she should feel.
She needed to get home somehow, but could she just leave M-Kitty? M-Kitty betrayed her. That knuckle head, he even blamed her for that stupid skeletons missing arm!

Erin only grew angrier at the noise inside and outside of her head. It was all too much. She didn’t want to be here, but she also couldn’t just leave… Could she?

Erin looked to the left, then to the right. As she focused, she saw it. Sitting planted at the edge of the sidewalk was a bus sign.

Without another thought, Erin began to walk. Each step talking her closer and closer to the bus sign. She reached into her pocket and found she had just under ten dollars. If she entered this place through weird cartoony meme magic, then maybe she could get out of it the same way.
The idea of asking the bus driver to take her home, was in fact, the dumbest thing she could think of right now. This, however, was the reason that she was going to try it.

Erin smiled, it was not a smile caused by happiness, but pure spite. The more she thought about it, the more perfect the idea sounded. It was an absolutely ludicrous idea, but you know what, what wasn’t ludicrous? What did make sense in this cartoon hell!

Erin finally arrived at the bus stop, there was no bench, just the sign and the wooden fence. There was an individual also standing by the bus stop, however, he had a very large paper in his hands covering most of his upper body. Erin huffed as she walked over to the fence and leaned against it, a good enough distance from the man with the paper.

Erin returned to her processing, quietly fuming, arms crossed, her back leaning against the fence.

“You also taking the five pm?”

Erin was snapped to attention. She glared over to the individual with the paper, he was still mostly covered and hadn’t moved yet.

“It’s eleven am,” Erin said, scowling at the stranger. Was this another stupid toon trying to pull her into one of it’s annoying banters?

“Ah! It looks like I missed my bus then!” The stranger said almost ecstatically. “Which bus are you waiting for?”

“The next one,” Erin grumbled, pushing some hair out of her eyes. “Listen buddy, I just want to be left alone, alright?”

“Who wants to be alone? You must be in a pretty rough place,” The stranger said, flipping to the next page of his paper.

“Didn’t you just hear what I said?” Erin said with more hostility this time, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the street.

“Of course I heard what you said! I was simply ignoring you,” The stranger said cheekily. “You should work on your attitude! People might like you more.”

Erin felt like a window that had a rock thrown into it. Her face grew red as her look turned to one of hatred towards the stranger with the newspaper.

“Ooh! That hit a nerve didn’t it! I guess that your attitude does cause you problems doesn’t it,” The stranger said tauntingly, his words growing louder.

Erin’s teeth ground against each other as she stared towards the news paper man. Multiple intense ideas going through her mind of how to destroy his stupid news paper right in front of him. Multiple fancy words sat on her tongue that perfectly described how she felt about this guy. Still, she held it all back. Clenching her fist and taking a breath to stave off the feeling of bursting.

“Screw you,” Were the only words that she sighed out. “Stop talking to me.”

“Well I can’t do that, I happen to be the only one who can help you out!” The stranger said, flipping another page of his newspaper. “Some of your problems are partly my fault, even though it was just from me being there.”

Erin’s eyes widened as she looked over to the stranger, this time looking at his legs and footwear. Then she looked up and saw it, the top of a purple hat.

“Lent?!” Erin nearly shrieked, putting her hands at her sides as she turned to face him. “Seriously? Are you stalking me?! What’s your game loser!”

“I come in peace,” To Lent said raising his hand, surrendering and dropping the paper he was holding, revealing the odd purple suit wearing skeleton, still missing one arm. “Also technically yes, I am stalking you, but in a totally non-creepy way. My game is to maybe teach you something and help you out.”

“You’re already creepy! You heartless calcium piñata!” Erin growled. Glaring intensely in his direction, sticking both her hands in her pockets. “I don’t need your help, buzz off.”

“There is only one person in this entire carnival that needs my help and that’s you,” Lent said, tilting his head to the side, giving her a rather serious look. “You’re about to get on a bus and leave. Did you think that would work? You don’t even know where you are.”

“Shut up,” Erin hissed, glaring ahead, one eye covered by hair while the other visibly filled with anger. “I’ll be fine, I don’t need you. I can take care of myself!”

“You can take care of yourself, but you don’t want to be alone,” Lent pressed. “You’ll get lost along the way, but you’ll always get back on track. It will be a lonely road, one weighed down by regret.”

“Go away,” Erin muttered, her fingers digging into her crossed arms. “You’re just as useless as I am. Without that arm you don’t have any tricks. He… They will throw you aside the moment they see something more colorful.”

“You aren’t useless and neither am I. Just because people make mistakes, doesn’t mean they worthless. Everyone makes mistakes! We aren’t forged by those mistakes. We are forged by what we learn from those mistakes,” Lent explained. “Those that truly love us will accept us as long as we accept them.”

“Leave me alone,” Erin whispered, her head turning away. “You wouldn’t understand okay.”
Lent opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. Erin’s shoulders shook ever to slightly. Her fingers dug into her arms, causing small marks to form where her nails pushed in. Lent’s own face fell, a look of sad concern filled his skeletal face.

“What wouldn’t I understand?” Lent asked calmly.

Erin sniffled and raised a sleeve to her eye, rubbing it. She looked down at her feet, looking at the sidewalk’s many cracks. Why even be angry at such a sad situation. Being angry was exhausting. But for Erin, being angry was easy for her. The world was frustrating, annoying, and complicated. However, that didn’t matter right now, right now she just felt sad.

“I just don’t want to lose my friend, okay.” Erin said, defeated. “I just don’t want to lose M-Kitty. Do you understand? He’s my friend.”

There was a pause then, a moment in time that neither of the two said a word. Lent continued to look sadly at Erin, frowning skeleton face drooping as soaked in what Erin said. Erin leaned more closely against the fence, looking out over the scenery. Rolling green hills surrounded Cartoonival, going into the distance. Lent knew that eventually it dropped off, the shell of the great turtle they stood on ending.

This moment of silence was cut short by the sound of a large engine and wheels against pavement. The two looked to their left and saw the bus had arrived. It passed them by a dozen feet, slowing to a stop next to the bus stop sign. The sound of air being released was heard and the bus’s door opened.

“I won’t stop you,” Lent said softly, he turned his head back to Erin, for the first time they met eye to eye socket.

“You couldn’t stop me,” Erin said, glaring again as she returned his gaze.

“You’re right, I couldn’t,” Lent admitted, he reached up with his sole arm, adjusting his bowtie. “Before you go, can I make you an offer?”

Erin gave Lent a long look, her eyes narrowed as she attempted to decipher this strange skeleton man. “What is it.”

“Let me come with you!” Lent said cheerily, the smile returning to his face. “I’ll leave my arm here and we can go on our own adventure. Without my magic I can’t teleport anyone and based one what M-Kitty told me, the way you got here was a one way trip. It won’t be easy, but I bet we’ll figure it out.”

Erin looked shocked, her eyes were wide and confused. She took a moment to process Lent’s words, looking away from the skeletons smiling face.

“Or,” Lent continued. “We can go back to the carnival and have a conversation.”

Erin looked back to Lent, her confusion melting away as realization replaced it. All the tension in her body began to slump away, she let her arms fall as she let her head hang low. “Do you think I’m going to lose him?”

Lent’s smile weakened, but didn’t fall to sorrow. “I don’t have the answer to that.”
Erin turned away from Lent and looked towards Cartoonival. She looked back to Lent, who gave her a smile. She groaned annoyedly in reaction to Lent’s pep, rolling her eyes to his optimism. “Fine, let’s go.”

The bus began to pull away and down the road, leaving behind a beaming Lent and an emotionally drained and grumpy Erin.

“I’m proud of you Erin,” Lent said enthusiastically. He walked up next to her, ready to begin making the trek back to the carnival.

“I’m not,” Erin responded in a deadpanned manner. With that, she took the first step towards Cartoonival, where a celebration was currently going down.

Description
A Rattling Conclusion

Cheers and fireworks, distant clapping and laughing, joy filled the air as a long plot finally came to its epilogue. The strange creature from a far away home was victorious, a problem had been solved, and a villain had be undone.

Overwhelming joy washed through the guests and employees of Cartoonival, to them it was a time to celebrate. However, outside of the park with her back against a wooden face, was Erin. The brown haired, green eyed girl didn’t look happy either.

These noises and sounds of joy were but noises to muddy up the air to Erin. This wasn’t a moment for celebration. Her arms crossed, she glared angrily at the concrete sidewalk. For poor Erin, there was a lot to think about. Both her mind and her heart struggled to process the events of the day. To put it simply, she simply didn’t know what she should do and how she should feel.
She needed to get home somehow, but could she just leave M-Kitty? M-Kitty betrayed her. That knuckle head, he even blamed her for that stupid skeletons missing arm!

Erin only grew angrier at the noise inside and outside of her head. It was all too much. She didn’t want to be here, but she also couldn’t just leave… Could she?

Erin looked to the left, then to the right. As she focused, she saw it. Sitting planted at the edge of the sidewalk was a bus sign.

Without another thought, Erin began to walk. Each step talking her closer and closer to the bus sign. She reached into her pocket and found she had just under ten dollars. If she entered this place through weird cartoony meme magic, then maybe she could get out of it the same way.
The idea of asking the bus driver to take her home, was in fact, the dumbest thing she could think of right now. This, however, was the reason that she was going to try it.

Erin smiled, it was not a smile caused by happiness, but pure spite. The more she thought about it, the more perfect the idea sounded. It was an absolutely ludicrous idea, but you know what, what wasn’t ludicrous? What did make sense in this cartoon hell!

Erin finally arrived at the bus stop, there was no bench, just the sign and the wooden fence. There was an individual also standing by the bus stop, however, he had a very large paper in his hands covering most of his upper body. Erin huffed as she walked over to the fence and leaned against it, a good enough distance from the man with the paper.

Erin returned to her processing, quietly fuming, arms crossed, her back leaning against the fence.

“You also taking the five pm?”

Erin was snapped to attention. She glared over to the individual with the paper, he was still mostly covered and hadn’t moved yet.

“It’s eleven am,” Erin said, scowling at the stranger. Was this another stupid toon trying to pull her into one of it’s annoying banters?

“Ah! It looks like I missed my bus then!” The stranger said almost ecstatically. “Which bus are you waiting for?”

“The next one,” Erin grumbled, pushing some hair out of her eyes. “Listen buddy, I just want to be left alone, alright?”

“Who wants to be alone? You must be in a pretty rough place,” The stranger said, flipping to the next page of his paper.

“Didn’t you just hear what I said?” Erin said with more hostility this time, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the street.

“Of course I heard what you said! I was simply ignoring you,” The stranger said cheekily. “You should work on your attitude! People might like you more.”

Erin felt like a window that had a rock thrown into it. Her face grew red as her look turned to one of hatred towards the stranger with the newspaper.

“Ooh! That hit a nerve didn’t it! I guess that your attitude does cause you problems doesn’t it,” The stranger said tauntingly, his words growing louder.

Erin’s teeth ground against each other as she stared towards the news paper man. Multiple intense ideas going through her mind of how to destroy his stupid news paper right in front of him. Multiple fancy words sat on her tongue that perfectly described how she felt about this guy. Still, she held it all back. Clenching her fist and taking a breath to stave off the feeling of bursting.

“Screw you,” Were the only words that she sighed out. “Stop talking to me.”

“Well I can’t do that, I happen to be the only one who can help you out!” The stranger said, flipping another page of his newspaper. “Some of your problems are partly my fault, even though it was just from me being there.”

Erin’s eyes widened as she looked over to the stranger, this time looking at his legs and footwear. Then she looked up and saw it, the top of a purple hat.

“Lent?!” Erin nearly shrieked, putting her hands at her sides as she turned to face him. “Seriously? Are you stalking me?! What’s your game loser!”

“I come in peace,” To Lent said raising his hand, surrendering and dropping the paper he was holding, revealing the odd purple suit wearing skeleton, still missing one arm. “Also technically yes, I am stalking you, but in a totally non-creepy way. My game is to maybe teach you something and help you out.”

“You’re already creepy! You heartless calcium piñata!” Erin growled. Glaring intensely in his direction, sticking both her hands in her pockets. “I don’t need your help, buzz off.”

“There is only one person in this entire carnival that needs my help and that’s you,” Lent said, tilting his head to the side, giving her a rather serious look. “You’re about to get on a bus and leave. Did you think that would work? You don’t even know where you are.”

“Shut up,” Erin hissed, glaring ahead, one eye covered by hair while the other visibly filled with anger. “I’ll be fine, I don’t need you. I can take care of myself!”

“You can take care of yourself, but you don’t want to be alone,” Lent pressed. “You’ll get lost along the way, but you’ll always get back on track. It will be a lonely road, one weighed down by regret.”

“Go away,” Erin muttered, her fingers digging into her crossed arms. “You’re just as useless as I am. Without that arm you don’t have any tricks. He… They will throw you aside the moment they see something more colorful.”

“You aren’t useless and neither am I. Just because people make mistakes, doesn’t mean they worthless. Everyone makes mistakes! We aren’t forged by those mistakes. We are forged by what we learn from those mistakes,” Lent explained. “Those that truly love us will accept us as long as we accept them.”

“Leave me alone,” Erin whispered, her head turning away. “You wouldn’t understand okay.”
Lent opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. Erin’s shoulders shook ever to slightly. Her fingers dug into her arms, causing small marks to form where her nails pushed in. Lent’s own face fell, a look of sad concern filled his skeletal face.

“What wouldn’t I understand?” Lent asked calmly.

Erin sniffled and raised a sleeve to her eye, rubbing it. She looked down at her feet, looking at the sidewalk’s many cracks. Why even be angry at such a sad situation. Being angry was exhausting. But for Erin, being angry was easy for her. The world was frustrating, annoying, and complicated. However, that didn’t matter right now, right now she just felt sad.

“I just don’t want to lose my friend, okay.” Erin said, defeated. “I just don’t want to lose M-Kitty. Do you understand? He’s my friend.”

There was a pause then, a moment in time that neither of the two said a word. Lent continued to look sadly at Erin, frowning skeleton face drooping as soaked in what Erin said. Erin leaned more closely against the fence, looking out over the scenery. Rolling green hills surrounded Cartoonival, going into the distance. Lent knew that eventually it dropped off, the shell of the great turtle they stood on ending.

This moment of silence was cut short by the sound of a large engine and wheels against pavement. The two looked to their left and saw the bus had arrived. It passed them by a dozen feet, slowing to a stop next to the bus stop sign. The sound of air being released was heard and the bus’s door opened.

“I won’t stop you,” Lent said softly, he turned his head back to Erin, for the first time they met eye to eye socket.

“You couldn’t stop me,” Erin said, glaring again as she returned his gaze.

“You’re right, I couldn’t,” Lent admitted, he reached up with his sole arm, adjusting his bowtie. “Before you go, can I make you an offer?”

Erin gave Lent a long look, her eyes narrowed as she attempted to decipher this strange skeleton man. “What is it.”

“Let me come with you!” Lent said cheerily, the smile returning to his face. “I’ll leave my arm here and we can go on our own adventure. Without my magic I can’t teleport anyone and based one what M-Kitty told me, the way you got here was a one way trip. It won’t be easy, but I bet we’ll figure it out.”

Erin looked shocked, her eyes were wide and confused. She took a moment to process Lent’s words, looking away from the skeletons smiling face.

“Or,” Lent continued. “We can go back to the carnival and have a conversation.”

Erin looked back to Lent, her confusion melting away as realization replaced it. All the tension in her body began to slump away, she let her arms fall as she let her head hang low. “Do you think I’m going to lose him?”

Lent’s smile weakened, but didn’t fall to sorrow. “I don’t have the answer to that.”
Erin turned away from Lent and looked towards Cartoonival. She looked back to Lent, who gave her a smile. She groaned annoyedly in reaction to Lent’s pep, rolling her eyes to his optimism. “Fine, let’s go.”

The bus began to pull away and down the road, leaving behind a beaming Lent and an emotionally drained and grumpy Erin.

“I’m proud of you Erin,” Lent said enthusiastically. He walked up next to her, ready to begin making the trek back to the carnival.

“I’m not,” Erin responded in a deadpanned manner. With that, she took the first step towards Cartoonival, where a celebration was currently going down.