Pretty Vacant by the Sex Pistols blasted from the beaten up boom box sitting on the steps.  The passer bys looked at the owner of the boom box sitting next to it while they went about their business on the hot sidewalk.  He could barely feel the heat of the sun as it beat down on his curly blonde hair. Suddenly Liam Tweed blinked and that was all it took just the closing of his curious green eyes and  Johnny Rotten’s  guttural snarl was transformed into the haunting pipes of vaguely sinister carnival music.  A tall thin man in red and purple pinstripe pants and a top hat beckoned to Liam.  The mans coat was purple crushed velvet but seemed to glow gold.  The mans face was mainly blotted out by shadow from the brim of the top hat the only thing that Liam could see of the mans face were his eyes that  glowed a vague lavender.  
“Come in my dear sir out of this dreary cold and have a look around sir we have everything you could possibly imagine or dream of.  Things that will blow your mind straight from your ears sir.  We have white ponies that dance and prance sir.  trapeze artists that spin and flip through the air my boy.  And our dancers you can only imagine our dancers sir they are simply beautiful.  And finally oh the live music well my lad let that just sweep you away.”  The tall man swept the tent flap aside and the light from within seemed to pull Liam inside.
The stands were packed with rainbow haired punks in their tattered jean and leather jackets and combat boots there were long haired hippies in half rotted tie-dye and sharply dressed business men as well as other weirdoes Liam quickly found a seat and plopped down into it and began to look around the large tent in wonderment lights flipped and zipped inches above spiky hairdos Liam watched as one burst into a cascade of fireworks.
“Pop Corn!  Peanuts! Buy ’em hot now to satisfy your tastes or buy ’em cold but if you do that though your rather odd!”  The Vender was a short plump individual wearing a large pair of rose colored glasses and a sky blue coat with the collar turned up  obscuring his face.  He wore a classic venders tray over his gut.  A twede bowler cap rested on the mans balding head.
“Yeah I’d like some pop corn over here.”  Liam shouted before he realized what he was doing.  And in a blink the vender was in front of him holding out a green and white box which Liam took digging for his wallet.  The vendor held up his hand in protest.
“Oh no, no my dear lad its complimentary or on the house as it were you could call it free I suppose but that would be uncivilized, uncouth and utterly with out class.”  That being said enjoy the pop corn and the show.”  And with that the Vendor disappeared leaving Liam quite confused and holding the box of pop corn.  He looked into the box and saw that inside was what appeared to be starlight he reached in unnerved and held one of the glowing kernels up before his eyes and it was shining a silvery gold light.  Liam opened his mouth and tossed the kernel in chewing and swallowing a warm feeling worked its way down with the kernel and began spreading through his limbs and then his fingers and toes and finally the hair on his head seemed to almost stand on end.  It was an unearthly and pleasant feeling he began eating it handfuls at a time and no matter how much he seemed to eat the amount of pop corn didn’t go down.   
Just then a large golden red Lion with a deep purple mane and flashing green eyes padded to the middle of the tent several members of the audience screamed in terror.  The Lions mouth opened wide and a deep rolling voice spoke.
“Don’t panic!”  The voice said almost lazily.   A pair of hands emerged from the lions mouth one hand grabbed the upper jaw the other grabbed hold of the beasts lower jaw and as though careless of the monsters shining white teeth the hands began to push.  A large plad shoe emerged first followed by a red and black pinstriped leg next came out the other leg.  Then the hands released the jaws leaving the lions mouth just as wide open out stretched the right arm clad in green plaid with silver fox fur on the cuff.  The mans other sleeve was flat black and hung with tattered white lace.  The arms seized the sides of the lions head and pushed effortlessly and the mans torso and head appeared his the coat he wore matched the sleeves on either side.  His black hair was greased out at odd angles and over his eyes he wore a pair of thick black sunglasses blotting out his features except for the tip of his nose and flashing white smile.  The Lion stretched and sat down next to the man both the creature and the man looked around at the audience as though expecting something there was the barest titter of applause and the oddly dressed man took a deep bow.  When he stood upright he began to talk in the same rolling voice that had told them all not to panic.
“Welcome ladies and gentlemen.  Gentlemen and ladies.  Girls and boys and finally boys and girls to the Large Sleeping Dinosaur Carnival.  As you will note refreshments are traveling through the stands at all times except of course during the dangerous and deadly stunts many of our performers do also do to union strikes we ask that you do as directed when told to be silent during these stunts.”  The man winked how Liam knew he winked through the thick black sunglasses he didn’t understand.  “The first act your about to see comes from the deep jungles of San Francisco I must ask you now to be silent.”  He turned and walked towards the tent flap the Lion had entered the beast followed the ring master.
The lights flared far above Liam’s head driving his eyes up with them.  Two men stood on opposite sides of a tight rope they each held staves in their hands the main lights went out the spotlights went out and everything was plunged into darkness.  Then suddenly there was a burst of green flame and both ends of the staves were alight then the whole place seemed to glow with an unearthly blue light Liam looked around the stands and could see everyone their expressions magnified by the black lights their clothes and skin glowing.  His eyes were drawn upwards once more by the oos and ahs of the crowd.  
One of the men on the tightrope swung one of the burning tipped staves the other blocked it then to the wonderment of the crowd did a back flip landing expertly on the tightrope the other man pressed the attack his opponent blocked his blow this time forcing him to do a back flip.  Both men took the staves by the middle and hurld them at each other the staves collided in midair the green flames crackled there was a flash of blinding light and when it cleared the two men the staves and tight rope were gone.  The ringmaster was standing back in the middle of the floor.  
“Hello.  Hey.  How are you.  How did you enjoy that?  Good I’m glad you liked it well then without further ado.  Bring on the elephants!”  The lights dimmed and the ringmaster vanished into the shadows.  Through the tent flaps emerged giant elephants their leathery skin an electric shade of pink their black eyes staring out mournfully as they began to dance but slowly they got more lively soon they were kicking out their hind legs in an almost a Las Vegas show girl routine.  Then they were right in front of Liam dancing with him and slowly their ears and trunks shrunk inwards their forms became more slender and curvy and they were Vegas showgirls complete with ostrich feathers and they were dancing only for Liam.  Then he blinked which he had not done much since appearing in the field and much to his surprise the girls became hideous snakes slinking and spinning he blinked again and again trying to get rid of the horrible images.  He succeeded but could not stop from blinking and every time he blinked the once pink elephants changed into something else sometimes beautiful and equally times hideous he finally managed to stop blinking when the elephants finally left the tent and the ringmaster reappeared.  This time his grin seemed vaguely sinister.
“Did you like that?”  He asked the confused masses.  “I liked it quite a bit.”  He shrugged his dark glasses reflecting the lights eerily.  “So without further ado bring on the clowns!”  The lights dimmed and a flood light beamed down on the entrance flap.  Liam tried to sink down in his seat almost spilling the infinite shining popcorn.  He hated clowns and if things continued the way they were he was going to hate them a lot more soon.
A Volkswagen buss puttered out into the middle of the tent painted with splashes of bizarre colors and patterns spewing orange smoke.  The drivers side door opened and out stepped a giant of a man silver smoke spewed out around him he coughed into a flowery handkerchief.  He the color of his mismatched suit could only be called politely vomit.  His curly black hair stuck out at odd angles his face paint seemed to cleam a sickly shade of green his lips were an unsavory shade of orange and his eyes glowed with madness pinned to the lapel of his jacket was a pink and green flower.  He did a cartwheel and danced around madly as his fellow clowns clambered out of the bus far to many to fit in the bus.  Another clown his face painted like a blooming yellow flower his clothing comically to large for him was green adding to the flower motiff complete with yellow petal like frill around his neck took a running leap impossibly high and landed on jis hands springing up again the third clown with an unreal giant nose came tumbling from the bus landing on his backside his clothes tattered and mismatched blue tweed and red velvet.  He stumbled upright and was lifted by the tall clown who promptly fell tossing his comrade backwards head over heels. The clown landed on top of the bus as the fourth clown emerged.  Her hair was curly and pink her face paint white as snow her nose was painted red and her saucer like navy blue skirt was held up by suspenders over a white shirt.  Her stockings were yellow and black striped vertically.  These four clowns were the ones that kept Liam’s interest no matter how many more climbed out.  He watched as they danced and pranced silently the tall one periodically squirted water onto the crowd and fellow clowns more often then not his fellow clowns danced more madly even the members of the auidence began to become more active.  Dancing in their seats along to the music.  Liam began to gasp at the feats of acrobatics and laugh at the various stunts the clowns preformed and suddenly there were more clowns in the audience shrieks of laughter breaking through their lips one appeared right behind Liam laughing insanely it frightened him and he dumped his bizarre popcorn all over himself and the floor.
“Ewww scared ye didn’t I uh oh are you going to cry aye well go on then cry ahahaha!”  The clown shrieked people around Liam were laughing at him Liam began to shrink farther into his seat.the clown left him after this and finnaly the hideous creatures climbed back into their bus and drove away honking the horn enthusiastically.  Liam hated clowns.   
“Don’t you just love those mischievous little devils hmm?”  The ring master was once again in the center of the tent.  “To be perfectly blunt I don’t like clowns much.”  Liam gasped from under the ringmasters heavy glasses blood oozed in rivers all over his face.  Liam looked around to see if anyone else had noticed.  What he saw almost made him scream in fact he probably would have if he could.  For all the audience members faces appeared to be melting away to his horror he felt his own face begin to ooze away.  Liam pushed back in his seat and was quite suddenly spinning end over end as he fell threw clouds of smoke and ash and suddenly the ringmaster was beside him riding on the red lion his long fingers clasped in its purple mane.
“Where do you think your going eh?”  He asked calmly.
“I appear to be falling.”  Liam replied bitterly.  
“Well you appear to be falling but if you haven’t figured it out yet not much is as it seems around here.”  They were in what looked like a silvery spinning tube.  “Well farewell I suppose.”  The ringmaster seemed to rein in the beast he rode upon but immediately when he was out of site he was chased by the popcorn vender in his bizarre hat and glasses.
“Come on you can’t leave can you not in this state of mind here have more popcorn if you like come on things are just starting.”  Liam willed himself to fall faster.  
“You know you’ll be back don’t you?”  The doorman asked lazily his tophat pulled down further over his eyes.  He had his hands behind his head as though he were lying down on nothing.
“Why would I come back?”  Liam asked as the doorman fell at perfect pace with him.  
“Curiosity your going to wonder if its really how you think it is your not going to be able to resist.  When you do you’ll either enjoy it or hate it your choice sir.  Oh here’s the ground that’s my queue.”  Suddenly he stopped falling Liam on the other hand managed to turn his head and found the ground had snuck up on him he barely had time to brace for impact.
He looked around he was in his bedroom the tv screen glowed blue it was night how he had made it to his bedroom he didn’t know.