Cotton candy was like eating a cloud of sweet deliciousness. Sophie Foster's lips were coated in pink fluffy sugar, and the paper cone she was holding in her sticky little fingers was nearly the size of her face. Her parents hadn't been too eager to let her eat it all, but she had protested that it was her birthday, and she was four now, big enough to have however much candy she wanted. After a little bit of screaming and a lot of pouting, they had given in. Screaming and pouting always seemed to get her what she wanted.

The man at the cotton candy booth had been very nice, too. He was pretty, with hair like chocolate, and eyes that were a weird shade of blue. But it was a nice blue, and he had given her an extra heap of cotton candy when she told him it was her birthday. A lot of big girls were standing by the booth, not even in line. They were giggling and waving at him. Sophie wasn't sure why. Then again, she didn't really care. So long as the sugar evaporated into sugary heaven against her tongue.

Mommy took Sophie to the carnival every year and it was always a lot of fun. And it was even funner this year because now, she was a big girl, and she knew what everything was. The huge moving circle, bigger than an elephant, that was adorned with flashing, multicolored lights was called a "Ferris wheel." The train tracks that twisted and turned around and upside down like a group of snakes wrestling were called "roller coasters." Those were too scary for Sophie to go on. Those were just for grown-ups, Mommy said. And the painted canopies that displayed heroic soldiers in suits of armor that stood on top of the horses that moved up and down were called "carousels." She liked those ones the best.

Daddy and Mommy always liked to play the game where they threw little needles at balloons. The sound of the pop always scared Sophie, but they made her go with them anyway. If Mommy won, she would get a present. If Daddy won, her baby sister, Amy, got a present. To Sophie's delight, it was Mommy who popped more balloons, and the smiling lady with hair longer than Rapunzel had given Sophie a little blue elephant with a tiny t-shirt covered in vibrant flowers. Daddy called the t-shirt "Hawaiian." Whatever it was, Sophie had loved it immediately. She named the elephant "Ella" and was still holding it tight.

With a jolt, she realized that she was alone. Where was her mommy? Her daddy and baby sister, Amy, had gone away because Amy wouldn't stop crying. Sophie hadn't been happy, but Mommy said that she would stay with her. Had she gone away to go take care of Amy? Hadn't she known that Sophie would get lost? Her chest started to heave with fear. Sweat so thick it felt like warm blood began to drip down her back. For a moment, her lungs ceased all flow of air, and she began to grow dizzy.

Did they forget me? But Mommy never forgot anything! She always made sure Sophie remembered her lunchbox on the way to preschool. Maybe they left me here on purpose. Maybe they love Amy more than me! They've only been paying attention to her and they won't play with me anymore. Maybe they don't want me! By this point, she was trembling with panic, and on the verge of collapsing. She felt as if the sky was closing in around her, suffocating her and ripping the life right out of her.

All she could see were crowds of strangers, shoving their way across the carnival grounds to get to various rides. "Hey!" she yelled furiously, tears welling in her eyes, and grabbed onto the hand of a man passing by. He stopped short, glancing down at her in surprise. His features were hard, cold. Almost disgusted, like Mommy looked when she saw a mouse. That face scared her, but to Sophie's sudden relief, it was the guy from the candy cotton booth. And upon seeing her, his expression melted.

The guy kneeled down beside her. "Hey there, little girl," he said softly.

"I'm-I'm not a-a little girl," Sophie mumbled, her words shaky from the sob building in her throat. "I'm a big girl. It's my-it's my birthday. I'm b-being four now. That's-that's not wittle."

"Okay, okay," purred the cotton candy man. "You're big. Hey, I'm Alvar. What's your name, big girl?"

She hiccupped. "Sophie," she answered. I'm Sophie."

"Uh-uh," Mr. Alvar murmured, and Sophie could swear his eyes lit up, almost like he was excited. Well. He was at a fair, after all. Who wouldn't be excited? "What a pretty name. What's wrong, Sophie?"

"I can't f-find M-mommy," Sophie whimpered, and it was like a faucet inside her turned on. She began to bawl. "I-I don't know where she is! She just left me alone and she's gone! She said dat she would stay with me! I don't know where she went! Why-why did- why did she leave me alone?" Her voice was squeaky, like the mice in her favorite cartoon. Daddy hated it when she talked like that. But she couldn't help it. When she got upset, her voice sounded weird.

"Woah, Sophie, calm down for me, could you?" Mr. Alvar's voice was so soothing as he held his hands up to placate her. "What does your mommy look like? We can find her, okay?" Something about his tone had changed. His words were crisper, smoother. The syllables blended into each other. It sounded like he was singing without a melody.

"U-um, she's big. Not as big as you, but she's bigger than me." Startled at her own silky words, which sounded just like Mr. Alvar's, Sophie slapped a hand against her mouth. Mr. Alvar clearly noticed the shift, because his mouth opened in surprise. "Why does my talking sound weird? Yours does too!" Sophie cried.

"It's perfectly alright, Sophie. Don't worry," Mr. Alvar replied, regaining his cool demeanor. "Could you keep talking about your mom for me?"

Sophie's fear was growing, but she figured that Alvar was there to help her, so she kept talking in the weird voice. "O-okay den. My mommy has brown hair, but yours looks like toast crust or chocolate frosting. Hers is like Daddy's pancakes. And it looks like macaroni and cheese. Her face is pink and wound and pretty. Like a peach." For a moment, Sophie thought. "Only it doesn't look like a peach. It looks like Mommy. Oh, and she has green eyes. Dey look like little watermelons. She has arms for hugging and when she smiles it makes me happy."

"That's great, Sophie," Mr. Alvar encouraged. "Hey, how about I get you some more cotton candy while we look for her? You seem to have finished yours and I don't have to shut down my booth until the fair closes." He pointed at her paper cone. All that was left was the gummy fuchsia residue. Her mouth watering at the thought of more sugar clouds and her stomach suddenly empty, Sophie nodded eagerly.

Afraid to let go, Sophie's little hand was tight around Mr. Alvar's. He smiled down at her and walked her back to his cotton candy booth. For some reason, the machine seemed sharp and foreboding. Her head began to spin. But she shook away her dizziness and blinked at the machine, determined to make the evil air around it vanish. Maybe it was just her imagination. Daddy always said that her head ran a little bit wild a little too often.

Mr. Alvar made the cotton candy quickly and easily. Again, he added a little bit extra, saying that it was just for her. "Nothing can make you feel better than a little syrup," he promised her with a wink. Syrup? Sophie thought. Syrup goes on pancakes. Not in cotton candy. Still, she didn't want to make him unhappy. Mommy always said to be nice to grown-ups, so she thanked him and crushed the cotton candy against her lips, lapping up the pink fluff with her tongue.

As always, the sugar was purely delectable. The cloud melted in her mouth and slid smoothly down her throat, but the sweetness lingered in her mouth. Sophie relished it. Until her head started to feel foggy. Her nausea from earlier increased by about a million, and in pain, she fell to her knees. The gravel bit into her skin and she was sure that blood had started to flow. "Mr. A-Mr. Alvar," she choked as the world began to spin and blur. "I-I want my mommy!"

Mr. Alvar kneeled down next to her and stroked her hair. "Don't worry, Sophie," he hushed. "I'll find you your mommy." She managed to meet his gaze. He was smirking and he had the same bad air around him that the cotton candy machine had. Was it the syrup he had mentioned? Was the syrup evil?

"Go away!" Sophie cried, and started to scream for help. Her throat was closing up, she was losing her vision. Mr. Alvar's fingernails were turning into claws and digging into her head, blood was staining her blonde hair red. What was happening to her? She began to retch, her body trying to force the cotton candy out. Nothing but saliva spilled onto the ground.

"Now, now, none of that," Mr. Alvar clucked. "Come now. I told you I'd find you your mommy, and I will. But first, I need you to find something for me. Something in here." His claws pierced through her brain and the entire world disappeared forever.