The news spread quickly. A bunch of foreign and mysterious entertainers had constructed a camp site in the middle of the Center of Eauville. In one night they had managed to create a maze of tents and booths, all donned in the vibrant shades of purple and orange. Their wagons and caravans were hidden behind thick cloths but from the apartments surrounding the place, the citizens had a clear view of the spiral set up that graced the Central Market of the ville.

As Judy crossed the busy main street, the ever growing amount of curious spectators caught her eye. Conflict spread across her easy readable features. Torn between curiosity and duty, she balanced her options. She was expected at the Mcgoldnick trade to check on the inventory in less than ten minutes. She shook her head and tore her gaze away from the vibrant colors which corresponded ever so nicely with the brown and yellow tones of autumn in Curker County. Trying to shake off the need to take a closer look at the colorful bunch in the Center, Judy made her way down the street, stepping away from the very thing every other citizen was walking towards to.

Three years ago, Judy would've joined them without a second thought. The memory on what happened three years ago was still painful. Because of her own naivety, Judy had found herself kidnapped and transported all the way to New Paris where she served as a barter to convince Annabelle and her husband to leave the Sacred Dry for good. As a terrified seventeen year old, she had done nothing to overcome the situation and guilt still consumed her to this day for her lack of heart at the time.

Although she was ashamed of her own course of action, Judy didn't dare to admit that after three years she still woke up, terrorized by nightmares replaying the few days she spend in captivity. Dark nights which turned into dark days with nothing more to do than imagine the worst had scarred her imagination and turned it dark and twisted. During her days in captivity, she hadn't seen a soul, not even the man who had taken her away from her home. Alone and without an explanation, Judy had been terrified of her fate.

That was until the man behind the abduction, a man whose name she never heard, freed her from the darkness of her room and confronted her with Annabelle, begging for Judy's life. The fear that was so clearly displayed in her fierce and stubborn sister's eyes, made Judy's heart break. Judy had cried feeling so useless and constricted.

Judy remembered falling into Annabelle's embrace after her sister had agreed upon the cruel conditions that Annabelle and Reed would leave the Sacred Dry and never return or contact anyone from here. It was the last time she had seen her sister and her husband before they had left.

Griffin Carmody, a friend of both Annabelle and Reed, had brought Judy home, accompanied by the vile man that had abducted Judy in the first place. Oriel Mcgoldnick, a descendant of Caspar Mcgoldnick, now worked for a powerful man, who desired power in the community of the Sacred Dry. She had never heard the man's name, but she had seen him and promised that she would never forget the man who brought so much sorrow onto her family by taking away her sister.

When Judy was safe, or as safe as it could be with the constant watch of that disdainful man and Oriel Mcgoldnick, it took the family long to find a way to handle the sudden loss of Annabelle and the fear of not knowing a thing about her. The family did not have the heart to announce Annabelle's disappearance to the community of Eauville. People would ask questions, they could not answer.

So instead, they lied, told everyone that Annabelle Whitacre was happily married and living a glamourous life by the side of her husband in New Paris. No one would figure out the truth as the people of Curker County had a certain disdain of the people of New Paris. 

No, in Eauville, the only people who knew the truth were John and Erna Mcgoldnick themselves and their two daughters. Not even Ralph Sallow, Irène's husband, was aware of the pain and fear his wife carried. That fear resulted in Irène being overly protective over Milicent, her now three year old daughter.

Judy had started working in the Trade for most of the days, trying to mold herself into the new, strict rules her parents applied ever since she had disappeared. They knew everything she did, knew wherever she was with whoever accompanied her. Judy understood her parents' fear, but after years it started to wear off on her.

The curious camp in the Center had awoken an old curiosity inside of her, a want that itched with a sense of adventure she hadn't felt in years. During her work at the Trade, Judy's mind wandered off to the deep purples and bright oranges at the Central Market. She could hear the excited hums of passer-by's as they exchanged rumors about the people with the vibrant colored caravans.

Around noon, a young boy and girl, both with raven black hair entered the small reception of the Mcgoldnick Trade. Judy eyed them curiously as the employee conversed with the two. Cladded in purple and orange stripes, the two children politely asked if they could hang a poster on the window of the Trade. The employee explained that Mr. Mcgoldnick wasn't around and that they needed his permission. Judy, who overheard the conversation, blinked a few times before she stepped towards the two olive skinned children.

"Can I have a look at your poster, please?" Judy asked, ignoring the slightly panicked look of the employee. The boy held out a piece of thick, carton paper the size of a book. The front was completely black, with deep purple and burgundy curls and twirls dancing around a vibrant orange font that read Festival de Los Muertos. White stars and skulls contrasted with the black background. The two children looked up at Judy in expectation.

"We'll find a nice spot just for that." Judy said, throwing them a sympathic smile. The boy and girl thanked her and scurried off, their small hands pressing the thick posters against their chests as they ran.

Without even looking back at the employee, Judy placed the poster in the corner of the window, next to the door. The greengrocer from across the street threw her a dirty glare after he shoed the children away. When the boy and girl followed his glare and found Judy at the end of it, their disappointed faces turned into enthusiast smiles as they waved at her. Ignoring the greengrocer, Judy waved back.

During the rest of the day, her eyes kept finding the back of the poster. A few times did she actually pick it up and trace the delicate swirls on the thick paper. At the back of the inventory, where no one could hear her, Judy tried to pronounce the strange words, repeating Muertos in a dozen different ways.

As the sun started to set and covered Eauville in soft orange and pink tones, Judy closed the door to the inventory and grabbed her coat. Tying it securely around her waist, she said her goodbyes to the employees. Right before placing her hat on top of her blonde crane, her eyes caught a last glance of the poster before she took off and walked back home.

As she went, the crowd on the street grew denser, all headed in the same direction as Judy. Where the street led onto the Central Market, a bustling crowd welcomed her. Their voices echoed against the three storey high buildings. People swarmed towards a simple purple velvet chord that closed the camp site for the curious onlookers.

As the church bell announced 8 p.m. the air on the Central Market changed. People gasped when a cloud of smoke revealed a man in an impeccable indigo striped suit. The entire crowd fell silent in anticipation. Judy watched how women shushed their children and men stood on the tips of their toes to catch the unique sight.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." The man in purple declared. "We would like to thank you for your great hospitality this evening." In the crowd, Judy caught sight of Ralph Sallow with the little Milicent balancing on his shoulders. Her little niece was smiling brightly and clapping as her father watched the display with a somewhat cautious look in his green eyes.

Judy wanted to walk towards them when the man continued "Welcome to the Festival de Los Muertos!". Simultaneously all the lights of the Central Market extinguished except for the lanterns that illuminated the passageways between tents and booths.

She had never expected the sudden rush of Eauville citizens towards the camp site as the chord dropped down on the floor and people quickly bought their entrance tickets. Everyone was intrigued by the mysterious display. In the rushing of the crowd, Judy lost sight of Ralph and Milicent and was pushed towards the entrance. Without realizing it, she suddenly faced the friendly face of a young cashier, as if she found herself in the eye of the storm. The girl had vibrant copper hair bound together at the nape of her neck. 

"One ticket?" the girl asked to which she already held up a perfect black piece of paper.

Without thinking, Judy dug into the pocket of her coat and placed three coins on the counter. "Have a great evening!" The cashier said before she welcomed the next visitor.

Judy stared up at the banner above her head. In the same style, with a black background and vibrant orange lettering it read that same magically sounding sentence as the poster did: Festival de Los Muertos. Judy felt her heart beating frantically against her chest. The humming of the people dispersed as the visitors commenced their journey. The scent of pumpkins and sugar wafted over her, replacing the humid, salty smell of the Great Green, the swamp that surrounded every piece of dry land in the Sacred Dry.

Somewhere between the hushed whispers and surprised exclamations, Judy distinguished the faint sound of a violin. Still holding tight onto the black entrance ticket, she followed the stream of visitors. People left the passageways and joined them as they discovered more and more tents which held tiny spectacles. 

A small sign near every installation gave away what to expect inside. Judy passed a big open venue, where the cobblestones of the Central Market were covered with thick layers of straw. In the middle stood a girl with pitch black hair, donned in an all orange costume which revealed her slender legs and did nothing to hide her subtle curves. However beautiful, the animal next to the girl drew everyone's attention.

A large mammal, gray of color and seemingly greasy, stood next to the frail girl, plump and fat. Its heavy feet scuffled forward to follow the girl. It's big snout sniffed at the onlookers suddenly revealing a set of dangerous looking teeth when it opened its snout and let out a deep growl. The people stood in awe of the animal that didn't as much as blink when the girl balanced on top of him and juggled with lit torches.

Judy continued her way to follow the sound of the violin which only grew louder and louder as she approached the center of the spiral. A black tent doomed in front of her, purple and orange guirlandes dangling down each surface. The other visitors shuffled closer, all trying to catch the best sight at the setting in front of them.

However, it wasn't a big showcase. In front of the entrance of the tent stood three people, with no requisites. Two girls stood next to the side of a boy. They were all dressed in deep purple costumes, bright stars shimmering on the fabric. They all had ink black hair and Judy was convinced they were siblings for they resembled each other so much.

Judy watched mesmerized as the boy stomped three times with his foot on the cobblestone ground before they picked up the next song and their performances recommenced. The light danced along their features, playing a game with the shadows tracing their faces. The boy and one of the girls picked up their violins and increased the tempo of the song, to which the other girl followed with joyful drums on her tambourine.

Judy had never heard a song like that before. She started swaying along the beat, focusing on the musicians in front of her. They danced around each other, climbed on top of each other, tumbled and jumped without every failing to continue the song. 

As the tempo rose, the girl with the violin climbed on the shoulders of the boy, followed by the girl with the tambourine. As they played faster and faster, the crowd held its breath. Judy couldn't tear herself away as the tambourine stopped playing and the violins continued in a melodious duel. 

The girl with the tambourine suddenly jumped high, making a somersault in the air before she landed gracefully on one knee. The other girl followed in the same routine next to her after she too stopped playing. The boy continued solo, lifting his gaze to look every spectator in the eye.

When his eyes crossed Judy's, she felt her heartbeat skitter to a halt. It seemed as if the world did not exist as the boy looked at her from underneath his thick lashes. She was certain his eyes breathed fire. She swore that they were made of burning cinders. Judy didn't realize she was flushing until he looked away, stopped playing and joined the two girls in a similar stance, his head bend down. A sudden cool breeze touched her heated cheeks. Judy pressed her cold hand against her skin to find it glowing in the evening cold. She found it difficult to turn her head away from the scene, her eyes still locked onto the mop of black hair that didn't move as the spectators dispersed and formed a line to enter the main tent.

She didn't know how long she had been standing there, when the three figures started moving again. The crowd had mostly entered the main tent and from outside their gasps and applaus was audible. A few lingering visitors huddled together around campfires, clasping their cold hands around warm cups of ember liquid. 

When the boy looked up, surprised to find Judy still standing there, sense suddenly returned to the youngest Mcgoldnick daughter. 

In a sudden movement, she pivoted around and darted away from the center of the camp site. Away from the fascinating performances. Away from the delicious sweet smells that brushed her nose ever so slightly, enough to startle her interest. But the burning in her cheeks encouraged her to continue walking unsteady steps towards the exit. She did not look at the tents and booths she passed, did not react to people recognizing her or trying to lure her towards the specialties they offered.

It wasn't until she saw the familiar porch light of the Mcgoldnick home that she dared to look back at the empty warf behind her.

It wasn't until she lay safely in her own bed, tucked underneath fresh linens, that she let herself relish in the sense for adventure that she thought she would never enjoy again