My entry for Shadow Hunters Smash Contest Round 367

Foto by me, 2012, Catalonia

"Lost in the Amusement"

The park overflowed with motion and sound, children shouting with delight, the steady thrum of engines, melodies twisting through the air. I stood at the edge of it all, not knowing where to turn, feeling like an outsider in a world designed for joy. The glowing lights scattered on the ground, and my shado, stretched and fragmente, seemed to follow its own uncertain path. Moving through the crowd, I felt unanchored, as though I were drifting while everything else surged with purpose. My shadow flickered over uneven pavement, dipping in and out of view as the lights spun above. It reminded me that while I felt invisible, something of me was always present, grounding me in a way I couldn’t yet understand.

Near the center of the park, I found the carousel, its gentle rotation standing in sharp contrast to the frenzy around it. The lights traced smooth, deliberate patterns, and for the first time, I paused. My shadow melted into those cast by the riders, becoming part of something larger. I couldn’t find what I was searching for, but in that stillness, I felt a faint sense of belonging, proof that even when adrift, there’s value in simply being.