- 1 - ALIE I’m no longer convinced this was such a good idea after all. Do you even know when and where we will land, Gwyn? When the scientist failed to reply, Alie knew that he was clueless. Gwyn had rebuilt his time machine with their help, and he had been quite excited about time travelling again. Alie had decided that it wasn’t safe for him to travel alone, therefore Mick, Gideon and herself were tagging along. MICK (obviously not enjoying the trip) I don’t get why we have to travel in this gazebo when we could have the Waverider back. GWYN I understand that you miss the comfort of your Waverider, Mr Rory, but I can assure you that my time machine can be equally trusted, despite her being slightly more Spartan. MICK (grumbling) So you keep saying. The time machine landed smoothly, much to Gwyn’s satisfaction. GWYN (with enthusiasm) Let’s see where we are! They left the time machine and found themselves in a clearing. The descending sun suggested that it was early evening. Mick pointed toward a path and the group followed him without arguing. They walked in silence until they reached a concrete road. They could make a town in the distance. Also, there seemed to be some sort of camp outside the town. When Alie realised that it wasn’t a camp, but an old-fashioned funfair from the 1920s, she smiled at Gwyn. ALIE It would seem that we’ll get to discover your time period! How does it feel to be back home, so to speak? GWYN (happily) It feels nice, actually. However, it would feel even nicer if this was Wales. Just as they were walking towards the entrance of the funfair, the sun went down, the colourful lights on the entrance arch went on, and the music started. It was as if the funfair had come to life just as they arrived. GIDEON (excited) I have never been in a funfair before! GWYN I’m certain that you will enjoy the experience! The scientist gallantly offered his arm to Gideon and they entered the funfair, without even checking if Alie and Mick were following. MICK (mumbling) Sure Doc, let’s get some fun, why not? It’s so nice of you to ask for our opinion! They couldn’t help but admire their surroundings. The funfair was rather small, but Alie and Mick could feel the familiar atmosphere with the stalls selling candies and chocolates, those offering to win teddy bears and various useless prizes. There was even a merry-go-round! Gwyn and Gideon were heading in that direction, both obviously enjoying the funfair. MICK (getting in the mood) Wait! I want to try that first! “That” was a shooting range. FLORA (KATY) How many ducks will you shoot today, Sir? Fancy a nice gift for the lovely lady? ALIE (whispering) Mick, have you noticed how much she looks and sounds like Katy? Do you think that she’s one of her ancestors? MICK Don’t know, don’t care. (MICK shoots) Dang! I missed! (GWYN chuckles) Hey! I’m out of practice! Be kind with me! (MICK shoots again) Ah! See? It’s coming back to me. ALIE (still whispering) And also, have you noticed that she can’t seem to take her eyes off Gwyn? It’s quite unnerving. MICK Still don’t care. Maybe she has the hots for him. GIDEON Mr Rory, may I try afterwards? Shooting wooden ducks looks amusing! Mick fired his rifle again, but his next shot hit something metallic and ricocheted. MICK (urgently) DUCK! Alie didn’t think twice and obeyed. She saw Gideon do the same. Mick had flattened Gwyn on the ground. The stallholder had vanished. GWYN (surprised and afraid) Ooh! The next seconds felt like hours for Alie and Gideon who didn’t dare moving. MICK It’s alright, we can get up now. ALIE Are you sure? MICK Yes. The bullet lodged itself in the stall’s structure. We are safe now. GWYN You almost got us all killed! Weapons are evil for a reason! Why would you use one for entertainment? Especially when all you get out of it are silly prizes! MICK (sighs, obviously annoyed by Gwyn’s complaint) ALIE (trying to ease the tension) Why don’t we get some candies for Gideon? She hasn’t tasted the traditional funfair sweets yet! GIDEON I like this idea very much! MICK What about checking the town before it’s too late in the evening instead? GWYN I promised Gideon that we would try the merry-go-round. I’m amazed to know that they are still very popular in your time period. MICK (clearly annoyed) Fine, have it your way… Alie walked at his side and managed to get him to slow down a bit in order to talk to him without being heard. ALIE Something is bothering you, I can tell. MICK It was no accident on the shooting range. You were right, something smells fishy. I’m telling you, that stallholder? She tampered with the rifle somehow. And I’m started to think it might have something to do with the Doc. ALIE I agree. That stallholder kept staring at Gwyn in a creepy way… I wish we could leave now. They had reached the merry-go-round and the stallholder welcomed them warmly. FIONA (IRIS) What a lovely family! I take it you want to have a good time here! You won’t be disappointed. ALIE What is going on here? That first stallholder looked and sounded like Katy, and now this one is Iris’s twin?! MICK Yeah, that’s odd… And why are we the only ones noticing this? Are Gideon and the Doc blind or what? ALIE They’re probably enjoying their time here too much to notice… GIDEON (quite excited) This merry-go-round is so beautiful! I can’t choose! Look at those beautiful wooden figures! Do I want to ride on the white horse? Or maybe the lion? Or the elephant? ALIE Tell you what, you ride on the white horse, and I will ride on the elephant next to you. FIONA (IRIS) (addressing to Gwyn, emphases on the word “Ringmaster”) Why don’t you travel in the Ringmaster’s carriage, Sir? GWYN What a brilliant idea! MICK I’ll join you, Doc. [[carousel starts]] GWYN Isn’t it refreshing to enjoy the simple ways of life? MICK Yeah sure. If you like merry-go-rounds; which I don’t. GWYN Really? What a shame! Of all inventions, this particular one is obviously a wonder of technology for its time. MICK Whatever you’re saying, Doc. The carousel suddenly stopped, and an alarming cracking sound came from above them. MICK (grumbling hurriedly) Sorry Doc. GWYN (surprised and afraid) Aaah! Mick had grabbed Gwyn’s arm and he threw him off the carousel, jumping right after him. Both men landed on the dusty ground. Gideon and Alie rushed towards them. The stallholder was nowhere to be seen. ALIE Mick, Gwyn! Are you alright? GIDEON Yes, are you alright? Do you need medical assistance? Gwyn looked a bit confused, and Gideon helped him up. GWYN What happened? MICK (angry) Enough of this! There is something going on here and I don’t want to know what it is! First, the shot ricocheted at the shooting range and now we almost got crushed by the roof coming down on us! It’s getting dangerous by the minute, so let’s get the hell out of this place! GWYN (frustrated by Mick’s outburst) Aren’t you overreacting a little, my boy? Those kinds of incidents are to be expected, safety measures weren’t as strict in my time period… In fact, incidents like the ones we encountered today were an inspiration for those who came up with all those safety measures! ALIE Alright, alright. Here’s what I suggest. We try one more attraction, and then we go to the town and find a place to stay for the night. GWYN This sounds reasonable. GIDEON Excellent suggestion, Miss Black! MICK Whatever… ALIE Gwyn, what would you like to do? GWYN I would like us to take a ride on the ghost train. MICK Oh, crap… - 2 - MICK I don’t like this. ALIE Neither do I, but what can we do? MICK I’ve got a few ideas, but I don’t think you would like them. Mick and Alie were walking behind Gwyn and Gideon, who seemed to have already forgotten the incident at the merry-go-round. ALIE Have you seen how everyone is staring at Gwyn? I could swear there’s hatred in their eyes… Mick was about to reply when Gwyn made a sudden turn to the left. Alie and Mick quickly joined him and Gideon, and the four of them remained standing on the spot, admiring the building that was a few feet away. ALIE It’s impressive… MICK It’s creepy. GWYN (chuckling happily) It is meant to be. This is the Ghost Train! Mick and Alie exchanged a worried look. Just as they were about to pass a purple tent, a woman rushed in front of them, effectively blocking their way. Before they realised it, she was holding one of their hands, palm upwards. PEARL (LISA) Let the fortune-teller reveal your destiny to you! MICK Get lost! ALIE Gwyn, Gideon! Wait for us! Alas, they didn’t hear her and went on towards the Haunted Manson harbouring the ghost train. ALIE Oh no, no, no… She tried to break free from the fortune-teller but the woman managed to drag her inside her tent. Mick followed, unwilling to leave Alie on her own. PEARL (LISA) Now, tell me what you wish to know. Is it about love, children, work, travels and opportunities? Alie remained frozen, as if she was in some sort of trance. MICK Alie? What’s going on? Alie! Snap out of it! ALIE I just had a vision! They all want to exert some revenge on Gwyn! MICK I don’t need to have a vision to guess that… ALIE We need to get him out of this funfair, before it’s too late! PEARL (LISA) (with determination in her voice) It is already too late. Our ringmaster will not abandon us again! Alie and Mick ran outside the tent and rushed towards the ghost train, only to realise that Gwyn and Gideon hadn’t waited for them. They had already entered the haunted mansion… - 3 - FLORBELLA (TIIA) Hello, my lovelies! Welcome in my humble home! Now take a seat, get comfortable, and be ready to scream out of terror in the ghost train! GIDEON We should have waited for Miss Black and Mr Rory. It would have been much more fun doing this all together! GWYN Most definitely! However, they didn’t seem to keen on enjoying the ride. They will probably be happy they missed it. Gwyn and Gideon climbed in one of the mine carts used for the attraction, and the train soon started moving in a bumpy way, forcing Gideon to hold on to Gwyn to keep her balance. GIDEON How can you like that kind of thing? We can’t see a thing here, and I’m really afraid the train will derail. It doesn’t look safe at all! GWYN It’s a ghost train, it is meant to be a little scary. Of course, it’s all about effects, and the monsters we’ll see aren’t real. See? Those flashes of light illuminating a grotesque face or some desperate skeleton? They’re making you jumpy! I’m actually looking forward to the part where the stallholders will pretend to be supernatural creatures to try and frighten us. GIDEON But surely the train should slow down, not go faster? GWYN This is indeed a little concerning. We’re missing out most of the scary bits. GIDEON As far as I’m concerned, I’m scared alright… And just at that very moment, the train shook violently as it took a curve and derailed, sending his occupants crashing on the ground. - 4 - MICK We’re too late, they boarded the train already. Is there a way to stop this damn thing? ALIE Maybe the stallholder controls the train from the ticket office! We’ll force them to stop the train! MICK And of course there’s no one home… I hate this place. ALIE Mick! You have to see this! MICK What are you holding? Their financial ledger? The number of people they made disappear over the years? ALIE No, it’s something much better! It’s the history of the funfair. Someone wrote a diary over the years, recording the events leading to the funfair’s decay. It’s such a sad story… GIDEON Help! We need help! There was an accident! MICK No time for the history lesson! Let’s go! Mick and Alie rushed inside the attraction and found the controls they had been looking for. MICK Alie, turn on the lights! ALIE Already on it! MICK Hold on tight, Gideon! We’re coming! Alie and Mick easily found Gideon. She was sitting on the ground, her face smeared with dirt. She didn’t need to tell them what had happened, the scene spoke for itself. Gwyn was nowhere to be seen. While Alie made sure that Gideon was alright, Mick looked around in search for any clues as to Gwyn’s whereabouts. MICK Here! There’s a hidden door in the wall! I bet it was meant for the stallholders to enter unnoticed and scare the travellers during their journey. GIDEON (concerned) Where is Dr Davies? ALIE (with confidence) He is safe. GIDEON How can you be so sure? ALIE Because the stallholders wouldn’t hurt their leader. They have spent over a decade looking for him. All they want is their funfair to be popular again. GIDEON What are you talking about? I don’t understand! ALIE Look at this picture. Do you recognise him? GIDEON That’s Dr Davies! ALIE No, to them, he is the Ringmaster. The man who brought good luck and fortune to a little countryside funfair. GIDEON But I don’t have any records of Dr Davies ever being a ringmaster… - 5 - GWYN Where am I? Gwyn struggled to sit and was helped by the fortune-teller. He was in one of the stallholder’s caravans by the look of it. GWYN (worried) What happened? Is Miss Gideon alright? PEARL (LISA) (with kindness) Easy, Ringmaster. You hit your head pretty hard. You should rest. FLORBELLA (TIIA) Your friend is quite alright. She was knocked out in the crash. Your companions are tending to her. GWYN I know you… FIONA (IRIS) (with annoyance) Of course you do. PEARL (LISA) I knew that you would come back eventually, Ringmaster; It was in the cards. FLORA (KATY) (complaining) Pearl just failed to tell us that it would take so many years! GWYN (obviously confused) What? What are you talking about? And why do you keep calling me Ringmaster? I’m Dr Gwyn Davies, I’m a scientist, not a ringmaster! FIONA (IRIS) (angrily) You have quite some nerves! Abandoning us, and then showing up with your new friends years later as if nothing had happened! PEARL (LISA) Maybe he got into an accident and lost his memories? FLORA (KATY) But then why did he leave without any notice ten years ago? GYWN I didn’t leave; I have never been here before! FLORBELLA (TIIA) Coward! You could at least be brave enough to admit that you abandoned us to our fate and you came back to see what’s to save! Now that you have seen in which state the funfair is, you just play dumb to avoid the consequences! It doesn’t work like this! You have a responsibility towards us! GWYN Absolutely not! FLORA (KATY) Then how do you explain that you’re on that picture? She was pointing towards a frame hanging on the wall. It was a group portrait. Gwyn recognised Pearl, Flora, Fiona and Florbella, the four stallholders he was currently talking to. GWYN (puzzled) The ringmaster… He looks exactly like me… How is it possible? PEARL (LISA) Can’t you see that he doesn’t remember? He didn’t fake that reaction. I can feel that it’s not an act. GWYN How can it be? Why don’t I remember? Everyone seemed to share the same confusion now. FLORA (KATY) Why don’t we tell you the story of the funfair from the beginning? Maybe it will trigger some memories... PEARL (LISA) Twelve years ago, we were struggling to survive. We had left our respective funfairs to start our own. We wanted it to be a happy place for us to live in and a joyful place for everyone who would look for entertainment. Competition was hard and our old bosses didn’t make it easy for us, trying to undermine all our efforts. They wanted us back, of course, but we wouldn’t hear about it. We wanted to remain free. We didn’t have a leader, back then. Then one day, you came. We recognised you for one of our own at first sight. You looked around and mocked us. You called us amateurs. I would never forget this day... Such arrogance, such self confidence and yet you were so charismatic... FLORA (KATY) At first, we were quite upset. We were trying our best, and you, a stranger, judged us harshly. But then we realised that we needed someone like you to run the funfair. We offered you to become our Ringmaster, and you agreed. FLORBELLA (TIIA) No one ever disputed your leadership. In fact, your skills made you the obvious choice. We never questioned your decisions. You were strict, but fair. Under your guidance, the funfair started making a name for itself. We became famous enough to consider settling in one place and have people travel to visit us instead of us travelling to get to them. FIONA (IRIS) Everything was going great. Soon, the funfair got famous, and we were praised. But one night… FOR A (KATY) You simply vanished… PEARL (LISA) We feared that something terrible had happened to you… FIONA (IRIS) (bitterly) When in fact, it looked like you abandoned us. FLORA (KATY) There was no sign of struggle in your caravan, but the fact that you seemed to have left leaving everything behind you was worrying. We searched for you, but never found any clue about what happened to you. After a couple of days, we got the police involved. They didn’t take us seriously and suggested that we got rid of our leader. PEARL (LISA) Soon the funfair started having difficulties. Without you, everything seemed so complicated... We weren’t happy anymore and it showed. We got fewer visitors, the funfair started to decay... We kept it running because that’s what we do and because it’s our only home, but... FLORBELLA (TIIA) But we became the shadows of what we once were… PEARL (LISA) That’s why when we saw you, we were both happy and angry, as you can easily understand. We hoped that you finally came back to us, but you were just pretending to be someone else, walking around with your friends as if nothing had ever happened! As if we were strangers! FLORBELLA (TIIA) It didn’t cross our minds that you might suffer from amnesia. After all those years, we just got used to the idea that you grew tired of us and decided to leave one night. FLORA (KATY) (hopeful) Will you help us restore the funfair to its former glory? - 6 - Alie, Gideon and Mick were ushered in the caravan. GIDEON Dr Davies! Are you alright? GWYN I’m fine! I had a very interesting chat with Miss Fiona, Miss Flora, Miss Florbella and Miss Pearl. In fact, I have something to ask you: would you mind if we remained here for a little while? MICK You must have seriously banged your head on the floor in that ghost train! ALIE Why do you want to stay, Gwyn? GWYN They asked for my help to restore the funfair’s former glory… MICK (grumbling) Of course they did. And you couldn’t say ‘no’ obviously. ALIE And what are we supposed to do while you help them? FLORA (KATY) You could be part of the funfair! FIONA (IRIS) I could teach you how to operate the carousel! GIDEON This sounds so exciting! MICK Oh no, not you too… ALIE I’m tempted to say yes as well… This could be a one of a kind experience… MICK Fine. I guess there’s no point in arguing anyway… PEARL (LISA) I told you they would accept. I read it in the cards! ALIE Speaking of which, I would be very much interested in learning your art... GWYN (with authority) But there is one condition. I will help you restore the funfair’s reputation, but I will train my successor in the process. When I believe him to be ready, he is to take my place as a Ringmaster and I will be free to go. PEARL (LISA) You have our word that you will be free to go once the funfair’s reputation is restored! Pearl and Florbella were the first ones to leave the caravan. Gideon followed Fiona, the merry go round owner and Mick walked away with Flora, who was taking care of the shooting stand. ALIE There is something bothering you, isn’t it? GWYN What? Me? Of course not; there isn’t. ALIE Gwyn, it’s written all over your face… What are you worried about? GWYN I believe those people when they say I was there being their Ringmaster a long time ago. The fact that I don’t remember any of it has only one explanation: my future self will meet them in their past. They would remember present me as my coming here happened in their past, but since it hasn’t happen to me yet... ALIE You have no recollection of that period... I understand. But there is something else, I can sense it. GWYN (with sadness) They remember me. And only me. ALIE Alun, Mick, Tiia, Katy and myself weren’t with you when you arrived at the funfair, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that we went different ways. Maybe we remained in the mansion... Or we travelled somewhere else in the meantime! GWYN And I would stay here and help those people for so long? No, my dear Miss Alie, I don’t think so. ALIE Gwyn, it hasn’t happened yet. So why do you worry about the future? Isn’t it enough that you worried about what you thought was your past? Try to enjoy your present for once. Let’s consider it a holiday! GWYN (cheerfully) Speaking of which, the first order of business will be to take a ride on the Ghost Train!