OPEN STARTER ( mutuals only! )
Winded cries for help had since ebbed; swallowed whole by the chilled waters which burbled and rippled with drowned life. The sleety surface of the Canal flawed only by the icy orifice the child had plunged into, never to resurface; to be cited as nothing more than one of the missing. A warbling moan of winter carried over the echoes of his vacant cries, sundering what remained of their perceivable existence.
Something emerges in his wake, parting the water with its shiny red scalp. A balloon ( languid in its movements ) bobbed then climbed toward the leaden skies. It goes undisturbed by the airborne tide, its twine pinched between two gloved fingers which chased their ascent—along with the rest of the lanky performer.
It appears neither sodden nor shivering; poised upon the cracked maw of water in all Its eight-foot-tall glory, as though It stood on something flat and material. The clown canted its oviform head, peering up to the witness looming above. They stood upon the Kissing Bridge, swaddled in an overcoat, throat lumped with a scarf. It smiles complacently. Its own ( outre ) garments neither writhing nor flapping in spite of the conditions.
❝ Come on down, ❞ the inflection of Its voice was reasonable at first, then it was wrong, perverse; ❝ come play with us. ❞ a singular tone which slanted into a garbled slew, all bereft of a breathy fog.
The conditions of the weather delivered chilled air, caressing yet biting every inch of her unconcealed face as its speed increased towards her direction. Every winter, despite its advantages and natural beauty, always seemed to make its presence known through limitless snow and unforgiving blizzards within Derry, especially at this hour. At this time of night when nearly all the living are inside, fast asleep or vigorously rubbing their appendages to keep warm. Bundled up in a sweater and a thick jacket, she had better concerns on her mind than to catch a ride to get on back to the hotel ( its location a little far from the town, considering the lack of vacancy in small motels ), preferring to walk throughout the gathering of chilled atmosphere beforehand. Besides, there may be some landscapes worth capturing with her stoic eyes while her brief visit resides here; what a possible shame it'd be to pass on!
Each breath of air expelled through her parted lips swung along with the air all while tasting the merciless, blandest oxygen in her dry mouth. One of her gloved fingers pried the headphones away from her ears after the music was turned off, phone securely placed in the pocket of her jeans which was then accompanied by the headphones as she tread down the ice-coated path. Knowing it was designed to head straight, a couple moments were savored with her eyes closed, taking in the orchestra of her surroundings. What separated itself from the natural tunes of whistles of various things, including small animals and birds nestled upon tree branches, was a faint, disturbing cry of a child. Eyes snapped open, glancing around the area to hypothesize where the child could be but her instincts yelled at her to follow the voice. Search for the screams.
Disregarding the partially hardened ice beneath her boots, Mia increased the pace of her walking ( now power-walking; almost enough to activate a jog ) as the voice then dissipated. From here, determination yet curiosity and concern glazed over her facial features all while feeling a little bit uneasy. Of course, it wasn't usual to hear a child not only in danger but also being by themselves in the middle of the night - in the cold. The blonde woman, previously coming from an important mission not far from this eerie town, couldn't think of someone much younger than she lost and alone; it rose red flags way up in the sky, bringing it to her attention in a snap. The path she stayed on led to the Kissing Bridge, the waters confining the passage on its way to its frosty stage. No child to be found, not even below the surface of the rivers: instead, the performer-like individual stood there, their red balloon and the cloth garments unswayed by the strong wind.
She peered down at them, along with the water, spending a minute to search for any clue of the missing child; just anything! Her hands gripped on the railing of the Kissing Bridge in the meanwhile, fingers threatening to coil around because of desperation beginning to rise within her chest. The voice of the performer then caught her attention, redirecting her eyes towards them, faltering a bit. "Where---..." Speechless, a single word capable enough to be released from her vocal chords, only to be lost in the hands of winter. First, it was a murmur, for she was putting an effort to understand what's happening at the moment and moments before when the first cry was heard from a distance. ( This wasn't normal... and the 'creature' gave away nothing but a malevolent aura. Unordinary vibes that no human could stomach down. ) In disbelief over the eerie appearance, she inhaled then exhaled while shaking her head for a couple of seconds.
----------------- WHERE IS THE BOY?
"---... Wha' th' fuck is this?" It was useless for Mia to speak up as of now, feeling goosebumps and not the cold seeping through the fabric of her jacket and scarf. ( Her mind can only talk. )