Every picture tells a story, and some go off the deep end.
I was at a festival once, camera in hand, ready to document the fun and excitement of the day.
With every click of the shutter, I captured a small piece of history on this special occasion.
At one point, I reached a performance for the children, held by a beloved clown.
Johnny Joymaker, JoJo for short.
And boy, was he good at his craft.
The kids loved him, and he loved the kids.
But I’ve witnessed time and again a cold reality: the brightest light can burn out in an instant, leaving only darkness.
The day after the festival, rumors were floating around The Slums.
Some of those kids hadn’t made it home.
And people were looking at ol’ JoJo as the scapegoat.
Rumors live in shades of gray, but the truth is black and white.
My pictures provided a corroboration of JoJo’s alibi.
But, as the saying goes, the little things give you away…and hidden away in the background of these snapshots was just what I was looking for.
A peculiar figure hiding in the shadows, clearly keeping a close eye on its targets.
A pied piper collecting the innocent youth, right from under JoJo’s big red nose.
A blemish on what should’ve been a lovely day for Arcadia.
The truth was revealed just in the nick of time, the kids found, and the perpetrator sent down to the lowest level, never to be heard from again.
I remember Foley’s Funhouse, Felix.
I’m fully aware of the joy you brought to children for years.
Bringing a light to their hearts and minds with your puppet shows, performing to your heart’s content to lift up their spirits.
But I also know that every bright light is accompanied by the ensuing darkness.
As you try to bring more joy to the children of Arcadia, there is a dark force working against your very nature.
A pied piper to collect the souls of those you care for most.
His song brings about nothing but destruction and dismay, and it seeks to ruin everything you’ve worked to rebuild.
All those children you’re trying to reach out to, taken away because of death’s song.
But not if I can help it.
The only way to stop the darkness is to shine the light brighter…and that’s where I come in.
Your light cannot shine with El Mariachi Muerte’s darkness looming over you.
But the darkness can be broken with a flash of the bulb.
And with the darkness diminished, I can put a stop to death’s song.
Silencing it before it can collect any further.
Saving the great Felix Foley from the punishment that awaits.
Because such a punishment would forever tarnish the reputation of the Puppetmaster.
A reputation in disarray, leading to Felix Foley being a name spoken only in hushed whispers.
And all because of an honest, grim mistake.
The children deserve their hero, and won’t someone think of the children?