when adrianus said he was going to take rain to an amusement park, she didn't expect it to be completely empty and abandoned.

she wasn't too disappointed, exactly, since she was scared of a lot of amusement park rides anyway, and having some quiet and space wasn't bad, compared to how noisy and crowded an actual park would have been.

still, even as they walked through together, holding hands, it didn't feel much like a date. maybe it was fitting for october - the atmosphere was a little creepy. the skies were cloudy, so it looked dark out, even though it wasn't that late, and it was getting cold.

the rides themselves didn't actually look too run down. in a way, that almost made it stranger. it felt like it could have just been a normal park. she wasn't sure why it was closed. it made it seem even more wrong that they were alone like this.

"you know, it's fine just walking around, but... there's not really much to do here, is there?" she finally asked.

"there is something i have in mind," adrianus said. "we just aren't there yet. just be patient for a little while longer, alright?"

he was taking her deeper into this lonely, secluded area... she had to wonder if that was the whole point of this. she trusted him, but the thought did make her a little nervous.

after walking past more of those still, silent attractions, and empty booths, adrianus finally stopped, in front of a carousel. in the front center of the carousel, there was a horse missing. other than that, everything looked normal.

"did you know that this one still works?" he said.

"really?" she asked. "i still feel a little weird about that... i mean, i guess a carousel isn't really that dangerous or anything, but..."

he stepped forward, gently pulling on her hand, gesturing for her to step up with him.

there wasn't really any reason for her to feel nervous or uneasy, but there was something eerie about it. she couldn't put her finger on it.

still, she followed him, stepping up on the carousel with him.

"that's it. there you go..."

maybe there was something sort of romantic about being here, just the two of them. was that all she was feeling? it felt sort of magical and fairy tale-esque. at the same time, a lot of fairy tales were... kind of strange, or creepy, too.

she expected them both to ride the carousel. but when she started to walk toward one of the horses, he gently tugged away from it, still staying near that empty spot without a horse.

"i thought i was... you don't want me to ride it?"

"just stand over here, sweetheart."

she didn't know why, but she hesitated. "over there? why?"

he motioned to that empty spot, just looking at her.

her heart fluttered. if this was the whole reason he took her here, there had to be some significance to that spot... maybe it was just because it was in the center? maybe it was just a nice place to stand to get a view of the park? it wasn't really high up enough for that, though.

he moved closer, stepping behind her, holding her shoulders, and gently pushing her. "it's alright, sweetheart. just go right there..."

she finally walked over, even though the whole situation was strange and confusing. she felt like she was in a dream.

he didn't turn her to face outside of the carousel. and he didn't even have her stand exactly in the center, either.

he continued pushing forward - or, not just forward... he was pushing down.

"what are you-"

"shh... just relax, sweetheart..."

he was definitely putting her in the same position as one of the horses. maybe it was just... what she'd initially thought. it was a weird place to do it, but it was empty, there was no one else around...

but just when she had leaned over, a pole came out from underneath her, attaching to her body so quickly that she wasn't even aware of what was going on until it had already happened.

it wasn't that it pierced through her, or anything - it just attached.

she didn't even know how to react, how to process what was going on. as she sat there, frozen, adrianus was lifting her legs, balancing her.

another pole came down, attaching to her back. she felt something wrap around her... a saddle.

she could still move her arms and legs, but there wasn't much she could do, trapped between the poles.

she squirmed for a second, asking what was happening, but adrianus just softly murmured to her, telling her to relax, telling her it was alright. he stroked her arms, gently positioning them, posing them like the horses, before doing the same with her legs. they seemed to freeze in place. she wasn't sure if anything physical was happening, or if it was just him being hypnotic... she really couldn't tell.

"that's it... there you go..." he said, petting her back, petting along the saddle. it must have merged with her body, somehow... she could feel it. it was so sensitive...

"i'm just going to start the ride in a moment, alright?" he said softly. "and then i'll be right back... don't worry... it will be nice and slow... you won't feel too dizzy... it's just going to help you..."

she wasn't really sure how it was meant to help her, what it was going to help her with. but there wasn't anything she could do about it.

she could see him step over to the control panel. there was something particularly odd about seeing him stand there, seeing him press the buttons... the buttons to a machine that she was attached to now. she wondered how long she was going to be stuck there. was she going to become a part of it now? would he really do something like that to her?

the machine started up, going at a slow pace. it was still sort of surprising, being pushed up and down by the poles (or was it just one pole now?) and being moved around in that circle. even the music was slow, and sounded sort of creepy at that tempo.

adrianus stepped back up, standing beside her, petting her again. "there you go... doesn't that feel nice? moving around, at that slow pace... being lulled into relaxation by the music... becoming more and more still... your mind becoming quiet..."

it all still felt unsettling, but his words sank right into her mind and body anyway, making her feel... like she was changing. she was becoming still, becoming stiff. her head was becoming stuck in place, but she could sort of see her arms and hands below her, shifting.

"that's it... you're adapting to it... it's only going to get easier and more natural, with each rotation... that nice, steady rhythm..." he moved closer, climbing over, climbing onto her back. "there you go... does that feel good?"

it really did feel good. her back felt sensitive to the pressure, to the touch, to every slight movement against it. it didn't feel difficult to hold him. it just felt right.

the music seemed to be getting to her. it was getting hard to think. she tried to fight it, but she felt a little dizzy, a little sleepy, slowly being moved up and down, like being rocked, listening to that song, like a lullaby.

he leaned closer, near her ear - a horse ear that was sticking up, even easier to talk into. his hand stroked her side, his fingers running along the smooth material that her body had become. "i wanted to ride the carousel together..." he murmured softly, dreamily. "but... we couldn't both fit on the same horse..."

it was such a strange kind of logic, and a part of her still knew that. and yet... it was kind of sweet.

"you look so lovely like this... i knew it would suit you..."

his touches still managed to be so sensual and romantic. she could feel it, even when her body was still and rigid.

she didn't know how long they went around like that, up and down, in that circle, how many times she heard that strange, slow song repeating. it melted her mind. she just knew that she liked being close to adrianus like this... feeling him on her back. just the two of them together, the whole ride to themselves... as he whispered sweet nothings to her, filling up her hollow head with nothing but sticky sweet love, and dreams, and fairy tales.