I walked the dirty ground of the carnival, avoiding a pair of giggling girls sharing a giant helping of cotton candy, the sticky, blue confection shining in the light of the overheads, darkness engulfing the world outside the blinking lights and canned music that filled the small space with false promises of happiness. The noise grated, my ears aching from the mix of sounds, unused to such cacophony, though Adam seemed taken by the place.

"I know this carnival," he said, ...