His own legs were too weak to run with Timothy, or to pick him up and place him on his shoulders, but on a hopping horse they could be carried away together, if the chance arose. Bedridden for most of his own childhood, nothing did he cherish more than taking Timothy out in the yard, to the park, or round and round the carnival rides. The fair rides were cheap for Ed Walsh, and this once-a-year treat took a few coins from his lean wallet. The sign claimed it was powered by faery vats, and all could ride for the mere price of a dollar. Round and round the center that held them the magical beasts of pine and poplar tramped and galloped, footing all day and night to the leaping olden melodies of Hudson and Str ü bbe on the automatic Wurlitzer. This year, for the first time in this town, Butler and Barrie ’ s Wild Faery Land Stolen Child Carousel arrived with all her adornments polished, painted and assembled. Walsh had, over the last three years, taken him to taste cotton candy for the first time, to ride his first train ride beside his father, to see a magic show, to see the shortest woman in the world, and to see the pigs race. His website is Where the lakeside geese and ducks swam to the bread crumbs and popcorn, Ed Walsh took his son Timothy to the carnival rides and the games and the vendors who come once a year to set up their booths and contraptions to draw in the public. Caleb lives with his family in southwest Virginia. He published his first novel, An Authentic Derivative, in 2015. His writing has appeared in Mystery Magazine, Hippocampus, Coachella Review, and elsewhere. He was first captivated by the poetry of William Butler Yeats in high school.

Butler and Barrie’s Wild Faery Land Stolen Child CarouselĬaleb Coy is a freelance writer with a Masters Degree in English from Virginia Tech.

An Authentic Derivative by Caleb Coy