She could smell the warm funnel cakes and the butter-saturated popcorn in the crisp night air. The ferris wheel lit up the dark sky with its colorful neon lights and the clanking of the carnival rides rung in her ears. The night air was still and cool, and she could hear children laughing and yelling. Colorful flowers and bushes lined the walkways of the park and she tugged at her partner’s hand when she wanted to stop and smell the fragrant roses. As she walked through the neon-lit park, she could feel the warmth of their hands molded together. She looked over and smiled her timid smile at him as he glanced at the arcade games that stood flashing next to the rides. It had been a rough week for her, and she was glad they were able to get away from it all for a little while. He always seemed to know what she needed, and today, it just so happened to be thrilling rides and fried foods. Her anxiety was subdued by the delighted laughs that filled the air and the blinking lights that seemed to be transfixed on every stationary object in the park. Her therapist suggested taking time each week to get away from the stress of her everyday life. This week, the overwhelming senses of the lively carnival seemed to drown out the roar of her ever-present anxiety.
It was tough for the two of them. Her anxiety and depression often created rifts between them, but for tonight, all of that negativity seemed to drift away with the smoke from the food stands. For that night, she felt as though a veil had been lifted from her, and they could see each other clearly once again. They could understand each other without the complications of mental illness clouding their thoughts. She felt herself inhale a breath of night air, and it was as though the clarity of it flowed through her brain like water, making her thoughts clean like crystal. With the smog that always lived in her brain washed away, she could feel cheerful and like a normal human being once again. It may not last long she thought, but at least this night of renewal shows me there is a way to cleanse my body of this awful disease. As if sensing her thoughts, he turned towards her and smiled at her in a way that reassured her he understood and that he was beginning to see the hope that was slowly but surely revealing itself to them. He put his arms around her to ward off the little bit of winter air that was left in the spring breeze, and together they walked towards the car filled with thoughts of a new beginning.