Andrew had always been a bit of a momma's boy. He didn't have many friends, so going to the carnival at first seemed like a bad idea. His mom, being the amazing woman she always had been, offered to go with him. She was there for him, and Andrew liked feeling the safety of her in his presence. She always came to his football games (he was becoming a great quarterback) and his swim competitions. She helped him with essays and homework, even when she had a lot on her plate. They would cook together, and do house chores together. When he had a shift down at the fast food restaurant in town, she would sometimes visit (maybe a little embarrassing, he could admit). It was just the two of them. He loved his supermom.
Karen loved her son. She wanted nothing but the best for him, and as he grew up, she learned to cope and handle with him. She respected his privacy, and they always had fun together. Karen had Andrew when she was 18. The father left after he was born, and she was his sole caregiver. She worked double jobs, one as a marine biologist, and the other at a daycare. Even so, she made sure that she always had time for Andrew. She came to all his sports games and events. She loved watching him be happy.
As Andrew and Karen walked among the carnival rides and attractions, they laughed, talking about how weird it would be if this carnival was correlated to some underground mob stealing organs and experimenting on people. "I tell you what, mom" said Andrew "I'll bet you 5 bucks that this place is run by some wacky corporation that does freaky shit to people". Karen chuckled. "You always have the wildest and weirdest ideas. I tell you what, since I'm in need of a few extra bucks, you're on" they shook hands as she winked at him playfully. They looked around, and Karen pointed at a coral blue building. "What's over here?" She said as they approached. She read the sign that was displayed atop the door. "Mermaid lagoon" she and Andrew laughed "let's go inside!" Andrew rolled his eyes, a smile spreading across his face "I didn't know you had a mermaid fetish mom" she smacked him lightly and he laughed. "Oww! Sorry mom." Karen smirked at her son. "Why else did I become a marine biologist?" She said, batting her eyes. They entered the eerie entrance room, and walked into the main attraction room. In the room they found several small lagoons with coral reefs on the bottom. All the vivid colours were almost like a psychedelic shock for them both. A small fountain lay in the corner of the room, the sound of the water shooting gracefully into the air a welcome sound. It was calm, relaxing. They entered a tunnel, and looked around amazed. They were practically in an aquarium, glass surrounding them. Karen looked into the aquarium. Never had she seen such beautiful and exotic fish up close, only reading about them in books. Andrew looked at his mom. "In all seriousness, what did make you want to become a marine biologist?" She opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off, by a club snacking her upside the head. The world started fading for Karen, as everything became darker and blurred. He could hear Andrew shout, and an unknown voice yelling out in pain, before Andrew landed beside her. Everything went dark.