The escapees turn out to be the Ringmaster and his Beautiful Girl Assistant/Mermaid, off to steal the breath of passersby and store it in a silver flask for their own purpose. While the Ringmaster does the dirty work, it's soon apparent the actual magic comes from the Mermaid. Her seashell motif adorns the flask, she summons the spirit of the ocean to sustain her, and I'd bet she's the reason this haunted carnival only appeared "from out of the rain." I hadn't seen it like that but it makes sense.
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I hadn't seen it like that but it makes sense.