The Devil's Carnival

Race

As they turned and walked off Danielle blew the man in the booth a guest. They wondered about and before long they came across the three bodybuilders who had not yet given up on their test of strength, a test that by the look of it wasn’t going very well. Allen dropped the hammer flat on its head as the man laughed. “What’s the matter boy? Arm tired already?” Tom and Michael were equally as drained although their pride kept them from admitting it. “Why don’t the three of you walk it off and come back when you’re balls drop.” The man said in between laughs. “Blow me.” Allen was out of breath but managed a comeback. Tom and Michael put hand on his shoulder to lead him off. “Come on.” As the man laughed he started coughing violently before he spat of to the side. “Crazy old goat.” The boys wondered around looking for something to occupy themselves with. “That thing was rigged, I swear!” Michael voiced his concern as loud as possible with Tom agreeing to his every word and Allen not saying a word. His ego was still recovering. As they walked Tom noticed Danielle dragging Mina and Bob to a bumper car track. “Check it out?” The three watched as they were greeted by yet another man in a derby hat. They exchanged a few words before he opened a metal gate and invited them in. Instead of them heading in however Danielle turned to them and waved them over. “You boy’s feeling lucky?” She yelled before smiling and walking through the gate to where several bumper cars stood side by side. Whatever she may have meant by it was unclear but to them it was an outright challenge and nothing they could ignore. Danielle left no time for clarification. By the time the three of them reached the gate she had already made herself comfortable in a bleached pink car and was turning the wheel in all kinds’ of directions. “You lot waiting for an invitation? Come on!” Not really one for games Bob eyed the cars but for the first time felt an uncontrollable urge to join in. He crossed the slick track and got into a powder blue car next to a very excited Danielle. “I hope you’re ready to eat my dust.” She smirked as she whispered to Bob who smiled almost childlike. “We’ll see.” Laughing it off, she waved Mina over and patted the car net to her. “Come on, I could use a little back up.” Mina let go of the pendant round her neck for the first time since getting it and held her hands in the air. “I think I’ll sit this one out.” She smiled nervously just as the boys walked past her and leaped in the last three open cars. “Then you won’t mind us crashing you little party.” Tom sneered at Danielle who was not one to back off so easily herself. “The more the merrier. That way I can beat all of you at once.” While the air thickened the man in the derby hat closed the gate where Mina stood watching and walked to the side of cars. He stopped at a small control panel and after he hit a switch the place came to life with several bright lights flaring up all around them. Had Bob been paying half as much attention as he had moments before he may have noticed the bad shape the track was in or how several cables hung exposed on the side of almost all the cars. He also may have noticed how the rods that connected the car to the roof were slowly falling apart. He didn’t notice and instead only thought of winning. “On your mark.” The man in the derby hat yelled and the cars revved. Well, it sounded more like a child’s imitation of one but still. “Get set.” A breeze rustled the metal ‘START’ sign and the man in the derby hat spat out is chewing tobacco. From the sideline Mina was already cheering them on. The man slowly removed his hat and held it out over the track. As he did he eyed the drivers closely, like it was some kind of standoff. “Go!” He waved his hat in the air and the cars took off at roughly the speed of a diabetic rabbit missing a leg. Mina cheered them on from the sideline as the man put his hat back on his head and dug a rusted metal tin from his pocket. After he shoved a heap of tobacco in his mouth he closed the tin again and shoved it into a different pocket before cheering them on as well. They slouched around the oval with Allen in the lead and Danielle hot on his heels, well it was lukewarm at best at that speed. Allen wasn’t in the lead for very long before Bob passed them both, laughing as they slowly fell behind. He looked over his shoulder for only a moment and in that moment Danielle shot past him. While the three boys were far behind trying to upstage each other and paying no attention to who was ahead of them. Bob speed over the finish line and slammed on the breaks as Danielle came in at a close second. The man in the hat cheered and Mina hopped up and down. “Very well done my man, very well done.” He shook Bobs hand before extending his hand to Danielle to help her from the car. Again the two seemed to have a connection and though both Bob and Mina noticed it both thought it best to not get involved. She was a grown woman capable of making her own choices and subsequent mistakes it would seem. Bickering and arguing Tom, Allen and Michael eventually crossed the finish line with no distinguishable winner. The three of them exchanged the exact same argument that he was first and the other was laying. Mina and company ignored them, although they may simply have been enjoying each other’s company and had not even heard them crossing the finish line to begin with.