The Devil's Carnival

Fun

“Loosen up will you.” Danielle clasped a hand around Mina’s shoulder and shook her just a little. “Look around you.” She stretched out a hand and motioned to all the stalls and rides that surrounded them with a flair of showmanship and excitement. “When was the last time you could have this much fun for free?” Mina sighed and looked in the other direction, but Danielle was not going to let her get off that easy. Still with her hand around her shoulders she steered her from the rest of the group and down past booth after booth. Bob looked from Danielle and Mina to the three young men with the shattered egos and finally to Amanda and Brian, all of whom were slowly moving in opposite directions. He looked form one group to the other, unsure which he should follow. Now more than ever he was concerned. The people for whom he carried soul responsibility for were splitting up to go who knows where. There was danger here and the longer they stayed the less he was able to protect them. “Hey Bobby, you coming?” Before he even knew what he was doing he followed when he was beckoned. As he ran after the women his mind wandered to Clara and what she might be doing. He wondered if she was worried and if she missed him as much as he missed her. Once he caught up to Danielle and Mina he wondered if she would be angry at him for sharing the company of other woman without her knowing. What else could he do? Danielle and Mina were two women on their own, it would be ungentle man like if he just left them to go it alone. Someone had to look out for them and as their driver the responsibility fell to him. Clara would understand. “I tell you what.” Danielle pulled Mina closer as she spoke, trying desperately to get through her troubled thoughts. “We’ll play a few games, see a few stalls, and sample the delicacies they have on offer.” Danielle waved her free hand around in the air with great exaggeration. “By then the bus will be here and we will be on our marry way with fond memories.” Mina remained unconvinced, even after Bob tried his hand at reassurance. “Now don’t you worry miss, we’ll be out of here before he you know it.” He smiled as he spoke even if he didn’t believe his own words. He may not have liked the situation but he saw no reason to upset her even further. “Let’s do this one first!” Suddenly Danielle released her grip on Mina and ran to a nearby stall that had a massive clown head on it. The thing was atrocious. Its bright blue hair was chipping and it had a missing eye. Several of its faded and pealing white teeth were missing and in the one eye it still had were several flashing lights. All the above made the whole place even creepier and the ambiance all the more murderous. “Step right up ladies and gentleman, knock down the clown and win a prise.” A man popped up behind the booth in similar fashion to the other and speaking of fashion, he was dressed in exactly the same. The derby hat, the dirty cloths, rotten teeth and one hell of a smile, a smile that had several teeth missing. Danielle ran up to the stall and knocked on its side. As she did the attendant slowly walked over she pointed at string of very fake pearls that hung from a rusted nail next to several teddy bears and other items of real looking fake jewellery. There were brooches, bracelets, watches and even a few rings. “I’ll have those string of pearls my good man.” She winked at him before pointing at a stacked triangle of just as murderous looking clown heads. Why they had no idea but Bob and Mina followed close behind. “Let me just take care of this real quick.” The man smiled back at her and handed her a fungal looking faded white ball. She wasted no time taking up the change. He smiled at her again before he stepped aside. Danielle reached out and gripped one of the balls. She held it out in front of her and aimed for a doll with a yellow face. The ball knocked the doll over and both the man in the derby hat and Danielle threw their hands in the air. She took aim a second time and when the ball hit the doll it was thrown from the shelf entirely, same thing happened when she took aim for the third time. “Yes!” Both Danielle and the man in the derby hat leapt up and cheered. Her hands shot up into the air and Bob and Mina clapped behind her. The man on the other side of the booth, very delicately, took the string of pearls from their hook and walked around carrying them with gentle hands. “Here you are my lady. May I?” Danielle pretended to blush as he offered to fasten the pearls around her neck. “Such a gentleman.” To Mina’s great discomfort she watched the man finish the task with a nauseating delay in pace. She was nervous and could just see her suspicions coming true and the man trying to strangle her with the thing. Danielle however had no problem with the situation, on the contrary, the two seemed to be silently flirtatious. This was even more nauseating given his desperate need of dental care and soap. It wasn’t long before the whole thing got awkward and Mina and Bob both turned to look in the opposite direction, but again it didn’t bother the lovebirds in the least. The whole thing kind of made Bob think of the ribbing he had gotten from friend and relatives about his ‘mail order bride who was young enough to be his daughter’, which was exactly why he was not going to pass a single word of judgment. It did make him long for Clara even more.