The Devil's Carnival

Chance Encounter

When the display became just a little too unbearable Mina turned around and inspected her surroundings. The place made her skin crawl. She didn’t want to be there. As her eyes wondered she noticed a tent in the distance. She could just about make out a banner, much like the one they saw at the entrance, which read ‘CAIN’ in big bold letters. Underneath was the same picture of a man with massive black wings and an ear to ear grin. Something about it demanded her attention and as she stared the sound around her all drowned out. While she stared she saw an inhumanly tall man restraint in what looked like a straight jack being led into the tent by two men in derby hats. They did their best to keep him compliant but looked very uncomfortable. Then he stopped and as he did his anterage tensed up. Slowly he turned and looked over his shoulder right at her. His black eyes made her blood run cold. As he stared his smile grew wider and wider revealing sharp teeth. He c****d his head to the side as he stared and Mina could feel all the strength leave her legs. She may have been terrified but much like Allen had been she was strangely mesmerised. “How about you miss?” The voice startled her. Mina quickly turned to look behind her and saw that Danielle and the man in the derby hat had concluded their fornicating and he had placed three more balls on the counter. Bob and Danielle looked at her as if to encourage her to pick them up but her mind was in a different place, more specifically in that tent. When she looked back she saw that the party was gone. “Well, come on. Give it a try.” Danielle tried to encourage her, but her mind was all over the place. “Oh no. Thanks.” Danielle rolled her eyes as she grabbed Mina by the hand and led her back to the booth. “Don’t be like that. It’s fun!” Danielle put one of the balls in her hand as the man put the dolls back on the shelf. “Go on!” Mina looked down at her shaking hand and the suspiciously coloured ball. “Give it a try. It’s not that hard.” Danielle rested her hands on Mina’s shoulders as she tried to encourage her. Mina knew she was buried too deep to get out now. So, with very little hope of even remotely hitting the target she half heartedly threw the ball at a doll with a red face. She knew how these things worked. The first person always hits the mark and won but everyone that followed would not be able to knock over a single one. To her utter shock the doll was sent flying and simultaneously the man with the rotten teeth, Bob and Danielle erupted in cheers. Mina turned to look at them in disbelieve. “Go again! Go again!” Mina herself now had an ear to ear grin as she reached for the second ball, its colour now no longer bothering her. She took aim again and again the target went flying. “One more.” The man handed her the last ball and Mina wasted no time knocking over the last stack of atrocities. As the garishly painted dolls hit the ground Mina and Danielle leapt up and down with excitement. As for Mina both her suspicions and freakish encounter moments ago were securely at the back of her mind. “That a girl!” The man cheered her on as well. “Well young miss, what will it be?” The small game had been more fun than she thought and a prize had not even crossed her mind. She stared at the selection on hand but she was unable to make a decision. Seeing that she couldn’t come to a decision Danielle appointed herself assistant decision maker and joined in the inspection, but even she couldn’t make up her mind. All that gold and silver made her head spin. “So many choices.” The man in the derby hat smiled and turned form the women to the jewellery hanging on the walls of his stall. “If I may suggest.” He studied the items before he chose a silver necklace with a wing shaped pendant dangling from it. “I have always found this one so pretty.” He dangled the pendant in front of the women and their mouths dropped. “That is gorgeous.” Danielle gently took the necklace and the two inspected it even closer. From a distance Bob shook his head. He never did get women’s obsession with jewellery, to him that piece of scrap looked bland and ugly. Instead of drooling over cheep knockoffs Bob looked around for anything suspicious. His mind was still running in all manner of directions and although Mina was distracted for the moment he kept his eyes open. The only problem was that he saw no danger. Sure the safety standards on the rides were questionable as was everything else but other than that and the mysterious nature of the place there seemed to be no immediate danger. Not that it did anything to ease his nerves. “Here let me.” Danielle undid the clasp and fastened it around Mina’s neck, who was in love with it. So much so that she couldn’t take her eyes of it and turned it over between her fingers over and over again. “Safe to assume mine was a good choice?” The man in the derby hat leaned one arm on the side of the booth but stared at Danielle, who was staring right back. “I love it.” Mina replied but didn’t look up. Danielle however had her fill and was already leading her in the other direction. “Come on, let’s see what else’s fun around here.” Bob again reluctantly followed the women as they walked off without a word. When Mina finally looked up her eyes fell on the tent ‘Cain’ had disappeared into, or rather where she thought he had disappeared to. To her own surprise the more she thought of that black eyed creature the less she was afraid and the more she was strangely fascinated.