* * *
When we got to the carnival, I was surprised on how big it was. The rides seemed to stretch out forever. Despite the sunlight, I could still see the lights shining from the rides. I could just imagine how brightly they’d glow in the evening. The music came from all directions. It was amazing how the different songs didn’t clash but complemented each other. No matter which way you turned, you’d hear a different tune.
We found the ticket booth and got in line. I looked at the price list. There were different prices for ticket packages. I had no idea which one to get. How many tickets did we need for each ride? Did it vary? What if we had tickets left over? What was the best deal?
Patrick explained to me what the advantages were for each option. “I think we should get the ‘All You Can Ride’ wristband. That way, the first time we go on the ride for fun, the second time will be for our project. You need to experience it first.”
“Okay, if you say so. You’re the expert here.”
We bought our wristbands and headed to the bumper cars. Andy was so excited. Once they slide open the gate and let us into the bumper car area, he took off running to a green and yellow car. Patrick and I chose cars near Andy’s.
A buzzer sounded and music played. All of a sudden, cars started moving. Andy immediately drove toward his brother and rammed into him. Random people ran into me. I wasn’t very good at maneuvering the car into others. Andy kept following Patrick and bumping into him and anyone else in the path.
“Andy! Why do you keep hitting me? Why don’t you hit Liz?” Patrick called out.
“’Cause she’s a girl. You’re not supposed to hit girls.” Andy shouted back over the music.
“Hey!” I yelled as I bounced around in the car after Patrick hit me. “I’m a girl!”
“Bumper cars doesn’t count!" Patrick laughed.
I steered my car toward Patrick. Andy and I were able to hit Patrick at the same time. “That’s no fair! You’re ganging up on me!” Patrick shouted.
“That’s what you get for hitting me!” I laughed.
The music ended and buzzer sounded all too soon. It wasn’t fair. I was just getting the hang of it.
Andy ran up to me and gave me a high five. He laughed, “That was fun! Squishing Patrick!”
I chuckled, “Yeah, it was. So, what’s next?”
“Patrick gets to pick next.” Andy informed me.
“No, it’s okay. Liz, you pick.” Patrick deferred to me. Andy was about to say something but Patrick stopped him. Patrick shook his head ever-so-slightly, but Andy saw.
“Hey, I don’t want to mess with any ritual you guys have. I’m just glad to tag along. Whatever you guys want to do is fine with me.” I didn’t want to rock the boat or come between anything they had.
“Patrick, I like her. She’s not like Becca.” His voice was full of the innocence that a little kid should have.
Huh? What was that supposed to mean? Good, I guess. I looked curiously at Patrick.
“No, she’s not.” He agreed and looked around. “So, it’s my choice, huh? Then, let’s do the Gravitron.”
I had no idea what that was. We waited in line for a spaceship looking ride. I couldn’t tell what it did, the whole ride was enclosed. I just saw the lights flashing around the outside, in a spinning pattern. What does this ride do?
The entrance to the ride was the door to the spaceship. It lowered down, like a drawbridge. Smoke spewed out of the bottom of the door and eerie space music played. The last group that rode exited. The operator let us board. The three of us walked up the ramp and entered inside.
I looked around inside and there didn’t seem to be much there. There were no seats. There were individual padded spots around the walls with a safety chain on each side. Patrick and Andy picked a spot against the wall. Andy leaned against the wall.
Patrick helped Andy with the safety chain, then took the spot to the right of him. I was on the right side of Patrick.
“I don’t get it. What does this ride do?” I finally asked him.
He grinned coyly. “You’ll see. It’s one that I want to do for our project.”
The operator walked inside, gave a couple of instructions, such as don’t get up and walk around, then left. The door closed and the outer space music played. The room got dark and the lights above our heads chased each other. The room was spinning. I felt my body get pushed against the wall. My arms felt heavy. I tried to lift them, but it was really hard to. Before I knew it, I was sliding up. The padding sat between two rails that allowed it to slide up. My feet no longer touched the ground. I looked over to my left and saw Patrick had slid up as well.
He turned to look at me. “Cool, huh?”
“Weird.” I answered. It was like some odd out of body experience. But, it was pretty cool.
When it was over, the pads slid back down and I could touch the floor again. It felt like I was re-inflating after being pressed against the wall. I stepped away from the wall and didn’t have my balance. I couldn’t walk straight. At least, I wasn’t the only one with the problem, Andy was wobbly as well. Patrick held onto Andy. I walked along the wall, holding onto it as a guide. As we walked outside, I had to hold onto the railing. I must have looked like I’m drunk. It took me a few minutes to regain my balance.
“So, Andy…what’s next?” I was ready for my next adventure.
“No, it’s your turn. You pick.” Andy told me.
“Hmm… I don’t know what to pick. What about the Ferris Wheel?” I suggested.
“Sure. Which one?” Patrick asked with a glint in his eye, like he was testing me or something.
“Which one? There’s more than one?” That was news to me.
“Yeah. There’s a stationary one, where the baskets swing in place. In the other one, the baskets are on a track that can swing around in its own loop.” Patrick pointed to the differences on the Ferris wheel.
“I don’t know. I’ve never been on either.” I looked at each one and couldn’t decide. I was willing to try either one, but I was a little scared. “Andy, which one do you want to do?”
“The moving one.” He answered and grabbed both me and Patrick’s hands and pulled us in the direction of the moving basket Ferris Wheel. Of course. This kid was fearless. Wish I was.
The ride on the Ferris Wheel was a good kind of scary. I laughed so hard. We watched people and made up stories for each of them. The basket swung back and forth. The three of us worked to get the basket to swing around its loop. When we got off the ride, my cheeks hurt from all the laughing.
It was Andy’s turn to pick again. He wanted to play some games. We walked over to the gaming area. There were so many different games. Each had their own kind of prize, mostly stuffed animals. The game attendants called out to each person who walked by, trying to get them to play. Andy stopped in front of one of the booths. It was a basketball game.
“This one.” He told Patrick.
“Okay.” Patrick took out his wallet and paid the attendant. “Go for it. Remember what I taught you.”
Andy nodded and bounced the ball on the ground. He looked up at the basket, which was smaller than the standard size, and shot the ball. It was a pretty good shot. It hit the side of the rim and bounced off to the right. He had two more tries and needed one to get a prize. He tried again and this time missed to the left. Patrick adjusted Andy’s position a little and gave him some suggestions. Andy shot his last ball. It bounced on the inside right edge of the hoop, rattled around and out.
“That was really good. You’re getting a lot better. You almost got it that time.” Patrick hugged his brother.
“Yeah?” Andy was proud to hear he was improving, the prize didn’t seem to matter as much as his brother’s praise. “Can we play again?”
“Sure.” Patrick indicated to the attendant that he wanted more basketballs and paid him. “Here you go.”
“No, I want you to. I want to see how you do it again.” He passed the ball to Patrick.
Andy gave him a high five. “Cool!”
“Thanks. You want to try now?” He offered the ball to Andy.
“No. Two out of three you get the bigger one.”
“What makes you think I can sink another? Maybe that was just luck.”
“Because I’ve never seen you miss!”
“Gee, no pressure. Thanks.” He dribbled twice and shot the ball. This time it was nothing but net.
“See, told you!” Andy grinned.
“Okay,” he laughed. “Which stuffed animal do you want?”
Andy looked at the different stuffed animals that hung around the sides of the booth. His eyes landed on one and they lit up. “The giraffe.”
The attendant handed Andy a giraffe. Andy’s face lit up as he held onto it.
Patrick smiled and looked at his brother like they were sharing something special. “Nice choice! Now, do you want to try again?”
“Nah… I want to play a different game.”
“Liz, you want to try? Still got one shot left. Might as well use it…”
I quickly shook my head. “No, I can’t play basketball. I just watch, remember?”
“Well, this isn’t really playing basketball.” He insisted.
“You know what I mean…”
“Yeah, Liz. Try!” Andy encouraged me.
“You don’t understand. I might cause bodily harm.” I tried to talk them out of it.
“Come on, I don’t think so.” Patrick clearly didn’t get it. He whispered something to Andy.
“Please, Liz?” Andy gave me these big puppy dog eyes that I couldn’t resist.
“Okay, okay. Geez, you guys don’t play fair, do you? Tag teamed by the Connor brothers.” I put my hands out for the ball.
I held the ball with both hands and was ready to shoot when Patrick stopped me. “Wait! That’s not how you shoot the ball. Put one hand behind it and the other to the side.”
I tried to hold it like he said, but I couldn’t quite figure it out. “Like this?”
“Uhh…no. Here let me show you.” He put his hands out. I gave him the ball and he showed me what he meant. “See what I mean?”
I nodded and he handed the ball back to me. I mimicked what I saw him do. I looked at him for confirmation and he nodded. I wouldn’t dare dribble and hold the ball wrong again. I didn’t want to shoot an air ball. I closed my eyes and I pushed the ball away from me with as much force as I could with the hopes that it would get near the basket.
I heard the distinctive sound of a ball hitting flesh. I heard a shout of pain. I opened my eyes and saw the game attendant grabbing his face. Oops.
“I guess the laws of physics cease to exist when a basketball is in your hands.” Patrick looked at me with surprise.
I bit the inside of my cheek. “Sorry.”
The attendant gave me a piercing look. Andy burst out laughing. It was a good thing that Andy had already received his prize, or the attendant may not have given it. Patrick tried to quiet his brother down, but couldn’t. In fact, Patrick was having a hard time containing his own laughter.
“Patrick!” I slapped him in the chest. “Stop. It isn’t funny.”
“Sorry.” He cleared this throat. He called out to the attendant, “You okay? Sorry about that.”
The attendant just glared at us and rubbed his face.
“I’m really sorry.” I told him. I don’t think he really cared. I started to get the case of the giggles. I couldn’t believe I caused one side of his face to get so red. I looked at Patrick, “Maybe we should go.”
“Yeah…good idea.” He grabbed Andy’s hand and we walked away as quickly as possible, then burst into laughter.
“Didn’t I say…bodily harm?” I laughed.
“Oh, yeah! Remind me to never be in front of you when you have a ball in your hands.” He said as tears formed in his eyes.
I started laughing so hard that my sides starting hurting and my own tears streamed down my face. I had to gasp for air. It took some time for us to calm down.
Andy looked at his giraffe, then up at me, “Liz, what’s your favorite animal?”
“The penguin.” I didn’t have to think about it. I loved watching them waddle, then swimming with ease. It was like they were flying underwater. “Why?”
He held up his giraffe, “Raffy needs a friend.”
“He does. Doesn’t he?” Patrick commented playfully. “I guess we’ll have to keep our eyes open to see if we can find any friends for Raffy.”
“I know where we can find them! The frog toss had penguins!” Andy exclaimed and tugged Patrick in that direction.
Patrick stood still. “Wait. You got to pick the basketball game. Isn’t it my turn to pick?”
Andy stopped pulling his arm and gave him an angelic look. “Oh yeah... I thought you forgot.”
“Trying to steal my turn, huh?”
“I’ll let you choose two in a row.” Andy begged.
Patrick stared at Andy and the corner of his mouth upturned. “Hmm… Or I could just take my turn now. Let’s see… I heard there’s a frog game around here somewhere.”
Andy smiled and pulled him in the direction of the game. “Come on, it’s over here!”
I followed them to the booth. Andy was right. The booth was filled with two sizes of penguins with various colors of bow ties. To win the prize, you had to launch the rubber toy frog and have it land on a lily pad. The circle of lily pads that it landed on determined the size. If it landed in the outer circle, you would win a small penguin. Landing it in the inner smaller circle would get you a larger one. You got three tries to win. Patrick paid the attendant and she handed him three frogs.
“I want to try.” Andy stepped up to the frog launcher. He put the frog on it and pushed down on the other end. The frog leaped into the air. One leg landed on the pad before it slid into the water. He tried again. This time it flew further, into the inner circle of pads. It landed upside down on a lily pad and stayed.
“Wow! Cool!” I gave Andy a hug.
“Way to go, Andy!” Patrick high fived him.
“Thanks!” He was grinning ear to ear. He was so proud. “What color should I get?”
Patrick shrugged, “I don’t know. Liz, what do you think? What’s your favorite color?”
I looked at the options. “I like purple. Get that one.”
The attendant handed Andy the large penguin with the lavender bow tie.
“We have one more frog to launch.” Andy reminded us.
“Liz?” Patrick tried to pull me in front of the launcher.
“Have you already forgotten about the basketball debacle?”
Andy and Patrick started laughing. “No…just keep your eyes open this time. Wait! Let me get my camera out. I’m going to record for our project.”
Great. He took his camera out of his backpack and started recording. It was a good idea, the game was a good example of physics at the carnival. But I didn’t want my try to be recorded. Oh, well. He motioned for me to start.
“Okay…” I couldn’t possibly do anything bad this time, since the frog sat on the launcher. Physics dictated that it could only go within a certain area.
Patrick called out to the attendant, snickering. “You may not want to stand too close to the pads…or Liz. It might be safer for you to stand on this side of the counter.”
The attendant took a few steps away from the target area. I placed the frog on the launching end of the lever. I looked at Patrick and Andy. I slapped down the other end of the launcher. The palm of my hand hit the right side of the lever causing it to move from its spot. I guess they weren’t secured to the counter. The frog flew off to the left and would have hit the attendant, if she didn’t heed Patrick’s warning. Oops.
We all started laughing. I managed to get out, “Sorry, good thing you listened to him and moved.”
Patrick stopped
recording and shook his head, “Geez, you weren’t kidding when you said you were uncoordinated.”
Andy was getting a little hungry, so we headed to the food court. I was amazed at all the options. It wasn’t just hot dogs that you could buy. There were so many different foods on a stick. I guess handheld food was the ideal thing at a carnival. As we walked by each stand, I could distinctly smell what they had to offer. Some was sweet, some spicy, most were fried.
“Patrick, can I have a churro?” Andy asked as we passed a stand that sold them.
Patrick stopped and turned around. “Sure. Liz, you want one?”
“No, thanks.”
Patrick must have seen the giant question mark on my forehead. “Have you ever had one?”
“No. I don’t know what it is.”
“You don’t?! You have to try it! It’s so good!” Andy exclaimed.
Patrick nodded, “It really is. It’s fried dough with cinnamon and sugar. What’s not good about that? I’m going to get you one.”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to.”
“No, come on! If you don’t like it, Andy and I will eat it. Right, Andy?”
Andy nodded. Patrick went up to the stand and bought three churros. Andy immediately started eating his. He seemed to really be enjoying it.
Patrick waited for me to start eating. “Well, are you going to try it?”
I looked hesitantly at the thing. “Well…”
“Just take a bite. If you don’t like it, don’t finish it. Come on, I thought you trusted me.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. I don’t know what I was afraid of, except that I had never been very adventurous in food. I did trust Patrick and if Andy liked it and he was a kid, how weird could it be? “Okay. Fine.”
I took a small bite of the churro. It was sweet. I could taste the cinnamon and sugar. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It was really good. I took another bite and another.
Patrick laughed and nudged Andy. “So, I guess we won’t be getting more.”
I looked at them, “What?! Okay, you guys were right. Is that what you wanted to hear?”
“Yeah.” Andy giggled.
Patrick laughed. “Me too.”
Falling (Bits and Pieces, Book 1) Page 16