Dark Ride

by Todd Loyd

  “Well, I am afraid I cannot just let this criminal walk away unpunished. Besides how can I trust a thief and his companions to bring it back?”

  “We will bring it back,” Amy asserts.

  “No, I'm afraid I cannot trust you,” the Giant says.

  Scotty responds, “Yes, I get that, but….”

  He tries to remember everything he can about giants about fairytales, considering how this strategy had worked with the troll.

  “But what?” asks the Giant while looking quizzically at Scotty.

  Stories flood into Scotty's mind. He stammers, “Uh, well, uh, let's say….”

  Then he looks down at the floor and sees the contents of Jack's backpack spilled among the debris. He thinks, That's it! It might work, if the Giant would just bite.

  “I don't have time for your delays, boy,” the Giant states.

  “What about a game?” Scotty asks.

  The Giant looks puzzled and replies, “What do you mean?”

  “I mean you and Jack here play a game,” Scotty announces.

  “Scotty, what are you doing?” Jack inquires.

  “Trust me, okay.”

  The Giant seems to be listening, and Scotty continues, “You two play a game. After all, Jack doesn't have the goose. Let fate decide if he should be punished. If Jack wins, he is free; if Jack loses, he goes with you.”

  Mason pulls Scotty's arm and mutters into his ear, “You can't trick him like you did the troll. What if you make him mad? He will kill us all.”

  Scotty replies confidently, “At least Jack will have a chance. Of course we can't trick him, but it's the best shot we have.”

  Mason turns away from Scotty and addresses the Giant, “Whatever happens, win or lose, we can go, right?”

  “Of course. I said I would let you go, right?”

  There is a moment of pause while the Giant is obviously considering Scotty's query. Then he chuckles and says, “Yes, splendid idea. I like games.”

  Scotty beams with hope.

  “So, what will it be?” the Giant asks.

  Scotty winks at Jack and says, “The shell game.”

  Chapter 144

  Wallace Braddock watches Clyde sitting with a cup of coffee in his hand and talking to two of the police officers. He looks at his watch and sees that it's 12:27 a.m.

  When Houston Carnahan came out of the ride earlier, he was fuming mad. Now, he tells Wallace, “The old man has something to do with this, and the cops are over there treating him like a teddy bear.”

  For the last hour, Wallace has put up with this smoldering anger. Houston had also worked up other parents, so much, in fact, that when Clyde had exited the ride, Mr. Chick screamed, “We want our kids back, you liar!”

  The crowd around the parents has swelled. Several reporters have joined the throng, probably clued in to the event from their police scanners. About a dozen park employees are there, too, in addition to some curious park attendees who were drawn in by the activity despite the late hour. Also in this mix of people is the Crime Scene Unit from another county, which had arrived, entered the ride, and returned without the children.

  Wallace, in spite of the accusations from Mr. Carnahan, is still apprehensive about accusing the old man. At this point, he sees the two officers with Clyde stand up and begin talking to some new arrivals, three grimlooking men in dark blue suits. The five of them move away from Clyde, leaving him sitting alone.

  Wallace decides to take this opportunity to speak to Clyde one-on-one and tells his wife, “I'll be back.”

  “Where are you going?” Brenna asks, looking at him with eyes red from a night of worry.

  “Just stay here,” Wallace responds.

  Houston sees Wallace pull back from the crowd of onlookers and starts following him. “I see that look in your eye, Wallace. What are you up to?” Houston calls.

  Wallace grimaces, thinking that Houston could ruin everything.

  He says, “I'm going to talk to Clyde.”

  “Then I'm going with you.”

  “That may not be a good idea,” Wallace argues, but he knows he won't be able to stop Houston from coming along.

  Houston grins and assures Wallace, “Don't worry, I'll be good.”

  The two men realize that sneaking around without being noticed by the police isn't easy. Wallace and Houston loop widely around the snack bar and walk through the carnival games. Then as they near the ice cream shack, they spy Clyde sitting alone and sipping his coffee. While trying to keep just out of sight of the nearby officers, Wallace crouches while Houston stands back flush against the wall peering nervously from left to right and back again.

  With the old man less than ten feet away, Wallace whispers, “Clyde, over here.”

  The old man turns and blinks. Lines of worry clutter his eyes and forehead. He leans back and moves his head around the back of the stand. He rises to his feet cautiously and erases the distance between him and the two men.

  Clyde asks, “What are you doing, Mr. Braddock?” Then when he sees Houston, he looks visibly disturbed.

  “Look, we just want to ask you a question or two. I promise Houston won't bite—right, Houston?”

  The large man nods, but it is clear he is not happy with Clyde.

  Wallace begins, “Look, Clyde, when you left the kids, did you hear any of them say anything about sneaking off?”

  Clyde sighs and says, “No. Uh, Wallace, I don't think you should be—”

  “I know, Clyde, it's just, I mean, we're worried to death out here and no one will talk to us. Could they have left the ride and the park without you knowing?”

  The old man nervously looks over at the cops who are speaking in their huddle about ten yards away.

  Then he whispers back, “No. Even if they went out the fire escape exit, the only path loops them back to the front of the ride. And Gwen was out here the whole time.” He pauses, sighs again, and continues, “Look, Wallace, I promise I don't know what happened. I had nothing to do with this.”

  Wallace feels a hand squeeze his shoulder hard and knows it's Houston, but he ignores him and says, “I believe you, Clyde.” He needs Clyde to feel unthreatened, even though Wallace still has his doubts. He is hoping for some kind of a breakthrough.

  Wallace goes on to ask, “Did you see anything unusual in the ride?”

  The old man hesitates and then sets down his coffee mug on the concrete ground below. It is obvious that something is troubling him.

  He replies, “Well, uh, not really.”

  Houston can't keep quiet. “What are you not telling us?” he exclaims.

  Wallace bristles and shushes the large man. He quickly looks around the corner at the huddle of officers and is relieved to see that none of them seem to be aware of this conversation. Then he gives another critical look at Houston, who's hovering right over his shoulder.

  Suddenly, footsteps click on the pavement behind them.

  “What are you gentlemen doing back here?” asks Officer Quinn.

  Wallace responds, “Look, we just want some answers. You're not telling us—”

  “What's going on here!?” Officer Dockins yells from the huddle of police.

  Then he begins walking toward the group around Clyde and says, “Carnahan, Braddock—what on God's green earth are you doing? You were told to stay—”

  “I know what we were told,” Wallace asserts. “But our kids—”

  Dockins waves his hand in front of Wallace's face, signaling him to be quiet. The officer says, “You two are obstructing a police investigation. I'm not sure what's gotten into you, but this is a serious offense. Quinn, take these two back to the—”

  “Wait, Jimmy,” Clyde interjects. “Let them stay for a second.”

  Dockins is surprised, as are Wallace and Houston.

  “There is something I haven't told you,” the old man says.

  “Well, spit it out!” exclaims Houston.

  “When I was in there earlier…when we first started sear
ching for them…well, I saw this door.”

  For the next five minutes, Clyde explains in detail the strange events he had kept hidden. He recounts in detail the music, the glowing sign, and the door.

  Then he mentions, “In fact, the same thing happened back when the other kid, Finch, disappeared years ago.”

  “Why are you just now telling us this, Clyde?” Dockins asks.

  “I told the cops about the door back when Finch disappeared. They checked it out and found nothing. They said I was crazy and made me go see a doctor for months until I had to make a formal statement that I had concocted the whole thing about the door. But I know what I saw, and no shrink's gonna tell me different.”

  One of the Crime Scene guys who had joined the party comments, “It does sound crazy.”

  Quinn snickers until she sees the disapproving face of her superior. Then she coughs and regains composure.

  “Clyde, you're telling me this crazy music starts and this mysterious door just appears out of nowhere? That's a hard story to swallow,” admits Dockins.

  Wallace can see the doubt in the policeman's eyes.

  But for himself, he is looking for any sign of hope, so he says, “But what if he's telling the truth? Let Clyde show us where the door is. As far as I can tell, it's your only lead.”

  Dockins looks at the old man and studies him.

  Houston adds, “It's worth a shot, right, Officer?”

  Chapter 145

  Jack's confidence soars. He feels that what Scotty has done is pure genius, and a glimmer of hope now emerges in his eyes. Jack collects the three cups and the ball from the floor as Scotty proceeds to explain the game to the Giant. Then the amateur carny takes a large piece of the drywall and lays it out flat along the floor, producing a makeshift game table.

  Once the cups have been set out in a row before the Giant, Amy walks up to Jack and pleads, “Jack, be careful, please! You can't lose.”

  Jack grins at her and says, “Don't worry, Amy, I've got this.”

  The narrator meanders over to Jack, as well, and says, “I wish you good fortune, Jack. I see that your friend the apprentice has given you an out.”

  “Yes, he has,” responds Jack, who looks up at the man and then over to Scotty who is still explaining and re-explaining the rules to the Giant.

  Never again will Jack think of Scotty as weak. All of those years Scotty had spent with his nose in books had made him smart, in fact, downright crafty. Jack will never take Scotty Carnahan for granted again.

  Meanwhile, Mason is sitting on a stump and fiddling with some of the candy remains of the house. Jack sees him and wonders, What is he thinking? Is he even happy I have a chance? He can't be that angry, can he? Why do I even care? He betrayed me. Their friendship had been obliterated during the night, and at least once, Jack had sworn to himself that he would never speak to Mason again if they survived. Yet, looking at him now, he feels something odd: sympathy.

  Mason's head turns Jack's way, and their eyes meet. They stare at each other for a moment. Then Mason raises his head slightly and calls out absently, “Good luck, Jack.” After this, he goes right back to playing with the debris, seemingly uninterested in whatever the results of the game may be.

  The gesture may have been halfhearted, but it makes Jack feel that maybe things could be salvaged—if he wanted them to be.

  As for the wolf, the beast has made a seat out of a large collapsed section of wall and is cautiously waiting, perhaps intrigued by the strange game. Still, Jack notices that every few seconds the beast stares at Amy, and he thinks, If I make it through this, we might have to deal with him again.

  Scotty and the Giant finally finish.

  Now, turning his attention down at the small board, the Giant addresses Jack, “So, you just happen to have these items with you?” Then after a pause, he adds, “Why do I think I am being set up?” His face is suddenly stern.

  “No one is tricking you,” Scotty announces. “You have just as good a chance as Jack. It is simply a matter of keeping your eyes on the ball.”

  He lifts a cup over the ball and then removes it for the Giant to see before continuing. “Like I said, best two out of three. Jack will shuffle the cups first, and you will try and guess which one it is under. Then it will be you turn.”

  “I guess I am game,” The Giant concludes and then chuckles at his pun.

  At least the Giant seems like a good sport, thinks Jack. In fact he catches himself thinking that as far as giants go, this one is likable.

  Jack kneels on the floor and calls up to the Giant, “Are you ready?”

  Scotty, the narrator, and the wolf now crowd around the gaming table.

  Amy takes a position right behind Jack, gives him a gentle squeeze on the shoulder, and keeps her hand there.

  “Yes,” the Giant replies.

  Jack pats Amy's hand and she lets go. Then he holds the ball up for the Giant to see. Next, he shuffles the cups—slowly at first but soon picks up speed. With dexterity, Jack wheels the cups. They revolve and dart around each other, and sometimes Jack circles a cup one way and then another.

  The Giant's head spins circles as he tries to follow the cups as well as he can. The shuffling goes one for about 20 seconds, and then Jack stops suddenly, confidently, and says, “Okay, under which cup is the ball?”

  Jack reasons, There is no way he could have tracked the ball.

  The Giant reaches a large hand to his chin, almost knocking over Scotty with his elbow, and scratches at his woolly beard.

  There is a puzzled look on the Giant's face, and he declares, “You expect me to have followed that? I have no clue.”

  Jack confidence soars even higher, for this means the Giant would be guessing, a one in three shot.

  The Giant ponders for what seems like an eternity.

  Finally Scotty announces, “Okay, times up. Which cup?”

  “It's a blind guess at best,” the Giant explains as he points to the cup in the middle.

  Jack's heart soars, for he knows that the Giant has guessed incorrectly.

  “Nope,” Jack says and beams with pride as he lifts the cup and reveals nothing beneath it. He keeps the cup aloft for a few seconds, relishing the victory.

  Amy lets out a sigh of relief.

  Scotty slaps Jack on the back, and tells him, “Good job.”

  Then, like an announcer at an athletic competition, Scotty announces the score for everyone in the room to hear: “One to nothing, Jack leads.”

  Glowing with pride, Jack looks over at Mason. The boy remains sitting and seems to be paying no attention.

  The Giant lets out a good natured laugh, which shakes the entire room, and says, “Well, so much for beginner's luck, I guess. You sure are handy with those cups. I suppose it is my turn to try and deceive you.”

  The wolf chuckles. He is impressed by the boy's good fortune.

  As for the others, they are confident that Jack will win after seeing his ability to quickly confuse the Giant.

  Jack, too, is confident in his ability to see the cups. He thinks, This should be easy. How could the Giant possibly confuse me?

  As if she could read his mind, Amy advises, “Keep your focus, Jack. Don't get cocky.”

  The massive Giant moves what to him is a pea-sized ball under a cup and with a single finger gently begins to nudge the cups around in a clumsy fashion. On more than one occasion, the narrator and Scotty have to move out of the way of the Giant's arms as he struggles to move the tiny pieces.

  “You have an unfair advantage, boy. Maybe I should not have agreed to this,” the behemoth declares.

  “But you did,” Amy quickly adds, smiling with pride.

  Silence resumes, and the Giant begins to move the cups a little easier. However, he is still painfully slow, and the spectators are following the movement of the balls just as easily as Jack.

  Suddenly, Mason blurts out, “Get this over with, Jack.”

  The simple words distract the contestant, who thinks,
Where did Mason come from? For one brief second, Jack looks up at the boy who is now among the spectators. Quickly, though, Jack looks back down, realizing he has made a critical mistake.

  “Shut up, Mason!” Amy scolds.

  Oh, no! thinks Jack. Mason's distraction has caused him to lose track. He's furious, but since he's unable to take another look up at Mason, he tries to calm his nerves. Jack tells himself, Focus! Maybe something will tip it off?He glares at the table and soon thinks one cup is moving more slowly than the rest, which means it must have the ball underneath it.

  After another full minute, the Giant stops and says, “Okay, thief, which cup?”

  With so much at stake, Jack fights the urge to second guess himself. Before allowing his mind to play tricks on him, Jack points to the cup on the right.

  Another moment of intense silence ensues as the Giant clumsily attempts to pick up the cup.

  Finally, after several attempts and nearly knocking over the other items, the Giant successfully lifts the cup. The ball is not there.

  “What!” Jack gasps. He is momentarily shocked. Then when the realization of what just happened hits him, he looks up and glares at Mason, wondering, Did he do that on purpose? Mason looks at Jack and says, “I'm sorry.” He actually does look remorseful.

  In disbelief, Amy asks the Giant, “Then which cup is it under?”

  “I'm not sure myself,” he responds and then chuckles.

  Jack is disgusted at the sound. He can't help but think about his family. He considers how he is now one mistake away, one lucky guess, one break of concentration, from losing them, losing everything.

  Scotty demands that the Giant lift the other cups. The behemoth complies, and there, under the middle cup, is the ball.

  “So, I got one by you there, thief.”

  Jack is stunned. He sees the narrator standing and twirling his mustache, but he can't read the man's face.

  Scotty clears his throat and, while looking angrily at Mason, announces the score: “So it's Jack one, Giant one.”

  “Walter,” says the Giant.

  “What?” asks Scotty.

  “My name is Walter, not Giant.”