“Hey Deeter,” I said, “what happened with that psycho clown?”
“I told you,” Deeter said. “I lost him in the house of mirrors.”
“I know. I mean, how? How’d you lose him?”
“I used the Red Kazoo to imitate your voice. Made him think I was you. Then I lured him to the mirror house and convinced him you were hiding inside. Here’s your kazoo back.”
Sweet Pea hadn’t heard about the clown before now, and she demanded to know what had happened. When we told her about it, she seemed pretty worried.
“You’re sure you lost him?” she asked.
“Yup. We ain’t seen him since, right?” Deeter grinned.
Maybe the Red Kazoo could be useful after all.
I stood. “I know how to win the Finder’s duel. Come on!”
We arrived for the duel just in time. The Choir Boys were standing to one side of the Ferris wheel, talking amongst themselves. The Carnie was standing on the other side, humming. In the center of it all was the Ferris wheel, lit up with red and white flashing lights.
It looked even taller than I remembered.
The Carnie checked his wristwatch. “Yup, that’s eleven o’clock. Will the two Finders in question please step forward and present your Collectibles so I can inspect them. We don’t want no tricks or foul play. Clean fight. Got it?”
I turned to Deeter. “I’ll need your ring.”
He gave it to me, and then he shook my hand. “Good luck, Rookie.”
Sweet Pea tried to smile. “You’ll be fine.”
I inhaled a deep breath and entered through the small front gate that led to the Ferris wheel. By the time I arrived, the Carnie had already examined Staccato’s two Collectibles.
“That’ll do,” he said to Staccato. “Please step aside while I inspect his.”
Staccato moved away, and the Carnie held out his hand for the Sneak’s Ring and the Red Kazoo. He studied them both for a minute, carefully running his finger along their surfaces, holding them up to the light, even sniffing them.
“Yup,” he said. “No signs of tampering. They’re good.”
He returned them to me as he called Staccato over.
“Right,” he said. “I’ve placed the Magic Eight Ball on the very top of the Ferris wheel. You’ll both start at the gate, and when I give the word, you’ll take ten paces in the opposite direction. That way, you’re both equal distance from the Ferris wheel. Whoever gets the Magic Eight Ball at the top first wins. Or whoever is alive at the end. If it comes to that.”
Staccato and I both trudged to the gate and stood back to back. Other than the slight hum coming from the Ferris wheel’s idling engine, the place was silent. Everyone watched us as we took ten paces in the opposite direction.
“Duelists ready? Begin!” the Carnie said.
I spun around, ready to fend off whatever magic Staccato intended to use against me, but nothing happened. He only stood there, looking at me. There was no smirk, no smile, no frown. His expression was blank.
Was he scared? Did he freeze up? Why wasn’t he doing anything?
The Choir Boys were up to some trick. They had to be. I glanced at Sweet Pea and Deeter, but they both shrugged. After that, Deeter motioned for me to start climbing the Ferris wheel.
What else was there to do?
The middle of the wheel looked easiest to climb, so I grasped the bar and took my first step. This wasn’t too hard—like climbing a very tall ladder with the rungs spread out. When I gazed back at Staccato, he’d reached into his pocket for a pack of chewing gum. My skin tingled as he tossed a stick of gum into his mouth and started chewing.
I winced, just in case my head exploded, but nothing bad happened.
The next bar was like the first one. I hoisted myself up with no problem, and I was making good progress. Then Staccato drew out a second stick of gum to chew on. Reminded me of a chipmunk with that big wad of gum filling his cheek. He still hadn’t climbed a single bar, though. And I hadn’t been turned into a frog yet.
Maybe I’d win this thing after all.
Whatever trick Staccato had in mind, it wouldn’t matter if I reached the top before him. Speed was my best chance. The third bar didn’t seem so high until I looked down. Definitely a stupid thing to do. I was getting pretty far up, and the fourth bar was even worse. Everyone appeared so small from this height, like those toy dolls at the game booth prize racks.
By now, Staccato had walked to the base of the Ferris wheel. Why he’d given me such a head start I had no idea, but I figured he’d finally start climbing.
He didn’t.
Instead, Staccato spit his chewing gum into his hand and stuck half the wad on the bottom of his left shoe and the other half on the bottom of his right. Why stick chewing gum to the bottom of a shoe?
But that wasn’t all. He’d fished something else out of his coat pocket, something long and shiny. My stomach gave a small flip, but not because of the height.
Staccato had the Tuning Fork.
He turned his head towards Allegro, and Allegro gave him a single nod. Like a signal. Then Staccato struck the Tuning Fork against the Ferris wheel with a light tap and held the Tuning Fork’s base against the lowest bar. After such a head start, I was starting to think Staccato wouldn’t use any magic against me.
So much for that.
First, the Tuning Fork sang out a clear, high note. It got louder and louder until everyone winced. Next, the Ferris wheel trembled—nothing big at first. Just a slight vibration running along the bars and wires. Holding onto the bars made my hands tickle, but other than that it was no big deal.
Until the shaking worsened.
The Ferris wheel creaked and groaned with the growing strain while the cages swung back and forth, back and forth wildly. The whole wheel shook like there was an earthquake. A big one. It got so bad, I couldn’t hold on anymore. My hands were too sweaty, and the shaking was too strong.
I lost my grip.
Then I was tumbling through the air—it seemed to take forever—and I could hear Sweet Pea screaming. She sounded so far away, though. Suddenly, I jolted to a stop. The third bar had caught me as I fell, and somehow I’d managed to grab onto it.
I shut my eyes. If I could just hold still for a minute to make my world stop moving. Make my lungs work again. Finally, I opened my eyes. But what I saw next…had I hit my head? Was I hallucinating? Staccato was walking along the Ferris wheel’s bars like he was strolling on a sidewalk.
Upside down.
He could walk anywhere he wanted, anyway he wanted. The shaking didn’t bother him at all. He sauntered past me on the third bar, and then up along the fourth. At this rate, he’d reach the top of the Ferris wheel in a few minutes.
But I wasn’t finished yet. Now it was my turn.
I slipped on Deeter’s ring. When I peered at the bar in front of me and didn’t see my hands, I nearly freaked. Like maybe I wasn’t holding on anymore. But the ring’s magic was working—Staccato didn’t have a clue. He kept peering at the ground as if maybe he’d thought I’d fallen.
Good. Let him think that. It would only play in my favor.
The Ferris wheel was still shaking pretty bad, but I managed to climb the fifth bar, which I used to brace myself. Then I drew out the Red Kazoo and pressed it against my mouth. This would be tricky. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate.
“Hey, Staccato!” I called. “Staccato!”
Staccato perched on the sixth bar, within easy reach of the seventh, but he hesitated.
“Allegro?” he called.
It worked.
“There’s been a change of plans,” I said. “We no longer need the Magic Eight Ball. You may as well let the Ragdoll have it.”
Poor Staccato seemed thoroughly confused. He gaped at the top of the Ferris wheel, then down at the ground.
“What change?” he asked.
“I’m hardly going to shout the details to you! You’re only wasting valuable time. We have to go!”
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Staccato inched his way to the edge of the bar, but then he stopped. He didn’t seem totally convinced yet. Time to take a chance. There was no way to know if this would persuade him or ruin my plan completely, but I didn’t have much choice.
“We have to go, Staccato! The Maestro’s called us!”
That sure did it. Staccato climbed down so frantically he nearly ran. And while he was climbing down, I started climbing up. It wasn’t until Staccato had arrived at the bottom that Allegro realized something was wrong. Even near the top, I could hear snatches of their conversation.
“Did you get the Magic Eight Ball?” Allegro asked.
“You said we didn’t need it,” Staccato said. “You said we have to go. The Maestro’s called.”
“What! No, I didn’t!”
“Yes, you did. I heard you.”
There was a long pause, and then Allegro pretty much exploded.
“That Ragdoll tricked you! Get back up there and get the Magic Eight Ball! Now! Go!”
Staccato scrambled up the bars, but it didn’t matter. Even with his chewing gum shoes. I had way too much of a head start. And the Ferris wheel wasn’t shaking so bad now, like the effects of the Tuning Fork were wearing off. Climbing wasn’t so hard.
A few more bars, and I’d win.
I lifted myself up one. Then another. I could see the Magic Eight Ball, right at the edge of the very top. I reached out my hand to take it—not quite. One more bar. Almost. Then I heard a scream.
Staccato’s scream.
Chapter 18
Midnight
Staccato was a goner.
After a scream like that, how could he be anything but a flat smudge on the pavement? The taco I had for dinner started threatening to make a reappearance as I peered down at the ground for a glimpse of his smashed, dead body.
I let out a breath. There was no sign of him below. Looked like maybe he’d escaped certain death after all. But if he hadn’t fallen to the ground, then where was he?
“Staccato!” I shouted.
“I’m here! Help me! Please!”
With only a single hand, he clutched one of the Ferris wheel’s wires that supported the main bars. There weren’t any other main bars or beams close enough for him to stand on, though, so his legs dangled in the air. He kept trying to grab the wire with his free hand, but he couldn’t quite do it.
No way he could hang on like that for much longer.
Staccato was near enough that if I hurried, I might make it in time to help him. But the Magic Eight Ball—we’d worked so hard to find it. Risked our lives for it, even. And now, with only one bar left to climb, I almost had it.
The Magic Eight Ball, or Staccato?
I had to choose.
We needed the Magic Eight Ball to save the world, didn’t we? Besides, it wasn’t my idea to have this stupid duel on the Ferris wheel. Sorry Staccato. You fight a duel, you take risks. This was my chance. I was invisible, so no one would ever know that I could’ve saved him. No one would know, except me.
And not even the Ragman could make me forget it.
I gave the Magic Eight Ball one last good-bye sigh, then climbed down the Ferris wheel. On the bar nearest to Staccato, I wrapped my legs around the beam for support. This wasn’t close enough—I’d have to inch my way out to him.
A small push forward. Another, just a little farther. There. I could reach his hand if I really stretched. His black shoes were stuck upside down to the bar above his head as if they hadn’t been tied tightly enough and he’d slipped out of them. Looked like that weird magic chewing gum wasn’t such a great idea after all.
“Staccato, I’m here! Hold on!” I called.
He jerked as if I’d startled him. I’d forgotten I was still wearing Deeter’s ring. I slipped it off my finger and tucked it inside my pants pocket. From this close, I could see Staccato had been crying.
“Are you hurt?” I called.
He shook his head, so I offered him my hand.
“Grab on!” I said. “Quick!”
He swung up his free arm, and I stretched out to snatch it, but all I caught was air. He tried again, and I seized his fingers, but that wouldn’t be enough to save him. He tried once more, and this time I caught his hand in a firm grasp.
“Now pull!” I shouted.
With a grunt, he strained to heave himself onto the bar while I hauled him up as best as I could. He was almost there. He even had one hand on it, when suddenly that hand slipped, and then my grip was the only thing keeping him from falling.
This was the worst carnival ever.
Down at the base of the Ferris wheel, everyone was freaking out. Even the Carnie. He paced back and forth, ranting about how we were ruining his ride safety record.
Sweet Pea shouted at him. “Do something! Bring them down!”
“No can do, little lady. If I rotate the Ferris wheel now, they’ll both fall.”
Sweet Pea spun around to face Allegro. I’d never seen her look so fierce.
“This is your fault!” she shouted. “Look at them! They could die!”
It didn’t take a genius to see that Allegro and the other Choir Boys were regretting their choice of the duel’s location. They pressed against the gate and pointed at us, but there wasn’t much they could do to help.
“Hang on, Staccato!” they shouted. “Don’t let go!”
As if that was something he actually wanted to do.
“I’m not strong enough!” he said, his voice shaking like he might cry again. “My grip…I can’t hold on!”
“You have to!” I called.
He looked down—bad idea—and when he looked up again his eyes were wide and his breaths were shallow. Like maybe he was about to freeze up or something. If he did, I’d never get him to safety. I reached out my other hand to grab him, but it was no good. Unless he pulled himself up, I wouldn’t be able to save him. There had to be a way to shake him out of it.
“Hey, Staccato,” I said. “Knock-knock.”
His face was blank, so I tried again.
“Knock-knock. It’s a joke.”
“Wh-who’s there?” he asked in a real small voice.
“I am.”
“I am who?”
“What? Don’t you even know who you are?”
It worked. Slowly, very slowly, the corners of his mouth started to lift until he was grinning.
“Ready for another try?” I extended my other hand.
He grabbed it.
“Together on three,” I said. “Ready? One, two, three!”
We both heaved. He’d make it this time. He managed to get his elbows over the bar, and then his right leg. Just a little more….
Things went pretty quick after that. So quick, I hardly knew what was happening. I gave one last pull, which made him shoot up onto the bar, which made me lose my balance, which made me tip backward off the bar.
And yes, I fell off the Ferris wheel. Again.
My stomach lurched, but this time I didn’t fall as far. I landed on the roof of one of those swinging cages—the ones people sit in when they actually want to ride the Ferris wheel instead of fighting crazy duels on it.
Staccato’s face peeked over the edge of the bar at me.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
My ankle was hurt, my back was killing me, and my head was pounding. I could see five Staccatos dancing around on the bar above, as if one wasn’t enough. Still, I was alive, so I gave him a thumbs-up. It was the best I could do since I’d had the wind knocked out of me.
And what did he do next?
Did he tell me to hold on, assure me that everything would be all right?
Did he climb down to help me out and see if I was injured?
Did he say, “gee thanks, you’re my new best friend, and I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me tonight”?
Nope.
He climbed to the top of the Ferris wheel and claimed the Magic Eight Ball for himself. By the time I’d finally caught my breath,
Staccato had already given it to Allegro, and the Choir Boys had left the Ferris wheel.
So much for gratitude.
“Tough break, kid,” the Carnie said when I reached the bottom. “Ah, well. You win some, you lose some. In the end, it’s the heart that matters, and you’ve got plenty of that! Plenty of courage, too. You’ll win next time.”
Sweet Pea and Deeter came rushing at me. I figured they’d start telling me what a moron I was. But Sweet Pea caught me up in a big hug, and Deeter patted me on the back. I winced, even though I tried not to, and they both let go.
“Sorry,” Sweet Pea said. “Are you hurt badly?”
“I lost,” I said. “I lost the Magic Eight Ball.”
“You saved Staccato’s life. What else could you have done?”
“It’s all right, Rookie,” Deeter added. “We’ll find another way.”
“Hey, kids.” The Carnie pointed at his wristwatch. “Fifteen till midnight. You might want to start heading home.”
“Um, sir?” I asked. “What exactly happens at midnight?”
“We pack up! Head on to the next place. This carnival ain’t meant to stay in one spot. We move on. And anything in the carnival moves with us. Or anyone. Remember, the Management ain’t responsible for lost items or lost people.”
“Thank you, sir,” Sweet Pea said. She glanced at Deeter and me. “We’d better hurry.”
Fortunately, the carnival’s exit wasn’t too far away. And I tried to hurry. I really did. But the fastest I could manage was a slow, halting limp. Deeter and Sweet Pea each looped their arms under mine and helped me walk, so the three of us hobbled along the path together. All in all, it wasn’t exactly my best and brightest moment.
“I’m sorry guys,” I said.
“Man, it’s no big deal,” Deeter said.
Losing the one thing that might have given us some answers. That might have helped us save the world. That might have helped me get my memories back.
Yeah. No big deal.
“At least I didn’t have to see Allegro’s gloating face when Staccato gave him the Magic Eight Ball,” I said.
“You didn’t miss much,” Sweet Pea said. “They were pretty quiet about it. Allegro only nodded when Staccato gave it to him, and then they left.”
The Crown of the Bandit King Page 14