Don't Talk to Strangers

Don’t Talk to Strangers 

JUNE 22, 1982, 

Gravestown, NY

Life as they knew it would cease, it would take until 4 years short of fifty to rectify his mistake. Evil, this way comes. 

"Slow down dumb ass!" If excited, he could not be slowed down, so Carl ran faster and grabbed his arm to halt him. "What's your hurry, ya late for a date or something?" "There's a carnival here I just know there is!" "So?" "So, we need to find it, please? That cotton candy is going to be SO good!" 

"What cott-" Carl stopped talking the moment the scents of deep-fried cheesecake and mini donuts wafted up his nose. He looked around down the sidewalk beside the schoolhouse, and subtly shifted his vision up the road West, toward the town center, and nothing. "Come on let's go, mom wants us right home after school, forget about the carnival." 

"Yes, Carl, I can FEEL it!" he said in a tone, only slightly below yelling, pulling to follow the treats. "I think It's over down the road, and on our way home, so please can we go Carl? Please can we!?" "Only if you settle the hell down and listen to me and for God's sake, STOP RUNNING!" "I promise, I promise!" 

He often expressed frustration toward his little brother, but always gave into him because for a little boy of seven, he was smart and curious. They walked at least four blocks and still nothing. The sweet odor grew stronger and stronger. Devlin peered down the side streets as they walked with his hand above his brow to help him see further. 

"I don't see anything, but the smell, that doesn't make any sense!" "Yes, Devlin, so let's go home, it's 2:50, mom will freak out if we are late because she worries too much." "Hey, are you listening to me? Devlin what are you staring at?" No answer, the kid stood in a dazed happy state. In the direction of his little brother's gaze. Out of nowhere, a huge sign with lights and a bunch of rides and food booths. Right in Serpentine Park! 

He turned back to Devlin and noticed he was following instructions for once; he had not run off and was hyperactive waiting for the go ahead from him. After a moment of silent contemplation, he quickly said "Ok! Let's go, BUT we can't stay long because, well, I don't have to tell you why." "Mom will freak out! You're the best brother in the whole world!" 

Leery, yet, excited; Carl ushered his little brother across the road to explore, once they reached the front gate, he realized they had no money. The bad news he was about to relay creeped in on his mind, he saw a billboard out front that read FREE ADMISSION -- TODAY ONLY! 

"Carl! What are you doing? Let's go, let's go!" While his brother contemplated for what seemed to him like an hour was torture. Everyone knows what the wise ones say about gut feelings right? "Alright, let's go in then." In spite of the wise ones, the two entered through the gates. Better not be any freaky clowns that eat kids in there. The older one thought. In his mind he was half joking, yet no comfort came from it. 

The Twin Flip caught the elder brother's eye first because the line wasn't that long. They got on sitting side by each in two upright enclosed buckets attached to a long arm designed to flip back and forth while the arm rotated at increasing speeds. 

The ride started, spun and flipped and spun some more, this went on for a long time but was a lot of fun. The ride finally stopped, they got off expecting to be extremely dizzy from spinning so long, surprisingly enough they felt, sort of exhilarated really. 

In a trailer not far off the midway, a mysterious man dressed in a fancy pinstripe suit and expensive black shoes sat in preparation for a show. In place of a suit jacket, he wore a vest with a red cravat tie. 

His assistants, (not the traditional scantily clad young women). They were lean male and female teenage kids all dressed in black slacks and crisp, white t-shirts with black jazz shoes. 

"Should we put the sign out now?" The eldest assistant asked. "Yes, yes and attract them as we rehearsed" 

They began to progress outside, one putting up the wood poster stand and circus style advertisement that read THE GREATEST SHOW YOU'VE EVER SEEN! the rest beginning their choreographed line around the entrance to the show, following in a circle dancing and breaking off to perform acrobatic flips and into the crowd. Children began to follow them with their eyes, over to the poster again. Haunting music began to come out from the stage. 

Carl and Devlin were among the first to find a seat, right up front. The show tent was dark and intriguing. The rest of the audience was completely enveloped in the atmosphere while they awaited the next part of their adventure. 

All seats were all full, the classy dancers all disappeared behind the wood platform and the music stopped. Out came the man to address the eager children. "Welcome, welcome to the greatest show ever seen!" He began to walk back and forth. "You won't believe your eyes or even your senses." The dancers returned as the man pulled a human sized box from back-stage. The music returned as; the man opened the box. 

"Kids, the box is tall but not deep" he turned the box around clockwise forty-five degrees to show no doors or curtains and that the box was solid, "Nothing on this side", then turned it again forty-five degrees to show the back and again knocked on the solid wood "No hidden door here." 

He continued until the box was pointed to the audience again in its original position. The dancers filed into the box, one after the next while the song played. 

The chorus began. "Masquerade! Hide your face so the world will never find you." As the last dancer entered the box, the door fastened shut. Silence ensued, they stared without uttering a word. The door opened to reveal empty blackness. 

The man turned to them, with a very elegant bow, and as everyone sat in a daze of wonderment, "Shall I bring them back?" His hand cupped to his right ear, he waited for the children to respond. 

"Yes!" they all shouted, the man pivoted on his left heel and closed the box. Immediately upon opening it, the song began to play and out they emerged to wow their new patrons again with their stealthy choreographed movements. 

They stealthily moved across the stage and disappeared behind the elaborate velvet curtain. A total cliché, but in this case, true. 

"And now, I need a volunteer, how about you? Come on up boy!" As he motioned his forefinger in that familiar come-hither way, to his left Carl sat, to his right was a pale boy. Devlin faced back to the stage. "You mean me, sir?" He beckoned. "Yes, boy, come up here!" Nervous, he stood for the long trip (only two feet but still). The man then placed his hands on the child's shoulders and turned his body to face him. "If I grant you, one wish my boy, what would it be?" 

I wish I was invisible. "Invisible it is!" The thought must have inadvertently left his mind and escaped from his lips. "But, I didn't really-" He tried to take his unintended wish back, but before he was able, a piece of red satin material was draped over his head, and he was turned around in circles. 

"You are about to witness a transformation folks, prepare yourself for what's next!" This time, he uttered a chant. "Now you see him, now you don't, hear him speak, no you won't. Call his name, not once, not twice but thrice, last a roll of the pale bone dice." The sheet that once contained Devlin, now fell to the ground and everyone waited for the magician's next move. 

He was there still and waved, calling his brother's name. The teen assistants lined up in a row, just staring at him with scary little smirks on their faces, they appeared in the blink of an eye. 

He felt as though, he was watching one of those horror films where the mom goes into the kitchen in the morning and every single cupboard door is open and all the drawers pulled fully when the kitchen was not left that way the night before, EERY. 

Sick to his stomach, Carl stood. "Devlin, Devlin, Devlin!" Nothing happened, he ran up and asked for the dice. "There are no magic dice you silly boy, and no audience either." Carl whipped around to verify, not one kid; no chairs. "What have you done with my brother you asshole?" "Now, now Carl, is that any way to speak to a superior?" "Who are you, and where is my brother?" 

The man picked the satin off the floor and his minions stood in tow waiting for instructions. They were not human as far as their frightened victim was concerned at least. Without further hesitation, Carl ran out to the midway, heart pounding so hard it may just as well have jumped out through his ribs and flesh. Come right home boys after school, and for Heaven's sake, don't talk to strangers! Ma's voice pierced his memory like a spike driven through his skull. 

Frantically looking for Devlin, he called again, yelling at the top of his lungs this time. "DEVLIN, DEVLIN, DEVLIN! 

No child to be seen, he turned back to the show tent, as he began to walk toward it, the distance between himself and the tent grew farther, the more he walked toward the tent, the farther it was from him. This is totally fucked! What the fuck am I going to do? 

Tired, confused and who knew what else, he found a bench facing the Ferris wheel and sat down, head in his hands. Tears welled up and burned his eyes. 

He lifted his head and saw a strange glow out the corner of his left eye. A small beach hut, white with red stripes, like the kind he had seen in old-fashioned movies his mom made him watch with her if he was home from school. 

With the slight glow of yellow coming from the slightly open spaces between canvas opening, the soft yellow was almost inviting, calming, within a few minutes of looking at it his mood changed to very calm and distracted. 

Light, light meant someone must have been inside. Haven't you been too trusting already? This is just an illusion; you need to get the fuck out of here! 

The sky began to turn ominous, the smells and sounds they both loved were turning. The air wreaked of garbage that had been out in the sun too long. The sound of silence, was deafening. 

Erect on his size 10 feet, and ready to keep searching, his ears picked up a faint voice. "Carl, help me." The tone, like a ghostly echo. He stepped quickly to his left, and concentrated. The voice, this time said "I'm over here!" 

Briefly, Devlin appeared, then disappeared into fog. Carl started to run, the voice spoke to him again, he ran to the right. "I'm here buddy, come to me!" He pleaded, as sweat began to wet his brow. The midway had taken on the personality of the sky. Shadows lurking behind food booths, wrappers scattered everywhere, the largest crows he had ever seen picking and pecking their way to full gullets. The colors of the game shacks and all else were visible but faded and ashen. 

Amidst the drab, he saw a bright blue jacket. "Devlin! Over here!" The child looked over, but began to walk further away from him. He followed, picking up his pace every few steps. "Carl, wait!" The voice shifted to following him, he turned to see Devlin. "Oh my God, are you ok? Where did you go?" Kid brother began to morph, an inch up, two inches out, his clothes and shoes ripped, replaced by a ratted cloak and dirty bare feet. An old gypsy man now stood before him. "Dinlow! You search in vain. He's our Kurchi now!" 

The grotesque man grabbed his forearm with his rough, dirty hands. The pain wretched his bones as long yellow fingernails pierced his skin. 2015 would be the year he discovered that dinlow (fool) and Kuchi (house child) were Romani, gypsy speak. Stark, grey eyes glared at him as his arm oozed dark blood and went numb. "You go back where you came from dinlow!" With his arm finally released, he ran, as he did, the midway was being pulled one booth, one shack at a time into sink-holes; vanishing. 

Dusty dirt spots and scattered grass patches replaced what he left behind. Apple Creek Road was within eyeshot, vomit began to reach his esophagus and escape the corners of his mouth. No longer could he fool himself that he could keep it down until at least half way down Apple Creek. Hunched over, the contents of his stomach hit the sidewalk, the cracks sucking up what they could, the rest pooling at his feet. 

Contemplation of what to tell Ma, entered his mind. I could say that I was looking for him after school, and he wasn't there, no that's dumb, why didn't I call home? 

Faster, faster, until he bailed and landed on the concrete, ripping his jeans and the skin of his knee. Back up, he would fall four times more on the way home that day. Tell her the truth! You took your brother to a fucking carnival that wasn't real and now he's gone! 

The F word never would have come out of his thirteen-year-old mouth to his mother, if she could hear his thoughts, she would smack him silly. Yeah, right Carl, tell her about the carnival that never was, good way to be sent to the looney bin! 

Drake house, the place he and his brother had been born to; stared at him while he approached its front steps. I have to go in, go in and deliver the worst news my mother has ever been told, I- "Carl hon, what are you doing on the step?" Ma's voice startled him so much he began to shake. "Well? Come on then, I baked your favorite pie!" His favorite pie was peach. My favorite pie? What? It must be past dinner by now "we" were supposed to be home by three-thirty this afternoon! 

"Ma." He said in an uneasy tone, "I have something to tell you, I-" He was fully upright and facing her. "What has happened to you?" The horror on her face would never be forgotten. "Ma, I NEED to tell you-" "Oh my God! Let me help you!" Tears crept down his cheeks as she gently brought him up the steps into the hallway beyond the front door. "Now come, I'll fix you up and you can tell me what happened. Did someone beat you up at school?" 

They walked past the kitchen (almost past), before they reached the main bathroom, "Hello, Carl." Devlin spoke in a low, deliberate tone. "What the-" Words were forming in his head but would not leave his lips. He pulled back to stop Ma from leading him all the way to the bathroom. Devlin was there, alright, but he was different; not the happy child he lost, but a child sporting a sly, evil grin. 

"I missed you, Carl."