The Carnie

                My heart skipped a beat and lodged high in my throat when I discovered my ring had fallen off. With swollen eyes, I tugged on mom's hand, "Mom, I lost John's ring!" She had spent all afternoon warning us of the despicable, no good, low down, two-bit characters we would find at the carnival and the horrible bloody death we would surely succumb to if we left her side. Systematically she analyzed every person that passed; this one was a slut, that one a thief, those are drug addicts, a dealer, a freak, a drunk, and that one had no mother, all the while completely ignoring the three of us. "Mom, John's ring," I said still tugging.

         "I told you...all thieves," was all that came out as she swatted me away and quickly returned her focus to Burt, her latest fling. Burt was much younger than Dad but was otherwise no consolation, he smelled of too much aftershave and suffered from a failing wardrobe...and greasy hair.

         "Thieves," he squawked following a slug from his third beer, and they both snorted in unison.

         "My ring," I thought and 'bang', I was knocked to the ground. My brothers couldn't break a hundred with their combined IQ and their sole purpose in life was to drive me insane.

         "I love you Johnny, kissy, kissy"

         "I love you too, sweetie-darling," they teased.

         "Aah!" I screamed and turned the corner in disgust and was suddenly alone in some sort of ally. "I'll take my chances with the despicable, no good, low down, two-bit, kidnapping, axe-murderers!" I shouted back, "I'll find my ring myself." As I approached the corner of the building I heard a faint jingle like a chain, and could just make out a smell caught in the wind; musty and dirty, and smoky. Red and blue lights flashed beyond the corner and I was almost to them.

         Out of nowhere a man stepped from behind the corner right in front of me. With the carnival lights behind him I couldn't make out his face. The smell was definitely him, and so much stronger now and with a hint of...maple syrup...and smoke. He towered above me. I put my hand to my mouth and stepped back. He had a cigarette in his mouth and as he pulled his hair back I could see tattoos on his hands and neck. His hands were bruised and bent; some of the fingers might have been missing. Rings, rings on his hands, in his ears, his eyebrow, rings. As he took a puff, the cherry on his cigarette lit his face, his eyes glowed red like silent demons, and I could see him. Staring down at me.

         "Get away from me, you freak!" I shouted without thinking. My shout had no effect on him, and I wondered if it came out at all. From behind him peered the face of a young girl. Her eyes were bluish white, like ice, and sparkled. The carnival lights and stars seemed to be multiplied and pour from her gaze filling the night sky. She wore a beautiful yellow dress.

         Looking up at the carnie, she proclaimed, "I told you we'd find her, Poppy."

         "And right you were Sophia," the man replied. "You are wiser than your years. Have you been peering into Madame Balinsky's crystal ball again?" The girl giggled.

         It seemed they were acting out some play, oblivious of me, as if some invisible bubble kept them in a time and place of their own. Their soft conversation did not include me or the rest of the world. How could this girl call him Poppy? The girl's arm stretched out in front of me; my heart skipped again and then froze. Her fingers slowly opened palm up and I could just make out...my ring.

         "I believe you dropped this miss"

         As I reached for the ring, another hand beat me to it. It was Burt, "Thief", he spit as he pushed the carnie against the wall. The carnie was much bigger than Burt yet didn't resist. His eyes would not make contact with Burt and spoke no words. "Take that slut and crawl back under the rock you live under." Mom was laughing hysterically.

         I looked around but the girl had vanished and as soon as Burt loosened his grip on the carnie, he vanished as well. Like shadows, they were absorbed into the darkness. Soon I was back in the crowd following behind Burt and my Mom. "Can I have my ring?" I asked Burt who must have still had it. "Can I have my ring?" I asked again.

         "Can I, can I, can I," Burt slurred back at me taking another chug from his bottle, "It's my ring now. Wanna be my girlfriend?" His six-pack now held only one beer and he nearly dropped it leaning over to kiss me. I withdrew my hand and crunched up my face, nothing was worth that. As I stormed ahead Burt grabbed my bottom and exclaimed to the world, "Tonight, I'm gonna make her scream." Mom was just laughing and hanging on Burt's every move. They seemed to bob and sway as one, rolling up and down, side to side, like a two headed creature coming at you through the mud.

         "Oh, tonight my baby's gonna become a woman. It's about time you grow up, by your age I'd already slept with Cousin Tim, Uncle Joey, and your grandpa. Count yourself lucky, Burt's much better looking than Uncle Joey" Laughing, she stumbled into another family. "Get out of my way! Freaks!" Tripping, she fell into them and I escaped into the bathroom.

         'NO CARNIES' was painted on the wall next to the mirror. I stood and tried to catch my breath. In my reflection, I noticed Sophia hiding in one of the stalls behind me. She held her finger in front of her mouth motioning for me not to say anything. Just as I began to turn, a hand came over my shoulder and another around my waste. It was Burt. He slipped his hand down the top of my sundress and squeezed my breast. Inside I jumped but in the mirror, I didn't move.

         "I'm gonna make you bleed." His face was just behind my ear, puffing and snorting like an animal. His eyes glowed red like crazy demons.

         "Mom!" I pleaded, as she peered around Burt's shoulder and for a second I felt...

         "Hey, grab my tits!" Mom hollered trying to turn Burt around. With one fluid motion, Burt back-handed mom in the face. Blood sprayed the mirror and she flew against the wall hard. His hand came back fast and clamped over my mouth to keep me from screaming. In the mirror, I could see one of Mom's teeth sticking in the back of Burt's hand.

         "Come here you little tease," He leaned over and began to pull up the front of my dress. Sophia leapt onto his back. Grabbing Burt's hair with one hand, she reached around and clawed one of his eyes scratching his face. Letting go of me, Burt turned and threw Sophia to the ground. "What the...come here you little whore." He lunged at Sophia tearing her dress to the waist. Her eyes were wide and screaming yet only a whimper came out of her mouth. She covered her breasts and scrambled into the corner.

         "Stop!" I screamed and jumped between them. Facing Burt, I could feel Sophia squirm from beneath me. This time there would be no escape, Burt pressed me into the ground with his body, Sophia quivered against the wall afraid to run, and I could feel his hand reach between my legs. I bit my lip and one more tear ran down the side of my face. His other hand gripped my throat and he raised his head to the sky like some kind of crazed beast, howling. His body jerked suddenly and I felt his weight lift off of me.

         It was the carnie. He had Burt by his privates, dragging him across the room. The grip was so tight Burt couldn't break free. He rolled over to his back and kicking spread his legs apart as the carnie dragged him out of the bathroom. With one foot on either side of the door, Burt tried desperately to stay inside, as if he something more horrible than death waited just outside that door. It was no use, the carnie gave one good jerk and Burt's legs gave in. Out came a blood curdling scream.

         "Burt?" Came a confused plea from my Mom who was just getting up. She ran after Burt disoriented. The carnie, still holding tight to Burt's parts, dragged him into the middle of the street and slammed his knee into Burt's throat pinning him to the ground. Suddenly, up came the carnie's hand high into the air. Carnival lights of red and blue danced in his hand. A knife. The carnie's hand came down quicker than it went up and with a deep thud buried the blade to the handle. Burt's body jumped. The carnie finally let go of Burt and stood up.

         A crowd had begun to gather and through their legs I could see Burt roll to his side. The knife still stuck in the ground next to where his head was. It had just grazed him, neatly removing one ear. He was cupping his crotch in one hand, his ear in the other, and began to vomit profusely.

         "Burt!" Mom screamed as she dropped to Burt's side. I could see her swollen lips and blood stained shirt.

         A pair of soft hands graced my shoulders from behind and gently motioned me to come. I looked back as a gypsy woman wrapped a shawl over Sophia and helped her to her feet. The woman said nothing, she simply reached out her hand, palm up, and drew me into the crowd.

         I twisted my head around and could see my Mom now lying on Burt's reduced form. She didn't even look up. We melted into the crowd that gathered to watch. Mom and Burt had become the attraction. Carnival lights glisten off of the eyes and grins of the crowd, red and blue. The air was filled with laughter and a carnival piano song played in the background. I could just make out someone saying to them...

"Freaks!"