The wind gusted over the bluff that led almost-straight-down to the ocean. From that bluff, you can see out into the Atlantic Ocean, and for many it is a thing of beauty to behold. For others, like the man walking along the concrete pathway, it is a means for making money. Walking confidently in his trench coat that flaps in the oppressive wind, the heavy set man strolls along the very edge of the bluff with only a thin metal railing between him and the crashing waves below.
With a somber grin, he turns from the expansive natural creation to face his own constructed masterpiece: Battlement's Bluff Amusement Park. Like any other park you've visited, it has brightly colored buildings, connected with paved walkways and roads. Every so often, you can make out rides and food vendors and all the things that make for a fun day. The man taps his cane against the concrete, like he is tapping his fingers against a table. He takes in what he has made, and while the Sun is not set yet beyond the roller coaster in the West, he notes this place should be full of guests, rather than being completely empty.
He forces his mind to bring back the sights, sounds, and smells of Bluff's Park, as the local town called it. The hustle and bustle of families laughing and eating and having fun. The energy from every day seemed limitless. Pulling his free hand through his shoulder length hair then back down through his shaggy beard, his unkempt persona fits the shaggy looks of this empty park. "But," he says to himself softly, "Today is a good day to reopen, and once I've got myself in order, it will be time to get this place in order." The tapping cane that dominated even the wind noise becomes softer as he strolls again through the aisles of Bluff's Park. His home is at the heart of the park, and his recently purchased hygiene kit awaits him. Once I've forced myself to look presentable again, I'll force others to do the same for my park.
Kelsey knows she should have said no, but she gets all weak-kneed around Flynn, so she cannot help but say yes. The warm night feels almost cold with the wind blowing around them. They have slipped through the broken fence to walk hand-in-hand along a pathway of Bluff's Park. He thinks it romantic to kiss under the moonlight at the bluff, so he wants to go there every chance he can. To be fair, Kelsey thinks with a groan, I think romance is sitting all warm and toasty on the couch, watching a movie together, while he rubs my feet. She glances over to see his boyish face, grinning in the moonlight. Ugh, she groans again, but he is so cute!
They pass the somewhat familiar path to the bluff's edge, but something catches her eye. "Hey, what's that?" She exclaims slowing down to point to a ride to their right. She feels him take a couple more steps before stopping. "Hang on, now," he says jokingly, "You're not trying to back out...huh, haven't noticed that before." Rather than walking forward, she can now feel him turning her towards where she was pointing.
The Twist-a-bout involves lots of spinning and quick movements in various types of circular motions. Kelsey remembers how much fun she had on this ride with her girlfriends last summer. It is brightly colored in reds, oranges, and yellows. She usually glances over at it when they walk by, so the large box in front of the ride looks out of place today.
"It looks like a giant Jack-in-the-box," Flynn remarks as they get closer. The wooden box looks to be brand new, with high-gloss paint and a shiny handle and clasps all around the corners. "I don't remember this being here before," he says, reaching out to touch it. As he does, he jerks his hand back quickly, causing Kelsey to scream and him to laugh.
Realizing she had been fooled, she slaps him on the arm, "Don't scare me like that!" He laughs loudly, pretending to flinch at the playful slap. "You should have seen the look on your face," he says, still laughing. Now frowning, but not really mad anymore, she changes the subject, "I wonder who brought it out here. The Ringmaster moved away months ago." Flynn shrugs his shoulders as he walks around the big box. "Yeah, no one has seen him since...well, you know."
Kelsey nods her head in remembrance, and a sudden chill catches her spine. She turns her head to look around her, wondering why she feels like someone is watching them. She takes in the desolate park that looks to be slowly moving to disrepair, but then snaps her head back at the calliope music.
"What are you doing?" Flynn ignores her as he continues to turn the crank. "I just wanna see what kind of Jack pops out," he replies while turning the big crank with both hands, "Or maybe it is a Jill," he adds with a wink. No longer feeling the fun of the joke, she asks, "Hey, let's just go okay? I'm not interested in finding out, okay?"
The music is almost to the point that you know the lid is about to swing open. Reflexively, she takes a couple of steps back. Flynn continues to turn the handle with the music getting louder in the background. Suddenly, the lid pops open, and a giant white glove with a brightly colored spring pops out. The large puffy hand seems to have a life of its own, as it bobs back and forth with colorful ribbons attached to the seams near the "wrist". Flynn's big smile quickly disappears as the springing hand engulfs him. It bounces back with him in its grasp and both of them disappear inside the box. The lid slams closed, returning it to how it looked just moments ago, to the deafening, hysterical screaming of Kelsey. Hands around the sides of her head, she screams in terror, completely unaware of the flapping of a trenchcoat behind her.
Destiny ends the call in frustration: another state park that has no room for her girl scout troop to get their camping badge. Rubbing the shaved side of her head, she pushes the longer hair on the top over to the other side in her involuntary habit of frustration, while popping her neck with a slight twist of her head. Her daughter and two of her friends are going to age out of the troop this month, and if they do not get this final badge, then they will not get their Gold Award which they have spent years working towards.
Slumping back in the hard kitchen chair, Destiny takes a long swig of spiked tea. Not enough bite in this to take the edge off, she thinks with a grimace. She finishes the can then says to no one in the empty room, "I didn't even want her to continue it back then, but I volunteered all these years to keep her dream alive, and now, I can't believe it's over." Dropping the can in the recycle bin, she goes to get dressed. Her leggings and undersized shirt seem to not match her age, as her thick, mature curves and the small crow's feet around her eyes say she is probably older than she dresses. I'll make the second shift deliveries, she says thinking about the truck she drives for a seafood distribution center on the other side of town, and tell Skyye the bad news tomorrow.
At school, Skyye closes her locker before heading to the cafeteria. Kelsey was not at school today, so I guess I'll sit with my troop today. The cafeteria is usually so packed, you cannot get more than one or two people who know each other together anyway. She has to choose her best friend or her two troop friends. Kelsey probably misses one lunch a week for whatever reason, so this is not out of the ordinary. She will check out early, or check in late, so Skyye walks to the lunchroom without any worries for her missing friend.
At the table, the red-haired Skyye finishes out the set perfectly. Nikki's long black hair pulled up into two pig tails and Mindy's longer platinum-blonde hair french-braided down her back give all the main colors of hair packed into one end of the long cafeteria table. Skyye's naturally curly hair falls just the right way like in the commercials of the shampoo and conditioner she uses. If they could get Kelsey at the table, they would have a full house with her shorter, rich brown hair. Interestingly enough, her mom's hair matches Kelsey's much more than she does mine. They've all joked if they were switched at birth.
"So, what do you think?" Skyye shakes her head from the question and replies, "Sorry, lost in a daydream, what do I think about what?" Nikki sighs heavily and repeats what she just said, "Our camping badge is not going to do itself, and your mom still has not found a place for us before the end of the month. So, I was thinking we could spend the night at Bluff's Park." Mindy nods her head and chimes in, "We could still use our tents, but we would be on the smooth pavement or fake grass, rather than the uneven dirt and rocks. We all have sleeping bag pads, so it will be like sleeping at home, sort of."
Skyye shrugs her shoulders while eating her salad, "I don't know. I think that place is condemned or something, so probably not." Nikki and Mindy both look at each other, then back at her, "Look, you brought us this far, and we want to finish this. Gold Award winners get scholarships, and both of us need that." Skyye sighs, as she thinks about that statement. Me too...mom's not gonna be able to pay for any schooling when we graduate this year from high school. Each of us is 18 now, and the clock to complete the requirements will expire at the end of that same year you turn 18. "All we are saying is, bring it up with your mom, and see if she will take us to Medieval Forest at Bluff's Park this weekend, okay?"
The life-size toy soldier stands at attention in the dimly-lit garage. There are old roller coaster carts in the background, along with other various parts and pieces one would only find in an amusement park. The toy soldier smiles like a mannequin, staring off into the distance. His red coat, black pants with yellow striping down the side, along with shiny knee-high boots look to be in pristine condition. His black hair is combed over and looks to be made of a shiny plastic material. He remains at attention as someone walks stiffly up to him.
Still wearing her regular clothes, Kelsey walks up to him holding a paintbrush and small paint can. Her facial expression is pained, like she does not want to do what she is doing. "Please," she says softly, "Make it stop. I just want to go home." Rather than stop, she continues walking like some-kind of robot towards her toy-looking boyfriend. He does not acknowledge her, but holds his stance firm. She dips her brush in the paint, and begins to slowly put two red circles on his cheeks. In a high pitched voice, she says with an uncharacteristic giggle, "There you go, my big strong toy soldier."
Once she is done, she turns to walk away just as she came. "There, I have done what you wanted," she says in her normal voice and tone, "Now let me go. Let us both go." She knows their captor is nearby. He is always nearby. The trenchcoat, the crew-cut hair style, and the short, well-manicured beard that comes to a slight point and looks like he puts grease on it...he is always around. He is always watching. His face fits that of a villain, while his mannerisms seem more sophisticated in nature. But as she sets down the paint and brush where she was directed, she knows him to be one thing, no matter how he looks or acts: evil.
The sky blue jeep pulls up to the entrance of Bluff's Park. The three high school seniors look out the missing top of the shiny vehicle. The day is cool, but sunny, making it the perfect day for a top-down drive. Mindy's blonde hair is in her signature french-braid, along with her outdoors look. Her flannel shirt is tighter than most, as are her jeans, but the cowboy boots on her feet match the theme perfectly. "Well, there it is," she says while turning her car off, "Our last chance to get out of this small town." While her tone is not bitter, it is obvious she wants out of here as soon as possible.
Nikki, whose hair is pulled up in tight cornrows about her head, replies, "Yeah, we got this ladies. One night here and we are gone." Her tight top is leather-like and has a "boob window" that can be covered during school hours, but conveniently removed for after school. Her skirt is tight and too short for school dress code; however, next to her casual shoes on the floor board, one can see the added material to her skirt that had been removed with a gentle pull. Her wardrobe is always ready to be changed from casual to club-worthy.
Skyye has not bothered to tie her hair up, so it looks like a giant red mop on her head. She rakes a hand through it, knowing she will have to spend a little extra time tonight brushing it after today's riding in the back seat with the top down. She looks at the abandoned park, and it seems very innocent and harmless in the daylight. The fencing is cheap and made to be temporary, so it would be nothing for them to get in. In fact, she knows Kelsey and Flynn come out here regularly. Kelsey says they never see a police car, so they must have stopped patrolling the area. Skyye straightens her loose top, thinking about how another day went by without any word from Kelsey. She has lots of things going on at home, so Skyye knows not to press too much. It seems like all four of them have a reason to get out of town, but her troop seems to have the clearest path at the moment. Smiling with determination, she adds after popping her neck for some relief from her pent up stress, "Okay, I'm in. We need a Gold Award to punch our ticket out of here, and the only thing in our way is an overnight camping trip here." When she says 'here', she points out the jeep at the large, expansive, yet empty amusement park. The girls stay a bit longer, chatting about their day and what this coming weekend will bring.
The wind whipping through the darkened park whistles softly. Talking on the phone right now would be distracting with the microphone picking up on the wind noise, but face-to-face would require just-above normal speaking levels. It does not matter, as the two figures say nothing as they walk without aid of light along the smooth concrete. They slowly pass the different empty vendors with the occasional piece of trash blowing past them. The heavy set man frowns, but says nothing out loud as his trench coat flaps behind him. The thin man next to him marches crisply, with nothing on his shiny body flapping. He seems to defy physics with his appearance.
Both men pause in front of a storefront window that looks to have souvenirs within its eerie interior. Neither enters, but they look at the window display. Two mannequins look to be performing in a band. They each have cute catsuits on with spots like a cheetah. They even have "cat ears" poking up from their headbands. They have big smiles on their faces, with a red-haired singer playing the guitar and a blonde-haired drummer in the back. The way they are standing in the window, frozen in time, one would think there should be another on the right side, too.
Trenchcoat makes a mental note then turns to walk another way. Toy Soldier keeps pace and continues smiling as he marches. At another building, they find the Ghoulish Garrison looking like it was built a century ago. It looks more rundown than any other building, but that seems to be part of the display. Trenchcoat makes note of the "front porch" which has a brass throne with red leather and white trim. Without knowing exactly who would sit on a throne on that front porch, it just has the feeling that it should be female, and she would have a "royal yet low-brow" personality. Another mental note made, the two "men" walk off.
At the food court, the theme is clearly retro futuristic. Even though the surfaces look to be silver or chrome, they could use a good polishing. The signs look to be written decades ago, yet anticipating what it would be like in the future. The completely circular counter in the middle looks to be where one would order, but no one seems to be there. A final mental note made, the two men continue their trek. As they walk towards the building at the heart of the park, Trenchcoat checks his phone to see a picture of a blue jeep sitting in a parking lot with three young ladies chatting inside of it. Based on their poses, they look as if they had no idea their picture was being taken.
As he walks in the door, the toy soldier does an about-face and stands next to the door at attention. From a distance, he would appear to be inanimate and made of shiny plastic. Only when one gets close, could you hear the sounds of gears slowly turning within him, and the occasional blink and twitch from the spreading of lube to various joints in his body. Happy or not, he stands and smiles, ever vigilant.
The weekend is finally here, with Skyye and her friends ready to have their school week over, and a chance to check that final box for their future. Destiny checks that all their gear and packs are stowed in the bed of her truck before they get in the cab. She is not as excited as the girls, as she knows it's an uncomfortable night's sleep ahead of her. But she cannot help feeling somewhat relieved, that they found a "loophole" to squeeze through. City hall does not recognize Bluff's Park as "officially" abandoned, so the troop can be on property, so long as the owners approve. She knows the owners left town, so an email to the Bluff's Park website, stating their intentions should cover them for any "legal claims".
Satisfied with their preparations, the ladies load up for the night. Technically, they have to be onsite for 30 hours, which ensures an overnight stay. They should be there by 4, so they can leave the following day at 10. The "girls" mentioned staying another night, rather than coming back late, but Destiny did not want another night of sleeping-bag sleep. As they pull out onto the road, the girl's chatter makes her think of the only one missing from their troop: Kelsey.
To be fair, Destiny thinks, Kelsey does not come regularly to the meetings, so this is not completely out of character. Skyye said that she finally heard from Kelsey yesterday, and she said she might stop by and see them while they are there. Destiny asked why Kelsey wasn't coming, but Skyye only shrugged her shoulders. Destiny knows she has some odd parents, so the Gold Award may not mean as much to them as it does to her. Either way, I'm glad she's fine and will stop by for some smores tomorrow night...maybe.
The room is lit only by the light from the computer screen. The puffy hand clicks and clicks again, then says, "Very good, China Doll. They are on their way unsuspecting of any trouble." China Doll remains slumped on the floor in the corner. Her head twitches, relubing her neck, then she straightens slightly, "Of course, RingMaster," she replies with a cheery, even tone, "I love playing games." Her arms play out in front of her, twitching like her head, to keep herself properly lubed for movement. The only sounds in the room are the clicking of her movements from the floor shifting.
"I may have need of the services of Kelsey though," he adds as he stands up. At the mention of that name, the China Doll takes on a completely different look. She straightens up and puts her arms down. Her head is no longer tilted as she looks up at him, "Please, mister, please. Don't make me hurt my friends. I just want to be let go. Please!" He does not face her as he responds, "I'll get what I want, no matter the cost, China Doll." Before she can plead again, her mannerisms change, as she converts back to acting like a China Doll. Her pained facial expression becomes blank, with her rosy cheeks and her bright red painted lips. Her tight, cute curls bob slightly with her head's shaking. He glances back with a smirk at the doll as he steps into the next room, "Adorable." She ignores his compliment, staring at the other wall, like the inanimate object she is. She can feel the internal gears turning slowly, as her outward appearance remains completely still. China Doll sits and waits to be played with, her internal voice says calmly yet cheerfully, knowing a new game is about to start.
The Medieval Forest is just what it sounds like: a wooded area in Bluff's Park with a castle-knight theme. To be fair, we should air-quote the word "forest". The trees and grass are all artificial, as are the animatronic animals. Perhaps on a sunny day during the summer, it would look and sound like a real forest, but today, it is like they stepped into a display at a department store.
The troop quickly drops their gear and starts pitching their tents. Even though no one will be checking, Destiny was firm on everyone having their own tent. As part of the camping badge, they have to be able to set-up their own tent. She figures two of the tents will not be used, as the girls will probably squeeze into just one. However, she will feel better when she signs off on this if they all participated as expected.
Destiny has hers up within minutes, as does Skyye. They had been practicing before coming. Mindy is done just after them, getting hers just the way it shows on the bag she pulled hers out of. Nikki has barely begun assembling hers at this point. "Looks like someone is sleeping under the stars tonight," Mindy says in a teasing tone. Skyye laughs and agrees with an 'creepy' voice, "Yep, gonna be out here with all the bugs and snakes...all alone." Nikki throws a tent rod at them both, "Just shut it, you two! I'll get it. Not my fault the instructions are in Chinese!" Her frustration feels more real than the teasing she just received, so her friends decide to back off a bit.
"Well, we are gonna check the weather while my mom is at the car getting her phone charger," Skyye says matter-of-factly. "I'm hoping we can get a signal from up near the roller coaster." Mindy nods and says as they start to walk away, "You gonna be okay...all alone?!" Mindy tries not to giggle, but Nikki threatens them with another tent pole, "Get out of here! I'll catch up to you before you even get connected." Skyye and Mindy shrug their shoulders, as they hear the sounds of metal against metal behind them as they leave. "I hope she isn't trying to drive the tent stakes into that fake grass," Mindy says softly as Skyye giggles.
In the quiet forest, Nikki keeps working, cursing under her breath. She tries the tent rod one way, and then another way. I'm gonna get this, she says to herself in determination, no matter what. With her focus on the tent in disarray, she does not notice the clicking sound from behind her. "Stupid Russians," she mumbles, turning the instructions around again. The wind briefly catches the flaps of a trenchcoat and the slight jingle of a bell.
Nikki connects two pieces as they snap together confidently. "Ha, I got you!" She holds up the connected pieces like a medieval sword or lance. She holds that pose for longer than one might expect, since no one is around to notice her. She seems to ignore the footfalls behind her, and the hands that encompass her waist, pulling her deeper into the woods. She does not struggle, as a cute China Doll removes the completed tent rod from her hand, and returns it to the campsite. And just like that, the campsite is only filled with inanimate objects, just like the forest around it.
As Destiny walks back from the car, she is amazed at how rundown this place looks after such a short time. I figured we might want indoors in one of these vendor buildings, but I worry they might fall on us. There's a chance of bad weather, she recalls her weather app saying. I know the girls were looking for better reception to check it, but I only thought I saw two of them. A little curious about that, her fears are unfounded when she gets back to camp. All four tents are set-up and the campsite looks like it should. Setting the rest of her stuff in her tent, she comes back out with a clipboard. She has 32 items to check off the list for each girl, and currently, they just completed number 26. She releases a heavy sigh, causing her large chest to rise and fall under her fitted flannel shirt, "Almost there, just have to survive the night," she jokes with herself.
Nikki lays on the table with her eyes wide open. Her arms and legs are out straight, and there are new scars forming around her elbows, shoulders, knees, and ankles. She tries to will her body to move, but it refuses. She wants to scream, but she cannot. All she can do is lay here until the China Doll comes back to put something else in her body. She does not feel a great deal of pain, but it is uncomfortable every time she gets a new "box" or "cylinder" put inside her.
She can hear the slight tingle of a bell get louder. She wants to turn to see if, but she cannot. She senses a presence then hears in a high-pitched voice, "Come on, Pussycat, let's play." At the word 'pussycat', Nikki feels another set of gears turn in her that she had not felt before. It is almost like a switch...a switch...had been...had...been...
She blinks her eyes rapidly and says in a voice not quite her own, "Come on, Josie, we have to hurry." Her fingers twitch, as does her neck, pushing fresh lubricant through the new tube in her. "Now, you're waking up," the China Doll giggles. "Our gig starts in 5 minutes," the Pussycat says from the table, "We don't want everyone to miss today's...today's...today's..." Her head keeps moving back and forth, like it wants to continue talking, but can't. It tries to move, but finds twitching all it can do. The China Doll gets closer and bonks the Pussycat on the side of her head. "Specials," the Pussycat says finally, the loop broken.
The China Doll giggles and says, "I got your catsuit, kitty." Pussycat turns her head to see a shiny catsuit with long sleeves and a tail with spots all over it. The suit looks like a leotard, which would showcase all of her legs. China Doll says, "Might be like something, Nikki would wear, right?" At that name, Nikki finds mental clarity and screams, "Help, someone help!" She gets nothing else out, as the China Doll does not change expressions, but adds, "Pussycat has to have ears, too." And then the mental thoughts change again, as Pussycat says with a slight jingle in her voice, "Long tails and ears for hats." China Doll nods happily and continues to help her new "friend".
"What do you mean she's not with you?" Destiny says while stoking the fire in the portable fire pit she brought. She had been preparing dinner while the girls were off checking the weather. Skyye and Mindy both shrug their shoulders. "She was still finishing up her tent when we left," Skyye says weakly. Mindy remembers the teasing they gave Nikki, but it was nothing out of the ordinary, was it? Mindy starts to doubt herself a little bit.
Destiny turns to see that Nikki's tent is pitched perfectly like the others next to it. "Well, she obviously got that done, so why was she not with you two?" Skyye starts to say something, then Mindy jumps in, "She might have forgotten something in the car and decided now was a good time to go, or maybe she had to use the bathroom?" Mindy said both hopefully, as she did not know exactly where her friend was, and with reception on their phones being so poor, they really cannot check without physically talking to each other.
Destiny removes most of the concern from her voice, "I'm not mad, girls. I'm just responsible for the troop, and I want to make sure everyone is okay. It's only been a few minutes, so I'm not really worried," she says with more confidence, "Just surprised." Sheesh, Destiny says to herself, what is my deal? We have been here less than 2 hours, and I'm already on edge.
Skyye decides to check inside Nikki's tent, as she says, "Sure, I mean, we didn't plan our agenda here, so we don't have to always stay together." She did not really believe that, but it made her feel better to think that. As she zips back the door, Mindy pokes her head in. "I see her bag and purse, but not her phone, so maybe she was texting someone?" Skyye can hear the heavy sigh from her mom behind her, who wanted the girls to leave their phones behind on this trip. However, the girls talked her into letting them bring them...for safety.
"Alright, but she's going to have to eat a cold or burnt hot dog, because they are ready right now." Destiny pulls the metal rod with the wooden handle away from the fire, which has 4 hot dogs skewered on it. The girls help themselves to the small amount of food laid out for dinner. They decided they can survive on a meager amount of food for the night, since it is not their usual fare. As they start to eat, Skyye gets a text from Nikki.
"Hey, she said she had to wander up to the food court to get a good signal to call her mom about something important," Skyye paraphrases the text. She can hear a sigh of relief from her mom. "See," Destiny says confidently, "No problem, but I just wish she would have told us that. Ask her if she is hungry for a hot dog." Skyye sends a text, but gets a "not delivered" red exclamation point on her phone.
"Stupid cell coverage," Skyye responds with a full mouth. Mindy hops up and says, "I'll just walk it up to her. I saw the food court from the roller coaster, so it will be quick." It has already gotten dark, so Destiny is not sure about this. "I don't know about you going alone..."
Mindy cuts in, "Don't, Mrs D, I can handle it. I brought two flashlights," she adds with a giggle. Skyye thinks it odd she is volunteering to do this, but maybe she feels kind of guilty about what they said earlier. Destiny is not fully convinced, but there is nothing here that has posed a threat to them, so why should she be so paranoid? "Sure, that's very nice of you," Destiny says as she wraps up the hotdog in some foil. She adds a bag of Chex mix and another bag of grapes. "Come back together, okay? I'd like for us to start getting ready for bed soon."
Mindy nods her head and pops into her tent. After some rustling, she comes back out with two flashlights. Turning them both on, she hooks the small, plastic grocery bag of food on her arm. "Be back before you know it," Mindy says and almost skips off into the fake forest. Within a few seconds, she is completely gone from sight. Destiny wonders if she has made another mistake in taking her eyes off of them, like she did when going back to the car.
Skyye misreads her mom's silence and says, "I wanted to say thank you for bringing us out this weekend. I know you would rather be at home watching a movie and getting into a soft bed. All of this," she says while sweeping her hands around the dark forest, "Is a lot to ask of you." Destiny smiles warmly and hugs her daughter, "It's all worth it. Just the two of us against the world, right?" Skyye laughs at her mom's 'pep talk' from years ago when their family became just two in size. "Let's start cleaning up while she's gone," so the two of them start cleaning up the campsite from dinner.
Mindy's boots clunk against the pavement loudly. Nothing hotter than short denim shorts and cowboy boots, she giggles to herself. The wind dies down some as she nears the food court area. The Sun is completely set now, so the only light is from her two flashlights. Since it is just her, she will admit that two flashlights was not to be funny, as she is not a fan of dark places. "I'm not scared of the dark," she whispers with feint confidence, "I just don't like not seeing where I'm going."
Walking down the path, a window display catches her eye. In the store window are mannequins that look to be part of a band. Each one has on a shiny catsuit like she has not seen before. The lead singer's short red hair looks to be styled like a retro look as she "plays" the guitar. She smiles into the mike, and looks like she is about to sing. The drummer is stuck in between beats, as the long-haired blonde has both arms up, and she is about to hit the drums hard. Her eyes are also closed, like she is playing the song in her head. They both have cat ears on their heads, and long tails out the back of their strange 1960's suits. "Weird," she says.
Looking at the sign in the window, she sees "Josie and the Pussycats invite you to buy!" Mindy looks up again and notices the third band member. She is African-American, so her dark skin makes her harder to see in the dark. She has on the same catsuit, showing off all of her dark legs with shiny-looking black heels. The light from Mindy's flashlight seems to glisten off of them. She points her flashlights up to see two tambourines, one in each hand. How old is this? Mindy thinks to herself. No band uses that instrument anymore.
Wow, Mindy thinks as her flashlight plays across the dark-skinned mannequin's face, she could be Nikki's twin. Thinking of her friend brings Mindy back to her task. She turns away from the window, but then notices a small light inside the store. That looks like a cellphone glow, she reasons. Maybe Nikki wanted to talk indoors. She reaches out to grab the door handle, and it pulls open quite easily. Huh, I would have thought that would be harder to do.
As she steps in, she takes in the store that looks to have mostly empty shelves. There are some old-looking stuffed animals on one shelf and some faded t-shirts on another, but none of them are set quite right. The phone light flashes, so she walks over to it. As she walks over to it, she does not notice the window display rotating. Like a lazy susan on a table, Josie and the Pussycats start turning around. Mindy picks up the phone and recognizes it as Nikki's. On the screen, she just got a text that reads: enjoy the show.
"Show?" Mindy says dumbfounded. At that moment, movement behind her catches her eye. Josie starts moving stiffly, like a wind-up toy. The drummer does the same, playing a song that no one can hear, on fake drums that make little noise. The loudest band member shakes the tambourines, as she sways stiffly back and forth. She is also mouthing words to a song that no one can here. Mindy gasps, wondering how she turned it on. She stands there frozen, watching the silent singers dance to a song that she has no clue what the "Pussycats" would be singing about.
Deciding she's had enough, she moves to leave quickly. The band stops "playing", as they all come to an abrupt stop. After a brief shaking period of slowing down, each one freezes in their last movement, eyes and mouths open, stuck in that final moment of singing. "Animatronics weird me out," she says hurrying to the door. She stops just short of the door when she hears the tambourine player say, "That's too bad, because you get to be one like us." Mindy turns her head to the stage, as all three of the band members turn their heads awkwardly to face her, while their bodies remain fixed. The sound of her flashlights, Nikki's phone, and the food hitting the floor are all drowned out by her screams. We will not even mention the flapping trench coat sound, that goes along with the jingling bell and the marching of feet that are also in the background noise.
Skyye lays in her tent, wondering what she should do. Her mom is putting up a good front, but she can tell she is getting nervous without the other girls being here. One by one, they keep disappearing, and while she does not want to admit they may have a serious problem here, she cannot help that she is just over reacting. Her friends have been able to get a text through every so often, so she knows they are fine. She has shared those texts with her mom, but she continues to say that "something is just not right here."
Destiny is too wound up to lay in her tent. She continues to lap the campsite in nervous pacing. Yes, Skyye has said she has heard from each of her friends, yet none of them have physically come back yet. Emergency call to mom, boyfriend troubles, blah, blah, blah, yet something just does not feel right about it all. Destiny squeezes the metal camping spoon in her hand until it bends all out of shape. Her muscles of everyday use in the shipping business over do the integrity of the camper's tool. Do I go or stay? I can't call the police, as I have no proof there is a problem. I mean, she thinks with an eye roll, we have texts from them assuring us they are fine. But, Destiny can feel the twinge in her gut, why can I not shake this sinking feeling that they are in trouble?
She stokes the fire and adds another log, bringing a little more light to their campsite. "5 more minutes," she whispers to herself as she tries to straighten the spoon, "Then I'm going out to bring them back here." She plops down on the camping stool roughly and stares intently into the now-menacing-yet-still-fake forest.
Mindi twists her hips as she rotates her body like a sprinkler head. She smoothly turns to her right, then with a stuttering motion, she returns to face left. Once there, she turns smoothly to the right, only to jerkingly bounce back to the left. "Please," she says while jerking her way back to the left, "Don't do this to me." As she restarts her smooth motion, she says in a much different voice, "All rocket burgers are on half off, what a..." But she cannot finish her statement, as she has gotten to the limit of her rotation, then she returns to herself with, "Do something...don't just stand...all rocket burgers are..."
Just out of arm's reach, China Doll stands holding a black box remote with a big red button. Every time Mindi gets back to the left, she presses the "learn" button again. China Doll knows this game, as she has played it already with PussyCat and ToySoldier. China Doll likes to play games, as she tilts her head to the side in a jerking fashion, then mashes the button with her mitten-covered palm.
China Doll has noticed that the FoodService Agent has stopped jiggling as much as it was originally. The chest is now more pointy at the tips, the hips are more round like a circle and less like an oval. And the hair is a perfect silver and tingles slightly now, as it is metal. China Doll thinks FoodService Agent sounds like a wind chime now. She ponders that word "wind chime", but before she can truly grasp it, a gear rotates slightly in her head, and that word falls out of reach. Rather than be disappointed, China Doll mashes the button again, forcing the FoodService Agent to repeat their last line, again.
The clomping of a boots trumpets the approach of ToySoldier. His smiling face seems frozen, or maybe painted, that way. In his hand, he has a "gun" that looks like it has a spray can attached to it. Stepping up to the FoodService Agent, he aims his gun and fires. A solid stream of silver comes out, evenly coating the twisting animatronic. As China Doll mashes the button, Toy Soldier paints the latest addition perfectly. Within moments, FoodService Agent looks to be a silvery, shiny robot from the future.
Trenchcoat makes an appearance now, causing ChinaDoll and ToySoldier to "wind down". They both slowly twitch their way into a de-active state, as he walks up to the unmoving silvery robot. "You look like you belong in the future...ready to receive guests?"
The silvery robot nods stiffly, then rotates to the right and left. Its hands spin slowly as the elbows come in and out, almost looking like an "air hug". With a voice more robotic than the others, "FoodService Agent is ready to tell all customers of the specials today." Trenchcoat nods and notes the missing feet of the "robot". In their place are two tank treads, one for each foot. "And, what else will you do when not helping customers?" Like a small tank, FoodService Agent rolls backwards then forwards then backwards again, "Clean the Food Court and replenishing supplies."
With a smile, Trenchcoat turns to ToySoldier, "And what do you do when not helping customers?" ToySoldier does not move any part of his body, except for his mouth, "Clean up trash and throw away rubbish." Lastly, he turns to China Doll, asking her the same thing. She responds without moving anything but her mouth, "Assist the RingMaster in whatever he desires." He laughs and pats her on the shoulder, to which she makes no reaction. And why should she? She's just an animatronic, right? "Let's get the park ready to reopen," he says to the room, as it fills with the sound of gears clicking from the movements of the many animatronics in the room start moving again.
Destiny yawns and decides it's time to "lay eyes" on the rest of the troop. "Hey, Skyye," she calls into her daughter's tent, "Let's go up to the food court. I really want to check on your friends. It's getting rather late." Skyye crawls out of the tent, having already put on her lounge pants and top. When her mom sees that, Skyye shrugs with a "nobody is around to notice anyway" look. Her mom chuckles and starts walking off into the forest. Both of them carry flashlights as they walk.
Destiny's boots clomp on the concrete, as Skyye's flip-flops slap the pathway softly. They see the many small buildings and take note of all of the places their friends might be hiding or standing in. Skyye sees a life-size toy soldier standing at attention on another path off to one side. Huh, she thinks from her brief observation, he looks brand new.
She does not say anything, as that is not their main concern. Similarly, when Destiny sees "Josie and the Pussycats" in the display window, she thinks they look rather new to be standing in that window for so long. Like her daughter, they are not sight seeing here, so she does not say anything.
As they pass into the food court, they both note how clean the tables and counter tops look. Skyye notices the silvery-robot behind the central counter looks brand new. Destiny feels like this area should not be this clean, and with the rest of the troop not being here, she decides to break the silence, "Where are they, and where did all these mannequins come from?" Skyye starts to feel uncomfortable, taking notice of another "new" animatronic seated over by the carnival games.
"Mom," she starts, "I don't want to sound weird or anything, but something does not feel right here." Destiny reflexively nods her head and replies, "Yeah, I mean, it's like someone is here with us, but I don't see anyone. Who and where are they?" Destiny's hand drops to her waistband, where she keeps a concealed pistol. She learned long ago to carry one when you are a female truck driver delivering goods to places all over the area. She figured her exposed biceps would be enough to deter most men, but not always.
Skyye checks her phone for any messages, and she tilts her head in confusion. "Huh, this is strange...I got no bars here...nothing. How could they get a signal if we can't?" Skyye keeps looking at her phone, as her mom takes her by the hand. "I just saw movement in that shop," she pulls her pistol out and adds, "We see if that's Mindi or Nikki. If not, we are headed to call the police. I don't like what's going on here." The small hairs on the back of her neck have stood straight up, and she knows that what they do next could be the difference between life and death.
Together, they both walk slowly up to the shop. The lights come on automatically, causing them both to jump back. The lights are dull, as if several bulbs were out. The shop looks to be a giant-sized toy store. There are extra large stuffed animals and dolls all over the place. Skyye feels like she has shrunk down to a size that would fit in her old doll house. What happens next separates them into a fight for survival.
A clown on a tight rope, rides between them on a bicycle down the center of the store. With a strange monotone laugh, it "randomly" knocks Destiny's gun from her hand, while separating the two ladies, as it continues on its narrow-roped path. Before Destiny can look for her weapon clattering along the floor, a 7-foot tall teddy bear waddles up to her. She turns in time to see a red boxing glove hit her in the face. She shakes her head from the blow and returns her best, deciding she has had enough of this.
Her fist basically disappears into the fluff of the big bear. She dodges the next punch and delivers another useless one. "I'm gonna kick your..." But she does not finish her insult as the first red boxing glove finds its home beside her face again. She staggers back and regroups. "Get out, Skyye, I'll hold him off." She hears rustling behind her and maybe a door closing. She steps back with her fists up near her face.
A China Doll sticks its head out from behind the teddy bear. "Fluffy is moving too slow," she says in a cheerful voice, "Let's try lightning speed." Destiny is momentarily distracted by the animatronic that looked somewhat familiar. Not that it mattered, with Fluffy's switch turned to "lightning". Fluffy lands 5 quick jabs to Destiny, before she can even react.
She tries to clear her head before Fluffy hits her again. Within a second, Fluffy lands 8 more punches. Destiny does not feel the last four, as she was unconscious after the fourth one, but she could not fall fast enough to avoid the rest. She lands limply at the feet of a marionette that looks like it came from the Sound of Music movie.
ToySolider marches up to stand next to Destiny's body. "ToySoldier did not see the other human leave." ChinaDoll dances over to put her arm inside of his, "Human girl could not have gotten far, my ToySoldier." They both begin to slump slightly, as their eyes droop closed. They each seem to have no power left to do anything. For a moment, nothing moves within the store, save for the two eyes that go with the marionette. Her wooden face and cloth hands look inanimate, yet the eyes seem to be moving almost human like.
At the sound of a pair of boots, the eyes straighten up and face forward. RingMaster walks into view with a large silver key in his hand. "I had hoped that we could get two for one this time, but we will settle with one for now." He slips the key into the back of ToySoldier. The room fills with clicks and clacks as he turns it. ToySoldier jerks and twitches with each turn, like his insides were being wound up. "See if you can find our last human toy." ToySoldier salutes, causing him to bump ChinaDoll, who simply rocks back and forth from the jostle. She does not move or react.
With the sound of retreating marching steps, RingMaster winds up ChinaDoll just as he had ToySoldier. She spins around when he is done with the jingle of a hidden bell. "Now, let's get her ready." As he starts to turn, the marionette catches his eye. He steps over towards it. He squeezes the arms and they feel like padding. He knocks the wooden face and gets the sound he expected. He peers into the unblinking eyes that stare back at him. The sound of ChinaDoll dragging the body causes him to break the staring contest. He shakes his head, like he was mistaken about whatever thought he was having.
They get the body out the back door and turn out the lights. Silence returns to the room, save for a slight whimpering. The marionette has tears slowing coming from its eyes now. "Mom," the muffled voice says, "How can I save you?"
Skyye waits as long as she thinks she can before moving. She had half fallen into the costume as it hung there from the rafters. She was trying to flee like her mom said, but ran into the hanging suit like it was a hidden net from a trap. Getting out of a hanging suit proved to be harder than she expected. Of course, she thought while taking note of how it worked for her just now, maybe I can use a disguise to find mom and the others. The marionette costume will not be practical, but surely there is something around here that she can move around the park more freely.
Using her phone's flashlight turned on low, she stumbles awkwardly out of the marionette costume. With her body removed, it does not look much different, which might be why she was able to fool the RingMaster. She pinches her brow together in thought, we were told he left town after the incident and would never be allowed to return. Of course, he might not have told anyone he came back. Frowning at that, she sneaks carefully around the store.
"Okay," she whispers, "I need something that will not be too flashy, but is clearly not normal for a person to wear." The purple gorilla suit looks to be too big, the rocking horse girl too small, and the witch-looking suit is so full of gears and parts, it would take her days just to empty it out. Animatronics...that is what those things were. He has an army of them, and they seem to be faster than a human, when they are switched that way. But, she continues to recall while looking around, they have their limitations. They have to be wound up or charged, and I'll bet they are not as tough as they look. After looking inside that witch suit, she bets it would not take much to offset those gears and cables.
Finally, she gets to a medieval section that must go with the "forest" where their campsite is. "Ah," she says with a smile, "What could be more whimsical than a fairy?" Pulling out the costume, it has a bright green swimsuit-looking top and bottom. There is a see-through tutu that wraps around the waist, with multi-colored wings that attach to the back, along with tiny tan shoes. She finds some ear extensions, to give her a pointy-eared pixie look. The blonde wig will cover her real hair and the wand looks to be made out of metal, which could make for a weapon. Gulping loudly, she holds the costume in her hand, wondering if this is her best course of action.
She is able to see down the aisle where her mom laid not long ago. She wants her back, and she definitely does not want to end up like her or her friends. Taking a deep breath, she removes her normal street clothes and dons the fairy's costume. The "swimsuit" is thicker and tighter than she expected. She can only get the bottom two buttons fastened in the back, but it is enough to hold it on. The wings have a shoulder strap that is almost skin toned, so they look like they are attached directly to her back. The shoes are too small, but they stretch out over her feet without too much discomfort. The shimmery tutu slips over her hips and matches the wings.
The wig though is of very short hair, so her real hair is not going to fit under it. Knowing she cannot go out like this, she looks for another one. None of the wigs look right, but then she finds a full face mask. It looks like it would cover her whole head and leave her "bald". Hmmm, she wonders, maybe the wig would fit over it if I could stuff all my hair into the mask, which would also cover my face too. That would definitely help with my disguise, she says to herself confidently.
Using some oil from the table, she slicks her hair down and pulls it tightly around her head. Wiping off the oil from her hands, she then pulls the face mask over her head. It smells of rubber or maybe silicone, like a cleaning glove. She tugs and pulls, eventually gets it on. She gets it sealed up and flattened around her neck. She then fastens a necklace around the line it makes with her body, so that it looks more natural. The skin tone is not a perfect match, but hopefully it will be close enough in the low light of the darkened amusement park. Using her phone's selfie camera, she adjusts the masks to sit straight on her head. Wow, she notes, I look like a totally different person. This is a better idea than I thought.
She wiggles the wig on and then checks herself again. Cute slippers, bright green figure-hugging costume, sparkling wings, and...wait, I forgot the ears. Grabbing them off the table, she carefully attaches them to the mask that covers her real ears. It takes more time than she would have liked, but she finally gets them on, and the disguise is complete. Picking up the wand, she moves to the door. Her phone is basically useless now, so she leaves it with her clothes shoved in a desk, hoping she will be back to get them soon.
Opening the door, she walks out slowly. Okay, don't sneak, walk like you own the place. How would a fairy walk? As she ponders that, she hears a noise far behind her. Well, it is all or nothing, she tells herself. With a quick hop, she starts skipping slowly down the path. Whimsical, she tells herself, a fairy would not simply walk, she would skip. She keeps her head forward, but her eyes are constantly bouncing back and forth, looking for danger.
In a few moments, the sound seems to have caught up with her. It sounds like metal running over metal, like a chainsaw? She still hopes this works when a silver figure rolls past her. The obvious female robot has tank treads on her feet, so she easily speeds past her. The robot does a U-turn, showing off her sprayed-on, silver uniform. I recognize it, Skyye recalls, she must help in the food court somehow.
"FoodService Agent," the robot states while her head tilts at an odd angle, "Wants to know designation of skipping animatronic." Skyye stops skipping and tries to keep a passive look on her face. She brings her arms in while holding them up slightly in an awkward pose for a human, but maybe like a robot on a TV show. Matching her head movements to the robot in front of her, she tilts and twitches slightly, "P-P-Pixie B-B-Bell of the...the...M-M-Medieval Forest." She twirls her wand a bit, as if that might help sell her stammering response. Robots don't stutter, do they?
"PixieBell's voice modulator must be faulty, pause motion," FoodService Agent states. Skyye has no idea what she is talking about, but she understood the word "pause". Skyye holds her pose, as the robot rolls behind her. She can feel fingers pressing into the back of her neck. She can tell they are searching for something that...crack...her neck pops like it does so often when she stretches each morning.
"PixieBell should have temporary improvement until RingMaster can repair," the robot says confidently. Skyye holds her pose, which is good, as I'm not sure if I should thank her or not. She then feels the cold hands on her back. "PixieBell's costume is not completely fastened. FoodService Agent will rectify." Skyye then feels her body being pinched as the robot attempts to snap each button. Skyye finds breathing a bit harder, but the robot does not give up until Skyye is firmly compressed into the costume.
The robot rolls in front of her, while Skyye continues to hold her pose. She is standing up straighter now with the fully closed costume now. "PixieBell, activate and meet the others at the Ghoulish Garrison for further instructions." Before Skyye could respond, or at least think of a response, the robot is gone. Skyye decides she better follow its instructions. As she skips down the path, she admits happily, wow, my neck feels so much better, I wonder if that robot gives full body massages.
She skips softly, keeping an eye on her surroundings, but sees nothing. Skipping in a fairy costume along the darkened paths of an abandoned amusement park is not something she ever thought she would do, but at the moment, it seems as normal as anything else that has happened tonight. Play the part, she tells herself, and maybe she and everyone she loves can escape.
As she gets closer to the "haunted house", she can see a small crowd gathering. She recognizes the Toy Soldier, the Fluffy Boxing Bear, Josie and the Pussy Cats, the Food Service Agent, the China Doll, along with a Knight, a Clown, and a small lady in a white kimono. There appears to be no order, so she skips up to the crowd and stands next to Josie and the Pussy Cats. Everyone stands at attention and faces the front porch of the Ghoulish Garrison, so she does as they do. To her surprise, sitting on the throne is a woman.
She is one of the palest people Skyye has ever seen. Her long jet black hair matches her ink-black dress. The v-neck drops all the way down to her waist, making sure her pearly-white mounds are easily seen poking out from under the tight black dress. She has black fingernails and black lipstick and...wait, I know that face. Skyye's gasp is covered by the woman standing up and speaking, "That's right you clods...it's Elvira, and I'm back from the dead...again." She saunters around on the front porch, telling ghost jokes and making fun of people who are scared of scary things.
Mom, Skyye pleads in her mind, don't tell me they got you already? Her eyes stay wide open as she watches her mom playing the part of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, perfectly. Her mature curves and size make for the perfect look. Skyye notes her mom's biceps stretching the material a bit, knowing how good of shape her job keeps her in. Her mannerisms though are anything but what Skyye is used to seeing from her. Her smile, her sultry playful wink, and the way she brings her finger up to her lips while looking off to the side, definitely not my mom's doing.
Skyye is not sure what she should be doing at the moment. Is this a pep talk? If so, why? The crowd is nothing more than animatronic "people". They should not need any encouragement, especially from another animatronic, so why are we all standing here listening to mom, uh I mean, Elvira talk nonsense? As she ponders that, she notices Elvira slowing down and stopping in mid-motion. Skyye notices her slumping now, her smile twitching, as well as her left hand. She tries not to notice the exposed jiggling chest, but the white of her skin catches the light too well. Like everything else on her, it all comes to a stop.
She notices the sound of boots and a cane tapping now that seems to be coming somewhere behind the crowd. Without turning her head, she can see a heavy-set man in a trench coat walking up to the porch. The Ring Master, she thinks with confidence, that's got to be him. He does not look that dangerous from here, but then maybe being underestimated is how he is able to be so successful at evil. Play it cool, she tells herself, you are just another animatronic like all the others around you.
She watches him remove an oversized key from his pocket. She watches in horror as he puts it in her mom's back. With each twist, she stands up straighter and straighter. Once at full height, each turn clicks her head to the left then back to the right, until he finally removes the key. "Well, Mistress of the Dark," he says while stepping back, "You are perfection like all the others." Elvira shifts her weight, putting her hand on her hip, "Perfectly dark," she adds with a smile.
He then asks, "So tell me, Destiny, where might your daughter be?" Skyye, just recovering from the last horror, is shocked to see the facial expression change, even though the body does not change its pose. "Stop, please," Destiny says in her regular voice, "Don't do this. We did nothing to you, we just..."
The man cuts her off, "Nothing? Nothing?!! This whole town cost me my hopes and dreams. Nothing is all I have left, and everyone is to blame for that."
Destiny, still unable to move her head, says, "You can keep me, but let my daughter and the others go. She won't tell anyone, she'll be a good girl if you promise to free her." The man shakes his head, "I'm afraid not, Elvira, I need a bigger army."
Elvira responds smooth as silk, "An army of dead that walk with a twitch," as her head twitches, along with her left arm. "Then don't look far, because I'm sure that little girl scout is close by." She says the last with an exaggerated wink at the crowd of animatronics. RingMaster turns and walks off the porch, "Agreed. She has not left the park yet, with all the outer fencing electrified now." Electrified? Skyye thinks dejectedly, that's gonna make it harder to get away.
He walks over to the China Doll, handing her the key. "Wind everyone up and keep searching. I'll check the closed-circuit cameras." China Doll nods her head once with a jingle, "Of course, RingMaster, I love this game." She turns with a spin, kicking her leg up in the air, and puts the key in the ToySoldier. "Turn, turn, turn," she says as it clicks in his back. "Keep cleaning the park as you look," RingMaster says over his shoulder, "I expect park guests soon."
ToySoldier salutes and marches off, followed closely by Knight, and FoodService Agent, each getting a few turns from China Doll. As the crowd thins out, Skyye becomes more uncomfortable. The Ring Master is slowly walking away with his cane, but China Doll is working almost too quickly. What do I do when she gets to me?
Josie is walking away with her tail swishing, leaving only two more before Skyye. She takes a quick look to see that Ring Master is nearly out of sight. It's now or never, she encourages herself. Just as China Doll finishes the last Pussy Cat, Skyye turns to begin skipping down the path. "Pixie Bell's work is never done," she says in as cheery a voice as she can. I just have to get by myself and figure out what to do next.
China Doll replies playfully, "Those fairies are so flighty, aren't they, Elvira?" Elvira nods her head, "Empty heads to match those pointy ears, ChinaDoll. Tsk tsk." Skyye continues to skip away, assuming her response to that was not needed. She starts to round the corner, when she hears Elvira say, "PixieBell, your wings are not flittering like your fairy brain."
Skyye figures she cannot ignore that, so she stops and turns to face her mom, "Pixie Bell isn't flying right now, so don't have to flitter my wings." She says it in a cheery normal tone, which might be how a fairy talks, right? What she had not noticed, was that Elvira and China Doll had both come closer to her now. Elvira is sauntering off the porch, and China Doll is dancing closer and closer to her. If I run, she tells herself, they will know I'm not one of them. With a heavy mental sigh, she tells herself that she has to play this out.
Skyye feels the pitch black nails stroke across her cheek, even through the mask, "Oh, you would look so much better as a zombie fairy." Skyye does not know how to respond to that. What would a fairy say to that? She opens her mouth to try something, but then feels something cold on her back. Like a metal spider, it feels like multiple pin pricks just went into her back around her spine. She flinches and twitches to the pain. Before she can scream, she feels a jolt to her system.
"Good thing RingMaster had an extra wing flitter motor," ChinaDoll says while pushing it into Skyye's back. The metal contraption seems to work its way into her back and spine. Skyye wants to scream, but no sound comes from her open mouth. Elvira adds, "You know, ChinaDoll, we have been mistaken. PixieBell seems to be acting rather...mechanical." ChinaDoll nods her head with a jingle as she attaches the wings to the exposed section sticking out of Skyye's back. Skyye tries to close her mouth but cannot seem to get her face to respond.
What did she do to me? Skyye wonders, as she can feel something spinning in the middle of her back, then can see the wing tips just at the edge of her vision begin to flitter, like a real fairy. "Hmm," Elvira says while holding Skyye's chin, "PixieBell might need a full...workup." She says that, pressing her chest nearly in the fairy's face. No, Skyye pleads, no, I don't want anymore of whatever she put in me.
ChinaDoll sets her key into the hole that is in the back of the wing motor stuck in PixieBell's back. Skyye feels a strange jolt again as the key clicks in place. With each turn, Skyye's face goes from shock to smiling to frowning to surprise. It is like whatever nerve the motor wires hit was connected to her face. Every turn of the ChinaDoll changes her expression. Elvira laughs long and hard, "Oh, you vixen. You are changing her face with each turn, see if you can find a zombie one for Mistress of the Dark."
ChinaDoll shrugs her shoulders and keeps spinning the key. Skyye cannot keep up, as her face is contorted into expressions she has never managed before. Finally, Elvira holds up her hands. "Hold it," she says with a flourish, "The face of the dead...Elvira loves it." ChinaDoll walks around front to see this cute fairy with a slack-jawed expression, drooping eyes, and just enough teeth showing to be menacing. ChinaDoll says cheerfully, "I love this game."
Elvira turns on her high black heels, "Back to the work of the night!" Skyye watches her mom glide away with a sultry grace she had never seen before, ChinaDoll makes some sort of giggle, then walks off happily with the key. Skyye decides she needs to get out of here as that would be expected of an animatronic, so she turns to walk, but something is not right. Her right leg will not work, so she can only drag it. Her left arm is now pulled up into her, with her elbow bent awkwardly. She can barely walk now hunched over slightly, let alone skip. All that key turning, Skyye thinks, not only did she lock my face, but now my whole body matches my expression: I'm a zombie fairy.
Unable to change anything, she begins to move to the campsite. No one would think to look for me there, she reasons. Step, drag. Step, drag. At this speed, I'll never get there, she thinks with a heavy sigh. I think a snail could move faster than me. Stupid, China Doll, and no offense mom, but stupid Elvira. Who ever heard of a zombie fairy? Disgusted, but she reminds herself that she cannot give up. I'm free at the moment unlike the others, and all I gotta do is drag myself out of here. They all believe I'm one of them, so I just have to walk out of here and get help.
In what seemed like hours, Skyye finally gets back to the campsite. It looks just like she remembered it: four tents, four outdoor chairs, and a camp fire surrounded by people. Wait, why are there people around the camp fire? She drags her back leg behind her to get closer. When she gets closer, she can see one of the Pussy Cats holding a stick with a roasted marshmallow on it over the flames. Looking at her face, she mumbles through her slack-jaw, "Nikki." She then sees the FoodService Agent sitting in a chair, trying to put a marshmallow on a stick. Skyye can see her silvery face in the flickering light and recognizes her, "Mindi."
ChinaDoll is sitting with them, holding a cellphone in her mitten-covered hands. ChinaDoll has a cute-but-confused look on her face, as if to say: I don't know how to work this. Skyye recognizes that cellphone: Kelsey's. All this time, Kelsey has been here working against us. In fact, she would be the perfect spy, as she knows all of us. She even knows...mom. And sitting in her mom's chair, Elvira holds up her clipboard and a pen with a big smile on her face. Skyye looks over her shoulder to see every box is checked except for the last one: everyone back home safely. The smile on her face is her mom's, and not Elvira's. With her one working hand, she touches the hair on her mom's shoulder. She looks good with long hair, she realizes, I've never seen her style it this long.
She stands there, unsure of what to do now. If they are all here, then she has been found out, and there is nothing she can do about it, especially with her limited state. I figure that winding will wear off at some point, but is there a point in trying to escape? She stands there, almost frozen in place, looking at her friends and family. She wants to cry, but cannot seem to find the means to do that. The voice from behind her does not make her jump, as if she expected it to be there. "You'll be happy, just like they are." She tries to twist herself around to see RingMaster stepping into the light. "I made sure of that," he continues, "It's a physical and mental adjustment. Each of you will not only serve me and the park visitors, but you will be happy to do so."
Skyye grunts through her slack-jawed expression, "Not...real." He nods his head in understanding, "Ah, but what is real? Hmm? They seem real." He taps his cane on the forehead of Nikki who gives no reaction to the force applied, as her body rocks slightly in the chair before stopping. "Sounds real." Skyye shakes her head, "No." He walks closer, "Elvira, are you happy serving me?" Elvira's mouth moves but no other part of her body does, "Of course, RingMaster, I serve the dark, and no one is more dark than you." He puts his hands out to the side, as if to say: see, I told you.
Skyye runs away as fast as she can, but only in her head. She jumps over the fake bushes in a leap then sprints through the fake forest to break out into the concrete pathways to make her escape to freedom. The wind blows against her face as she runs against all odds to be free. In reality, she continues to stand there like some crazed zombie fairy statue. She can feel her resolve already shrinking, as the situation around her seems to wad up her will into a ball to be discarded. "Come, I'll carry you to my shop. You will be with your friends and family forever." Skyye flinches (or was it an unnatural twitch) at the carry part, but then she relaxes. My friends and family are never leaving here. If I want to be with them, I need to stay...forever.
He walks over to her and touches the spot on her back. She finds her face and body released. She can move normally now, as she stretches out her elbows and knees. This is her moment, she tells herself, I can run away and never stop...never. She turns to face the nicely groomed man behind her. His face shows no emotion, but then she is not sure what she was expecting.
She holds up her left hand with the wand and puts her right hand on her hip. She smiles slightly and says, "PixieBell is ready to join her friends and family." RingMaster smiles, and for whatever reason, that makes PixieBell happy. He raps his arm around her waist as he tips her over and carries her horizontally. She tightens her body to keep stiff in his grasp as she watches the world pass by on its side. With a determined walk, he strides with a cane in one hand and a life-sized fairy in the other. PixieBell says nothing, content to be one of RingMaster's toys that he is carrying to fix in his workshop, but more importantly, happy to be with her friends and family forever.
The group around the fire holds their frozen poses. None were commanded to move, so they don't. The real fire continues to flicker, casting shadows on their faces and bodies. True to his word, each of them is content mentally to stay just as they are for however long, because when you are an animatronic, you follow your purpose happily and completely.