Dreaming of Dreamland

I stopped and looked up at my mother, noticing how sad her eyes looked. I held her hand and pouted, but only because I wanted her to see how sad I was too, just like her. I knew Daddy would be home soon, he told me so himself. He had gone away to the Army, but only for a little while. I knew he would be back, but sometimes my mother looked as if she wasn’t quite so sure. When my mother saw my pout, she grimaced, and then smiled. “Don’t frown, Suzy,” She chided softly, “You’ll get worry lines.”

I wasn’t entirely sure what she meant by this but she smiled at me, and with all the marvel of Dreamland spinning around me, my pout couldn’t help but dissipate into a toothy grin. “Come on, let’s go to the Shoot-the-Chutes!” she suggested happily, in a tone resembling a schoolyard playmate more than a mother. I enthusiastically agreed.

The ride featured two wooden boats that climbed with an awkward rumble towards a steep drop into a lagoon. Unfortunately my mother was not ready for the drop, or the wave of algae green water that waited for us at the bottom. As I took in the breathtaking view of the Atlantic Ocean laid out before me, my mother yelped in surprise, and grabbed me so hard I caught my breath just before the plunge. I tried to scream but couldn’t breathe, and found myself gasped for air as my mother loosened her grip once we hit the water. When I realized it was over I was squealing with delight, and I turned to my mother to beg for another ride. I could tell instantly it was out of the question. Her beautiful feather hat sat lifelessly on her head, the wide brim lay limply over her flushed face. I couldn’t see her eyes but I knew they were fuming. I bit my lip and looked down, worried our day of fun was over.

“I love you Mommy. You’re beautiful today,” I tried hopefully, giving her the most innocent look I could muster. She lifted the brim of her soggy hat with one hand and looked down at me, all the anger that I imagined in her eyes just moments before were gone now. She smirked lightly.

“Well, you are your father’s daughter!” She laughed out loud at this, and I laughed too, because I really thought she was beautiful that day. When the boat jerked to a stop on the exit platform, she took my hand and gracefully lifted me out. She following right behind me and we puffed our chests out and walked like two respectable women, despite being drenched head to toe with murky swamp water.

“Let’s sit in the sun for a moment Suzy, and let our knickers dry,” she said, and we giggled at the thought. She bought me an ice cream and we perched under the Dreamland Tower, taking in the wonders and magic that surrounded us. After half the cream had sufficiently melted down my wrist, my mother decided it was time to turn our attention back to the parks attractions.

“Where do you want to go now, Suzy?” she glanced at me questioningly as she wiped my hands and face clean with a rag.

“Um…Shoot-the-Chutes?” I offered, only half joking. She glared at me with a slight smirk. “All right all right, Perhaps the Fighting Flames?”

She nodded in agreement and we went to see the show. My mother made a conscientious decision to steer clear of any more water rides, or rides in general. She didn’t trust the outcome, and only agreed to attractions with no unwanted surprises.

The show was entertaining; my mother and I clapped as firemen rounded a staged building that was set on fire. The firemen rescued all the actors inside. I told my mother I wanted to be a fireman when I grew up. She frowned lightly and replied, “We’ll see.” I stomped my foot and glared at her. I knew that always meant no. But she just laughed and pulled me along. “Come along, Suzy. Don’t waste the day.” I forgot why I was discontent and skipped playfully behind her.

We went to every attraction Dreamland had to offer (save the rides, of course, courtesy of my mother). We saw Liliputa, the midget city, and watched laughing people wave from the flying airships ride. We went to the Japanese Tea House and took a miniature train to the other side of the park, of course after convincing my mother it was not a water train. The day went by too quickly, and as I caught my mother staring off into the twilight, I gazed up at her in a moue to quickly defy the words I knew she was tipping on her tongue.

“All right Suzy, I think it’s time to…oh no, not that,” she looked down and caught my grimace mid-sentence. “Suzy, it is time to go.”

“Please Mama, One more?” my eyes were open wide, pitiful and heartbreaking. She sighed in defeat.

“All right, yes Suzy. One more,”

“Hurrah! Let’s go to Bostock’s!” I grabbed her hand before she could dispute and pulled her to the circus by the entrance of the park. I laughed cheekily to myself at my clever plan. The circus would last an hour at least, so we would have to stay just a bit longer. Long enough for the streetlamps to turn on. Long enough to see the wild Coney day turn into a blazing electric night.

We entered Bostock’s Circus quite early, before the next show started. My mother and I sat in the very front row, and I bounced up in down gleefully in my seat as a man rounded the corner and offered my mother a bag of peanuts for a nickel. She declined, but when I pleaded, she gave in. The man eyed me with a raised brow. “Cute kid,” he mumbled as he tottered away, leaving my mother glaring suspiciously after him. I crunched on the peanuts noisily.

More and more people filed in, and soon the half-circled arena was filled with laughter and movement. In the center was dirt stage with various props and tools. “Do you see that hoop?” my mother asked me, pointing in the direction of a rather large wooden loop prop. “I’ll bet you a penny that a lion jumps through it.”

“But I don’t have a penny!” I declared, loudly enough so the woman next to me turned to glare at my commotion. My mother laughed.

“Here’s one!” she handed me a shiny new penny from her purse. “Well? Do you bet?”

“Hmmmmm…” I twirled the penny in my fingers, then grinned, offering my hand, “Bet!” We laughed as we shook on it.

The lights grew dim as the show began, and I squirmed excitedly in my seat as a tall man dressed in a fine black suit and top hat entered the dirt stage. His hair was a dark mocha color and sat somewhat unruly under his hat. His dark eyes scanned across the full crowd of the arena and he smirked with an air of loftiness as he began his introduction, confidence oozing from the rich tone of his voice. I heard my mother audibly gasp, as did the woman on the other side of me. I glanced curiously at both of them.

“…And of course I, Apollo, will be your ringleader this evening…” the man was very amicable, but my attention now turned to the beautiful young lady that entered the arena after him, two leashes in either hand that were collared to two full grown lions. This is when I gasped. I tugged my mothers sleeve and pointed, but she shushed me and reminded me she was already watching too.

The man in the top hat…Apollo…dazzled me with the amazing tricks he taught his lions. The beautiful young woman was not afraid at all as Apollo calmly directed the lions to walk around her, sit beside her, and even shake her hand with their massive paws. At one point, Apollo controlled nearly twenty full grown lions! The beautiful young lady picked up the wooden loop and set it ablaze. Apollo directed the lions to jump right through and all twenty did. I screamed in delighted amazement and applauded as loudly as I could until my mother tapped my shoulder and cleared her throat, and I scowled as I dropped the penny back in her purse. She grinned.

Too soon the woman walked all the lions backstage; all but one. The lion sat on its haunches and looked up at Apollo, as if waiting for a queue. Apollos eyes scanned the crowd once more as if searching for something. They stopped when they found what they were looking for. They stopped on me.