L'Appel du Vide

Standing in front of the very fitting pirate-like planks (as in: “Walk the plank, Matey!”) entrance to Pirate Pete’s Lagoon Amusement Park, a pirate hat in my hand that would regrettably be placed upon my head as soon as I walked across the planks, the lack of sleep from the night prior wore my eyelids down. This was the amusement park that I spent my summers working games at ever since I was old enough to get a job; this was my hell, the land I went to perish from early mornings until late at night, each and every minute of working here was filled with endless screams, one mixed in with another as one ride ended and another started off; balloons popped, one after another as some girl’s boyfriend or some kid’s father attempted in winning a teddy bear that hung from the top of the canopy that shielded the game form the harsh sun. I could draw out the map to this park with my eyes closed; every little nook and cranny uncaught by camera that made the best make out spots. I knew exactly what to give the silly rent-a-cop security we had if they saw something they weren’t supposed to and how to get into the park late at night for a date on the Tilt-A-Whirl. I knew everything that happened in this amusement park, when it happened; word spread fast here.

In all actuality, though, this wasn’t the worst place in the world to work. There were better, much better, and there was so much worse. If I had a choice, I would definitely go back and pick that pizza place over here.

Placing the pirate hat on top of my head, hair messy from the bed I hardly slept in, but laid in all the time – I crossed the plank and entered the park for another summer. Clocked in, I ran into a little fucker by the name of Jude, eventually managing to bum a cigarette from him and we headed towards the games, the rows and rows of the stands set up; from the balloons to ring tosses, to the ducks and the water gun stand I ran myself. We had everything here, and that everything was decorated in the pirate style this amusement park was dedicated to. I swore to never dress up as a pirate for any Halloween party no matter how cool it looked for how funny Jude thought it would be.

Jude and I worked a game stand, the water guns, to be specific; every other employee (the crewmen and women of Pirate Lagoon) worked the others and the rides. The two groups (those who worked the games and those who worked the rides) were completely different people, or really, considered completely different people and liked to keep things segregated. It was like high school in an amusement park, but there was nothing really amusing about it all

“So, Archie,” – I hated it when he called me Archie – “feel like checking out the new recruits?” Jude’s words were mumbled slightly from the cigarette between his lips, refusing to pull it away, even for just a moment. “’Cause, yano, I heard the Rider’s got a new chick, from that private school on the other end of town. Funny, you wouldn’t think someone from that school would need a job.” Jude hated the kids who attended St. Michael’s; it was a rich kid school, he would say. Most of the Riders came from there, very few came from the public school Jude and I attended.

I completely ignored his ongoing rampage about how much he hated people from St. Michael’s and would most likely automatically hate this new girl, I asked, “ Any of the Rider’s demoted to Gamer status?” It only happen once, and the guy who had been put in the games latest maybe a week before he put in his two weeks (didn’t really show for those) and left to live in his mother’s basement. It was said that he still lives there, the poor bastard. Jude shook his head, plucking the cigarette out from his lips and dropping it to the ground, snuffing it out with the toe of his beat up Chucks. “What about any of the Gamers? Know if any of them went for the Rides or something?” Again, Jude only shook his head. There had never been a case of a Gamer transferring over to the Riders; it just didn’t happen. Everyone knew that. “Gimme another cigarette, then.” And he did.

I hopped over the counter the water guns, starting to set up the stuffed animals, cursing lightly when I dropped ashes on a very pink bear that some girl would get later on. Jude made sure each of the water guns were working by shooting me with them. The fucker. The music started to play then, and I swear the main office had it out for us, or at least liked to see us suffer by the horribly overplayed music that was shouted through the old speakers positioned around the park. Some song by a boy band played as I picked up one of the water guns and placed it to my head as if I was going to kill myself. Jude laughed, but I didn’t think he thought it was all that funny and really, neither did I.

“Stop it stop it stop it,” he said, then, pushing me away before leaning against the counter. “Looking good, Nessie!” Jude called out to the one and only Vanessa Swanly, also known as the girl he’s had it bad for ever since elementary when she was colouring Barbie’s hair pink with highlighters and tattooing them with Sharpies. Despite having coloured dolls’ hair strange colours, she’s kept hers the dark brown it’s always been and hasn’t marked up her body with ink that we could see. The poor kid – Jude, that is (and I guess Vanessa too since he just won’t stop) – always said the same things to her, or at least mostly; it was always along the same line. And like always, Vanessa just lifted her hand above her head in a little wave as she continued on her way, never looking back and never really giving him the time of day. Maybe it was because he called her Nessie, which bore more resemblance to the Loch Ness Monster (or that horrid Twilight series) than Vanessa at first thought.

“I don’t think calling her Nessie’s helping your cause any,” I pointed out.

“Oh shut up, Archie.”

the call of the void.

The girl laughed, cheering to herself and to her boyfriend; she had won between the two of them on the watergun game, even though it was obvious that he had let her win. I grabbed the stuffed teddy bear she wanted and handed it to her, watching as she cuddled it close to her chest and kissed her boyfriend. I had to turn away, not from embarrassment but because it was disgusting. I hated public displays of affection.

Not only have I hate public displays of affections, but I hated couples. How they were always holding hands and kissing and saying these disgustingly cute things to one another. Not to mention if you actually wanted to be a gentleman you had to get the approval of her parents. Then there was all the dates expected and gifts for birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries and “just because” ones. Then there were the fights, the ones where she gets pissed off at something or another and it doesn’t ever seem like things are going to get better; the fights that were over just the littlest things. Relationships were just too much trouble.

Relationships were really just annoying. Especially when people like Noah Moore and Jude’s little sister, Alicia, were around. It was like they were attached at the hip and hung all over themselves all the time. It was honestly disgusting. They were Riders as well, and that just didn’t make anything better. Rider’s thought they were all that, and they probably were, I just wouldn’t admit it.

Jude just thought I hadn’t seen the right girl like he had. I thought he was a mental case.

“Hi, can one of you show me to where the, uh, Pirate Cove is?”

“Take a left at the Pirate Ship. If you see my sister on the way, tell her I’m not waiting for her when the park closes.”

“Thanks Jude,” the voice called back, sweet sounding. Jude just lit up another cigarette in reply as I finally looked up to see who he had been talking to. I could only see the Pirate Pete’s Pirate Hat on top of sun coloured blonde curls walking away. The one thing that I was really surprised about was that Jude was nice to her. She was obviously a rider and it had always been clear that Riders and Gamers didn’t get along.

As if having read my mind, Jude said, “I figured I should be nice since it’s her first day. Olivia or something’s her name, but I think she goes by like Olive or something.” I nodded my head and didn’t bring anything up about it again because whoever she was, was a Rider and that’s the only thing that ever really matters at Pirate Pete’s.