Carnie Love
Eight
Damon wasn’t exactly a “people person”, which is why Nikolai tended to make him do the back end labor like building and maintenance. Or maybe he was just hoping Damon would eventually exhaust himself to death or get crushed in a tragic tent accident. Either way, they were both disappointed when they found themselves understaffed and Damon had to take charge of a carnival booth.
He was having a hard time staying awake despite the noisy crowds and flashing lights everywhere. He had spent so much time worrying about Willow and his escaped father, he couldn’t even think about his stupid ring toss booth. He was starting to doze off in his chair when a handful of children ran over and threw some pennies on the counter. He tried not to look too annoyed as he collected the pennies and handed the kids some rings.
“You know the drill,” he said dully. “Ring toss. You toss the rings. Red bottle is a grand prize, green bottle is a small prize.”
He covered a yawn with his hand as the kids started throwing the rings, but one snotty child decided to throw all his rings at once. None of the rings landed on any bottle, let alone a prize winning bottle.
“This game is rigged!” the snotty kid shouted.
“You can’t rig ring toss,” Damon told him, dropping a ring over one of the bottles to prove it could be done.
“You’re a liar!” the kid said. “Liar, liar, liar!”
Damon never had the patience to be around any sort of entitled person, let alone a screaming child. Maybe there were gentler ways to go about it, but he didn’t care.
“Call me all the names you want,” Damon said. “Doesn’t change the fact that you suck at ring toss.”
The kid stopped and his bottom lip began to quiver as tears welled up in his eyes. Damon rolled his eyes. Just as the kid ran away crying, Damon spotted a familiar face waddling around the crowd. He frowned when he saw it was Old Jimmy, who everyone lovingly called “Gramps”.
For over fifty years, Gramps ran the carnival like a big, happy family. Once age started to mess with his mind and body, Nikolai took over and turned it into the money printing machine it was now, using the carnies as cash cows and putting Gramps in a tent to whither away. Gramps had looked like he was a hundred years old since Damon and Willow arrived as kids, and he only got older and frailer. He was one of the first people Damon and Willow had grown to trust when they joined the carnival.
Now he was walking barefoot through the crowd in his night clothes. Damon jumped over the booth counter and hurried over to take his arm. The old man was startled at first, then smiled when he saw Damon.
“Oh,” he said. “Damon. What are you doing out here? You should be in school.”
“I’m not in school,” Damon said. “Remember? I’m an adult now.”
“Oh,” Gramps frowned. “Where are we, Damon?”
“It’s the carnival,” he told him gently. “We’re in Elgion. I’m going to take you back to bed now, alright? It’s freezing out here. Take my shoes.”
Damon kicked off his shoes and helped Gramps put his muddy feet into them, then put his coat on around Gramps’ shoulders. As he guided Gramps back to his wagon and bed. He eased the old man into bed and wiped his feet off with a towel before pulling the thick blankets over him.
“How’s that?” Damon asked. “Feels better, doesn’t it?”
“I’m dying.”
Damon was startled when Gramps said this. It was nothing new, but it was startling to hear from the man. Everyone knew his time was coming soon, and apparently he knew it too.
“I’m sorry,” Damon said, unsure of what else to say.
“Don’t be,” he said. “Everyone dies. I’m glad I can say goodbye to all my dear ones.”
“Is that where you were going?” Damon asked.
“I bought a dolly for Willow,” Gramps said. “It’s the one she wanted.”
Damon furrowed his brow, but realized that Gramps was talking about Willow like she was still eight years old. She used to longingly look at the dolls in toy shop windows, and on a couple occasions Gramps would buy her one. Gramps pointed to a dresser by the bed, and Damon opened the drawer to find a doll with curly red hair nestled among the clothes.
Damon felt a pain in his chest when he realized that it had probably been months, if not over a year that Willow hadn’t been able to see Gramps. Nikolai wouldn’t let her talk to him because he felt it would put a negative effect on her performance. Gramps was able to say his goodbyes to everyone but her.
“I’ll give her the doll,” Damon told him. “And then I’ll bring her over so she can say thank you. You just rest. How’s that?”
“Thank you,” Gramps said.
Damon stayed with him a few more minutes until the man fell back asleep. He then took the doll and gently tucked it into the inner pocket of his coat before he left.
When the carnival started to wind down for the night, Damon headed back to the inn where Willow was being kept. She kept her window unlocked now, and seemed delighted to see him when he hopped through into her room. She was in her dressing gown, but still had her extravagant makeup on.
“I told you that you’d knock it out of the park,” he said. “I heard that applause from where I was.”
“Do you really think they liked it?”
“Who else would they be applauding for?” he said. “Nikolai?”
“It was still nerve wracking,” she said. “Are you okay? You look sad.”
“Nikolai had me on ring toss duty. I made a kid cry.”
“You what?”
“That’s not important.”
“Is it your father?” she asked gently.
“No,” Damon said. “I mean yes, but no.”
He took the doll out of his coat pocket and handed it to her. She smiled as she touched the doll’s hair and smoothed out its dress.
“You got me a doll?” she asked.
“No,” Damon said. “Gramps did.”
The smile fell off her face and she looked down at the doll again with a more sad look in her eyes.
“Is… he doing alright?”
“I won’t lie,” Damon sighed. “No, he’s not. The man in his nineties. He’s starting to fade. I saw him wandering barefoot around the carnival.”
“Oh,” she said softly. “Nikolai won’t let me see him. He says his ‘condition’ would depress me.”
“I think that’s bullshit,” Damon said. “You both deserve to say goodbye to each other. Leave things on a happy note.”
“I’d like that.”
“I’ll sneak you over when I find an opening,” he promised. “And we’re going to do more fun stuff.”
“And make more children cry?”
“Definitely.”
He was having a hard time staying awake despite the noisy crowds and flashing lights everywhere. He had spent so much time worrying about Willow and his escaped father, he couldn’t even think about his stupid ring toss booth. He was starting to doze off in his chair when a handful of children ran over and threw some pennies on the counter. He tried not to look too annoyed as he collected the pennies and handed the kids some rings.
“You know the drill,” he said dully. “Ring toss. You toss the rings. Red bottle is a grand prize, green bottle is a small prize.”
He covered a yawn with his hand as the kids started throwing the rings, but one snotty child decided to throw all his rings at once. None of the rings landed on any bottle, let alone a prize winning bottle.
“This game is rigged!” the snotty kid shouted.
“You can’t rig ring toss,” Damon told him, dropping a ring over one of the bottles to prove it could be done.
“You’re a liar!” the kid said. “Liar, liar, liar!”
Damon never had the patience to be around any sort of entitled person, let alone a screaming child. Maybe there were gentler ways to go about it, but he didn’t care.
“Call me all the names you want,” Damon said. “Doesn’t change the fact that you suck at ring toss.”
The kid stopped and his bottom lip began to quiver as tears welled up in his eyes. Damon rolled his eyes. Just as the kid ran away crying, Damon spotted a familiar face waddling around the crowd. He frowned when he saw it was Old Jimmy, who everyone lovingly called “Gramps”.
For over fifty years, Gramps ran the carnival like a big, happy family. Once age started to mess with his mind and body, Nikolai took over and turned it into the money printing machine it was now, using the carnies as cash cows and putting Gramps in a tent to whither away. Gramps had looked like he was a hundred years old since Damon and Willow arrived as kids, and he only got older and frailer. He was one of the first people Damon and Willow had grown to trust when they joined the carnival.
Now he was walking barefoot through the crowd in his night clothes. Damon jumped over the booth counter and hurried over to take his arm. The old man was startled at first, then smiled when he saw Damon.
“Oh,” he said. “Damon. What are you doing out here? You should be in school.”
“I’m not in school,” Damon said. “Remember? I’m an adult now.”
“Oh,” Gramps frowned. “Where are we, Damon?”
“It’s the carnival,” he told him gently. “We’re in Elgion. I’m going to take you back to bed now, alright? It’s freezing out here. Take my shoes.”
Damon kicked off his shoes and helped Gramps put his muddy feet into them, then put his coat on around Gramps’ shoulders. As he guided Gramps back to his wagon and bed. He eased the old man into bed and wiped his feet off with a towel before pulling the thick blankets over him.
“How’s that?” Damon asked. “Feels better, doesn’t it?”
“I’m dying.”
Damon was startled when Gramps said this. It was nothing new, but it was startling to hear from the man. Everyone knew his time was coming soon, and apparently he knew it too.
“I’m sorry,” Damon said, unsure of what else to say.
“Don’t be,” he said. “Everyone dies. I’m glad I can say goodbye to all my dear ones.”
“Is that where you were going?” Damon asked.
“I bought a dolly for Willow,” Gramps said. “It’s the one she wanted.”
Damon furrowed his brow, but realized that Gramps was talking about Willow like she was still eight years old. She used to longingly look at the dolls in toy shop windows, and on a couple occasions Gramps would buy her one. Gramps pointed to a dresser by the bed, and Damon opened the drawer to find a doll with curly red hair nestled among the clothes.
Damon felt a pain in his chest when he realized that it had probably been months, if not over a year that Willow hadn’t been able to see Gramps. Nikolai wouldn’t let her talk to him because he felt it would put a negative effect on her performance. Gramps was able to say his goodbyes to everyone but her.
“I’ll give her the doll,” Damon told him. “And then I’ll bring her over so she can say thank you. You just rest. How’s that?”
“Thank you,” Gramps said.
Damon stayed with him a few more minutes until the man fell back asleep. He then took the doll and gently tucked it into the inner pocket of his coat before he left.
When the carnival started to wind down for the night, Damon headed back to the inn where Willow was being kept. She kept her window unlocked now, and seemed delighted to see him when he hopped through into her room. She was in her dressing gown, but still had her extravagant makeup on.
“I told you that you’d knock it out of the park,” he said. “I heard that applause from where I was.”
“Do you really think they liked it?”
“Who else would they be applauding for?” he said. “Nikolai?”
“It was still nerve wracking,” she said. “Are you okay? You look sad.”
“Nikolai had me on ring toss duty. I made a kid cry.”
“You what?”
“That’s not important.”
“Is it your father?” she asked gently.
“No,” Damon said. “I mean yes, but no.”
He took the doll out of his coat pocket and handed it to her. She smiled as she touched the doll’s hair and smoothed out its dress.
“You got me a doll?” she asked.
“No,” Damon said. “Gramps did.”
The smile fell off her face and she looked down at the doll again with a more sad look in her eyes.
“Is… he doing alright?”
“I won’t lie,” Damon sighed. “No, he’s not. The man in his nineties. He’s starting to fade. I saw him wandering barefoot around the carnival.”
“Oh,” she said softly. “Nikolai won’t let me see him. He says his ‘condition’ would depress me.”
“I think that’s bullshit,” Damon said. “You both deserve to say goodbye to each other. Leave things on a happy note.”
“I’d like that.”
“I’ll sneak you over when I find an opening,” he promised. “And we’re going to do more fun stuff.”
“And make more children cry?”
“Definitely.”