Tell Me a Fairytale
A Stranger
"Lucy!" Vanessa shouted while we were walking around hours later. The place had become packed, and it was hard to hear over everyone else, so you were given no choice other than to shout. "I'm going to get a pretzel real quick, okay?"
I nodded, and she said, "Hop in a line and save me a spot, will you?"
"Of course."
Vanessa smiled widely and contagiously—her smile never failed to melt my heart—and kissed me on the cheek. "Be right back."
I watched her walk away until she was out of my sight, then began exploring more of the attractions. I had only been to a few county fairs in my lifetime, but none this huge. There were so many rides, I didn't think Vanessa and I had even beheld them all yet.
I stopped before a Ferris wheel, and was taken back about six or seven years. My mother and I were stuck on the very top of the Ferris wheel for the longest time. I used to be afraid of heights, and when the ride stopped working, I panicked. So my mother sang to me. I can't even remember which song it was, but she sang her heart out to soothe me, and she didn't care who heard. I held onto her until we were safely on the ground again.
"You getting on?" the ride operator asked me. I realized then that I had accidentally stepped into the line earlier and was now at the front of it. When I started to step into the gate, he noted, "You need two." It was then that I remembered Vanessa was no longer at my side. I stopped in my tracks, desperately searching for Vanessa but seeing her nowhere.
"If you aren't getting on, get out of the line," the operator reminded me.
As I was about to abandon the Ferris Wheel, someone behind me said, "I'll go with you."
I spun around and saw a boy of about seventeen smiling at me. The frustrated ride operator shouted out, "NEXT!"
"Let's go!" the boy said, gently pushing me past the gate.
The operator muttered something and angrily secured the two of us into our seat.
"Friends ditch you?" the boy asked me as soon as we were off the ground.
"Friend," I corrected him. "She went to get a pretzel. Sure is taking an awful long time..."
He laughed, one of the most genuine laughs I had heard in months. "Mine too... I mean, not the pretzel part, but..."
I looked at him, and his sentence trailed off. His dark brown hair was blown out of his face by the wind, revealing the light green color of his eyes. I saw in him something of my mother that I couldn't quite explain. His left hand, which had been around the back of the cart, was now lightly holding my shoulder. His right hand, which had been lying limply in his lap, was now resting on my thigh. He leaned in toward me...
I nodded, and she said, "Hop in a line and save me a spot, will you?"
"Of course."
Vanessa smiled widely and contagiously—her smile never failed to melt my heart—and kissed me on the cheek. "Be right back."
I watched her walk away until she was out of my sight, then began exploring more of the attractions. I had only been to a few county fairs in my lifetime, but none this huge. There were so many rides, I didn't think Vanessa and I had even beheld them all yet.
I stopped before a Ferris wheel, and was taken back about six or seven years. My mother and I were stuck on the very top of the Ferris wheel for the longest time. I used to be afraid of heights, and when the ride stopped working, I panicked. So my mother sang to me. I can't even remember which song it was, but she sang her heart out to soothe me, and she didn't care who heard. I held onto her until we were safely on the ground again.
"You getting on?" the ride operator asked me. I realized then that I had accidentally stepped into the line earlier and was now at the front of it. When I started to step into the gate, he noted, "You need two." It was then that I remembered Vanessa was no longer at my side. I stopped in my tracks, desperately searching for Vanessa but seeing her nowhere.
"If you aren't getting on, get out of the line," the operator reminded me.
As I was about to abandon the Ferris Wheel, someone behind me said, "I'll go with you."
I spun around and saw a boy of about seventeen smiling at me. The frustrated ride operator shouted out, "NEXT!"
"Let's go!" the boy said, gently pushing me past the gate.
The operator muttered something and angrily secured the two of us into our seat.
"Friends ditch you?" the boy asked me as soon as we were off the ground.
"Friend," I corrected him. "She went to get a pretzel. Sure is taking an awful long time..."
He laughed, one of the most genuine laughs I had heard in months. "Mine too... I mean, not the pretzel part, but..."
I looked at him, and his sentence trailed off. His dark brown hair was blown out of his face by the wind, revealing the light green color of his eyes. I saw in him something of my mother that I couldn't quite explain. His left hand, which had been around the back of the cart, was now lightly holding my shoulder. His right hand, which had been lying limply in his lap, was now resting on my thigh. He leaned in toward me...