The Curse of the Campfire Weenies (2 page)
Read The Curse of the Campfire Weenies Online
Authors: David Lubar
J
immy was only five, but he could spin things. Balls, toys, dishesâif it could rotate at all, Jimmy would spin it. This drove his brother, Darrin, crazy. Jimmy didn't care. Darrin could shout and stomp around all day. It didn't matter. As long as there was something to spin, Jimmy hardly noticed anything else.
immy was only five, but he could spin things. Balls, toys, dishesâif it could rotate at all, Jimmy would spin it. This drove his brother, Darrin, crazy. Jimmy didn't care. Darrin could shout and stomp around all day. It didn't matter. As long as there was something to spin, Jimmy hardly noticed anything else.
At the moment, he was sitting in the living room, spinning a book on his finger. It was a small book, but that was because Jimmy had small fingers.
“Stop it,” Darrin snarled.
Jimmy ignored him.
“Get out of here. I'm trying to watch TV,” Darrin said.
Jimmy spun the book in the other direction.
Darrin threw down the remote control. “Mom,” he called, “I'm going out.”
“Take your brother.”
“No!”
“Then you can stay home.”
“Oh, all right.” Darrin grabbed Jimmy's arm, yanking hard enough so the book went flying.
Jimmy let himself get dragged along. He was happy. There were lots of things to spin outside.
Darrin stopped at his friend Ray's house.
“Why you got him?” Ray asked, pointing at Jimmy.
“Mom made me. Come on. Let's go to the playground.”
Ray came out, carrying a basketball. Jimmy reached for it. Ray leaned down and started to hand the ball to Jimmy, then snatched it back and laughed. “Sucker.”
Jimmy didn't cry. He was pretty sure there'd be something to spin at the playground.
When they got there, Darrin and Ray shot baskets. Jimmy knew he couldn't have the ball while they were playing. He looked around for something else and found an empty soda can. He spun it on the hard, black asphalt. It made a wonderful sound.
Darrin rushed over to him. “Don't play with garbage!” He kicked the can, sending it flying across the basketball court. Then he turned to Ray. “Come on. Let's go to the swings.”
Jimmy watched the two of them walk into the sandy area with the swings, slide, and climbing fort. Ray put the basketball down and got on a swing.
Jimmy walked over toward the ball. “Touch it and you're dead,” Ray said.
Jimmy looked at his big brother. But Darrin didn't help him. Jimmy wandered around the edge of the play area,
searching for something to spin. He found a paper plate. There was a thin string of pizza cheese sticking to it, but he didn't care.
searching for something to spin. He found a paper plate. There was a thin string of pizza cheese sticking to it, but he didn't care.
“For crying out loud!” Darrin screamed as Jimmy spun the plate. “Will you stop with the garbage?” He jumped off the swing, grabbed Jimmy, and dragged him across the sand.
Jimmy struggled to get free. “Give me a hand,” Darrin shouted.
Ray came over and grabbed Jimmy's legs. The two of them carried Jimmy to the other side of the play area and plunked him on the highest platform of the climbing fort. “Stay there.”
As Darrin and Ray walked back toward the swings, Jimmy started to climb down.
Darrin spun back and screamed at him, “You stay right there! Don't you dare move.”
Jimmy stayed. He looked for something to spin. There didn't seem to be anything he could reach. And Darrin would get angry if he tried to climb down. Then he noticed some sand on the platform. Jimmy dropped one tiny grain onto his palm. It was too small to spin like a ball or a book, but there were other ways.
“Spin,” he whispered.
The grain spun in his palm. It tickled a little. Jimmy liked that. He made more sand spin.
All around, the sand spun. It didn't spin in a whirl, like a tornado. Each grain spun by itself. The sand on the
bottoms of Jimmy's sneakers spun, making the rubber heat up and smoke. Jimmy didn't mind. There wasn't a whole lot of sand on his sneakers.
bottoms of Jimmy's sneakers spun, making the rubber heat up and smoke. Jimmy didn't mind. There wasn't a whole lot of sand on his sneakers.
Down below, there was a lot of sand. Darrin and Ray, caught between the fort and the swings, froze as the sand etched away the soles of their sneakers. By the time they realized they needed to run, they couldn't.
Jimmy kept spinning the sand. He heard some screams, but they didn't last very long, and he didn't pay any attention to them. He was used to getting screamed at.
When he was tired and ready to go home, he looked around for his brother. But there wasn't any sign of Darrin or Ray. That was okay. Darrin was always running off without him. Jimmy could climb down by himself. And he knew how to get home. Maybe he'd even find something interesting to spin on the way.
“N
o way,” Rachel said. “You guys go. I'll wait out here.” She put her hand on the sun-heated railing outside the entrance to the Tunnel of Terror ride.
o way,” Rachel said. “You guys go. I'll wait out here.” She put her hand on the sun-heated railing outside the entrance to the Tunnel of Terror ride.
“Come on,” Penny said. “It'll be fun. And we already went on the rides that you wanted.”
“Yeah,” Trish said, rubbing her shoulder. “We did those stupid bumper cars twice. I don't even like them. Come on. Let's have some real fun.”
“It can't be that scary,” Penny said.
Rachel looked at the ride. Each car rolled along a short entryway, pushed through double doors, vanished inside a shabby wooden building, then eventually emerged from another set of doors at the far end of the loading platform.
It'll be dark in there,
she thought. But it was the middle of the day. The sun was high. Rachel figured there would be some cracks of light seeping in. And she could always close her eyes. She took a deep breath. Then, as the air flowed from her lungs, she managed to say, “Okay.”
she thought. But it was the middle of the day. The sun was high. Rachel figured there would be some cracks of light seeping in. And she could always close her eyes. She took a deep breath. Then, as the air flowed from her lungs, she managed to say, “Okay.”
“Super.” Penny rushed around the railing.
“Great.” Trish grabbed Rachel's arm and ran toward the entrance.
“Is it scary?” Rachel asked as she gave her ticket to the old man who was sitting on a stool by the gate.
The man shrugged. “That's up to you.” He tore her ticket in half and dropped the pieces in a plastic bucket. “But we always give you what you pay for.”
Before Rachel could ask what he meant, she was herded to the loading area by her friends. As the first car stopped, Penny and Trish jumped in. Rachel realized the car was too small for three riders.
“Hey!” she called, but the car rolled away. Rachel didn't want to get too far behind her friends. She jumped into the next car, all by herself, and pulled down the safety bar.
“It won't be bad,” she said, speaking aloud to bolster her courage. She kept up the pep talk in her mind:
It's just going to be some mechanical monsters or some stuff painted on the walls. Maybe some dummies with fake blood.
It's just going to be some mechanical monsters or some stuff painted on the walls. Maybe some dummies with fake blood.
The car moved toward the double doors. In the dim light, Rachel could see brushstrokes in the flat black paint. Ahead, Penny and Trish's car pushed open the doors, then slipped inside. The tall back of the car hid them from Rachel's view.
Here goes,
Rachel thought, as her own car reached the doors and pushed them open with a thud, jolting her against the bar.
Rachel thought, as her own car reached the doors and pushed them open with a thud, jolting her against the bar.
When the doors slammed shut behind her, Rachel
entered a darkness so deep it was as if the world had never known such a thing as vision. The room was beyond blackness, a cave within a cave wrapped in layers of velvet.
entered a darkness so deep it was as if the world had never known such a thing as vision. The room was beyond blackness, a cave within a cave wrapped in layers of velvet.
Only the jostling of the car let Rachel know she was moving.
“Penny?” she called out, listening for the sound of another car or the giggles of her friends. “Trish?”
Her words seemed unable to travel through the darkness. She heard no answer.
The car spun suddenly, turning sharply to the left and shooting forward. Rachel screamed as she found herself face-to-face with a grinning skull. The jaws of the skull gaped wide, then snapped shut. Rachel grabbed the safety bar to keep from leaping out of her seat.
Before her scream ended, the car spun away with another jolting twist, leaving the image of the skull burned in her vision as the blackness returned.
Calm down,
she told herself.
It's make-believe.
She felt foolish for screaming. All she'd seen was a piece of plastic shaped like a bone. Nothing real. No true terrors.
she told herself.
It's make-believe.
She felt foolish for screaming. All she'd seen was a piece of plastic shaped like a bone. Nothing real. No true terrors.
The car lurched again.
A man rose up with an ax in his hands. One of his eyes dangled from its socket.
Another scream burst from Rachel's lungs. The car spun back into blackness, then shot almost instantly toward a chamber where a hand thrust up from a freshly dug grave.
Rachel squeezed her eyes shut. She gripped the bar with both hands and thought about running from the car.
Even in her panic, she understood that this would be too dangerous.
Even in her panic, she understood that this would be too dangerous.
“I'll wait,” she said out loud. “I'll just wait until it's over.” She knew she could survive the ride if she kept her eyes closed.
The car lurched. Through shut lids Rachel sensed a flash of brightness. She pulled one hand from the bar and covered her eyes, trying to screen out even the faintest hint of what lay in front of her.
Something brushed her cheek and the back of her hand.
String,
she thought as a small shriek escaped her lips. That's all it was. Dangling pieces of string.
she thought as a small shriek escaped her lips. That's all it was. Dangling pieces of string.
Another lurch â¦
Leading to another flash.
And another.
Soon,
Rachel thought.
Not much longer.
It was a cheap ride in a cheap amusement park. There was no way the ride would last much longer.
Rachel thought.
Not much longer.
It was a cheap ride in a cheap amusement park. There was no way the ride would last much longer.
It didn't.
A few more lurches and she felt a bump as the car pushed through another pair of swinging doors.
Rachel quickly dropped her hand and opened her eyes. Bright light made her blink. She stumbled off the car and walked to the exit gate, where her friends were waiting.
“Cool,” Penny said.
“Kinda hokey,” Trish said. She looked at Rachel. “Well? What'd you think?”
Rachel shrugged. “It was okay.”
“Not too scary for you?” Penny asked.
“Not at all.” As Rachel walked along the railing, the ticket man smiled at her. Then he squeezed both eyes shut and curled his lips in mock terror.
Rachel turned away from him.
He knows,
she thought. But that didn't matter. It was over and done with.
He knows,
she thought. But that didn't matter. It was over and done with.
“Come on,” Rachel said, tapping Penny on the shoulder. “How about the bumper cars again? What do youâ”
The words froze in Rachel's mouth as Penny glanced back toward her. Penny's flesh had turned ancient and wrinkled. Her teeth were yellow and broken, her hair nothing more than wispy strands of white stitched to her scalp. Rachel gasped and closed her eyes. When she opened them, everything was normal.
“What?” Penny asked. “Is something wrong?”
“No.” Rachel shook her head. She looked away.
It's my imagination,
she thought.
The ride just made me imagine that.
She stared at a tree across the path.
It's my imagination,
she thought.
The ride just made me imagine that.
She stared at a tree across the path.
A man was impaled on one of the branches, pierced right below his chest. He hung limp and dead. A buzzard sat on his shoulder, pecking at his face.
Rachel gasped and pointed. She looked toward her friends, then back at the tree.
The image vanished. In her head, Rachel heard the words of the ticket man:
We always give you what you pay for.
We always give you what you pay for.
Rachel realized she was still pointing. Her own hand had turned to fleshless bone.
She thrust it from her sight and looked toward the ground.
A screaming face rose from the earth at her feet. Rachel lifted her gaze toward the sky. The clouds became severed heads, bloated and bleached white as if they'd been submerged in saltwater for days.
Rachel stared straight ahead, afraid to shut her eyes again, afraid that any attempt to escape from the images would bring something even worse. As she rushed to catch up with her friends, she wondered how much longer the ride would last.
T
he west side of Gunderson Park is pretty dirty and disgusting. I'm not one of those prissy girls who're scared of a little mud or grease, but the place is bad enough to make me shudder. There's the trash, of courseâcandy wrappers, plastic bags, and just about everything else people might throw away. But the place is also loaded with pigeons. And everyone knows what pigeons are loaded with. The statue of General Treron at the far corner of the park is so thick with pigeon droppings you could probably jab a finger into it halfway to the first knuckle without hitting stone.
he west side of Gunderson Park is pretty dirty and disgusting. I'm not one of those prissy girls who're scared of a little mud or grease, but the place is bad enough to make me shudder. There's the trash, of courseâcandy wrappers, plastic bags, and just about everything else people might throw away. But the place is also loaded with pigeons. And everyone knows what pigeons are loaded with. The statue of General Treron at the far corner of the park is so thick with pigeon droppings you could probably jab a finger into it halfway to the first knuckle without hitting stone.
I wouldn't ever choose to be anywhere around there, except it's a good shortcut to get from town to my street without passing those creepy boys who hang out by the magazine shop. Normally, I'd walk in front of the statue, but I saw Monica Entermayer heading in my direction and I really didn't want to get trapped into listening to
her brag some more about her trip to France. So I ducked in back of General Treron.
her brag some more about her trip to France. So I ducked in back of General Treron.
That's how I ended up stepping into a hole behind the statue and falling down into Zupthweld. Luckily, I landed on a bush. Still, I was kind of shaken and just stayed there, feeling totally confused.
“Hello, Topsider. Welcome to Zupthweld. I am Hobart.”
I stared up at the man who was greeting me. Except for his extremely pasty complexion, he looked like any other adult. “Hi,” I said. “I'm Steffie.”
He extended a hand to help me climb out of the bush. “It has been many years since we last had a visitor. I'd be proud to show you the fine points of our marvelous city before you return to Topside.”
“Thanks.” I noticed I was at the top of a steep hill. A large town was spread out below. Far into the distance I saw houses with neat lawns laid out on wide, clean streets.
“This way,” Hobart said.
I followed along as he pointed out the features of Zupthweld. There was a school and a ballpark and lots of houses and some factories. It wasn't much different from TopsideâI mean from homeâexcept that it was amazingly clean. The people we met all smiled at me. Everyone was happy and friendly.
“Well,” Hobart said as we returned to the bush on the hilltop where I'd fallen. “I guess that's the end of the tour. Let me help you back to Topside. I'll fetch a ladder.”
“Great.” I looked up at the hole I'd fallen through. “Hey, before I go, there's one thing I have to know.”
“Yes?”
“How do you keep it so clean?” I asked.
Hobart chuckled. “The founder of Zupthweld, who lived many, many years ago, was a great inventor. And this was his greatest invention. Observe.” With that, Hobart reached into his pocket and took out a stick of gum. He put the gum in his mouth but tossed the wrapper on the ground.
There was an immediate flutter of wings. A pigeon dove on the trash and ate it. The bird just swallowed down the wrapper like it was a tasty treat. I watched, following the upward path as the bird flew out the hole that led to Topside.
“You get rid of all your garbage that way?” I asked.
Hobart grinned. “Indeed. It's a perfect systemâa triumph of biomechanical engineering. They process all our waste and dispose of it. Now stay right here. I'll be back in a moment.”
I waited while he dashed off. He returned with a long ladder. “Thanks for the tour,” I said. “It's a nice town.” I climbed the ladder and squeezed through the hole, back to the filthy mess of the west side of the park.
Right behind me, several pigeons fluttered out. They bombed the statue, adding to the layer on General Treron's left shoulder, then dove back into the holeâobviously in search of more garbage. I thought about the clean streets of Zupthweld and where all their trash ended up.
“Our turn,” I said, looking around for what I needed. I found a large rock, big enough to cover the hole but not so big that I couldn't roll it.
“Deal with your own mess,” I added after the rock dropped in place. As I walked away from General Treron, I bent down, picked up a candy-bar wrapper from the ground, and tossed it into a trash can. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
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