Carnival Tale

She was a crumpled creature, her wrinkles leathered on a dead face. She crooned over her crystal ball, her orb of lies, and I held my disbelief. "Katy," she said. Her voice ached. "the 35 holds your spirit. Catch the curve, Katy. Catch the curve." She began to roar with laughter and my stomach spun. I ducked out of her tent.

Outside, the carnival surged with life. Bright neon light struck me. Children ran to and fro. A Ferris wheel sputtered in the distance. Jacob walked up to me. He said "What'd she say?"

"We need to leave."

"What did she tell you?"

"Some prediction. Let's go."

"Why?" He chuckled. "Voodoo lady got you spooked?"

"Jake, I want to leave."

"Not yet." He said. "I want to win you something!"

"What road did we take here?"

"35. You like teddy bears, right? I'll win you a teddy bear."

"We should take an alternate route home."

"Honey, there's no other road out."

I muttered under my breath and Jacob pointed to a game booth with stuffed animals. He latched onto my hand and dragged me to it. He did his thing and won me a white bear with a red heart that said "I love you!" on it.

"Here." he said, "It's true, you know. I love you. I think you're fantastic. You know that?"

He was sweet, I'd give him that. I told him I loved him and asked to leave. That seemed to work.

Far from the place, rubber met road. He held my hand and I relaxed. He leaned to kiss me. My eyes closed. Something happened. A swerve. A pop. Crunching metal. I didn't really mind. I had his love. Maybe I died. Maybe my spirit went up. I didn't really mind.