Avert Your Eyes Vol.1

by Spike Black

  How Esther longed to be back there.

  A Prize Every Time

  “What shall we do first?” Sabina asked. She hung off his arm like an over-excited child, her long blonde hair framing delicate features burdened with heavy make-up. “There’s the hoopla and the hotdog stand and the hook-a-duck. And a ghost train! I love ghost trains! Ooh, Tin Can Alley!”

  “No,” Russ snapped, looking over at the rickety fairground stall. “Those things are fixed.”

  Sabina gasped as she saw something and stopped in her tracks. “Wait. Look!”

  She pointed to a cuddly toy hanging from the Tin Can Alley facade. Russ squinted. A panda doll wearing a tutu, with a pink bow on its head. “Is that…?”

  “Paloma Panda!” Sabina squealed. “Aw, we’ve got to have a go now! You’ve got to win me that!”

  Damn it, she was right - he did. If it had been any other toy, then forget it. But it wasn’t.

  It was Paloma Panda.

  Two months earlier, on their first date, Sabina had told him that he would recognize her at the bar because she’d be the one wearing the Paloma Panda T-shirt. When he arrived, bowled over by this gorgeous creature in ridiculous clothes, he had confessed that he had no idea who Paloma Panda was, and she couldn’t believe he had never heard of Pandamonium, a show she’d adored as a kid. Then she told him how she’d got a black eye once, falling down the stairs, and her parents had called her Paloma ever since. The nickname stuck.

  They’d been going out for a week when Sabina suggested she call Russ Pancho Panda, because that was Paloma Panda’s boyfriend’s name. He thought it sweet, because it was the first time he had considered himself her boyfriend, but he confessed that he thought Pancho Panda was a Mexican-Chinese restaurant, and they’d had a good laugh about that. They’d affectionately called each other Paloma and Pancho ever since.

  So yes - no pressure, but they had to go to the Tin Can Alley stall, and he simply had to win her that toy. He’d forever be a failure in the eyes of his beautiful girlfriend if he didn’t. And besides, the whole thing was too much of a coincidence for them not to win it. He felt it in his bones - it was meant to be.

  “Come on,” Russ said, puffing out his chest. “Let’s go win you that Paloma Panda.”

  ***

  “Roll up, roll up,” the guy on the stall called out. He was a young man with much of his face covered by a beanie hat. “A prize every time.”

  Russ and Sabina approached. Sabina could barely contain her excitement. Russ eyed the selection of pathetic prizes hanging before him: tinsel balls with stickers for eyes, inflatable hammers, furry fish that were smaller than the tiddlers he’d thrown back on his last fishing trip. Paloma Panda dwarfed them all, hanging proudly in the center.

  “How do I win the top prize?” Russ asked.

  “Easy,” the guy smirked. “Just knock down all the cans with three bean bags.”

  Russ pulled some money from his wallet, then hesitated. “Bean bags? I thought you’d get balls.”

  Sabina squeezed his arm. “Come on, sweetie. You can do this.”

  The guy held out the three bean bags. “You want a go or not?”

  Russ placed the money on the table and took them. “Bean bags from the beanie guy. Okay, let’s do this.”

  His first throw took out all but the bottom row of cans.

  “Yes!” Sabina cried. “You’ve got this! Come on, babes.”

  His next shot, he hit two of the remaining three cans, sending them tumbling off the shelf.

  “This is it, Pancho. You can do it. I know you can.”

  Russ took a deep breath. Closed one eye and focused on the solitary target. “This one will be glued down or something, I just know it.” He threw the bean bag and the can toppled.

  “Get in!” Sabina hugged him, giggling.

  He punched the air. “Oh yeah. That’s how you do it.”

  The beanie guy reached up and pulled down their prize: a scrawny piece of yellow fluff with paper feet that looked like a dead baby bird.

  Sabina fell silent. Russ frowned. “Hey, wait, fella. I won, didn’t I?”

  “Sure. Congratulations.”

  Russ picked up his pathetic prize. One of the feet fell off. “So what do you call this?”

  “You have to knock all the cans off the shelf for the top prize.”

  Russ looked. The last can remained on the shelf, toppled over. “You’re kidding me?”

  “Rules is rules.”

  Russ stared at the guy a moment, and then shook his head. He pulled more money from his wallet and handed it over. “Okay. Fine. Let’s go again.”

  He took three more bean bags, and didn’t waste any time. He threw them, one after another. The same result - one can remained on its side, still on the shelf.

  The guy pulled down another, identical yellow toy and handed it over.

  “Oh, great,” Sabina said. “Now we have two of them.”

  Russ paid for another attempt. “Don’t worry, babes. I’ll do it this time.”

  “Yeah, keep going. A couple more and we can build a nest.”

  Russ glanced over at the beanie guy. I’ll show him, he thought. Pulling his arm back, he injected all of his fury into the throw. The pile of cans dispersed with the first shot. Some stragglers on the shelf, but this time he was confident. He cleared the shelf with the second bean bag.

  “You did it!” Sabina exclaimed, wide-eyed.

  “Don’t look so shocked. Of course I did it.”

  “Congratulations,” the beanie guy said. He reached up and took down a small teddy bear with a blue ribbon around its neck. Sabina swore under her breath.

  “No,” Russ said. He spoke slowly and carefully. “We want the Paloma Panda.”

  “Hey, you wanted the top prize,” the beanie man said. “Well, here it is.”

  Russ stared at him. He stared back. Russ blinked heavily and snatched the bear. He offered it to Sabina. She turned and walked away.

  “Great. That’s just great.” He eyeballed Beanie Man. “Thanks, pal.” He chased after his girlfriend. “Wait!”

  “You promised me,” she said when he’d caught up to her.

  “I know, I know, but it’s all a con. They do it on purpose.” He held the prize out to her. “It’s quite a nice little teddy.”

  She threw it to the ground without looking at it.

  He picked it up and gave it back to her. “Don’t be like that. Come on…”

  Sabina held out the teddy to a passing young boy. “Here, kid.”

  The boy’s eyes lit up. He took the teddy. “Wow, thanks, miss!”

  Russ couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Okay, so, look… how about I order you a Paloma Panda online when we get home?”

  “It won’t be the same.”

  “No, it’ll be better. It won’t have been nailed to a dirty old stall for God knows how long.”

  Sabina stopped and turned to him. “You’re missing the point. I don’t want it several days from now, okay? I want that one, and I want you to win it for me.”

  He sighed, defeated. He wanted to tell her that she was being unreasonable, that she was a spoilt brat. But you didn’t say something like that to a girl like Sabina. She was the best looking girl in the whole town, and he was incredibly lucky to have her. She could have any guy she wanted. With a girl like Sabina, you did whatever you had to do.

  “Look, we’ll go to a Toys R Us or something. I’ll drive us there, right now.”

  Sabina’s mouth fell open. She stared at him in disbelief.

  “What?”

  “I thought our first date meant something to you.”

  “It did. Of course it did, babes…”

  “It was special, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes. Very special. The best day of my life.”

  “Right. Well, then you know it’s not a coincidence that Paloma Panda is hanging from that stall. It’s fate, Russ. You were meant to win that for me.”

  He stopped. Looked around. Bough
t himself some time to think. “Okay. All right. Let me see about something.” He gave her some money. “Here. Go get yourself a hotdog.”

  He returned to the stall.

  “Good evening, sir,” Beanie Man said, as if they’d never met. “Care to try your luck?”

  Russ pulled a twenty from his wallet and placed it before the guy. “Look, I want to win the Paloma Panda toy, okay?” He winked. “We on the same page, here?”

  Beanie took the money. “Gotcha. Say no more.” He handed over three bean bags.

  Russ took a deep breath, and then knocked over the cans with military precision. Using the final bean bag, he cleared the shelf. He sighed with relief.

  A voice from behind him. “Hey.” Russ turned. It was Sabina, eating a hotdog.

  “I did it, babes.”

  “Sure.”

  “No, really. I…”

  Beanie reached up and pulled down another teddy. It was the same as the last teddy, except that this one wore a red ribbon.

  Russ’s mouth dropped open. He wanted to scratch his eyes out in despair. “No. I want the ‘special prize’, remember?”

  “This is a special prize,” Beanie said. “Very special. Congratulations.”

  Russ felt his face burning. The fury within him bubbled to the surface. The guy’s rotten little smirk made things worse. He struggled to compose himself. “Are… you… kidding me, pal?”

  “Come on,” Sabina said. “Just leave it. Let’s go.” She wandered off.

  “Wait,” he called after her. “We can’t let him do this…” He ran after her. “Sabina…”

  “Just forget it. You can’t win it, you’re fucking useless. And that’s just fine. I’ve had enough.”

  “No, actually, it’s not fine. I’m going to sort this.” He turned and marched back to the stall.

  Beanie man beamed. “Good evening, sir. Care to try your—”

  “Cut the crap.” Russ pulled out his wallet. “Forget the stupid game. How much do you want for the Paloma Panda? The panda up there. How much do you want for it?”

  Beanie looked up at the toy. Thought for a moment. Rubbed his stubbly chin. Looked back at Russ. “It’s not for sale.”

  “Of course it’s for sale. Everything’s for sale. How much?”

  “It’s just for show.”

  Russ wanted to gnaw his own arm off. “Look, it’s just a stupid toy. It can’t be worth much.”

  “If it’s just a stupid toy,” Beanie said, chewing gum between words, “then why do you want it so bad?”

  Russ was lost for words. He stared at him for a moment, wondering if he was for real. He snapped out of it. “Okay. Okay, fine. It’s a wonderful toy, a delightful little toy, and it has sentimental value for the two of us, it really would mean the world to my girlfriend if I could get that for her, so please, pretty please, may I purchase this fine item from you, kind sir, on this pleasant summer’s evening?”

  Beanie chewed his gum.

  Russ waited.

  Beanie chewed some more. His smile broadened. “You can’t afford it.”

  Russ stumbled in disbelief. He moved closer. Pulled his wallet open. “Can’t you see the wad in here? Of course I can afford it.” He fanned through the banknotes. “That’s more money than you’ve seen in your life. So tell me, what do you want, you gypsy piece of shit?”

  Beanie stared back at him. The smirk fell from his face. He leaned forward. “Your girlfriend.”

  The shock smacked Russ so hard he couldn’t speak. Carnival lights blurred in his vision as his world spun, before righting itself. He scrutinized the guy’s expression and realized that he was deadly serious. “She’s not a commodity. You can’t just…”

  “Everything’s for sale, remember?”

  Russ stared into Beanie’s eyes, his teeth grinding together. “How dare you.” He removed a wad of cash from his wallet. “Okay. This is how this is going to go down. I’m going to give you all this money, and you’re going to give me the Paloma Panda.”

  Beanie slowly shook his head - left, right, and back to center.

  “Fine. Then I’ll just take it.” He hopped onto the counter. As he reached for the Paloma Panda toy, Beanie grabbed his legs. Russ couldn’t remove the bear - it seemed to be bolted to the woodwork. He tried kicking the guy away, but Beanie held on tight, tackling him. Russ lost his balance and came crashing down, falling into the enclosure of the stall. Beanie was beneath him. Russ picked himself up and punched the guy in the face.

  Sabina came running. “Russ!” she screamed. “Russ! Stop it!”

  Russ wasn’t listening. He hit the guy again. “You wanna get that down for me? Are you gonna do that?”

  Beanie turned his head and spat on the floor. He looked back to Russ and smirked, revealing a gold tooth.

  Russ punched him again. Beanie’s nose exploded in a shower of blood.

  “What are you doing?” Sabina screamed. “Get off him!”

  Russ climbed to his feet. He leapt onto the counter and tugged on the Paloma Panda toy.

  “You monster!” Sabina cried.

  “He’s the monster, babes. I bribed the bastard and he still wouldn’t let me have it.”

  “You did what?”

  Russ realized that maybe he’d revealed a little too much. He pulled on the toy. What the hell is wrong with this thing?

  Sabina climbed over the counter and knelt down beside Beanie. She cradled his head. “He’s a mess. There’s blood everywhere. What have you done?”

  “He’s fine.”

  Sabina removed the guy’s beanie hat. She looked harder. “Oh my God. Billy? Billy, is that you?”

  The guy smiled up at her. “Hi, Sabby.”

  Russ stopped what he was doing and looked down. “You know this prick?”

  Sabina stroked Billy’s hair. “What are you doing here? I thought you moved away?”

  “I did. With the fair.”

  “I can’t believe it. You’re here.”

  “You don’t know how much I’ve missed you.”

  With one last, mighty pull, Russ freed the Paloma Panda toy from the stall. “Yes! I got it! Sabina, look, I’ve got it!”

  Sabina wasn’t paying attention. She helped Billy to his feet and eased him into a chair.

  Russ climbed down. “Look, Sabby. Look! Look what I got.”

  She glared at him from the other side of the counter, and then returned her attention to Billy.

  Russ was lost for words, watching them together. “Sabby?”

  Billy smirked. Sabina stroked his hand.

  “Sabby?”

  She didn’t respond.

  Russ wandered away, through the fairground. Screams of laughter drifted on the breeze. The smell of popcorn made him nauseous. Carnival lights danced dizzyingly across his vision. He stopped and looked down at the toy.

  Paloma Panda’s head fell off and rolled across the ground.

  FREE eBOOK!

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  About the Author

  SPIKE BLACK writes high concept horror novels and suspense thrillers. His books include Don’t Look Inside (a 2015 Kindle Book Awards finalist), Leave This Place, Ghost Ahead, and the upcoming Blink Dread.

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  Website: spikeblack.com

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  Also by Spike Black:

  Don’t Look Inside

  Leave This Place

  Ghost Ahead

  SPIKE BLACK’S

  DON’T LOOK INSIDE

  Lizzie finds an old, tattered book and is intrigued by its creepy cover. Suddenly the words DON’T LOOK INSIDE scratch furiously into the leather, as if carved by an invisible hand. Lizzie jolts, terrified. She absolutely intends to heed the warning. No way in hell is she opening the book now.

  But her curiosity gets the better of her. She feels compelled to look inside. Her hands move with a will of their own, opening the book. The suspense is too much. Her heart hammers in her chest as she reads the first line.

  No. She reels in horror. What have I done? She should have obeyed the warning. She never should have looked inside. But now it’s too late. Because the book knows her darkest secret, and it’s about to exact a hideous punishment…

  Buy Don’t Look Inside from Amazon:

  spikeblack.com/dont

  (Links directly to your country’s Amazon store)

  Turn the page to read the opening chapter

  BONUS:

  DON’T LOOK INSIDE

  CHAPTER 1

  It was nothing, Lizzie convinced herself. I’m not afraid.

  She snapped open her Zippo and held it up to her eyes, momentarily hypnotized by the allure of the dancing flame. But that familiar feeling of repulsion came over her and she closed the lighter. She settled back into the armchair and took a long drag on her marijuana cigarette.