by Tasha Black
His harsh breath as they got out of the car appeased her somewhat. He wasn’t completely unflustered.
He seemed so easy going.
But he might be even more determined than she was.
If that was possible.
11
Georgia
The next morning, Georgia stood between Posey and Rima at the entrance to Stargazer Sky Fun Park.
Although, thanks to more than a few missing letters on the sign, they appeared to be entering the Stargazer Sk-u-nk.
“Paint,” Rima said and jotted it down in her pocket notebook.
Georgia hoped she’d brought more than one of those. That little book could be full before they made it through the gates.
The huge black iron posts reached for the cloudy sky. In spite of the rust, the chain holding them together appeared to be quite solid.
“Magnum,” Rima said quietly.
The mountain of a man strode past them. There was a groan of bending metal. Then the chain fell to the ground and Magnum was opening the gate.
Must not have been as sound as it had looked.
Georgia slipped through, turned the corner, and gasped.
The whole place was completely creepy, yet somehow strikingly beautiful, like something out of a poem by Edgar Allan Poe.
Tall grasses burst from the cracked macadam and waved in the breeze. English ivy covered the box office almost completely, its waxy leaves moving like tickling fingers on a living thing.
Georgia felt Posey take a step back.
“Come on, gang, this is awesome,” Georgia said, striding forward with a bravado she didn’t feel.
She knew that her friends looked to her for leadership, so if she showed the least sign of caution, the others would be terrified.
And if they abandoned this plan, there wasn’t another one.
She’d had a long night, tossing and turning, thinking about Rocky’s touch, but also about his words.
And while she had awoken with a fresh resolve to be her own woman and not settle down too young, she wasn’t unmoved by what he had said.
She was committed to protecting the observatory he and his brothers called home. Even if she wasn’t ready to marry Rocky, she certainly couldn’t leave him in danger or need.
“Circle up, folks,” she said in her most commanding tone.
Georgia settled herself with her back to the creepy box office. She figured no one else would want to, and it gave her the psychological advantage of having the others face the way further in rather than out.
Posey and Rima stood on either side of her, and the boys, along with Ellie, Calvin and Tom fanned out to complete the circle.
Georgia slid her backpack off and thought of college for the first time in forever. It was odd not to have her textbooks in the pack slung over her shoulder.
“The goal today is to explore the park, and take notes on what we need and what we’re doing with each ride. But since we’re walking the park, we’re going to clean up as much trash as we can. We’ll each carry a bag with us,” she told them, handing a wad of contractor bags to Rima, who took one and passed the rest down the circle.
“We’ll want to be very careful. I’ve also got a can of spray paint for each of you. If you find anything dangerous, mark it with an X so we can be sure to take care of it in our repairs, ok?”
“What do you mean dangerous?” Ellie asked nervously.
“Good question, Ellie. That would be something someone could get hurt with - like a big root under some tall grass that might be a blind tripping hazard. A piece of equipment that could drop and hit someone, that type of thing,” Georgia said calmly.
Ellie nodded, looking slightly more confident.
“Or a ghost,” Posey said with a deadpan expression.
“Can you spray paint a ghost?” Calvin asked.
“There are no ghosts!” Georgia cut in, before the whole conversation could completely derail.
Once all eyes were back on her, she continued, sparing a stern glance for Posey, who only smiled in return.
“We’re going to break into smaller groups and try to cover more ground,” Georgia added quickly. “Calvin, Ellie, Tom, take the path toward the wooden coaster. Rocky, Bond, and Posey, head toward the swings and the metal coaster that’s over that way, and Rima, Magnum and I will check out the boats and the recreation area.”
“This is wastefully inefficient. Bond and Posey can check the swings, Rima and Magnum can do the recreation area, you and I will do the boats,” Rocky said in a tone that brooked no arguments.
The others nodded in agreement.
Well, she had tried to avoid him, she really had. And as a result she was now going to be spending the whole morning with him. Alone. Score one for Rocky.
“Perfect,” she said, refusing to let him see he’d won. “Let’s do this. We’ll meet back here at eleven.”
She trooped off through the tall grass that led along the east side of the park without even waiting for him.
Sure enough, his footsteps followed behind her.
A flock of Canadian geese exploded out of the underbrush as she rounded the first curve in the path. They had been roosting on a ride called Orbit the Sun. It was the kind of old-fashioned carnival gig that spun the riders around on a swinging, rotating arm. Just the sight of it was enough to make Georgia’s stomach turn at the childhood memory of being spun like a top with a bellyful of funnel cake and lemonade.
The machine was weathered, its paint faded. There was no way they would get something like this working again. But it was super spooky looking, maybe they could hire some kids to dress up as zombie clowns and wander around it.
Georgia hopped the metal fence to get a closer look.
“What was this for?” Rocky asked.
“It was for making kids sick,” she replied, bending to pick up a few pieces of trash and place them in her bag.
“What do you mean?” Rocky asked.
“Well, you would go in there and then it would spin around like crazy. Sometimes kids would get out and throw up,” Georgia explained.
“No wonder they closed this place,” Rocky said, looking horrified.
Georgia couldn’t help smiling. She walked up to the rusty carcass of the old ride and began to examine it. She reached out a hand to gingerly push and tug, testing its stability.
Luckily, it seemed to be frozen in position. Even the life-sized model astronaut that stood in front was rusted to the ground.
Suddenly she was reminded of the tin woodsman in The Wizard of Oz. She shivered at the creepiness of this whole adventure. Not zombie clowns - she would hire kids to be flying monkeys.
“Are you cold, Georgia?” Rocky asked.
She shook her head and he nodded and went back to pulling trash out of the fence.
When the area was clear, Rocky indicated the path again and Georgia nodded.
Before she could stop him, he lifted her easily into his arms and stepped over the fence.
He was so warm and he smelled so good, Georgia was in heaven for a moment.
But he set her down immediately on her feet and kept walking.
What the heck?
She trotted to catch up. He looked back and smiled at her, waiting.
When they reached the next inlet, Rocky froze in place.
“Oh,” he said simply.
Georgia followed his sightline. The only thing ahead of them was a sort of pavilion. It must have been another recreation area where visitors could gather and eat. A painted sign next to it said Ground Control.
It had a glass roof, which had turned it into a sort of greenhouse. Lush, fresh new weeds and baby trees reached toward the shafts of soft light that pierced the dirty panes above.
“It reminds me of home,” he said.
Georgia studied the scene, wondering what part of it made him think of Aerie.
“It’s the light, and the greenery,” he continued. “Light was everything to us. And when Bond and Magnum and I moved
into our bodies, they grew our food by starlight, in small houses, like this one.”
“Do you miss it?” Georgia asked.
He paused.
“I enjoy my new home, my body. Once in a while I find it strange that I will never see Aerie again, that’s all,” he said. “It’s like being away for a… a vacation. But at moments like this one I remember that I will never go back again.”
“You’re very brave,” Georgia observed.
“Not really. It was a peaceful life, but sedate. Now, I am not bored,” he said, giving her an appraising look.
She laughed.
“Besides, you are the brave one,” he said. “You want to be a warrior.’
“A police officer,” she corrected him.
“The two seem very similar to me,” he said. “You intend to put your own life at risk to protect your world. From what I know of your culture this is an unusual choice for a female. Did someone murder your family?”
“N-no, why would you ask that?” she stammered.
“That is why the Batman decided to fight crime,” Rocky told her with solemn reverence. “Was your sister kidnapped?”
“No, nothing bad happened. I just… I want to help people. A police officer helped me once when I was a little kid. I was lost and he found me and got me back to my mom, and I guess it stuck with me. All the adults I knew just wanted to talk about money and pretty clothes, but I thought that guy was a hero.”
“And you like things to be orderly,” Rocky said.
“Um, yes, I guess that’s true,” she said.
“And you are a leader,” he said. “That is plain to see.”
She smiled and nodded.
“Police officers help others remember to follow the rules and they help people,” Rocky ventured. “Even when it puts their own lives in danger.”
“Yes, that’s right,” she agreed. “That’s what the good ones do, anyway.”
She was glad he didn’t push her on the difference, because she wasn’t even sure she completely understood it herself.
“It is a noble thing,” he said, but his eyes were on the path ahead of them, and it was impossible for her to understand how he felt about her choice.
They walked on in silence, stopping to pick up trash and once in a while to spray paint an X on an errant tree root.
The path curved again and suddenly the swan boat pond was revealed before them.
The sight was both lovely and terrible. The delicate curve of the old Ferris wheel loomed above the pond and was reflected back in its murky surface. Three large, artificial swans, more gray than white, gathered near its center.
A fringe of green moss was working its way from the undercarriage of one of the still-floating boats up onto its chest. Another, half-submerged swan had cattails growing through a hole in its floor, making it look like an entry in a zombie flower show. The third swan appeared to be moving slightly. Georgia hoped it was just the wind, or a trick of the light.
The whole scene was so incredible that she forgot to be careful as she headed over to check it out.
One moment she was walking steadily toward the boats, the next her foot sank into a hole in the pavement, covered over by thick grass.
Georgia felt herself flying, then Rocky’s strong arms were around her once more.
How had he moved so quickly? He’d been at least ten paces behind her.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
His deep voice reverberated through her body, and she was overwhelmed with the longing to kiss him again.
“I’m fine,” she managed.
Rocky let her go.
12
Georgia
By the time they joined the others back at the entrance to the park Georgia was exhausted, filthy, frightened and triumphant.
The park was perfect for Halloween. If they could really arrange a couple of UFO sightings, they could make some money here.
She tried not to think about the fact that the money they were after would have been nothing back in her parents’ glory days - less than a couple of trips to Vail.
But her parents were worse than broke now - they were deep in debt from living their old lifestyle too long after her dad lost his job.
Now it was up to her. And if she was honest with herself, she kind of liked life without a net when it meant she could prove she was self-sufficient.
“How’d it go, guys?” she asked Ellie, Calvin and Tom as they arrived.
“I’m pooped,” Ellie announced.
“Great,” Calvin nodded.
“Pretty good,” Tom told her. “We got rid of a lot of trash, and marked a couple of areas that need safety attention.”
Bond and Posey hiked up next and Rocky went to them, greeting his brother enthusiastically.
“What areas?” Georgia asked Tom.
“Oh a couple of potholes under the grass,” he said.
“Yeah, I found one of those too,” she replied, leaving out the part about how her discovery almost ended in a swim with the creepy swans.
“And then there’s a huge metal sign hanging from the old roller coaster. I’m kind of afraid of heights,” he admitted. “And the other two weren’t into it. But it looks like you could probably just lift it off, so it doesn’t fall and kill someone.”
“Makes sense,” she replied.
There was no sign of Magnum and Rima yet.
“You know what, I’m gonna run over and check it out,” Georgia told him. “I’ll be right back.”
She headed out into the grass, grateful to see an X on the ground so she could avoid another go at a sprained ankle. She’d been really lucky Rocky was there to catch her.
Rocky.
For a moment she was lonesome for him, actually lonesome, even though she’d seen him minutes ago, and he was probably still within shouting distance.
He had the appearance of such sweetness, but really he was brave, experienced, and stubborn as hell. He had held her in his arms, last night and today, and let her go so easily because she would not be held on his terms.
The thought of it made her ache for him.
She should feel grateful to him for having the decency not to tempt her or himself into a relationship she wasn’t ready for.
Instead she found herself trying to think of a way to break his resolve.
At last, the wooden coaster loomed above her.
Sure enough, a metal sign hung precariously over one of the wires near the top of the thing.
She would definitely be able to knock that down before anyone got hurt.
The coaster had a staircase that ran from the load-in all the way up to the peak, which overlooked a scaled-down version of the Stargazer Observatory with its brick walls and copper roof.
Georgia headed up the stairs. The handrail was metal, and fastened securely, and the whole setup seemed pretty solid. It must have been fairly well-built back in its day.
Georgia had always been a skier and a hiker, so the height didn’t begin to bother her until she was more than halfway up.
She looked down to the see observatory and the swings in the western portion of the park. When the sight made her a little queasy, she looked up again and focused on the stairs.
She had nearly reached the old sign, when she felt the first step start to give way. Instinct had her grabbing the railing and pulling herself up a few more steps to safety.
The step she’d been standing on a moment ago clattered against the coaster track on its way down. The ground was too far below to hear it hit.
Georgia shuddered and thought of turning back, but she was so close, just a few more steps. And if she didn’t take care of it now, no one would. They’d have to rope off this whole section of the park.
She reached out for the sign and pushed it down with a flick of her wrist. It came loose immediately and fell, clacking and clanging the whole way to the ground.
Gotcha.
But as she turned to head down, the stair she was on cracked beneath her weight.
She clung to the rail, afraid to go higher but suddenly realizing that instead of a single anomaly, the first rotted out stair might be a sign the whole flight was going to go.
She didn’t dare to ease a hand off the rail for her phone.
Allowing herself to gaze down again, for the first time she saw the whole park spread out below - the loops of trails running through the attractions, the roofs of the picnic areas and the cloudy sky reflected in the pond through the spokes of the Ferris wheel.
Only the observatory tower was up nearly this high.
To the south, she could just make out her friends, tiny moving shapes in the entrance to the park.
How long before they realized she was missing and came for her. And what could they do for her, anyway? Would the cracked stair she was standing on hold out until the fire company came?
Georgia felt her heart begin to pound.
Stay calm.
Stay positive.
Breathe.
Step back and observe.
Make a plan.
It was incredible how the Good Citizen training she had taken, hoping to use it in her police work, was coming to her.
Georgia took a deep breath.
She looked around to take in her situation. Was there anything here that she could use to better her chance of making it?
Behind her, the wooden coaster headed downward sharply. It had wooden slats and a metal track, but neither looked like they would be good to hold onto.
In front of her was thin air.
Above, the tracks met the heavens.
And below there were rotting stairs.
She was just beginning to consider making a break down the stairs as fast as she could when she heard a voice from below.
“Georgia,” Rocky shouted.
“I’m up here,” she called softly, almost afraid that her voice would be enough to demolish the tread she stood on. “The stairs are rotting out. I didn’t realize it until I got up here.”
“Hold on, baby, I’m coming,” he yelled to her.
“No,” she cried, afraid that he would try to climb the stairs and kill them both. There was no way they would take his weight.
