The rift had stabilized. It stood wide open. Viv could see the decaying future through the door.
Around them, the park’s past buzzed with activity.
Nobody noticed them. The crowd broke just before it reached the rift. They flowed around it like a stream washing around rocks. The twins and the entryway were as good as invisible.
Maddy waved, pulled faces, and gestured at patrons as they passed by. Nobody even blinked.
The twins linked hands, nodded at one another, and merged into the park’s traffic.
At first they took cautious steps, kept glancing back at the rift every few seconds. It held steady, and remained unnoticed by all but the two of them.
Maddy whirled around in a tight circle. “I want fairy floss!” She stopped. “Wait, no, let’s go on some rides. Or…”
Viv held up her arms in surrender. “Okay, okay. But damn, girl, take a breath. You’re going to bust a blood vessel. Let’s just take it as it comes.”
Maddy grinned and said, “Lead on.”
All around them colored lights winked and spun. The air was filled with music, happy voices, and the constant whirr and groan of the rides. Fried dough, cinnamon, roasting nuts, and other tantalizing scents tempted them. It was the best mix of all the fun of an amusement park.
The crowd was a kaleidoscope of neon bright patterns, popped collars, and big teased hair. It was too authentic, too varied, to be a costume parade. Maddy elbowed Viv. “Told you! Time travel.” She made a little fist then popped it open, spreading her five fingers wide. “Mind. Blown.”
Viv nodded and reached for her camera, but came up empty. She groaned. It was back on the other side. She’d left both it and her smartphone on top of the cooler. Maddy wouldn’t have one either. She never carried it when she was with her sister.
There goes proof.
“Come on, Grumpy. Let’s try a ride. Please?” Maddy’s tone held the same musical note she always used to wheedle and cajole.
Viv wanted to cave in, but had to be practical. “With what?” she said. “It’s not like we can use our money or credit cards.”
Maddy pouted.
“Hey, pretty ladies! You can ride this one for free!” A man working the Scrambler waved and smiled. He was wearing a purple flight suit—it seemed to be the basic uniform of the park.
The twins jumped back in shock. He was the first to have noticed them.
“No strings attached.”
Maddy peered at him. “Who says? I mean, won’t you get in trouble?”
The Scrambler-Man laughed. “Pretty and nice. You’re quite a prize.” He bowed. “I’m the Night Manager, at your service. I say who rides and who doesn’t. I run the park.”
Viv opened her mouth to ask a question.
He pointed to his uniform. The words NIGHT MANAGER were embroidered on his right breast in gold thread.
Viv swore they hadn’t been there a second ago.
“C’mon. What are you waiting for?”
Maddy bit her lip, but succumbed. “Thanks, man!” She pulled Viv toward the ride.
Maddy had been dragging them into adventures from the time they could walk.
Why fight it now?
Viv laughed and said, “Race you!”
They were swept up and away in a whirl of motion. After that it was all height, spin, speed, and sugar.
They saved the rollercoaster for last.
It pulsed with simulated starlight. It hummed with promise. The twins made their way into their seats and held hands. For luck.
* * *
Viv started to regret their choice to ride the coaster the moment their car made it to the apex of the first rise. The view was beautiful, but Viv shivered. Her mouth went dry and her breath caught in her throat. She looked down. They’d been suspended above the park for far too long. Something had shifted.
Maddy squealed and raised their arms in victory.
The car plunged forward and down.
The speed was exhilarating and wind whipped through their hair. They were mashed into the seats and then they floated, at the mercy of physical force. They twisted, turned, and went upside down.
They screamed, half in terror and half in delight. The sound was matched by other cries. When the ride stopped the girls fell silent.
But the screams went on.
The park filled with them.
Viv and Maddy struggled in their seats and fought against the safety harness. They didn’t know what was happening around them, but they didn’t care—not in that moment. Nothing mattered except getting free. Viv pounded against the restraint. Finally, the automatic unlocking mechanism fired and the bars popped up in every car.
The twins leapt out.
Metal screeched and there was a tremendous crash somewhere in the distance. A huge fountain of flame shot up into the air. The stink of burning plastic and fuel filled the park.
The screaming continued.
The platform stood firm and still, but the noise punched forward. Any peace they had sheltered in would shatter on contact.
Viv and Maddy looked at one another, pointed toward the exit, and nodded.
The teenage couple from the car directly behind them came up to stand by the twins. The boy said, “That was totally rad. We’re going again!”
Viv whirled. She was about to ask him how he could say that when something awful was obviously going on in the park but her words died on her tongue. The skin of the boy’s face sagged, melting down his face to pool and jiggle at his jawline. His lips had sloughed off to reveal a wad of purple chewing gum lodged in his braces. He grinned and a fat yellow worm wriggled out from a hole in his cheek.
Viv gasped and Maddy made a whistling, moaning sound.
The teenage girl winked. “Too much for you, huh? Chicken!” She snorted with derisive laughter. Her breath was hot, thick with peat and the cloying sweetness of rot.
Her eyelid had slipped off and sat on her cheek, mired in a thick layer of base and rouge. The girl’s clumped lashes, heavy with navy blue mascara, stood stiffly at attention. Her naked and staring eye rolled around with lazy oblivion.
The twins didn’t answer. They just ran.
* * *
Some kind of switch had been thrown. The pleasant hum of one impossible and magical summer’s night had become a whirlwind of violence and fear. It was as if every terror, every disappointment, and every calamity that had darkened the history of Professor Future’s Fun-Land had come home to roost all at once.
The girls ran, their fingers white with the strain of holding on to one another’s hands so tightly.
Viv prayed that they could find the robot. She prayed the rift was still open. She prayed they could make it there in time to get through the door.
The black night burned orange in the distance. Pockets of darkness held sway when bulbs burst. Gunshots popped and echoed over by the Ferris wheel. A gunman stood poised before it. He picked off passengers at his leisure. A body dropped from the height of the ride. Viv couldn’t tell if the person had been trying to escape or if they’d fallen victim to a bullet. It didn’t matter—the gunman hit the body twice as it fell.
All around them, the crowd turned to corpses. The stench of decay and the copper tang of blood hung heavy in the air. Some of the people had wounds—stabs, slashes, and punctures. Some were burned. Others were covered with dust and debris—probably victims of the tornado that had howled through one spring afternoon.
Viv was sure that so many couldn’t have died in the park while it was up and running.
Her heart stuttered in her chest. What if they had died after? What if they too had walked through the door and had been trapped?
“Faster, Maddy!”
Maddy was wheezing, but she found more speed. “Viv! What the hell is happening?” she gasped.
“Worry about that later. Now? Run.”
Behind them, the roller-coaster screeched and moaned. A section collapsed and plummeted to the ground with a deafening crash.
“Almost there, Maddy!”
Her sister squeezed her hand.
They turned another corner. Viv could see the robot. It was still on guard duty. The rift shimmered, marking the doorway home. It was smaller now, dimmer, but it was there.
A hitch had developed in her side, a stabbing pinch of pain, but she powered through it. She ignored the heat in her left calf, was determined to deny the possibility of cramp.
Her sister wasn’t so lucky. She lurched and nearly fell. Maddy let go of Viv’s hand so she could clutch her leg. Her face twisted in pain.
“We’re so close, Maddy. Don’t stop now.”
“I know Viv, but it’s seized up.” Her voice rose in panic.
Viv hauled her sister to her feet, and half-carried her as they inched forward.
They’d almost made it to the rift when a voice cut through the chaos. “Hey, pretty ladies. Where do you think you’re going?” It was the Scrambler man—the Night Manager. He eyed the pair of them and spat onto the ground. It was a casual, almost contemplative gesture.
Viv was surprised there was no visible damage on him. Not a single a spot marred that purple flight suit.
Lightning struck the carousel fifty meters away. The terrified cries of children mingled with the calliope music. The air smelled scorched. Meaty.
The Night Manager continued as if nothing had happened. “The fun is just beginning. Why, the fireworks haven’t even started yet.”
It was Maddy who spoke first. “We’ve had enough for tonight, that’s all. We just want to go home.” Her voice only trembled a little, right at the end. She mustered up a smile. It wasn’t as bright as usual, but she’d put all the charm she could into it. “We thank you for your generosity.”
The Night Manager inclined his head.
The girls started to move again.
“The cramp has loosened, Viv,” Maddy said. “I can walk by myself.”
They separated.
Viv jerked her head toward the way home. It was only a few meters farther. Maddy nodded and they scurried forward.
The last firework exploded overhead. Viv ignored it and stepped into the zone by the rift. It felt quieter, protected. The exit was smaller now, but they could still make it if they were fast enough.
She turned to motion Maddy through.
Maddy stood half in the protected circle and half out. She was looking up at the fireworks.
It was a dazzling display. It lit up the dark skies overhead in showers of red, blue, green, and gold. Beautiful as it was, they had no time for it. Viv spoke with urgency. “Come on, Maddy. We have to go. Now.” She reached, grabbed Maddy’s hand, and tugged.
Maddy didn’t cooperate. She stood firm.
Viv pulled again, but was surprised when Maddy jerked in the opposite direction.
“I can’t see you, pretty girl, but I’ve got your sister, sure enough.” The Night Manager’s voice was soft, self-satisfied. “Now what would happen if I pulled harder? What would happen if I took my other hand away from this pretty mouth? Would I lose my prize?”
Maddy’s muffled cries erupted into a shriek. The noise was tamped down.
“That is no way to show gratitude to your host. Not when we won you, fair and square,” the man said.
Maddy squeezed Viv’s hand twice in rapid succession.
For once, Viv couldn’t understand what her sister was trying to tell her. She squeezed back and tried to pull Maddy toward her. It was no use.
The Night Manager chuckled.
Viv dropped her twin’s hand and stepped back into the park. Fireworks still crashed and boomed overhead. Purple streamers rained down from a cluster of red orbs. They were bright red, like those syrupy cherries that perch atop ice cream sundaes.
The lights turned from vibrant to garish and obscene the instant Viv fixed her attention on Maddy.
The Night Manager was leeching away all her color—all her light and life. It was as if Maddy was turning into a negative image before her eyes.
“She’s with us now,” the man said. “You will be too.”
Maddy and Viv looked at each other. They’d almost always known what the other was thinking. This was no different.
Viv shook her head. Pleaded and denied. But the color kept fading. Darks turned bright. Bright faded to black.
The Night Manager took his hand away from Maddy’s mouth.
His cruel laugh rang in Viv’s ears, but it wasn’t enough to down out Maddy’s whisper. “Go, Viv. Go,” she said. The last of the color drained from her. The light in Maddy’s eyes dimmed and went out.
The Night Manager let go and lunged for Viv.
She was too quick. Desperation gave her speed.
The Night Manager only managed to brush her arm with his fingertips. His touch was so cold it burned.
She dove for the rift, almost missed, almost got tangled up in the robot’s salute, but got her balance back in time. She had to twist sideways to fit through the collapsing exit. She felt the pinch, the fold, and then warmth again.
A voice followed her out of the rift.
The Night Manager shouted, “That’s okay. We’re not greedy. When you play the crooked game, one pretty lady is better than none. And we’re going to have such good times. Every night is fun night at Professor Future’s Fun-Land.”
Viv shut her eyes. She’d expected a taunt.
They flew open when she heard Maddy cry, “Go! Viv! I lo––”
The rift slammed shut.
Viv finished the sentence for her. “—ve you.” She fell to her knees and cried. “Love you too, Maddy.” She clutched her arm. The frostbite didn’t hurt nearly as much as the rest of her.
Viv stayed by the ruins of the robot’s legs until the first fingers of dawn crept up and warmed up the light. It was only then that she could force herself to hobble back to the cooler. She was ashamed that her first impulse was to gulp down water and to choke down a chocolate bar. But she did it anyway.
Then she made the call.
* * *
Maddy Gates’ body was never found. The official story was that the twins had been attacked during their exploration of the ruins. The tragedy became another sad point in the park’s history.
When she found the courage, Viv developed the photographs from that day. They were beautiful and terrible. Her exhibition was a smash success and she sold hundreds of prints.
There was one photo she kept only for herself—one she hid away from everyone. She’d cried over it—the last one she’d taken that day. Viv made two prints. One positive. One negative. She needed two images: one dark, one light. One for before, one after.
Viv had to try to be whole, but she felt so empty—felt less than half.
She suspected she always would.
Viv found some comfort in the portraits. She liked seeing the life in Maddy’s eyes and the brightness of their smiles. She stared at the pictures for hours, soaking up every detail.
Sometimes, she swore she could see, off in the distance, high atop a curve of the roller-coaster, the shadow of something that looked like one of the coaster’s cars. Sometimes she could see two arms, clasped together, raised in victory.
Maybe Maddy was there, still riding.
Or maybe it was just a trick of the light.
Fit Camp
Shane McKenzie
Baxter sat on the couch, staring at his stubby fingers. His parents stood over him, arms akimbo, the harsh words aspirating from their frowning lips. He couldn’t look them in the eye, not while they announced his punishment. Of course, they said it wasn’t punishment, but Baxter knew better.
“What do you think, honey?” Mom forced a smile.
“I don’t know.”
“I
t’ll be good for you, son. I promise.” Dad placed a strong hand on his shoulder and squeezed.
Fat camp.
They were sending him to fat camp, just like they always said they would. It wasn’t his fault he liked candy so much; or cheeseburgers or chilidogs; or cake or soda. It was in his genes, it was who he was. His grandfather had been morbidly obese, so much that he died of a heart attack at the age of sixty. Baxter looked down at his midsection, making note of how tightly his shirt fit. Like saran wrap over a rump roast.
“When do I have to go?”
“Tomorrow,” they both said, more to each other than to Baxter.
* * *
They pulled their SUV into the gravel parking lot, the tiny pebbles crunching under the rubber of the tires. Baxter pressed his face against the window and watched the other chubby kids waddle around. Their parents held their soft, plump hands, all doing their best to look excited. There weren’t as many as he had expected. Baxter wanted to scream.
“Are you really gonna make me stay here?”
Dad sighed, hesitated, then said, “It’s only for a couple of weeks, son. Just think of how much weight you could lose, how much lighter you’ll feel.”
“Yeah, honey, it’ll be great. Plus, you could meet new friends. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”
“I see some girls walking around. In a couple of weeks, maybe they’ll be less fat and more pretty.” Dad grunted as Mom jabbed an elbow into his side. “I mean, they’re pretty now, but…”
“It’s gonna be great, honey. You’ll see.” Mom returned her disapproving gaze to her husband.
Baxter opened his door and slid from his seat, but his foot hit the ground awkwardly. His ankle twisted and sent a jolt up his leg. He yelped, collapsed to the ground and grabbed his ankle, rocked back and forth.
“Whoopsie-daisy!”
A pair of hairy legs stalked toward Baxter, beige socks pulled up tight, red stripes at the tops. An equally hairy hand shot toward him.
“Easy does it.”
Baxter squinted toward the baritone voice and accepted the hand though he wasn’t sure if his ankle would hold him up. He was pulled to his feet with authority, his shoulder popping, and he hopped for a second before settling his weight on the ankle. It hurt but not as bad as he’d expected.
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