Part 2
The Park.
The muddy pavement of the trail leading to the small, brightly colored tent sucked my foot in, as I took my last steps to my tent. Bay held my hand nervously as I followed Miss V. When we reached our tent, Miss V opened the small opening that seemed too small to fit a child through. Bay crawled in on all fours, getting her jeans soaked with mud. I starred at the opening in disbelief that she could fit.
“You next.” Miss V said, bitterly.
“I am not going fit through there.” I replied.
“Don’t worry,” she said, “you’ll fit.”
I got on my knees and crawled through. Somehow it seemed to stretch as I shoved my body in the orange and pink tent.
The minute I crawled in, the place seemed to come alive. There were people with balloons and kids screaming on roller coasters. It only to me one glance around the place to find that the people were definitely not normal. They were only about 3 feet tall, but you could tell they were not children. Some had three eyes or an extra foot. I grabbed Bay’s hand and took a better look around the tent. Outside, the tent looked about 7 feet tall, but inside, it had to be 50. I turned around to see Victoria, the Miss part had gotten a little old, starring at us.
“What is this place?” I asked.
“Mrs. M’s Amusement Park.” Victoria responded. I turned to Bay and she gave me a scared look.
“We are leaving, now.” I said, as I started walking to the opening. Victoria stepped in front of us.
“I don’t think you will be leaving us today, Jessica.” she responded.
“Oh yes we will.” I said, pulling Bay behind me, as I walked around Victoria. She grabbed Bay.
“No, you won’t.” she said, smirking.
“Let go of her, Victoria.” I yelled. I heard Bay scream, as Victoria gripped harder.
“You will call me Miss V, you will stay here, and you will never talk to me in that tone of voice again, Jessica.” Miss V yelled. Bay squeezed my hand and I could see a tear in her eye.
“No. Let her go.” I replied, tugging on Bay.
“I can’t do that. I won’t do that.”
“Fine, let her go and we will stay.” I lied.
“Fine.” She said, releasing Bay.
“Jay Jay,” Bay said, “I want to go home.” Miss V glared at me.
“We can’t do that, Bay. We won’t do that.” I said, mocking Miss V.
“Good,” Miss V said “I will show you to your rooms.” As we followed her, things got weirder and weirder. The people, if you could even call them that, seemed to grow as we walked deeper in the park. At first they were small, but now they were almost my height. When we reached the section of things that looked like people, Miss V stopped.
“Over here.” She said. Bay and I followed her. She showed us a room labeled 4.4.94, my birthday, and bellow it was 7.7.97, Bay’s birthday. Bay and I walked into our room. It was draped with brightly colored curtains that matched the tent and roller coasters. It was almost 10:00 so Bay and I started getting ready for bed. Bay climbed in her bed and I decided to call Mom. I looked through Bay’s bag, but could not find her phone. Instead, I found a note.
Jessica,
Yes, we have taken Bay’s phone. Here at Mrs. M’s Amusement Park, you are not allowed to have cell phones. There is a phone in your room you may use to contact me. My number is 555-6812. Enjoy your stay.
Miss V
Why is she always calling me Jessica! Ugh, I thought. I immediately went looking for the phone. I found it in the living room, attached to the wall. I dialed my mother’s number, but the phone said that the number could not be dialed. Great, I thought, just what we need. I walked around the room, trying to figure out what this place was. It felt like a dream. The only thing that convinced me this was real, was Bay. Her scream could not have been more real. After pacing for a half an hour, I got in bed. All of a sudden I heard voices.
“Well what are we going to do with them?” the first voice asked. I could tell they were directly bellow me.
“Do we kill them?” another voice questioned. My heart started pounding faster. For the first time since we got here, I was very scared.
“No,” I recognized this voice, Miss V. I wave of relief hit me as I exhaled quietly, “we will keep them. I think that girl will make a great help.” They had to be pointing to something. I wish she had said the name out loud.
“Well, Victoria,” I smiled as I heard a new voice talking, obviously male, “That is not your decision.”
“Fine.” Miss V responded. I was scared again.
“I say, we keep her, and do away with the other.” The man said. No, I thought, that can’t happen. Bay! I listened harder.
“We will act tomorrow.” The first voice said.
“Wait,” Miss V said, “give her one more day, to prove herself.”
“That seems reasonable.” the male responded.
I started gathering our things together. We were leaving. I went to bed, hoping I would wake up from this terrible place. But I knew that would probably not happen.
I woke up the next morning at about seven o’clock. I woke up Bay and explained what had happened. We both decided to leave. After gathering all of our important items, Bay and I planned to leave by simply making a run for it. I knew it wasn’t the best plan, but it was all we had.
“Knock, knock.” Miss V said, opening the door.
“What?” I asked.
“You have…work to do.”
“Work?”
“Yes, what did you think you did here? Ride rides all day?” she asked, “Hah!”
“Yes, actually. I thought that’s what you did at an amusement park.”
“No, no, silly. You’re not the ones riding the rides. Our guests are.”
“Come again?”
“You will be working.” she told me, “Bay, you’re on cotton candy booth. While, Jessica here is going to be working popcorn.”
“Fun.” I said, sarcastically.
“Come now.” she said, leading us out of our room. Miss V took Bay to the cotton candy booth, while I protested we had to stick together. Terrified, I told Bay to meet me at the bathrooms at exactly 12:30.
I worked the popcorn station until 12:25, when I told the girl working with me, Beth, I had to go to the bathroom. I waited for five minutes, and sure enough, at 12:30, Bay wlaked into the bathroom.
“Bay,” I said, “we need to leave. Now.”
“Okay, let’s go.” she agreed.
Bay and I left the bathroom and hid under a table. As soon as somebody walked into the bathroom to find us, Bay and I ran. As we ran, the people got smaller. I heard someone yell for us to stop, but we kept running. I saw the opening, which appeared much bigger than the first time we saw it. Bay had always been a faster runner than I was, so she made it first. She dove through the opening. I followed, not long after. We fell into mud and quickly stood up. We ran to the edge of the street, but we both stopped at the same time. It was deserted. We had no car, no phone, no money. I turned around when I heard leaves cracking. It was Miss V, laughing.
“You lied, Jessica. You are a very bad liar.” she explained. “I mean, did you really think you could leave?”
“Yes.” Bay said. I quickly shushed her.
“Oh, so I see how this is. And here I thought you were a good girl, Bay. Who always followed the rules. I guess I was wrong.”
“You are very wrong. You don’t know me. You don’t know Jay Jay. And you don’t even know why you’re here, Victoria. Yes, I heard you at the cotton candy booth. So why don’t you just let us go?” Bay questioned. I saw that Miss V was surprised and didn’t know what to think.
“You’re right. I don’t know. I don’t even like this place. Here,” She said, tossing me her car keys. “Go, I am truly sorry.”
“Thank you.” I said.
Bay and I ran to her car, which suddenly appeared on the side of the road. I hopped in the driver seat and turned on the car. I quickly pulled out, not looking behind me. We drove for an hour and a half until we were back in New York. When we got home, our mom looked different, happier. It turns out, our mom didn’t even know where she had taken us. She says she woke up one day after having a terrible realistic dream about an amusement park and had to go there. She didn’t even know what to do when the same lady in her dream appeared before her, Miss V. I was relieved to be home after such a long two days. I went in my room to go to bed. But what I saw terrified me. The same bright curtains from the amusement park, were draped over my windowsill.