Carny Games & Spray String

Carny Games & Spray String

  This story was written by "Norio .C", based from the "Anansi Stories".

                                  
                             It was a seventy degree day at the Cattlesburg Carnival, this was a day for this carnival to open.  Families had waited for a long time to enjoy this carnival.  There was a girl named Lee, who was around twelv. She seemed upset at times that day.  Lee had friends who were named Jamie and Ruben.  Ruben was about the same age as Lee was, and Jamie was nine.  Jamie's mom and dad were there with the three friends.  The carnival finally opened and the many families entered with great excitement.

                             For the twenty minutes, Lee, her friends and the parents went on some of the popular rides.  There was the spinning swing ride, which Jamie seemed to enjoy the most, but Ruben, however got sick and needed a doggybag afterwards.  Later on, they headed towards the game section.  Jamie was eating cotton candy while Ruben was walking along recovering.  Lee was being as arrogant as her friends knew she usually was, telling her friends how much better she was at winning the carnival games.


                             In a matter of seconds, Ruben was sprayed by aerosol string on his back, and the back of his head, out of nowhere.  Confused, Ruben and the others looked around to see where it came from.  Lee was focusing on Ruben cleaning the stuff off his back.  Jamie told Lee to look behind her.  Lee turned, then was sprayed by the web-like string, then she quickly recognized the person doing this to them.  It was an eleven year old kid named Anthony, who was known to be odd and mischevious.  He came towards them wearing a gray shirt with different types of aracnids on it.

                             Anthony had a hardy laugh and explained how hysterical it was to see Ruben's face while he was cleaning his self off.  Lee,in an annoyed matter, told him to get lost.  Anthony said jokingly, that his feelings were hurt.  Lee grugingly took the string off and threw it at Anthony, but he dodged her throw.  Ruben asked Anthony why he was here. Anthony said the same reason you three are here.  Jamie seemed to like his humorous, yet cunning personality.  Lee still wanted Anthony to leave her and her friends alone.  Anthony came towards Lee and told her, while holding on to her shoulder to relax, he was just having fun.  Then he walked a few steps and shouted that a spider was on her shoulder.  Lee jumped and wiped the fake spider off.  Anthony laughed while Jamie giggled a little.


                             Lee gave Anthony a glare and wanted to give him a piece of her mind.  Anthony then looked towards a gam. Knowing Lee for a long time, and how she was, he said "Oh my gosh!  Is that a giant parrot stuffed animal in that game over there?!"  Lee looked where the game was and immediately adored it.  Anthony had known Lee for 5 years and knew that Lee was into parrots.  Jamie adored it too.  Suddenly Lee got moody again and said, that she didn't need it, with hidden regret.  She said that the game over there was too easy for her skills, and she would not want to waste her time.  Anthony said "Are you sure?  You think your that good?  Maybe your right, you might lose anyway."  She snapped back and said that she would not lose.  Anthony said to her that she was bluffing.  "You are just scared that you might lose."  He said to her that she was overestimating her skills, and that she was not ready.  Lee gave in, and then told Anthony that she will prove to him that she had the skills to win.  Jamie then cheerfully said, that she wanted to compete against Lee in getting that prize.  Lee then told her to bring it on.  Then Anthony said that he will play too.  Lee then said "Fine!!!  I will show you two what I'm really made of!!"


                             Jamie and Lee ran towards the game with Anthony, Ruben, and Jamie's parents following.  Ruben said under his breath, "Here we go again."  Lee paid the young man who was the game keeper for the balloon and darts game, three bucks, then Anthony did and Jamie's dad paid for Jamie to play.  The goal was to hit four balloons to win, winning depended on which balloons were hit.  The light green balloons were 2 points, and were the biggest.  The yellow were 10, the orange were 15, the red were 20, which were the smallest.  The giant parrot was 50 points.  Lee, Jamie, and Anthony were all set to play.  It was Lee's turn and she got 2 yellows, 1 orange and 1 light green, which equalled 37 points.  Jamie was next and she got 34 points, and Anthony was able to get 45 points, enough points to get a new pair of earphones for 40 points.  He was quietly delighted.  Lee, however took it the wrong way and said "Oh, no! Don't even think that was the best that I could do!  I will show you two that my skills are over the top!"  Jamie's mother wanted Lee to settle down.  She explained to Lee that you cannot always win the first time.  Lee sat down, while looking down, catching her breath.


                              Anthony said to her that winning a game is really not that important.  He gave her advice and told her to remember to have fun.  Jamie, then sat next to her and told her to relax.  Then Lee looked at Jamie and told her that she would settle down and that she would try not to take the game so seriously anymore.  Lee got up and started to play again with Jamie.  Lee wondered where Anthony went to.  Ruben said that Anthony was just there and that he seemed to have dissappeared in a matter of moments.  In a minute, Lee and Jamie played again, but now Rubin decided to play.  Lee was able to get 42 points, Ruben got 32 points, and Jamie got exactly 50 points.  She was able to win the giant parrot.  Lee was disappointed, but had learned not to take things so seriously, not to overestimate herself and not to be so hard on herself.  It was enough for her to see her friend win that parrot anyway - to see her happy.  Maybe, she thought, that Anthony isn't so mischievous, after all, while she remembered his advice.