Tunnel of Love

Ibby · 11-09-2008, 07:55 AM

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Rest assured, you’ll get your money’s worth, step right up and see the show, come on in ladies and gentlemen! We’re so glad to have you, come right in! A nickel a person, what a deal! Step right up!

And they do, the people coming in droves, more and more coming in to see. Paint peels, flies circle, rust creaks, but still they come, and still the people come. Even while blue-hatted toughs in shiny badges prowled hungrily through the muddy lanes, the people came.

Ladies and gentlemen, we assure you all that there is nothing to fear, nothing to fear but our house of horrors, step right up ladies and gentlemen! See the show! I give you my word, ladies and gentlemen, a carnival like it you will never see again. Step right up!

No, no carnival like this one. All in shades of cracking crimson and peeling purple, they rolled into town as quickly as they left it after she was found; wowing the small-town folk with their contraptions and machines, with their rides and funhouses, they raked it in, in pennies and nickels. Never again did the town see so many rats appear; never again did the town see so much fun in their own backyards.

We’ve got sights to make you drool! Monsters! Creatures! Mermaids! Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Partake of our refreshments, only a nickel a soda! Gentlemen, test your muscles with our Tower of Strength! Ring the bell, win a dollar! Ladies, lose those pounds right away, with our house of mirrors! Step right up!

Nobody ever even learned her name, not until after the carnival had already left. There were just too many people there, people from all over the town, from the whole county. How dull things could get, in such sleepy little burgs. How dearly the people needed their distractions and carnivals. So many people, in and out. Only a dime to get in… but none were so frugal as to make it out for less than a dollar.

As sure as the day is long, ladies and gentlemen, this is the safest carnival you will ever set foot in! Not a speck of rust, not a single chip of paint out of place, not a single bolt loose! We’ve got it all, ladies and gentlemen! Come see our Wonders of the Modern World! Technology like you’ve never seen! All our rides are open, every attraction ready for your enjoyment, ladies and gentlemen! The tunnel of love, I’m sorry to say, will be temporarily held for a few hours – only a minor thing, a trifling matter! Step right up!

And as the rides raced on, seatbelts loose and hanging, safety bars crooked and rusting, few asked questions. Even when the lights in the tunnel of love went from dim to out, and the water sloshed over the sides, nearby wires hissing and spitting, the riders smiled and rode on, happy as ever. After four men rung the bell, the test of strength was shut down to allow for an extra ten feet of rail to be put in, but no other distractions were allowed to stop the rides. A small boy, having fallen from a spinning ride, was paid ten dollars and given some ice for the split in his head – but the ride was not stopped, not for such minor problems.

Step right up! How do you do, gentlemen? It’s so nice to see public servants having a little time to them selves! Serve and protect, that’s my motto too y’know, but everyone needs a break! Step right up! Try your luck at any one of our ring toss games! For you marksmen out there, try our bullseye competition! Hit closer to the bullseye than our resident sharpshooter, win fifty cents! Only a dime a shot! Step right up!

Little girls screamed with joy at the sight of Fantastico the Unicorn, a tall pony with a narwhal’s tusk, and little boys hollered and yelled behind the wheels of the bumper-less Bumper Cars. Young and old alike delighted in cotton candy, hot dogs, pretzels, sodas, ice creams, peppermint candies, and all manner of sweets and confections. Men in suits were turned away; health inspectors were always a risk. Well-dressed ladies frowned at the mud caking their shoes; these worries were soon forgotten in the levity and jubilation of the crowds. Nobody was permitted to be sad, in this carnival.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you my word as an entrepreneur and a gentleman that this is the single safest carnival on god’s good earth. The very thought of a problem in my establishment is un-heard of! Step inside, hello, you’ll enjoy it all! Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Come inside, only a quarter at the door, a dime each for families, fifteen cents for couples! Step right up!

Only the dark-haired gentleman that found the girl was ever thrown out. All were welcomed with open arms by the ex-cons and gangsters operating the rides, by the witches and hags serving the food. Even the police were given free reign to survey the park, after she was found – but before evidence could be found, before the carnival could be shut down, they were gone, on to the next town, with only refuse and muck left behind; puddles of grease where the food court was, a broken hammer at the tower of strength, deep mud and bits of yellow-and-black tape where the Tunnel of Love had set up.

Good sir, I’ve told you all I know. Step right up ladies and gentlemen! I assure you, I can say nothing more. Welcome, one and all! I can’t say; I don’t know, sir. We’ll be here all week, ladies and gentlemen! I’m sorry, officer; I can’t help you any further. Come and see the show! Good day. Step right up!

They never caught the guy who did it. No guest saw anything; no carnie admitted anything. By the time the girl’s mother knew she was missing, it was too late; by the time the sharpshooter knew the gun was missing, it was too late; by the time the Tunnel of Love could be lit, it was too late. And when, by the gray light of the next day, the police came back, the carnival – and the evidence – was gone. Emmy Lake died the next day in the hospital. A year passed, two, three; almost ten years later, a carnival passed through town. All in shades of grimy green and blistered blue, they rolled in like any other travelling carnival. Fresh, unfamiliar faces greeted crowds of amnesiac townsfolk.

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Rest assured, you’ll get your money’s worth, step right up and see the show, come on in ladies and gentlemen! We’re so glad to have you, come right in! A nickel a person, what a deal! Step right up!

HungLikeJesus · 11-09-2008, 10:16 AM

Ibram, that's a good story.

This song kept playing in my head while I was reading it:

Quote:

Anytime you want me to do a little chore
Don't you know I'm waiting down at your back door
Indicate the feeling that you think is fine
And you know your wish would soon be mine
Tunnel of love, tunnel of love
Ooh, baby, take me for a ride
Tunnel of love, tunnel of love
Ooh, mama, take me inside...

Undertoad · 11-09-2008, 10:21 AM

Nice piece Ibby.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dire Straits

Its just the danger when you're riding at your own risk
She said you are the perfect stranger... she said baby lets keep it like this
Its just a cakewalk twisting baby step right up and say
Hey mister give me two give me two cos two can play

And the big wheel keep on turning, neon burning up above
And I'm just high on this world
Come on and take a low ride with me girl
On the tunnel of love, yeah love love

Well it's been money for muscle, another whirligig
Money for muscle, another girl I dig
Another hustle, just to make it big
And rockaway rockaway

Girl it looks so pretty to me

Just like it always did

Like the spanish city to me

When we where kids

Ibby · 11-09-2008, 05:37 PM

that's what song got you?

it's so Karn Evil 9, though... I was listening to ELP writing it, and i paid them a little homage there with 'emmy lake'...

11-09-2008, 07:55 AM	#1
Ibby erika Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: "the high up north" Posts: 6,127	Tunnel of Love Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Rest assured, you’ll get your money’s worth, step right up and see the show, come on in ladies and gentlemen! We’re so glad to have you, come right in! A nickel a person, what a deal! Step right up! And they do, the people coming in droves, more and more coming in to see. Paint peels, flies circle, rust creaks, but still they come, and still the people come. Even while blue-hatted toughs in shiny badges prowled hungrily through the muddy lanes, the people came. Ladies and gentlemen, we assure you all that there is nothing to fear, nothing to fear but our house of horrors, step right up ladies and gentlemen! See the show! I give you my word, ladies and gentlemen, a carnival like it you will never see again. Step right up! No, no carnival like this one. All in shades of cracking crimson and peeling purple, they rolled into town as quickly as they left it after she was found; wowing the small-town folk with their contraptions and machines, with their rides and funhouses, they raked it in, in pennies and nickels. Never again did the town see so many rats appear; never again did the town see so much fun in their own backyards. We’ve got sights to make you drool! Monsters! Creatures! Mermaids! Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Partake of our refreshments, only a nickel a soda! Gentlemen, test your muscles with our Tower of Strength! Ring the bell, win a dollar! Ladies, lose those pounds right away, with our house of mirrors! Step right up! Nobody ever even learned her name, not until after the carnival had already left. There were just too many people there, people from all over the town, from the whole county. How dull things could get, in such sleepy little burgs. How dearly the people needed their distractions and carnivals. So many people, in and out. Only a dime to get in… but none were so frugal as to make it out for less than a dollar. As sure as the day is long, ladies and gentlemen, this is the safest carnival you will ever set foot in! Not a speck of rust, not a single chip of paint out of place, not a single bolt loose! We’ve got it all, ladies and gentlemen! Come see our Wonders of the Modern World! Technology like you’ve never seen! All our rides are open, every attraction ready for your enjoyment, ladies and gentlemen! The tunnel of love, I’m sorry to say, will be temporarily held for a few hours – only a minor thing, a trifling matter! Step right up! And as the rides raced on, seatbelts loose and hanging, safety bars crooked and rusting, few asked questions. Even when the lights in the tunnel of love went from dim to out, and the water sloshed over the sides, nearby wires hissing and spitting, the riders smiled and rode on, happy as ever. After four men rung the bell, the test of strength was shut down to allow for an extra ten feet of rail to be put in, but no other distractions were allowed to stop the rides. A small boy, having fallen from a spinning ride, was paid ten dollars and given some ice for the split in his head – but the ride was not stopped, not for such minor problems. Step right up! How do you do, gentlemen? It’s so nice to see public servants having a little time to them selves! Serve and protect, that’s my motto too y’know, but everyone needs a break! Step right up! Try your luck at any one of our ring toss games! For you marksmen out there, try our bullseye competition! Hit closer to the bullseye than our resident sharpshooter, win fifty cents! Only a dime a shot! Step right up! Little girls screamed with joy at the sight of Fantastico the Unicorn, a tall pony with a narwhal’s tusk, and little boys hollered and yelled behind the wheels of the bumper-less Bumper Cars. Young and old alike delighted in cotton candy, hot dogs, pretzels, sodas, ice creams, peppermint candies, and all manner of sweets and confections. Men in suits were turned away; health inspectors were always a risk. Well-dressed ladies frowned at the mud caking their shoes; these worries were soon forgotten in the levity and jubilation of the crowds. Nobody was permitted to be sad, in this carnival. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you my word as an entrepreneur and a gentleman that this is the single safest carnival on god’s good earth. The very thought of a problem in my establishment is un-heard of! Step inside, hello, you’ll enjoy it all! Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Come inside, only a quarter at the door, a dime each for families, fifteen cents for couples! Step right up! Only the dark-haired gentleman that found the girl was ever thrown out. All were welcomed with open arms by the ex-cons and gangsters operating the rides, by the witches and hags serving the food. Even the police were given free reign to survey the park, after she was found – but before evidence could be found, before the carnival could be shut down, they were gone, on to the next town, with only refuse and muck left behind; puddles of grease where the food court was, a broken hammer at the tower of strength, deep mud and bits of yellow-and-black tape where the Tunnel of Love had set up. Good sir, I’ve told you all I know. Step right up ladies and gentlemen! I assure you, I can say nothing more. Welcome, one and all! I can’t say; I don’t know, sir. We’ll be here all week, ladies and gentlemen! I’m sorry, officer; I can’t help you any further. Come and see the show! Good day. Step right up! They never caught the guy who did it. No guest saw anything; no carnie admitted anything. By the time the girl’s mother knew she was missing, it was too late; by the time the sharpshooter knew the gun was missing, it was too late; by the time the Tunnel of Love could be lit, it was too late. And when, by the gray light of the next day, the police came back, the carnival – and the evidence – was gone. Emmy Lake died the next day in the hospital. A year passed, two, three; almost ten years later, a carnival passed through town. All in shades of grimy green and blistered blue, they rolled in like any other travelling carnival. Fresh, unfamiliar faces greeted crowds of amnesiac townsfolk. Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Rest assured, you’ll get your money’s worth, step right up and see the show, come on in ladies and gentlemen! We’re so glad to have you, come right in! A nickel a person, what a deal! Step right up! __________________ not really back, you didn't see me, i was never here shhhhhh

11-09-2008, 05:37 PM	#4
Ibby erika Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: "the high up north" Posts: 6,127	that's what song got you? it's so Karn Evil 9, though... I was listening to ELP writing it, and i paid them a little homage there with 'emmy lake'... __________________ not really back, you didn't see me, i was never here shhhhhh

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