"Aren't you excited for the end of the season?" Ariel asked excitedly as they waited for the park to open. Tiredly, Lucy yawned "It will be nice to be able to see a little bit. The darkness is maddening" she admitted "But staying on Coney in the winter is no fun".
Mr. Y shuffled as he took his mask off and hid it under the straw "You stay on Coney in the winter?" he asked her curiously. Lucy nodded "It's too dangerous in the city for me. Don't want to get hit by anything. So, I'm perfectly content helping take care of the animals in the winter here on the island" she replied.
Ariel poked her so she turned her head towards her "How can you be content taking care of animals you can't even see? And walking through knee deep snow carrying water looks like even less fun than sitting in here all day!" she told her. Lucy smiled and closed her eyes "Yes, but there's something about touching a horse. I can't explain it, but, I feel almost normal when I'm with them".
The last day of the season didn't end soon enough for Lucy, and she bubbled with excitement as she heard the master's keys jingle and the doors of their cages being opened "Be gone with ye all! I'll see you all in June!" he called as they all rushed out of the cages.
Lucy waited for a moment before Ariel's father helped lower her to the ground. She was slightly surprised to hear Mr. Y's voice "Are you just going to leave her alone?" he asked. Ariel was limping quickly towards the exit "Yes of course! Lucy can take care of herself! She's almost 9 years old!" she told him matter of factly.
"Ariel and Lucy may think she's fine by herself, but I do worry for her. After losing Ariel's mother, it made me realize how easy an innocent life can be taken away. And with Lucy not being able to see..." Ariel's father explained.
Once they exited the tent Lucy's blank eyes got almost a spark in them "I can see you Ariel!" she called, beginning to chase after her friend. Ariel couldn't run very fast because of her leg, but Lucy couldn't run very fast because of her eyes. Eventually though, Lucy managed to catch her.
Her friend laughed "It's so strange how you can see me in the light, but if it's dim like in our tent you can't see at all!" she told her. Lucy looked around "Hey! Do you think we're tall enough to ride the roller coaster now?" she asked. Ariel giggled playfully "Oh I bet! Do I look taller?" she asked.
Lucy nodded "Yea, your outline looks taller, but just as skinny" she replied. Suddenly Ariel jumped "Oh Oh! What do Mr. Y and Mr. De Rossi's outline look like?" she asked excitedly. Lucy spun around to see three outlines following them.
The biggest, Lucy easily recognized as Ariel's father. He was talking to a man, who appeared to be dressed very nicely, but one side of his face appeared slightly out of place "Well, Mr. Y's outline looks perfectly normal besides the mask on his face, it makes the right side of his face appear bigger, puffy almost" she told them.
Mr. Y and Ariel's father stopped talking at the mention of his name. "And Mr. De Rossi looks perfectly normal to me. A little tall, but still normal. But you said he was mute right?" she asked. Ariel nodded "Yes, he has scars on his throat. You must not be able to see them".
She shook her head and looked around the rest of the area "The shadows are so complex, I almost wish I were back to being completely in the dark. The shapes confuse me" she admitted. Ariel tugged on her "Look! There's the Roller Coaster! Let's go let's go let's go!" she said, taking her friend's arm and dragging her forward.
They reached the rollercoaster and the man who ran it smiled at them "Well Well, looks like your tall enough to ride... if you have an adult with you" he said teasingly. The girls always came at the end of every season trying to get into the ride, and every year they'd been too small.
"Each of us has to have an adult, or just one adult for both of us?" Ariel asked, seeing if she could negotiate something. The man who ran the coaster crossed his arms "It only sits two people a row. You're gonna need to each have an adult" he told them.
Ariel groaned and huffed frustratedly "My daddy said he'd never go on the coaster! Never ever. He said it looks 'unsafe'" she told her. Lucy knew this, but suddenly she got an idea "What about Mr. Y and Mr. De Rossi? They're still around! We'll ask them!" she said.
The two girls ran back down to where the three men were seated on a bench, Ariel's father and Mr. Y having some sort of heated discussion "Mr. Fleck, would you please go on the coaster with us? Cause we need an adult" Lucy asked, making the most innocent face she could.
She tried not to laugh as she heard him grunt "No, absolutely not. That rollercoaster looks like it will fall down any second!" he told them. Ariel giggled "Daddy they only built it 5 years ago!" she told him. Mr. De Rossi waved his hand and pointed at the roller coaster.
"You'll go on it with us Mr. De Rossi?" she asked. He nodded his head and Ariel smiled brightly "Ok, but we need two adults" she said. They waited, both making pleading faces to Mr. Y "De Rossi will you quit making that face!" he gasped. Ariel and Lucy both turned to see Mr. De Rossi was standing over them, making an innocent face and blinking, trying to look like a girl.
Finally Mr. Y sighed "I suppose. But one ride is all I can take!" he told them. Ariel and Lucy both jumped "Yay! But who's going with who?" she asked. Mr. Y stood up "I'll take miss Lucy, I feel it would be better for her to have someone she can talk to while she can't see where she's going half the time" he announced.
Ariel took Mr. De Rossi's hand and jumped "Ok! I'll go with Mr. De Rossi then! See you later Daddy!" she called as the two girls pulled their victims onto the coaster. Lucy began to tremble with excitement as she heard the familiar clicking of the coaster as it started. She'd heard it every single morning and all day long, but never been right up riding it before.
She listened and laughed as Ariel began talking through it "Oh my! We're going up! Look how high it is! I've never been so high up before! Oh look you can see the ocean over there! And the city over there! And you can see the whole park. And..." she was cut off as the coaster reached the top.
From the outlines of the track in front of them, Lucy could see that they were indeed, quite high up, and the track was very very steep. She gripped the bar in front of her and her eyes were wide "Mr. Y?" she asked. He was very tense and stiff sitting next to her "Are you scared?" he asked her.
Lucy swallowed "Would you kill me if I said yes?" she asked timidly. Before he could answer the coaster went down the first hill, with Ariel and Lucy screaming like they'd heard people do every day all season. They'd often laughed and asked 'What are they doing out there? Ripping their limbs off?', they realized now what their screams were about.
As the coaster shot back up and around a turn Lucy was slammed into Mr. Y, which she then decided to grab onto his arm as though her life depended on it. They went down another drop, and Ariel continued to scream, Lucy noticed though that Mr. Y and Mr. De Rossi had been silent so far on the trip.
Mr. De Rossi was silent, for obvious reasons, but Lucy had to admire how brave Mr. Y was attempting to be. Though he wasn't crying out, he was stiff as a board and the arm she was holding onto was shaking as he gripped the safety bar in front of them as tight as he could. His other arm was busy holding his mask on his face.
The coaster continued to dip and turn sharply and Lucy and Ariel sighed heavily in relief as they got back to the station. The man who ran the coaster was there, laughing as the four of them stumbled off "What's the matter girls? Not what you were expecting all those years? Aren't you glad you were tall enough? Come again soon!" he called after them.
Ariel laughed once they were off "That was horrifying. Oh Mr. De Rossi you look very pale. Maybe you should sit down, you looked green on the roller coaster" she said as they reached Mr. Fleck. Who huffed as they appeared "Ladies I do believe you've broken the both of them. Mr. Y's face matches his mask. He's pale as a ghost!" he said gruffly.
Lucy and Ariel sat on the ground in front of the three men as Mr. De Rossi and Mr. Y tried to the best of their ability not to throw up their lunches. Once they were sure they were alright Ariel and Lucy stood up "More rides now!" they called. Mr. Fleck stood up "No No! Ariel we need to catch a cab into the city and get to the apartment" he told her.
She whined "But Daddy! I don't wanna go!" she told him. Mr. Fleck sighed "Say goodbye to Lucy now, you'll see her at Christmas" he growled. Ariel went over and hugged Lucy "Good Bye Lucy! I'll make sure to find you something extra special for Christmas!" she said.
Then she went over and hugged Mr. Y "Goodbye Mr. Y! You were a very nice cagemate! See you next season!" she told him. Finally she went and hugged Mr. De Rossi "Bye Bye sir, thank you for riding the ride with me and being nice to my daddy". He nodded and patted her back before she turned and took her father's hand "Goodbye!" she called one last time before they were lost in the crowds all trying to leave the park.
Lucy took a deep breath and turned to the two men "Well, I best be heading off. Gotta settle down so I'm ready for work tomorrow! Goodbye Mr. Y!" she said, giving him a hug, she then hugged Mr. De Rossi "Goodbye Mr. De Rossi. See you both next season!" she said.
With that she turned and began to walk, but after a few steps, she was already lost. The shapes and shadows of people moving, along with the outlines of buildings and everything else. She turned and found she was lost in the crowd.
Suddenly a hand grasped her shoulder and she jumped "It's only me child!" the voice connected with the hand said. She sighed in relief "Oh Mr. Y thank goodness. I thought I was gonna get jumped again" she admitted. He took her hand and began guiding her through the crowd "Jumped again?" he asked her.
She nodded "Yea, the end of the season sometimes people from the crowd think it's funny to push me down and spin me around so I get lost" she told him "I eventually find my way but...". He managed to get them out of the crowd "Well I'm quite sorry. Now where are we going?" he asked.
Lucy looked around at the shadows, but sighed "Is there a map nearby? We're going to the place where the animals are kept" she told him "Obviously I won't be able to give directions to you" she added bitterly. He yanked her hand "Don't say that. I don't have to help you" he scolded with an equally bitter tone.
Shamefully she ducked her head "Sorry sir" she said softly. After a while of him guiding her they managed to get to the barn where the animals were kept "We're here?" he asked, as he looked around. In all honesty, the place was a wreck. The horse he'd kept under the opera lived in better conditoins that these, and he lived in a basement!
Slipping her hand out of his grip she smiled "Well thank you for that. I best get ready to work now. Good Bye Mr. Y!" she said, turning and entering the barn. That was the last he saw of her until the next season. The start of the next season was brutally hot, for the middle of June.
He'd just entered the cage when the Flecks entered, looking rather well fed and dressed. That would be changed soon once the three meals a week things started again. After the Flecks came some more freaks, then Mr. De Rossi, who was clean shaven and rather handsome looking.
Finally Lucy came in, blinking in surprise as the world became dark to her once more. "Lucy! Over this way!" Ariel called to her friend. Lucy followed her voice, walking slowly until she found the bars of the cage, finding the door, she tried to climb in, but in the end Mr. Y grabbed her arms and pulled her up.
"Ariel!" Lucy said happily as her friend tackled her "Another season together! Isn't this nice! And this year we're 9 years old! And soon we'll be 10 years old! Won't that be fun? Double digits!" she babbled excitedly. Mr. Y sighed "And not long after that I'll be trapped in a cage with two hormone crazed teenage girls" he said, sounding irritated.
Lucy crawled over to him and pushed him playfully "Oh Mr. Y! Why so serious?" she asked him teasingly. Ariel flopped down in the straw "Haha, Why Mr. Y?" she giggled. Mr. Fleck's voice scolded them from the other side of the cage "Don't you start bothering that poor man Ariel you hear me?" he called.
Ariel shifted "Yes Daddy! We're not bothering him though! We're just having fun right? Cause I have so much energy. All we did all winter was sit inside and that's no fun I gotta say" she said quickly, Lucy almost having trouble following her words.
"This season is gonna be boring" Lucy stated after a moment "Doesn't sitting in a cage bore you more than sitting in the city?" she asked. Ariel began playing with the straw "I don't know, both involve sitting. I suppose I like being in the tent more cause I have our nice freak family to be with" she replied.
Blindly, Lucy began searching for her corner. Once she found it, she curled up "Well, since the season doesn't start till tomorrow, I'm gonna use today to sleep" she told them. Ariel moaned "Aw but Lucy! Aren't you excited at all? I have so much energy and Mr. Y doesn't like to play with me!" she whined.
Lucy chuckled before closing her eyes "Tell him to try and use his imagination" she said tiredly. Ariel huffed "I don't think he has one. Grown ups don't have imaginations" she stated firmly. When Lucy didn't replied she grabbed the toy soldier they'd gotten last year and placed it before Mr. Y.
"What's this?" he asked he, holding it up and examining it. Ariel crossed her arms "Lucy is tired and decided to sleep, so you have to play with me" she told him firmly. He put the toy down and looked back at her "I don't play with toys" he replied just as firmly.
Ariel picked up the toy and threw it at him, hitting him in the chest "You have to! Don't you gots imagination?" she asked. He picked up the toy and placed it on the ground calmly, though his jaw was slightly clenched as he replied "I don't HAVE to do anything".
Frustrated Ariel began to cry, which only made Mr. Y more frustrated "Stop your crying child, tears will not make me play with you" he told her firmly. Suddenly Mr. Fleck's voice came over again "Ariel baby, why are you crying?" he asked. Ariel sniffled and went over to the side of the cage "Mr. Y won't play with me daddy and Lucy fell asleep" she sniffled.
Mr. Fleck sighed "Sir would it kill you to play with my daughter? Just for a little while?" he asked in exasperation. Mr. Y picked up the toy soldier "Fine..." he grumbled. Ariel's face suddenly lit up and she went over and sat in front of Mr. Y in an instant "Glad you changed your mind" she grinned.
His eyes narrowed "You were pretenting weren't you" he asked. She nodded "Yep. Tears get Daddy everytime. But you still gotta play with me cause if you don't my daddy will beat you up. He's strong!" she said. Glancing over at the tattooed man, he swallowed and put his toy in front of the doll she had "So what's the game?" he finally sighed.
Ariel examined the toy soldier before going to the cage and digging through the straw "I've changed my mind. You like checkers?" she asked. Before he could respond she'd set up a pathetic little board, and gave Mr. Y little stones to use as pieces, her pieces were a mix of red and black, probably the only pieces of the whole game that were left.
They played, and Mr. Y easily beat her. After 7 games Ariel pouted "You couldn't let me win once?" she asked. He looked up at her "I wasn't even trying! I did try to let you win!" he told her. She looked out to where the tent flap was open, and the park was getting ready to open for the guests the next day.
"Isn't this place magical?" she asked. He looked through the tent and watched as the lights were turned on, springing the place to life outside before their eyes. Some bulbs didn't turn on, and they watched as men began to change them so they lit up just as brightly as the others.
They were both caught off guard by Lucy's voice "There's no magic for us here. If there were magic, we'd be free of our chains, and of our physical problems" she said quietly. Ariel looked outside some more "Wouldn't you like to perform out there though?" she asked.
Lucy huffed "We do perform, all the time?" she said questioningly. Ariel shook her head "Not like this, out there! With talents! Wouldn't you like to ride those horses? I would like to do fly. I bet they have that out there! They must! They have everything you can imagine out there!" she told them.
Mr. Y shook his head "They don't have everything", Ariel looked at him "How do you know? Have you been out there?" she asked him curiously. He nodded "Me and Mr. De Rossi did a little exploring out there while we were looking for jobs" he told them "We came over together on the same ship".
The girls gasped "A ship? Where are you from?" they asked. He swallowed and looked down "Paris" he replied after a moment. Lucy sighed "Ah Paris, the city of romance and poodles" she said dreamily. Ariel hit her arm playfully "It is not the city of poodles!" she argued.
Lucy crossed her arms "Yes it is!" she said as if she knew everything "Poodle romance in Paris". "There are no poodles in Paris!" Mr. Y told them "Romance, but I've never seen any poodles, or romancing poodles". Lucy laughed "Well obviously you didn't see them! They were hiding!" she told him. Ariel's eyes lit up "Like Unicorns! And Atlantis!".
Shaking his head Mr. Y went over to his corner of the cage and lay down "There's no such thing as Unicorns, or Atlantis, and I'm sure there are no poodles in Paris" he told them, closing his eyes in frustration. Ariel smiled and clapped her hands "I can already tell that these next few seasons are gonna be the greatest!".
So... chapter 2 is up. REVIEW! So yea, next chapter we're gonna have the biggest ripoff ever by skipping ahead like, 9 longs years or so. Because we're already had 1 long year. So, that makes a total of TEEEEEEEN LOOOONG YEEEARS!
Um, that's about it. I'm tired so, just review and make me happy! Thanks!