In the days and weeks that followed, a strange phenomenon hit Green Town, literally. Reported crimes- everything from robbery, break-ins, shoplifting, and general vandalism and mischief rose to never-before-seen heights. Had Green Town been a large city, few would have noticed. But it was not. It was a small, quaint, all-American town where this sort of thing was just unheard of.
Few of the perps had been arrested, most were never caught. But it became very clear that the majority of the crimes were committed by youths under the age of 25, and mostly late at night or in the very early morning before the sun came up.
Karen noticed the unusual crime wave too, but only through the local media and not from any personal experience. She thought it was shocking of course, but never gave much thought to what might be the cause. Green Town was just getting too big for its britches, she figured, and was starting to attract the wrong element. It was a shame, but bound to happen eventually with so many new people moving in from the cities. Ironic how that worked. They came out of the bigger cities into places like this to get away from the noise, crime and grime, but then they bring it along with them anyway and are no better off- and then ruin it for the locals!
As time went on, more and more crimes were committed. It seemed now that almost all of the town's youth were acting up in one way or another. These were good kids, kids that had never gotten into any serious trouble before, now suddenly were angry, rebellious, and violent. Some may argue that it was just a normal part of growing up, that all young people went through phases like that. But this was not some "phase", and it was anything but normal.
Jim Nightshade noticed it too. And it didn't take him too long to realize the connection between the time that the carousel opened and when all this started happening. This couldn't be a coincidence. But how...and why?
It concerned him. He didn't like what was happening to his town. He needed answers, and knew of only one person who could give them. Jim waited until 11:30 that night, after all was quiet and not a soul was nearby. As he stood outside the grand building once again, he looked nervously up toward the top. No cameras. Not yet. That was bound to change soon, with all that was going on around here lately, but for now he gave a sigh of relief and found that a side door was conveniently unlocked, again. That was no coincidence either, he thought. No, he had been expected.
The door creaked as he slowly opened it. Why did they always have to do that? Even though he was alone out here, he felt very uncomfortable right now. He slipped inside quickly and closed the door behind him. The only light was coming from streetlights and pouring in through the windows near the top of the building. He waited a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dimness. He crept toward the looming hulk of a machine before him and stepped up on the platform. That familiar swaying, the slight rocking of his shifting weight on the merry-go-round's deck made his stomach lurch a little.
"Mr. Dark? Are you here? I need to talk to you!" Jim whispered, but loudly.
The answer came immediately.
"Of course I'm here," the voice crooned from the inner machinery, "I never leave this place. Not yet. The time will come when I will leave for a while, perhaps even every day. But that time is not now. There is too much work to do presently."
The tall figure stepped out from the shadows of his hiding place at the center of the carousel, and over to where Jim stood. Just as Jim was about to say something, he heard some voices outside, and suddenly the same door he'd just come through moments ago opened with the same eerie creaking. Someone was coming!
Mr. Dark said nothing but motioned to Jim to follow him and hide behind one of the massive chariots. From that position, they could both watch the intruders without being seen. It was a group of three teenage boys. Jim bristled. Punks! They've come to vandalize the place, he thought. Well, as soon as they try anything, I'll jump out and run them off! He grabbed a wrench that just happened to be there, for use as a weapon if needed.
But the boys weren't here to cause trouble, even though they were a rough-looking bunch. Mr. Dark whispered in Jim's ear, "They're on our side, my friend. They're working for us! Just wait and see, watch and observe."
Each of the boys carried bundles of something, but Jim couldn't tell what they were. They silently walked over to a corner of the building and dropped what they had into a slot in a large wooden box that sat unnoticed under a table used for promotions. Then the boys left just as they had come, through that same door, and continued their noisy commotions as if nothing unusual had happened. Jim listened until their voices got further and further away. Finally, it was safe to come out. They were gone.
Mr. Dark smiled. "You can put that wrench back down, Jim. There is no need for a fight. Come, let's see what our friends have brought us, shall we?"
Jim looked doubtful, but set the heavy iron tool back where he'd found it and reluctantly followed the tall man to the wooden box. Mr. Dark bent down and picked it up and, reaching into some hidden pocket of his coat, produced a key which unlocked a door on the bottom of it. The contents spilled out onto the table, and when Jim got a good look, he gasped.