The Carnival Part 4

Spock walked tentatively towards the float. His skin was dry and cracked, smothered in red wall paint. He shivered uncomfortably. Kirk began to order people around.

"Right Spock, get in the cauldron."

"I beg your pardon Jim; I think I just misheard you. If my ears were not blocked with paint, perhaps I could have heard correctly."

"I said GET IN THE CAULDRON!" Kirk yelled, jabbing a finger at a large cauldron situated on the bottom layer of the float.

Spock could have made no mistake this time so he reluctantly stepped into the cauldron.

"Jim, this seems highly illogical, if I remain in this cauldron, surely the whole objective will be defeated as the crowd will not be able to see me."

"No, no, no Spock." Kirk corrected "Every…half a minute or so you, er, pop out of the cauldron and wave your pitchfork about."

"Jim, I" began Spock, lost for words.

"Oh, and don't forget snarl!" added McCoy.

"Snarl?" questioned Spock

"Y'know…grrrrrr…" demonstrated Kirk.

"Vhat about us?" asked Chekov.

"Oh…you…er…prance around the cauldron waving your tails and throwing those fake teeth."

"What?!" roared Scotty…"prance around?"

"Yes, prance." said McCoy, and he did a small demonstration.

"Jim, " called Spock from inside the cauldron, his voice bouncing off the inside "May I enquire as to what you will be doing?"

"Oh, us angels…well, I'll be standing up there like this:" he held his hands together as if praying "and the others will throw confetti, faces held aloft."

Spock raised an eyebrow.

"Come on then, what are we waiting for? Lets go!"

The float waltzed along the crowded streets.

"Look!" yelled Kirk "I see Ricky, he's on the flower girl display!"

Chekov laughed loudly.

McCoy gasped "Do that again!" he said excitedly, "It sounds really good for a devil!"

Chekov laughed again.

Spock leapt up from the cauldron and sneered.

Chapel, who was on the float in front, dressed as a mermaid, screamed.

Spock disappeared again.

"Oh look!" said Scotty excitedly and he stopped prancing to look at Kirk "There's a really good Bagpipe display!"

Chekov crashed into Scotty from behind.

"You moron!" he yelled angrily.

Spock leapt up from the cauldron, waved his pitchfork and threw a handful of false teeth behind him.

AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGHHHHHH!

"That went in my eye, you green blooded, pointed eared hobgoblin!" McCoy snarled viciously.

Spock disappeared hurriedly.

"Look, over there!". Kirk pointed excitedly to a float with just a coffin on it "That's Finnegan's float!"

"Where is everybody?" Uhura asked.

"I think that's Finnegan inside." said Sulu uncertainly.

"Yeah!" said Kirk "After we poisoned him, he isn't exactly in a fit state to be part of the float. Lucky he's doin' vampires!"

"Every now and again, a mechanism lifts him up!" said McCoy, grinning.

"But…" Uhura began "Where're the others?"

"Good question that." said Sulu, creasing his brow.

"Alright then God, if you're the all knowing, where are the others?" questioned McCoy with a sneer.

"They're powering the mechanism of course!" said Kirk as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. "I heard Finnegan talking 'bout it the other day!"

Spock raised an eyebrow although nobody saw it as he was currently crouched in an excruciatingly painful position on the cauldron floor.

Finnegan's float was billowing clouds of black smoke which drowned out the heaven/hell display.

Kirk was livid "Give 'em all we've got boys! Throw those teeth, NOW!"

Scotty and Chekov lobbed armfuls of fake shark teeth in the general direction of Finnegan's float.

McCoy gave them all h e had with the confetti.

"It's not working!" said Sulu worriedly

"Never mind, we're almost at the finish now, anyway." Uhura comforted.

Everyone leapt down from the float…everyone except Spock that is…

"Spock, get outta there!" Kirk called down the neck of the gloomy cauldron.

"Jim, I am, I believe what you would call 'stuck'."

McCoy looked up, face glowing "What! This is the best I've heard all day!"

"Jim, I suggest that you contact security and request that they remove me from this vile thing."

Chekov hooted with laughter "That's a cauldron , is a Russian inwention!"

"I am fully aware what it is!" Spock snapped "Just get me out of here!"