Chapter 6

"Brain Eating Monsters"

Hoping that the rosaries I gave Mickey would give him the calming nature he so desperately needed, I joined Fred and Clarice in investigating Upstream Plunge and the Slippery Falls. Of course, since we were in an area involving water, the memories of being surrounded by alligators at Six Flags New Orleans were still fresh in my mind.

Suddenly, I could feel that all too familiar feeling of a cold breath on my neck. He was here, Reverend Kane was here just now.

"Do you feel that?" I asked, hastily looking back at Fred and Clarice behind me. "Reverend Kane was here. I know it."

Unlike the first time, Fred immediately believed me, much to my relief.

"All right," Fred said, trying to remain as cautious as he possibly could. "Everyone please stay on your guard."

But Clarice noticed the water in the pool was clear which was strange considering that this water park had been closed for 20 years. Stepping over to the pool, she placed her hand to the surface and felt it.

"Clarice, what is it?" Fred asked as Clarice studied the water.

"There are spirits in the water," Clarice answered. "Souls…unlike anything I have seen before."

Now why would there be souls in the water? It didn't make sense, but Clarice felt it. Given my neurodiverse nature, I could predict that there was more than just one soul here and it wasn't just Reverend Kane. I suddenly began to get a feeling that there was a presence up at the top of Upstream Plunge.

"I'm feeling something up there," I declared, my attention focused at the top.

"What do you mean?" Fred wondered, but I didn't answer his question. "What could possibly be up there?"

Still, I didn't answer his question again and slowly made my way up the stairs. I was quiet, didn't say a word with only the sounds of my heels being heard as I climbed the stairs.

"I don't like the looks of this," Fred whispered to Clarice and without warning, he suddenly began to hear low growling coming from the water. Before either Fred or Clarice could say another word, a strange amoeba like creature started to take shape with a round mouth below it's one eye. Soon, another blob like creature began to form next to it.

But all this was happening while I was making my way to the top of Upstream Plunge. Once I got to the top, I found myself looking down at the long curvy slides that went down passed the rock like structure.

"It's sad, isn't it?" I heard a voice say to me, causing me to shriek in surprise. Standing next to me was a man dressed in green Park Ranger attire with a black necktie around his neck, sort of like that Park Ranger from Yogi Bear, whatever his name was but very plump and slightly overweight. "People used to be going down that slide, having a good time. It's such a shame, really."

"Who are you?" I asked, still taken aback.

"Name's Ranger Wordlow, former operator and manager of River Country," he answered in a sort of high-pitched voice, kind of like Mr. Smee from that Disney version of Peter Pan. "Been living here ever since the park opened."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "This park has been closed for 20 years and you are still living here?"

"Of course, this is my home and I will do anything to protect it," Ranger Wordlow replied. "Even if it means setting an example."

"What example?"

"Why, ensuring that everyone respects my home by not littering, horseplaying, whatever. Why, the bears that used to look up to me followed the rules more than the tourists…most of them, of course. There was this one bear, Humphrey, who always didn't do what I said."

Suddenly, I heard growling and saw that the water was starting to become infested with blob like creatures.

"You shouldn't mind them, my dear," Ranger Wordlow said as I looked down and saw the blob creatures starting to stick out of the water. "They are only living creatures trying to survive. They aren't bears, but they are just the same."

Immediately, I began to get very creeped out and started to run, but Ranger Wordlow grabbed my arm and right away, I knew he was going to send me into the water.

"Take your hands off of me!" I yelled as he swung me over one of the slides. "Let me go!"

"My friends are hungry, and I think they have something to satisfy them...your brain!"

However, I wasn't going to let this creep put me in a situation I couldn't get out of, especially after what happened at Six Flags New Orleans. I kicked him away from me and then proceeded to karate kick him in the face.

"Daddy was a black belt," I said before turning around and running down the stairs, but out of nowhere, I began to feel myself being raised into the air and pulled back to the top. I could see that Ranger Wordlow had a demonic look in his eyes and right away, he confirmed to me that he was not of this world, or so it seemed to be.

"You are a very unusual spirit, Daphne," Ranger Worldlow said, using his telekinesis to place me at one of the slides. "That's why I have taken unusual measures."

And he released his grip on me and screaming loudly, I found myself going down the slide at a fast speed just as the blob creatures started to emerge from the water as Fred and Clarice tried to figure out a way to combat them.

Before I could even blink, I went into the air and screaming, fell back down to the pool and there was another shock: all the water had mysteriously disappeared and I was heading for a rough landing!