Danger at the Fair (12 page)

With the eerie music and background noise silenced, and the boat standing still, it was easier to believe that it was only a ride and none of the evil creatures were real. Corey’s courage returned.

He could think of two reasons why the ride had suddenly stopped: either it was broken again or else the man had deliberately stopped it while Corey was inside. The second explanation seemed most logical, since the man had forced Corey into the boat and pulled the switch before Corey could get out again.

The man wanted to get rid of me, Corey thought. The man
who ran The River of Fear ride was somehow connected with the thief. They threw me in here to keep me from telling the guards. Probably they plan to wait until the fair closes before they start the ride and let me off. By then, the thief would have stolen a million more wallets and purses and would be safely away from the fairgrounds.

I’ll fool them, Corey thought. They think I’ll just sit here in this boat and wait for the ride to start again. They think I’m a scaredy-cat baby who’s afraid to do anything but wait. Well, I’m
not
! I’ll get out and walk back through the Tunnel of Terror and climb out of The River of Fear ride and run past the man, down the steps, and call the police and tell them everything. They’ll catch the thief and the ride operator and put them both in jail.

Corey put one hand over the side of the boat, easing his arm into the water. He leaned over, feeling for the bottom. It was concrete, and covered with algae but, as he had hoped, the water was only about eighteen inches deep. He could easily stand up in it.

Corey swung his legs over the side and stood up. The fake seaweed slapped at his cheeks. Water filled his shoes. Holding onto the side of the boat with one hand, he brushed at the seaweed with the other.

Since he wasn’t sure how long the Tunnel of Terror was, he decided to walk back the way he had come. Gingerly, he took a step, holding one hand in front of him to feel what might be there. Corey’s shoe slipped on the algae and as he tried to regain his balance, his foot splashed water, soaking his shirt. It was not going to be easy to walk.

He slid his feet forward, as if he were skiing, keeping one hand on the boat and one hand outstretched in front of his
face. The tunnel was narrow, with barely enough room for him to move.

Slide, slide, slide. Three more steps. He passed the back of the boat and groped for the next boat in the line. Slide, slide. His left hand found a boat just as his right hand felt wet fur. Corey jerked his right hand back and then made himself reach out again. It must be the fake wolf. Corey inched closer, moving his hand across the wolf’s body.

The animal blocked his way. He would have to climb over it, in order to continue, or else get in the boat beside him, crawl past the wolf, and then get back in the water. Corey put both hands on the wolf’s huge back, and tried to pull himself up but his wet hands slipped on the fur and he couldn’t get a good grip.

As he started to climb into the boat, the ride started up again.

The dim lights came on. Shrieks and screams filled the air. The wolf growled and lunged.

The boat zoomed forward, knocking Corey off balance. The wolf thrust its open jaws toward Corey, and Corey grabbed for the beast, to steady himself. His feet slid out from under him on the slippery wet floor and he fell backward, knocking his head against the side of the boat.

The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was the wolf’s jaws snapping closer and closer. Corey instinctively put an arm up, to protect his face. Then he closed his eyes and slithered downward toward the cold, black water.

MR. AND
Mrs. Streater returned to the fair office. The head of the security department told them an urgent message had been
sent to all the security guards. One of them said he had talked to a small boy with a Batman bandage on his face when he responded to a report of a purse theft. According to his records, that had been at one
P.M.

None of the guards had noticed Corey since then.

“It has been hectic all day,” the woman in the office said. “We’ve had more thefts reported at the fair today than in all of the previous years combined. Today has been terrible! The security guards have been so busy that we called in extra help from the volunteer fire fighters.”

“Something has happened to him,” Mrs. Streater said. “I just know it.”

“It’s time to call the police,” Mr. Streater said. “For all we know, Corey isn’t on the fairgrounds any longer. He may have been kidnapped.”

AS ELLEN
and The Great Sybil hurried toward the first-aid office, Ellen kept pondering the latest message.
The sign is untrue.
It sounded as if there had been only one sign, but she had thought there were several signs from Grandpa. Why didn’t the message say,
The signs are untrue.

Ellen stopped walking. “Sybil,” she said, “what if that message meant a real sign? What if it meant an ordinary sign, with lettering, instead of a signal?”

“That’s possible.” The Great Sybil waved a hand in an arc, pointing at the booths and displays. “There are signs all around us.”

“I wonder about the
CLOSED
sign,” Ellen said slowly, “on The River of Fear. I keep thinking of that ride because of the word tunnel in the message. I just feel it’s important.”

“You should trust your feelings,” The Great Sybil said.

“I’m going to go back there and talk to the man who operates the ride,” Ellen said. “Maybe he knows something about Corey.”

The Great Sybil nodded. “I’ll inquire at the first-aid office,” she said, “and then I’ll return and meet you at The River of Fear.”

Ellen turned and ran. The message mentioned a sign and a tunnel. The River of Fear ride had both. Maybe the ride had broken, as The Great Sybil thought, but instead of getting hurt, Corey was trapped inside. That would explain the part about darkness and not being able to see.

She knew that by now her parents were probably waiting for her at the merry-go-round, but it was important to talk to the man who ran The River of Fear ride as quickly as possible. He might not realize Corey was trapped. Probably all Ellen needed to do was tell the man her suspicions and he would help her find Corey. Mom and Dad would forgive her for taking so long when they learned that she had rescued her brother.

Ellen reached the
CLOSED
sign, stepped over the rope, and started up the wooden steps of The River of Fear. The lights on the ride blinked brightly and the spiel again boomed its message across the fairgrounds. The ride must be working again, although there were no other people on the steps. Ellen thought it was odd that the operator of the ride had forgotten to remove the
CLOSED
sign.

Above her on the platform, she saw the man who ran the ride. Hoping that he would be able to help her find Corey, Ellen climbed faster.

When she was almost to the top, the man saw her coming. “Go back down,” he yelled. “This ride is closed.”

Ellen continued to climb the steps.

The man met her at the top step. “Can’t you read?” he said. “The ride is closed.” He kept looking over his shoulder at the ride, as if expecting something to happen.

“I have to talk to you,” Ellen said, “about my brother. I think he was on your ride when it broke down. I think he might still be in one of the boats.”

The man’s expression changed. Instead of looking annoyed at Ellen for ignoring his sign, he now appeared angry.

“Get out of here!” he yelled. “There wasn’t any little kid on this ride.”

He seemed furious with her. Ellen turned and started back down the steps. She had gone only two steps when she realized what the man had said. How did he know that her brother was a little kid? Ellen’s brother might be a teenager or even an adult. Ellen had not mentioned Corey’s age, yet the man instantly claimed there was no little kid on the ride.

Corey is, or was, on that ride, Ellen thought. Something happened to him, and the man knows it.

She went back to the top of the platform.

“My brother was on the ride when it broke,” she said, “and I need to find him. Now.”

The man turned and pulled a large lever. The River of Fear ride stopped. The sudden silence seemed ominous after the noise and lights.

“I told you to get off this platform,” the man said. “If you don’t leave right now, I will have you arrested for trespassing on private property.”

“Where is Corey?”

“I already told you, I don’t know anything about any little kid. When the ride broke, there were no people on it. Nobody. I realized in advance that there was a mechanical problem and I got everyone off safely.”

“Corey’s small. Maybe you missed him.” Ellen peered around the man. The ride had stopped with one of the boats partially out of the opening through which they came at the end of the ride. “Maybe he’s still in one of the boats. Why don’t you start the ride again and let all of the boats come out?”

“No.”

Ellen glared at the man. “Why not?” she demanded.

“I don’t need to explain anything to you, girlie,” he said, “but if you must know, I’m fixing a switch that isn’t working right. It’s probably going to take me the rest of the night so if you want to look in any of these boats, I suggest you come back tomorrow.”

URGENT
. The word flashed into Ellen’s mind again. Urgent meant right now, not tomorrow. She wasn’t sure what the man was trying to hide from her but she knew instinctively that he was not telling her the truth. She couldn’t leave; not until she found Corey.

She lunged past the man and pushed the lever back up, starting The River of Fear ride again. If he wouldn’t let the boats come out, she would do it herself.

The man grasped her shoulders, pulling her away from the control box. Ellen struggled briefly but quickly realized he was too strong for her. She quit fighting and said, “All right. I’ll go. But I’ll be back with my parents, and the police.”

A look of fear flashed across the man’s face and his fingers dug into her arms. “You should have left when I told you,” he said. “Now you’ll have to leave the hard way.”

He shoved Ellen toward the side of the platform.

“Help!”

Ellen shouted as loudly as she could but with the spiel booming, she knew her voice would not be heard by anyone in the midway far below.

CHAPTER
12