Excerpt from "Halifax"
Forty year old Eleanor Hurley leads a life of quiet desperation. Living with her nagging mom in the shadow of her accomplished sister, she holds dead-end jobs running a fun house in the summer and as a cafeteria lady at a middle school during the year. She's often the butt of disparaging remarks that make her feel like even more of a failure. Well, hold on because everything's about to change.
It was dusk when a loud noise followed by what sounded like blood-curdling screams got Ellie’s attention. Accustomed to shouts of terror from the roller coaster followed by ripples of laughter, she chose to ignore it. Then she heard it again. What was that? Somehow whatever it was had a different ring to it. There was no underlying tone of lighthearted fun. No followup giggles. She checked her watch: Too early for fireworks. There were several more pops. The cries were definitely not the “oohs” and “aahs” that accompanied rides. What the heck was going on?
She stuck her head out the fun-house door and saw some-thing out of a horror movie. People raced down the midway toward the gate, checking over their shoulders as they ran, their faces twisted in fear. Some pressed body parts as a black substance made its way down shirts and blouses. Screaming children were scooped up by fleeing parents who shielded them with their bodies. A woman’s purse popped open, spewing its contents on the ground as she collapsed. The volume of shrieks grew as cracking sounds, oddly juxtaposed against the backdrop of carousel music, continued to ring out.
Frozen in place, Ellie couldn’t figure out what was happening. Judging by the fearful expressions on the faces of people thundering past, it was something awful. What should she do? Head for the gate with the rest? She took a step outside then realized children were still inside the fun house, oblivious to the danger a few steps away. If she deserted her post, they would all surely die. The best thing to do would be to keep them inside where they’d be safe…calm and safe. Quiet…and calm…and safe. Quiet. Calm.
She went inside and locked the door. Then turning off the main power switch, she headed down the center toward the rear exit. Twenty kids or so, ranging in age from about seven to twelve, were in various parts of the place. She took a deep breath and secured the back door with a thumb lock.
“Hey, what gives?” one boy yelled. “You can’t close down. I just got here.”
“Why’d you lock the door? If you’re shutting down then you need to let us out.”
“You some kind of pervert?”
“That’s squirrelly-Hurley. What’s she doing?”
An older boy shouted, “Lady, you better let us out right now or else.”
One small child threatened to “tell my dad on you.”
Ellie trembled. She couldn’t let the children see how truly frightened she was. Nothing in her life prepared her for this. As the children’s demands grew more insistent, she clapped her hands and spoke in the kind of authoritative voice she’d heard teachers use when their classes became unruly.
“Settle down. You need to be quiet. Someone out there has a gun.” She became the instant center of attention as the group pressed in, waiting to hear what else she had to say. “You’re safe for now but you need to keep still.”
One of the younger ones whined, “I want my mother. I’m scared.”
“Everyone’s frightened,” Ellie said in the most reassuring tone she could muster. “But you have to be brave. Can you do that?” She looked at the motley group clustered around her and saw panic painted on each and every face. Ellie desperately wanted to promise them nothing bad would happen, that it was all a bad joke, but she couldn’t do that because she simply didn’t know.
“Now, let’s hide in case the man breaks in.” She held up her hand as what she said hit home and several children started to cry. “Don’t worry, he won’t. But in case he does we need to be prepared. If we hide he’ll think the fun house is closed.”
She glanced at the terrified children. Her face brightened. “C’mon, it’ll be fun. Pretend we’re playing ‘hide ’n seek.’ Okay?” Her attempt at calming the children worked. They relaxed a little. “Now you older kids partner up with the little ones and go to the darkest place you can find. Squeeze in and no matter what happens, stay there. Even if you get tired and think there’s no danger, don’t come out. Above all, don’t make a sound. I’ll let you know when it’s safe. Now go.” As the children scampered off, she breathed, “Dear God, keep them safe.”
It was dusk when a loud noise followed by what sounded like blood-curdling screams got Ellie’s attention. Accustomed to shouts of terror from the roller coaster followed by ripples of laughter, she chose to ignore it. Then she heard it again. What was that? Somehow whatever it was had a different ring to it. There was no underlying tone of lighthearted fun. No followup giggles. She checked her watch: Too early for fireworks. There were several more pops. The cries were definitely not the “oohs” and “aahs” that accompanied rides. What the heck was going on?
She stuck her head out the fun-house door and saw some-thing out of a horror movie. People raced down the midway toward the gate, checking over their shoulders as they ran, their faces twisted in fear. Some pressed body parts as a black substance made its way down shirts and blouses. Screaming children were scooped up by fleeing parents who shielded them with their bodies. A woman’s purse popped open, spewing its contents on the ground as she collapsed. The volume of shrieks grew as cracking sounds, oddly juxtaposed against the backdrop of carousel music, continued to ring out.
Frozen in place, Ellie couldn’t figure out what was happening. Judging by the fearful expressions on the faces of people thundering past, it was something awful. What should she do? Head for the gate with the rest? She took a step outside then realized children were still inside the fun house, oblivious to the danger a few steps away. If she deserted her post, they would all surely die. The best thing to do would be to keep them inside where they’d be safe…calm and safe. Quiet…and calm…and safe. Quiet. Calm.
She went inside and locked the door. Then turning off the main power switch, she headed down the center toward the rear exit. Twenty kids or so, ranging in age from about seven to twelve, were in various parts of the place. She took a deep breath and secured the back door with a thumb lock.
“Hey, what gives?” one boy yelled. “You can’t close down. I just got here.”
“Why’d you lock the door? If you’re shutting down then you need to let us out.”
“You some kind of pervert?”
“That’s squirrelly-Hurley. What’s she doing?”
An older boy shouted, “Lady, you better let us out right now or else.”
One small child threatened to “tell my dad on you.”
Ellie trembled. She couldn’t let the children see how truly frightened she was. Nothing in her life prepared her for this. As the children’s demands grew more insistent, she clapped her hands and spoke in the kind of authoritative voice she’d heard teachers use when their classes became unruly.
“Settle down. You need to be quiet. Someone out there has a gun.” She became the instant center of attention as the group pressed in, waiting to hear what else she had to say. “You’re safe for now but you need to keep still.”
One of the younger ones whined, “I want my mother. I’m scared.”
“Everyone’s frightened,” Ellie said in the most reassuring tone she could muster. “But you have to be brave. Can you do that?” She looked at the motley group clustered around her and saw panic painted on each and every face. Ellie desperately wanted to promise them nothing bad would happen, that it was all a bad joke, but she couldn’t do that because she simply didn’t know.
“Now, let’s hide in case the man breaks in.” She held up her hand as what she said hit home and several children started to cry. “Don’t worry, he won’t. But in case he does we need to be prepared. If we hide he’ll think the fun house is closed.”
She glanced at the terrified children. Her face brightened. “C’mon, it’ll be fun. Pretend we’re playing ‘hide ’n seek.’ Okay?” Her attempt at calming the children worked. They relaxed a little. “Now you older kids partner up with the little ones and go to the darkest place you can find. Squeeze in and no matter what happens, stay there. Even if you get tired and think there’s no danger, don’t come out. Above all, don’t make a sound. I’ll let you know when it’s safe. Now go.” As the children scampered off, she breathed, “Dear God, keep them safe.”
