Nobody Knows Your Secret Read Online Free PDF Page B

to think about it as she turned into the road leading to the park.
    “Mama,” Claire said, getting out of the car, “look at that.”
    The big, white clown’s eyes stared at them.
    “That’s quite ‘a somethin’,” Virgie said, her level of uneasiness soaring off the charts.
    Behind the white head, a huge dark cloud loomed.
    “Maybe we should come back another day, Cleve,” Virgie said. “That’s a nasty cloud boiling up.”
    “Aw, it ain’t nuthin.’ Come on you yellow chicken,” Cleve said. “Swall’er ’at knot in yer throat. This is Clarie’s special day. Let’s go.”
    “Come on, Mama,” Claire said, hoping to keep her father in a good mood. “I can’t wait.”
    Cleve smiled broadly, throwing a limp wrist over his daughter’s shoulder.
    Virgie’s dislike of MEGA Mountain Funland Park was immediate. That black cloud did not help one bit. It was an omen. Virgie knew it.
    As she walked up to the clown head entrance, her skin crawled. This was a very evil thing. An idol. And it was alive. Virgie had felt its spooky eyes on her the minute she got out of the car. If it had not been for the fact that Cleve was half lit, she would have told him so and demanded to go home, at once.
    But Cleve was on the verge of turning bad, Virgie could tell, so she kept quiet and walked somberly up to the entrance of the large, blood-red, gaping mouth.
    Cleve gave the ticket man the money. Cleve was all puffed up like a banty rooster. Money had that effect on him.
    “Three tickets,” the man said, handing Cleve his change. “Let me stamp the tops of your hands. That way, if you need to leave the park and go out to your car, you can get back in.”
    They all put forth their hands and got a large, blue-ink impression of that evil-looking clown stamped on them.
    “There you go,” the man said. “You’re ready to have some real fun now. Enjoy your time at MEGA Mountain Funland Park.”
    He brushed them into the clown’s mouth so that the next group in line could hand over their hard-earned cash.
    Claire stuck close to Virgie. The inside of this demon’s mouth was cavernous. Both she and Virgie jumped out of their skin when the riotous laughter started. It sounded tinny. Virgie was sure it was Satan’s imps laughing at them. She wanted to run back to the car, but something in Cleve’s eyes told her to plod on.
    “Confound it, this clown makes a clatterment. I never heared sucha ruckus and commotion.”
    “Heck fire,” Cleve said, “I’m a-fixin’ to tek both fistes and cram ’em in yer mouth. Shet yer yappin’ ’n’ have fun.”
    The trio took the path to the adult rides. Virgie would have been perfectly fine with going to the petting zoo, but she knew better than to even bring up that suggestion.
    “Baby girl,” Cleve said, “what do you want to ride first? It’s your day. You choose.”
    “I don’t know, Daddy. How ’bout the big wheel?”
    “Alrighty. We’ll be sure to ride the Ferris wheel.”
    Cleve was like a young boy on his first date.
    “But, how ’bout let’s ride ’at rollercoaster first?” Cleve whispered into Claire’s ear.
    “I dunno, Daddy,” Claire said. “’At’s a teeth-rattlin’ ride.”
    “Come on. Don’t be a feardy cat,” Cleve said.
    Reluctantly, Claire followed her father and they took their places at the back of the line.
    “Line ain’t so long fer the swangs,” Claire said, hoping her father would take the hint.
    “Ain’t gonna ride no sissy swangs. We gonna tackle dis monster. Furst thang ’em boys gonna askt me when I tells ’em we went here wuz did you ride that Blue Cyclone? I ain’t gonna lie to ’em when I says ‘yup.’”
    Claire obediently followed her father. Only the rear car on the ride was available.
    “Look at yer maw, baby girl, standing down’air lookin’ at us. She is fit to be tied,” Cleve said. “Wave to her ’fore she has a heart attack.”
    Claire waved weakly at Virgie whose pale face stared up at her daughter.