Clare had made her way
towards the Tunnel of Love. She had
wanted to explore the river ride some more, but Rita had informed her that the
tech crews were busy setting up their gear around the ride, so she would be
better off exploring the park proper.
She didn’t know why she had been drawn to the Tunnel of Love, but she
now found herself standing at the foot of the stairs that led up to the wooden
platform that was used to board the chipped, rickety looking swan boats.
The ride hardly looked
romantic. The front façade was made out
of grey, crumbling stone, with wooden hearts, badly in need of replacing,
framing the entrance and exits to the ride.
She walked up the steps, stopping on the platform, her eyes glancing
down at the brown, murky water that the boats bobbed in.
Clare turned at the sound
of hard-soled shoes walking on top of the cobblestone.
Max was approaching her,
his TV ready smile dimmed significantly.
He had his hands in his pockets, and for the first time since she had
arrived at Fantasy Land, he looked normal.
“These rides use to
always creep me out.” He laughed,
nodding towards the sign for the Tunnel of Love. “All water rides, really.”
“Well, this one isn’t
going to be inspiring any romantic feelings in anyone, anytime soon.” Clare laughed, glancing over her shoulder, at
a swan boat with a chipped beak.
“There’s just something
about the water.” Max shook his head,
his shoulders twitching as a shiver seemed to run down his spine. “Who knows how deep it is, and it’s always
dark. You can never see the bottom. Who knows what’s down there.”
Clare remembered Brittany
recounting her attack, and it was her turn to feel a cold shiver run down her
spine.
“So, Jean tell you if you
any of the other rides here have a history?” Clare stepped off the platform,
“or is it all localized to the river cruise?”
“Jean? No.” Max laughed. “Other then the story he told us on the boat,
he hasn’t really been all that helpful.
I did have my guys back at the studio do a little digging though. There wasn’t much, but I was able to confirm
that Jean’s story about the boy was true.
There was one other story that caught my eye though…”
“Oh?” Clare was intrigued.
“About this ride, right
here, actually.” He knocked gently on
the ride’s sign. “A missing couple. Very mysterious. Their bodies were never found.”
“Of course they
weren’t.” Clare shook her head. She could see Max turning on his TV charm.
He couldn’t resist. The second he had the chance to perform, he
did. That was why he was so good at his
job, she guessed. He was a born showman.
“It happened in the early
seventies.” Max took a step towards the
ride, his eyes transfixed on the pitch-black opening. “They were young, newlyweds in fact. They came to Fantasy Land for a nice romantic
evening, and what was more romantic then a trip through the Tunnel of
Love?”
“Save the campfire
stories for the camera.” Clare patted
him on the shoulder, and started to walk away.
“It’s not a campfire
story. I have the news articles to prove
it.” He followed her. “They went in, but when their boat returned
to the platform, they were nowhere to be seen.”
Clare stopped. She could feel her mischievous side beginning
to take over. “Well, how about we take a
trip down the Tunnel of Love, and see if we can find them.”
She could see the color
drain out of Max’s face. The last time
he had taken her up on one of her dares, he had nearly been eaten alive by a
succubus. Clare knew that he couldn’t
back down, though. His inflated, male
ego couldn’t handle the verbal beating she was sure to give him.
“You sure that’s a good
idea?” His voice cracked.
“It’s still
daylight. Nothing ever happens during
the day, right?” She smirked. “Come on, Max. If we don’t find anything, then maybe I’ll
let you make a move.”
He perked up at the
offer. “Oh?”
“Well, a little
one.” She leaned in close. “Maybe you can get a little feel in before the
ride is over. So… you game?”
Max nodded, then pulled a
radio out from under his coat.
“I’m going to need
someone down here to help me operate the Tunnel of Love.” He glanced at her. “And bring me a handy cam. I think I want to get some footage on the
inside. For the show.”
“Of course it’s for the
show.” Clare just shook her head, and
started back up the wooden stairs towards the platform.
She couldn’t hear the
crackle filled response, but she figured that Max’s crew was going to come through
for him. She didn’t really care. She just had one goal in her mind, to figure
out what the hell was going on with this damn park.
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