Anansi's Web

Wind rushed upwards as I dropped. Screams burst in my ears, and I was screaming too, but it was drowned out by everyone else. My heart rushed fast with panic as I plummeted.

The links of the roller coaster were starting to even out now. I took a deep sigh of relief as I closed my eyes to reflect on the ride. I had a funny way of enjoying roller coasters after I got off them. I think I heard some people laughing earlier during the ride. I considered them insane.

My dad got out from the seat next to me, and we both walked out of the exit where my mom waited, talking with some other parents. When we got to her, she smiled, “How was it?”

“It was cool, it went up, and I swear that I could see the hotel from there!” I said.

Dad shrugged, “It was okay.”

I ground my teeth. My dad doesn’t find anything interesting. I looked at him, thinking about how Cara said that I didn’t look like my mom. When I compared my features to my dad’s we actually did look similar, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

“That’s nice.” My mom said.

I smiled. We walked around the park, enjoying the scenery, and all of the people. Music played from the newest songs from popular singers. I passed crowds gathering around people doing real magic shows, and dancing. I was feeling bad that my friends weren’t with me, but at the same time I was kind of glad that I was with my parents.

We stopped at a restaurant where we sat and had lunch. The restaurant had bright lights from the ceiling, with white tiles floors, and very cool air conditioners. Several people were inside, eating, and talking. There was something that disturbed me about the restaurant though. There were paintings of a former king of Othal who everyone considers to be pretty bad. In history class I learned that he also used too much money for security against enemies that he imagined up, and the people had to kick him out. He apparently ignored the rights certain people too, but I forgot a lot of that after I took the test for it.

“I don’t know why they have this on the walls.” I said, feeling colder than before.

My mom looked over at the walls, realizing it for the first time. “Oh, that king from a few decades ago? I don’t know why, but people still like him.”

“He protected us from other countries, something we needed for a long time.” My dad said.

“There was no threat, he wasted money, and time that should have been spent on negotiating with the two countries that he thought was so dangerous.” My mom said.

I didn’t like hearing about my parents talking about politics, partially because I was only just beginning to understand them, and I didn’t have a strong argument other than my heart, which was no good unless it was backed up with facts. They talked some more about it, but I tuned them out the best I could.

“I just don’t think they should have his picture here, we’re supposed to get away from all of this stress for once.” Mom said.

“The event is supposed to help us remember our history, he’s part of it, whether you like it, or not. “ Dad said. Mom didn’t reply, leaving it at that.

“He sounds insane to me.” I muttered.

“What was that sweetie?” My mom asked.

“Nothing,” I told her. She accepted it, and went back to her dressing drenched salad while I picked at my grilled chicken breast, thinking about the secret war, and how the old king may have been onto something after all.

We left the restaurant, and walked out of the festival grounds. We walked through the empty streets, littered with rainbow confetti. Fabric signs hung from light posts flapping in the wind, crying out for all of the people who were at the festival, leaving the streets empty.

I got a text from Cara. She was asking me why I didn’t take her to the festival like we agreed. I felt guilty, because the whole reason that I talked to her was because I wanted to go to the festival with her. I texted back, telling her I was sorry.

I wondered why the streets were so empty, when I realized that it was three o’clock, and the sun hadn’t gone down yet. Everyone in the city was either at the festival, or in their homes. It felt like the apocalypse. I walked ahead of my parents, feeling the wind sweep my hair, and clothes I pretended that I was the last person alive. For five seconds I felt really cool, but then my phone rang, Cara was calling me.

“Hello?” I said.

“Why didn’t you take me to the festival?” Cara asked. She sounded more betrayed than I imagined she sounded in her text.

“I wanted to go with my parents; sorry it was a last minute decision. I completely forgot about our plan.”

“So your with your parents, isn’t that nice? Well some people don’t have parents. With them.”

“Sorry, I wanted to tell you, but it was a last minute thing, we can hang out again whenever you want.”

My dad grunted, letting me know that I could only leave with his permission.

Cara sighed. “Fine, sorry I said that. My parents aren’t here, I mean they didn’t come with me, they aren’t dead or anything. Anyway, I talked to some people and I was going with them to destroy the festival grounds, I wanted to know if you wanted to go.”

I dropped my voice to a whisper, “Sorry, destroy the park? What do you mean?”

“We’re going to vandalize the park. Don’t worry, the guys dad works for the city, he says that it’s totally fine, they get rid of it anyway, and this actually helps them. Besides, it’s a tradition.”

“How does this help them, don’t they need the parts to go into storage?”

“Ugh, Angelo it can be fixed, remember the whole magic thing people do? Tell you what, I’ll let you think about it, and you can call me back tonight, before nine.”

I sighed, “Alright, I’ll tell you then. Bye.”

I hung up the phone, and waited to see if my parents heard any of that, but they didn’t say anything. I wondered what it would be like when we get back to the hotel. Last night, like mom promised we had a movie night and it was actually fun, I felt like a kid again. But now it was in the afternoon, and I was tired. I was probably going to go to sleep the moment that we get into the room.

We walked all the way to the hotel, and after flopping onto the fluffy bed, surrounded by the soft light of the growing day, I gave in to sleep.

Ring…ring, my phone insisted.

I grasped for my phone, and gripped it tightly to make sure that it didn’t slip out of my grasp, and fall to the ground. I got up, and looked around. It was dark outside, and my parents were asleep in the other bed. How long did I sleep? I wondered. I checked the time on my phone, and saw that it was eight o’clock.

I answered my phone with a swipe of the glowing green button. “Hello?”

“Have you decided yet?” Cara asked.

“Um, I guess. Let me get ready first.”

“So how long will it take?” Cara asked.

“Thirty minutes.”

“Alright, I’ll be at the park waiting outside.”

I mumbled “okay”, and went into the shower. When I got out, I put on some fresh clothes, and walked outside, headed past the center of town towards the festival. It was easy to spot because it was a pretty straight path.

By the time I set out it was eight thirty, and cars had filled the streets again. The bright headlights cut through the darkness, glimmering like stars on the ground. People were out again, talking about the fireworks that were shown earlier at the park. I was sad that I missed it, but now I got to destroy the park. The idea was scary and exciting at the same time, I couldn’t wait. The main thing that scared me was that I didn’t know the territory that well.

As I walked, I passed a few people who were headed there too, so I stopped trying to find my own way there, and I just followed them.

When I got to the gate of the park, it was just as empty of almost everything as the city was earlier today. All of the cars were gone, and the people with them. There were light posts on, and the cold wind beat against my face. I drank in the smell of the night, hoping that this wasn’t some kind of joke.

The two kids walked inside, while I went to Cara who was standing with her hands crossed across her chest. “Finally slowpoke, let’s go in.”

“Sorry, I just had to wake up, and get ready and everything.” I tried to say it with a sarcastic edge, but she didn’t notice.

“Are you excited?” Cara asked.

“Yeah”

“I did vandalized stuff a lot back in Othal, this really brings back memories. I have a feeling that this will be better than those times though.” She said with a smile. “Back home it was just me and some other kids I don’t really talk to.”

I remembered what my dad said about rich kids being more reckless, and I was starting to believe him.

“Did you have something to do with the old park being destroyed?”

“Maybe,” She said, not looking at me.

We walked deep into the empty park. The wind pushed against the empty, dead rides. I couldn’t believe how early the park closed down. The moon was full, and shone on the metal rides, gleaming all around me. I didn’t see anyone on our way to wherever Cara was leading me, but I had a feeling that there would be a lot of people at the end of our walk.

“Why did the park close down so early?” I asked.

“Because the fireworks were canceled, and because someone thought they heard a demon in the woods just outside of here, but don’t worry, we should be safe.”

I shivered, examining the land around me closely, worried that there was a demon, or maybe even something worse watching, waiting to strike.

“Are you sure this is safe?”

“Positive, there’s a gate to protect us, and demons aren’t nocturnal.” Cara said.

I knew we reached the people when I saw a huge flickering flame in the distance. I could hear the snapping sound of a fire, and I could almost feel the heat. It looked huge in the distance. I heard loud music flowing from where the fire was too. The shadows of the fire flickered on the ground around me; leaving dancing shades on my body, and Cara’s face, making her look more alive somehow.

“We’re here.” She chimed.

I forced myself to smile as we went further. We walked to this building that I recognized as the restaurant that I ate lunch at just before leaving. Kids were inside, and outside, dancing, talking, and smearing paint on the portraits on the walls.

There was a table in the center, clustered with bottles of both orange and red liquid. Cara smiled, and rushed through the people up to the table.

“What do they do?” I asked Cara.

“The red ones turn into fire when exposed to air, and the orange ones turn into orange goo when exposed to air. Oh, this is going to be so fun!”

A guy walked up to us, and grabbed two bottles, walking off with two of his friends. Cara grabbed armfuls of each kind of potion, and hauled them outside. I grabbed three, trying to keep up. I didn’t want to do too much destroying, I just wanted to get it done, and over with.

We walked outside, and the fire beat down on my face again. I walked past the flickering shadows, following Cara. We walked for a few minutes, until I noticed fires flickering, and glass bottles bursting against metal. Cara laughed with the people who were throwing the bottles as we passed them.

“When are we going to stop?” I asked.

“Up here, I guess.” She stopped a few rides apart from the other kids we saw earlier.

I looked at the ride. It was brightened by the fire from the other people that we just passed. It was the ride that we rode just before we got lunch at the restaurant. I remembered reaching the top, and finding the hotel, then being terrified as we started to drop.

The next thing I knew was the sound of glass smashing against metal. The shards of the bottle glistened like tears at my feet, reflecting the light of the fire that was consuming the sign for the wait line. Cara was smiling, “Your turn.”

I backed away, and picked out the orange bottle. “So, do I just throw it?”

“Yeah, just throw it at whatever.” Cara said.

I raised my arm, and whipped it forward. The bottle crunched against the metal ticket booth, which was now covered in a growing orange mass. I smiled and turned to Cara. We took turns throwing bottles until the entrance to the ride was covered in burning orange goo. The fire had turned blue from touching the goo.

Something bust, and sizzled in the sky. I jumped, and looked up, wondering what was happening. Fireworks were popping in the sky, bursting into sparkling images.

“I thought you said that the fireworks were canceled.” I said.

“They must have brought their own. Come on; let’s go back to the restaurant.”

On the way back to the restaurant we passed several fires, some were still alive, and growing incredibly large, eating rides whole, other fires were dying, leaving embers floating up to join the stars. Orange goo consumed sections of rides, burning beneath fires, turning them blue.

When we were outside of the restaurant, everyone was standing outside, leaving several feet between them and the building. “Is everyone out?” I heard someone shout.

“Yeah, everyone ready?”

Everyone shouted together like a huge monster, ready to destroy. “On my mark, get set, GO!”

Bottles swished as they converged onto the building at once, like a tidal wave. The glass shattered shrilly, combusting into a huge blue fire. It was beautiful. The blue flames jumped, and swayed into the night air, while the orange goo slowly melted away beneath it. Glass tear drops that were left of the bottles were scattered just outside of the ring of people.

The noise of the yelling people became a low hum as I watched the fire blazing in the night sky. Now I’m kind of over how amazing this felt as first. The smoke that oozed from the fire was starting to make my eyes water, and I felt crowded with everyone around me. My legs were getting tired, and my eye lids were getting heavy.

After a few minutes, everyone was starting to leave, walking towards the entrance, tired, and happily exhausted as they dragged themselves towards the maze of the city.

Cara was still holding three bottles, trying to decide if she should take them with her or not. Then there was a loud screech that came from behind us. I thought it was the sound of a ride falling because the noise was shrill, and sounded like metal scraping on metal, but it was more animal than that.

“I’ll just carry them.” Cara decided.

“Alright, let’s go then.” I said, eager to escape whatever might have made the sound.

We began to follow everyone else when I heard a human scream coming from behind me.

“So who do you think that is?”

“I don’t know, let’s just leave.”

“Well, it sounds like that person is in trouble.” Cara said, stopping.

I stopped and looked at her, about to tell her that it was probably not important when a boy came half running, half stumbling towards us. His leg was red, and blood was oozing from a long gash.

I turned away for a second, but then Cara ran towards the boy to help him because he had fallen down.

I watched Cara help him with wide eyes, scared of what was going to emerge from the shadows that the he had come from. While the boy struggled to stand, Cara called for my help. That was when I realized that I was shaking.

Another ear splitting screech came from the darkness, and I heard wings beating down on the air. I clenched my teeth, and walked over to help Cara.

We both acted as a crutch for the boy, helping him hobble away. By now there was no one else to help us; they had all left the park. I felt a gust of wind whip at my back, and I knew that the demon was right behind us.

The boy was painting frantically, “Do you think we’re going to make it?”

“I hope so.” I said, trying my best to get us behind a brick bathroom that was just a few feet away.

“Angelo, can you pick him up?” Cara asked.

I put my arm under the boy’s slick, bleeding legs and lifted him up with some effort. I would be able to carry him slowly to the brick bathroom, but that would be it. I could feel the blood seeping from the wound onto my arm. I hoped that he didn’t run out of blood and die.

“Yeah,” I said as I carried him, taking slow, careful steps.

Once Cara was free to move, she tossed a bottle at the demon, which smashed into its face. I didn’t see the rest because I was carrying the boy forward, but I heard the demon squeal like a dying roach might. I heard its wings flailing, and teeth gnashing.

Cara ran up to me just as I turned to hide behind the bathroom. “Here, tie my sweatshirt over his leg.” She said. She took off her oversized, black sweatshirt, and wrapped it around the boy’s leg. She was wearing a bright green undershirt.

The boy was breathing heavily, his face was shiny with sweat, and his eyes were shut tight. Then, the demon stopped squealing.

Cara peered from behind the bathroom. She turned back, breathing quickly, “Half of its face is burnt it should leave now.”

Click.

I froze.

Click.

“It’s using echo location.” I said, “It isn’t going to leave.”

Cara was silent, but the boys’ breathing was still loud, and heavy. I clenched my teeth, trying to summon some courage from deep within me. What would my dad do?

The demons face emerged to the side of the bathroom. The top half of its face was blackened, and it’s incredibly large ears that pointed to the sky were twitching.

Click.

I looked at Cara, and pointed to the bottle. I mouthed, ‘throw it’.

She nodded, and uncorked the red bottle, splashing it onto the demon’s face again; it rolled away, screaming in agony.

I took the orange bottle from Cara’s hand, and threw it at the demon. The bottle missed, and landed just near the demon. The huge bat rolled onto the bottle, which tangled it up in the sticky orange goo.

The screaming stopped, and the demon was still, curled up into a ball.

Cara and I got up, helping each other carry the boy to take him to a hospital, if we could even find one in time.