The Photograph
Jeremy stood outside the carnival smoking a cigarette waiting for his friends to arrive. He was a senior in high school, and this was the last carnival he intended to go to in his hometown, a small city that held less than twenty thousand souls. He had big plans to leave and never look back, so he decided he would live up every moment of his short time left.
The first of his friends arrived, a girl named Hannah, dropped off by her father. She walked up and said hello, looking as beautiful as she ever did. Zach, his best friend, was dating Hannah, and he arrived next, greeting Jeremy with a handshake and Hannah with a kiss.
“Can I bum one of those off of you?” Zach asked.
“Sure,” Jeremy said.
They both had been smoking since they were sixteen, on again and off again, until they were old enough to buy the cigarettes themselves. Zach bummed them rarely, while Jeremy had become a chain smoker. Melody was the last to arrive, Jeremy’s girlfriend, with her cousin in tow.
“Sorry I had to bring Nathan. It was the only way my parents would give me any money for tonight,” Melody said. Nathan was two years younger than the rest, and looking to prove himself as a valid member of the group.
“Hi everybody,” Nathan said, “Can I bum a smoke off of you Jeremy?”
“Are you really old enough to have one of these?” Jeremy asked mockingly.
“As long as Melody doesn’t say anything, of course.”
“What you do is your business, as long as you keep out of my business,” Melody said nuzzling close to Jeremy.
“Whatever,” Nathan said as he took a cigarette from Jeremy. He lit it up and began to smoke, trying to hold the slight tickle at the back of his throat. He coughed after the second drag.
“I thought you were old enough for these?” Zach said, taking an extra long drag then tossing the cigarette away.
“Hurry up Nathan,” Hannah said, “I want to go inside.”
Nathan smoked half the cigarette, and began to feel tingly all over. He smiled, then tossed the cigarette away, and the group made their way inside.
“Where shall we go first?” Jeremy asked, the impromptu leader of the group.
“I’m hungry, will you buy me some food Zach?” Hannah asked.
“To the concessions it is,” Zach said.
The two couples walked hand in hand, looking at the different rides and attractions as they went. Nathan followed behind, his head lowered slightly. He was a slight outsider in the local high school, because he hadn’t found his niche yet. He wanted terribly to meet a girl, but felt trapped under his parent’s control. When they got to the concession stand, they all ordered different things, Zach and Hannah ordered hot dogs, Jeremy and Melody ordered popcorn, and Nathan ordered a funnel cake and a fried coke.
The girls scoffed behind their hands at his order of such greasy food, and Nathan tried not to notice. He had ordered the funnel cake to share with everyone, and the fried coke for himself. When he sat down at the table, he placed the funnel cake in the center of it, and sat at the foot of the table himself.
“What’d you do that for?” Melody asked.
“I got the funnel cake to share. I can’t ever eat too much of it, it makes me sick. Too greasy,” Nathan said.
“Thanks Nate,” Zach said, grabbing a handful of the cake. “I love these things.”
“Me too,” Nathan said.
“I’ll bet you do,” Melody said.
Nathan looked at her, and then returned to his fried coke. He was slightly overweight, and she knew how to get under his skin. He didn’t touch the funnel cake, and barely had half the coke before offering it to someone else, even though his stomach rumbled.
When everyone had finished their food, they began making their way over to the rides. Nathan never enjoyed carnival rides, they gave him motion sickness, but he really wanted to ride The Barrel Roll. It was a centrifugal force ride that he could handle. Neither of the couples really wanted to ride it, even when he offered to pay for their tickets, so he went on it alone.
When the ride started, he waved to the group, but they were too engrossed in one another to notice. He shrugged it off and began to enjoy the feeling of being pressed against the wall. When the bottom dropped out, he squealed girlishly, because he could see all the moving parts below him. His stomach began to turn slightly, and he felt a cold chill run up his spine.
When the ride finished, he walked hurriedly over to the group, who had wandered over to the carnival games. Zach was trying to win Hannah a stuffed animal by knocking over the milk bottles. He tried with three of his five balls, and Nathan spoke up.
“I bet you I can knock it over,” Nathan said.
“Oh really?” Zach said.
“Yeah, it’s all about backspin,” Nathan said.
“What do I get if you can’t, you know, because you wasted two of my throws?” Zach said.
“I could pay you back,” Nathan offered.
“I have an idea,” Jeremy said, “how about he owes you a dare if he misses the first time, and he owes me one if he misses the second.”
“Why do you get a dare?” Zach asked.
“Because I came up with the idea, duh,” Jeremy said.
“Alright, I can agree to that,” Zach said.
“Are you down?” Jeremy asked.
Nathan sat there for a moment, knowing that they would make his life hell if he couldn’t knock the bottles over on the first try, let alone the second. His desire to impress the girls, and the guys outweighed his fear of what they would do to him, so he agreed. The weird tingle returned to him, and another cold chill ran up his spine.
He took the two yellow baseballs from Zach, and stood behind the line. He could feel a slight breeze in the air, and he tried to remember what he had read about this particular carnival game. He tried to remember how to put backspin on the ball, and felt a bead of sweat run down his face. He heard the girls’ impatient sighs, and reared back and threw as hard as he could.
The ball hit the top bottle and knocked it over, which caused the two below it to fall, but the three base bottles stood standing there, mocking him. He heard Jeremy say, “That’s one,” but tried to ignore him. He knew that his whole night resided in not allowing Jeremy to get a dare from him. He concentrated, waiting for the bottle to be reset, reared back again, and threw. He missed the pins entirely. A grimace spread across his face, he knew that his fate was sealed. He thought to himself, and the night had such promise.
Jeremy laughed, and clapped him on the back. Zach shook his head, and said, “Don’t worry kid, one day you’ll be able to do it. Once you put on some muscle.”
“Do you have the dares yet? Can we just get this over with?” Nathan asked.
“No sir, we cannot. This is going to be a long night, and we are going to have some fun. So just sit back, relax, and take it like a man.” Zach said.
“And how is that?” Nathan asked.
“With your chin held high,” Jeremy told him.
The group moved on, the same positions as before, but with Nathan much farther in the rear, weighed down by his frustration. As they exited the gaming section of the carnival, Melody dropped back to talk to him.
“I’m sorry about that,” Melody said.
“Why do you care, you wish I wasn’t even here.”
“That’s not true. You’re a pretty neat kid, I just don’t like feeling obligated to hang out with you.”
“Well I’m sorry to inconvenience you,” Nathan said spitefully.
“It’s not you, it’s our parents. I don’t like that they want me to babysit you all the time. I think you are old enough to take care of yourself.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks,” he said.
“But, if you want, I can try to convince the guys to go easy on you. Make you eat something gross or sing a silly song or something.”
“That’s alright, I’ll take what’s coming to me,” Nathan said, another chill going up his spine. “Is it cold out here to you?”
“A little bit,” Melody said, shivering slightly, “Well, I’m going to get back up there to Jeremy.”
“Melody?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for letting me come along.”
Melody made her way back up to the front of the pack, just in time to hear Jeremy, Hannah, and Zach talking about the newest attraction at the carnival. The sign read, Madame Ivanova’s Magical Photo Booth.
“I heard about this,” Hannah said, “It’s supposed to show you a picture of any moment of your future.”
“Cool,” Melody said, “I want to see my wedding.”
“Oh, me too!” Hannah said.
“You two are lame,” Jeremy said, “I’d rather see something cool.”
“Oh yeah,” Melody said, “like what?”
Jeremy sat there for a second, trying to think of something cool that could be in his future. He looked at Zach, who shook his head.
“What about your death?” Nathan said with his head down.
Jeremy turned to Nathan, shocked at his darkness. Then, a great idea came into his mind. He pulled Zach to the side, and they whispered to each other. Nathan looked from them, to the girls, and shrugged. The guys finished talking, and Zach looked at Nathan.
“I have your first dare,” Zach said.
“Okay, what is it?” Nathan asked.
“I dare you to go in there and ask her to show you how you are going to die,” Zach said, a sly grin growing across his face.
“No,” Nathan said.
“What, are you scared?” Jeremy asked.
“No, I just don’t want to see some fake picture of an old guy in a coffin. That’s gross.” Nathan said, feeling another cold chill wreak havoc up his spine.
“Come on Nathan,” Hannah said touching him on the arm, “it’ll be funny.”
So, the gang continued to try to convince Nathan to do it, while he looked indifferent and Melody felt worried for him. She knew that he had a fear of dead things, from when his dog had been hit by a car when he was five. Melody pulled him aside, quieting the other three of them, and tried to convince him that it would be okay.
“Don’t worry about it, it’ll just be a picture. Like you said, of some old guy. He’ll probably just be asleep too, nothing to worry about,” she said.
“I don’t feel right about this Melody.”
“Don’t worry, it’s all a sham. Like the milk bottle game, it’s all rigged up. Madame Ivanova will just try to scare you a little, probably, and then you’ll come out with a picture. We’ll all have a good laugh, and you’ll get one of those stupid dares out of the way.”
Nathan thought about it, and then shook his head. “If you think everything will be okay, then fine, I’ll do it. It’s just a picture anyway.”
Nathan pulled out the last of his money, and went inside the tent. The air smelled like blackberry incense, and it was dark, except for a few candles that were scattered all about. There were purple and black curtains and muslin draped across all of the tents supports, and there was an old fashioned camera in the corner. He heard a woman’s voice tell him to sit down, and he so he did on a large black bean bag.
A beautiful woman dressed in silks and veils emerged from the darkness, her hair lightly gracing her shoulders. She sat down across from him, a small table with a glass ball sitting between them.
“My name is Madame Ivanova. Using my camera I can show you any point in your lifetime, past, present, or future. What do you want to see?” she said.
“I’d like to see my death,” Nathan said, a quiver in his voice.
“I’m sorry child; I don’t show people their deaths. It reveals too much,” she said. “Perhaps you would rather see the woman you will marry, or the birth of your first child.”
“I have to see my death, Madame. I got dared.”
“I can’t. I will still give you your future, if you like, but not your death.”
“Fine,” Nathan said, trying to think of what he would tell the others.
“I will tell them myself if it will help,” Madame Ivanova said, “but I’m afraid it wouldn’t.”
“No, Madame.”
“Alright, I’ll show you the woman you will marry. I need you to think about your wedding, or wedding in general. Just concentrate on the sound of my voice and think about weddings,” she said, as she rose and crossed the room to the camera.
Madame Ivanova set up her camera, aiming at Nathan’s face, deep in thought. “On the count of three, say I do.” She began to count.
“One.”
Nathan thought of wedding cakes and receptions, white chairs and steak dinners.
“Two.”
He thought of church pews and processions.
“Three.”
He thought of caskets and lilies. “Death,” he said.
The camera flashed bright, and the whole tent was lit like a summer morning. He saw the decorations the carnival workers had set up with little care. He saw through the ruse. He remembered how to throw backspin correctly. Everything came into focus.
“My boy, what have you made me do?” Madame Ivanova said a ghost white look on her face. She was sweating and looked disheveled and much older than before.
“Nothing, it’s just a camera, and you’re just an actress,” Nathan said with a smile.
“No, I’m not.” She stood, towering over the teenager, and grabbed the film from the camera. “It’ll take a little while to develop your photo. Why don’t you run along? I’ll have it for you in the hour.”
“Whatever,” Nathan said. “Have a good night.” He got up and left the tent.
Madame Ivanova looked at the negative carefully in the reddish light of her tent and gasped slightly. “No, my boy, you have a good night. Make it the best night of your life.”
Nathan exited the tent, and walked over to the group. He smiled broadly and shook h is head.
“So, what did the picture show? Were you a grouchy old man?” Zach asked.
“No, actually it creeped me out,” Nathan said trying to play with their heads.
“What was it?” Hannah asked.
“It actually showed me getting hit by a car.”
“Really?” Melody asked.
“Or was it a plane crash? No, I died of cancer, that’s right.” Nathan said.
“Mr. Funny man, eh? What did it really show?” Jeremy asked.
“Don’t know. I wasn’t even supposed to get a picture of my death, but she said it would take a little while for her to develop the photo,” Nathan said.
“Why weren’t you supposed to get a picture of your death?” Melody asked.
Nathan told them the whole story, making sure not to leave out any of the details, even adding a few to spice it up a bit. It was the most positive attention he had gotten all night. They were walking and talking, and ended up at the concession stand again when he finished the story. It was there that Jeremy had the idea for his dare.
“Nathan that was an awesome story, unfortunately, you still owe me a dare. So, I have it for you,” Jeremy said, “I want you to eat three funnel cakes and go on The Barrel Roll three times in a row.”
“That’s not even cool,” Hannah said, “all that’s going to do is make him throw up.”
“Yeah, and that’ll be funny,” Zach said, supporting the idea.
“Whatever, I’m kind of hungry anyway,” Nathan said.
They all pitched in and bought the three funnel cakes, and the tickets for the three rides. Nathan began to eat the funnel cakes, and the two other guys had another cigarette. Nathan ate quickly, trying to get the dare over with as quickly as possible. After he finished the three funnel cakes in record time, he slowly made his way to the ride.
Madame Ivanova hurried to finish developing the film, hoping that what she thought she saw in the negative was wrong. She hated this part; the waiting, the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, and the fact that she was always right.
The first time around was uneventful. Nathan didn’t vomit, but he did enjoy himself. He had gotten comfortable enough with the ride to turn himself upside down, even though the floor had dropped out. He laughed, and felt a little queasy when the ride stopped but the world kept moving. He gave the operator another ticket and went back to his spot.
The picture finished developing. Madame Ivanova shook her head, and a tear ran down her face. She hated herself, and her talent, her gift. She left her tent, and began looking for Nathan.
The second time on The Barrel Roll, Nathan spit as hard as he could, only to have it return and hit him in the face. He laughed harder this time, flipping himself upside down again and trying to do sit ups. “I could get in shape in no time like this,” he shouted to the wind rushing past his face. When the ride stopped, he slipped down the side and fell on his face. He exited, paid another ticket, and entered for the last time. It was late, and he was the only person on the least popular ride.
Madame Ivanova found Melody, having seen a picture of her in Nathan’s mind, and asked her where Nathan was.
“He’s on The Barrel Roll. Third time in a row and he hasn’t thrown up yet.”
Madame Ivanova’s face went white. The photograph slipped from her fingers. She could barely move at first, and then she ran to the ride operator. “You have to shut down the machine,” she shouted, “Don’t let the floor drop.”
Melody picked up the photograph, screamed, and fainted. Jeremy looked away from cheering Nathan on when he heard Melody scream. He ran back to her, and cradled her in his arms. He grabbed a cup of water, and splashed her in the face. She came to, wide-eyed and gasping. She said only three words before fainting again, barely audible over the sound of the ride. “Oh, God no.”
Jeremy noticed the picture in her hand, as Madame Ivanova cried desperately for the operator to stop the ride. He saw the picture and his hands went numb.
All he could hear was a great wrenching sound, and then silence.
The first of his friends arrived, a girl named Hannah, dropped off by her father. She walked up and said hello, looking as beautiful as she ever did. Zach, his best friend, was dating Hannah, and he arrived next, greeting Jeremy with a handshake and Hannah with a kiss.
“Can I bum one of those off of you?” Zach asked.
“Sure,” Jeremy said.
They both had been smoking since they were sixteen, on again and off again, until they were old enough to buy the cigarettes themselves. Zach bummed them rarely, while Jeremy had become a chain smoker. Melody was the last to arrive, Jeremy’s girlfriend, with her cousin in tow.
“Sorry I had to bring Nathan. It was the only way my parents would give me any money for tonight,” Melody said. Nathan was two years younger than the rest, and looking to prove himself as a valid member of the group.
“Hi everybody,” Nathan said, “Can I bum a smoke off of you Jeremy?”
“Are you really old enough to have one of these?” Jeremy asked mockingly.
“As long as Melody doesn’t say anything, of course.”
“What you do is your business, as long as you keep out of my business,” Melody said nuzzling close to Jeremy.
“Whatever,” Nathan said as he took a cigarette from Jeremy. He lit it up and began to smoke, trying to hold the slight tickle at the back of his throat. He coughed after the second drag.
“I thought you were old enough for these?” Zach said, taking an extra long drag then tossing the cigarette away.
“Hurry up Nathan,” Hannah said, “I want to go inside.”
Nathan smoked half the cigarette, and began to feel tingly all over. He smiled, then tossed the cigarette away, and the group made their way inside.
“Where shall we go first?” Jeremy asked, the impromptu leader of the group.
“I’m hungry, will you buy me some food Zach?” Hannah asked.
“To the concessions it is,” Zach said.
The two couples walked hand in hand, looking at the different rides and attractions as they went. Nathan followed behind, his head lowered slightly. He was a slight outsider in the local high school, because he hadn’t found his niche yet. He wanted terribly to meet a girl, but felt trapped under his parent’s control. When they got to the concession stand, they all ordered different things, Zach and Hannah ordered hot dogs, Jeremy and Melody ordered popcorn, and Nathan ordered a funnel cake and a fried coke.
The girls scoffed behind their hands at his order of such greasy food, and Nathan tried not to notice. He had ordered the funnel cake to share with everyone, and the fried coke for himself. When he sat down at the table, he placed the funnel cake in the center of it, and sat at the foot of the table himself.
“What’d you do that for?” Melody asked.
“I got the funnel cake to share. I can’t ever eat too much of it, it makes me sick. Too greasy,” Nathan said.
“Thanks Nate,” Zach said, grabbing a handful of the cake. “I love these things.”
“Me too,” Nathan said.
“I’ll bet you do,” Melody said.
Nathan looked at her, and then returned to his fried coke. He was slightly overweight, and she knew how to get under his skin. He didn’t touch the funnel cake, and barely had half the coke before offering it to someone else, even though his stomach rumbled.
When everyone had finished their food, they began making their way over to the rides. Nathan never enjoyed carnival rides, they gave him motion sickness, but he really wanted to ride The Barrel Roll. It was a centrifugal force ride that he could handle. Neither of the couples really wanted to ride it, even when he offered to pay for their tickets, so he went on it alone.
When the ride started, he waved to the group, but they were too engrossed in one another to notice. He shrugged it off and began to enjoy the feeling of being pressed against the wall. When the bottom dropped out, he squealed girlishly, because he could see all the moving parts below him. His stomach began to turn slightly, and he felt a cold chill run up his spine.
When the ride finished, he walked hurriedly over to the group, who had wandered over to the carnival games. Zach was trying to win Hannah a stuffed animal by knocking over the milk bottles. He tried with three of his five balls, and Nathan spoke up.
“I bet you I can knock it over,” Nathan said.
“Oh really?” Zach said.
“Yeah, it’s all about backspin,” Nathan said.
“What do I get if you can’t, you know, because you wasted two of my throws?” Zach said.
“I could pay you back,” Nathan offered.
“I have an idea,” Jeremy said, “how about he owes you a dare if he misses the first time, and he owes me one if he misses the second.”
“Why do you get a dare?” Zach asked.
“Because I came up with the idea, duh,” Jeremy said.
“Alright, I can agree to that,” Zach said.
“Are you down?” Jeremy asked.
Nathan sat there for a moment, knowing that they would make his life hell if he couldn’t knock the bottles over on the first try, let alone the second. His desire to impress the girls, and the guys outweighed his fear of what they would do to him, so he agreed. The weird tingle returned to him, and another cold chill ran up his spine.
He took the two yellow baseballs from Zach, and stood behind the line. He could feel a slight breeze in the air, and he tried to remember what he had read about this particular carnival game. He tried to remember how to put backspin on the ball, and felt a bead of sweat run down his face. He heard the girls’ impatient sighs, and reared back and threw as hard as he could.
The ball hit the top bottle and knocked it over, which caused the two below it to fall, but the three base bottles stood standing there, mocking him. He heard Jeremy say, “That’s one,” but tried to ignore him. He knew that his whole night resided in not allowing Jeremy to get a dare from him. He concentrated, waiting for the bottle to be reset, reared back again, and threw. He missed the pins entirely. A grimace spread across his face, he knew that his fate was sealed. He thought to himself, and the night had such promise.
Jeremy laughed, and clapped him on the back. Zach shook his head, and said, “Don’t worry kid, one day you’ll be able to do it. Once you put on some muscle.”
“Do you have the dares yet? Can we just get this over with?” Nathan asked.
“No sir, we cannot. This is going to be a long night, and we are going to have some fun. So just sit back, relax, and take it like a man.” Zach said.
“And how is that?” Nathan asked.
“With your chin held high,” Jeremy told him.
The group moved on, the same positions as before, but with Nathan much farther in the rear, weighed down by his frustration. As they exited the gaming section of the carnival, Melody dropped back to talk to him.
“I’m sorry about that,” Melody said.
“Why do you care, you wish I wasn’t even here.”
“That’s not true. You’re a pretty neat kid, I just don’t like feeling obligated to hang out with you.”
“Well I’m sorry to inconvenience you,” Nathan said spitefully.
“It’s not you, it’s our parents. I don’t like that they want me to babysit you all the time. I think you are old enough to take care of yourself.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks,” he said.
“But, if you want, I can try to convince the guys to go easy on you. Make you eat something gross or sing a silly song or something.”
“That’s alright, I’ll take what’s coming to me,” Nathan said, another chill going up his spine. “Is it cold out here to you?”
“A little bit,” Melody said, shivering slightly, “Well, I’m going to get back up there to Jeremy.”
“Melody?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for letting me come along.”
Melody made her way back up to the front of the pack, just in time to hear Jeremy, Hannah, and Zach talking about the newest attraction at the carnival. The sign read, Madame Ivanova’s Magical Photo Booth.
“I heard about this,” Hannah said, “It’s supposed to show you a picture of any moment of your future.”
“Cool,” Melody said, “I want to see my wedding.”
“Oh, me too!” Hannah said.
“You two are lame,” Jeremy said, “I’d rather see something cool.”
“Oh yeah,” Melody said, “like what?”
Jeremy sat there for a second, trying to think of something cool that could be in his future. He looked at Zach, who shook his head.
“What about your death?” Nathan said with his head down.
Jeremy turned to Nathan, shocked at his darkness. Then, a great idea came into his mind. He pulled Zach to the side, and they whispered to each other. Nathan looked from them, to the girls, and shrugged. The guys finished talking, and Zach looked at Nathan.
“I have your first dare,” Zach said.
“Okay, what is it?” Nathan asked.
“I dare you to go in there and ask her to show you how you are going to die,” Zach said, a sly grin growing across his face.
“No,” Nathan said.
“What, are you scared?” Jeremy asked.
“No, I just don’t want to see some fake picture of an old guy in a coffin. That’s gross.” Nathan said, feeling another cold chill wreak havoc up his spine.
“Come on Nathan,” Hannah said touching him on the arm, “it’ll be funny.”
So, the gang continued to try to convince Nathan to do it, while he looked indifferent and Melody felt worried for him. She knew that he had a fear of dead things, from when his dog had been hit by a car when he was five. Melody pulled him aside, quieting the other three of them, and tried to convince him that it would be okay.
“Don’t worry about it, it’ll just be a picture. Like you said, of some old guy. He’ll probably just be asleep too, nothing to worry about,” she said.
“I don’t feel right about this Melody.”
“Don’t worry, it’s all a sham. Like the milk bottle game, it’s all rigged up. Madame Ivanova will just try to scare you a little, probably, and then you’ll come out with a picture. We’ll all have a good laugh, and you’ll get one of those stupid dares out of the way.”
Nathan thought about it, and then shook his head. “If you think everything will be okay, then fine, I’ll do it. It’s just a picture anyway.”
Nathan pulled out the last of his money, and went inside the tent. The air smelled like blackberry incense, and it was dark, except for a few candles that were scattered all about. There were purple and black curtains and muslin draped across all of the tents supports, and there was an old fashioned camera in the corner. He heard a woman’s voice tell him to sit down, and he so he did on a large black bean bag.
A beautiful woman dressed in silks and veils emerged from the darkness, her hair lightly gracing her shoulders. She sat down across from him, a small table with a glass ball sitting between them.
“My name is Madame Ivanova. Using my camera I can show you any point in your lifetime, past, present, or future. What do you want to see?” she said.
“I’d like to see my death,” Nathan said, a quiver in his voice.
“I’m sorry child; I don’t show people their deaths. It reveals too much,” she said. “Perhaps you would rather see the woman you will marry, or the birth of your first child.”
“I have to see my death, Madame. I got dared.”
“I can’t. I will still give you your future, if you like, but not your death.”
“Fine,” Nathan said, trying to think of what he would tell the others.
“I will tell them myself if it will help,” Madame Ivanova said, “but I’m afraid it wouldn’t.”
“No, Madame.”
“Alright, I’ll show you the woman you will marry. I need you to think about your wedding, or wedding in general. Just concentrate on the sound of my voice and think about weddings,” she said, as she rose and crossed the room to the camera.
Madame Ivanova set up her camera, aiming at Nathan’s face, deep in thought. “On the count of three, say I do.” She began to count.
“One.”
Nathan thought of wedding cakes and receptions, white chairs and steak dinners.
“Two.”
He thought of church pews and processions.
“Three.”
He thought of caskets and lilies. “Death,” he said.
The camera flashed bright, and the whole tent was lit like a summer morning. He saw the decorations the carnival workers had set up with little care. He saw through the ruse. He remembered how to throw backspin correctly. Everything came into focus.
“My boy, what have you made me do?” Madame Ivanova said a ghost white look on her face. She was sweating and looked disheveled and much older than before.
“Nothing, it’s just a camera, and you’re just an actress,” Nathan said with a smile.
“No, I’m not.” She stood, towering over the teenager, and grabbed the film from the camera. “It’ll take a little while to develop your photo. Why don’t you run along? I’ll have it for you in the hour.”
“Whatever,” Nathan said. “Have a good night.” He got up and left the tent.
Madame Ivanova looked at the negative carefully in the reddish light of her tent and gasped slightly. “No, my boy, you have a good night. Make it the best night of your life.”
Nathan exited the tent, and walked over to the group. He smiled broadly and shook h is head.
“So, what did the picture show? Were you a grouchy old man?” Zach asked.
“No, actually it creeped me out,” Nathan said trying to play with their heads.
“What was it?” Hannah asked.
“It actually showed me getting hit by a car.”
“Really?” Melody asked.
“Or was it a plane crash? No, I died of cancer, that’s right.” Nathan said.
“Mr. Funny man, eh? What did it really show?” Jeremy asked.
“Don’t know. I wasn’t even supposed to get a picture of my death, but she said it would take a little while for her to develop the photo,” Nathan said.
“Why weren’t you supposed to get a picture of your death?” Melody asked.
Nathan told them the whole story, making sure not to leave out any of the details, even adding a few to spice it up a bit. It was the most positive attention he had gotten all night. They were walking and talking, and ended up at the concession stand again when he finished the story. It was there that Jeremy had the idea for his dare.
“Nathan that was an awesome story, unfortunately, you still owe me a dare. So, I have it for you,” Jeremy said, “I want you to eat three funnel cakes and go on The Barrel Roll three times in a row.”
“That’s not even cool,” Hannah said, “all that’s going to do is make him throw up.”
“Yeah, and that’ll be funny,” Zach said, supporting the idea.
“Whatever, I’m kind of hungry anyway,” Nathan said.
They all pitched in and bought the three funnel cakes, and the tickets for the three rides. Nathan began to eat the funnel cakes, and the two other guys had another cigarette. Nathan ate quickly, trying to get the dare over with as quickly as possible. After he finished the three funnel cakes in record time, he slowly made his way to the ride.
Madame Ivanova hurried to finish developing the film, hoping that what she thought she saw in the negative was wrong. She hated this part; the waiting, the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, and the fact that she was always right.
The first time around was uneventful. Nathan didn’t vomit, but he did enjoy himself. He had gotten comfortable enough with the ride to turn himself upside down, even though the floor had dropped out. He laughed, and felt a little queasy when the ride stopped but the world kept moving. He gave the operator another ticket and went back to his spot.
The picture finished developing. Madame Ivanova shook her head, and a tear ran down her face. She hated herself, and her talent, her gift. She left her tent, and began looking for Nathan.
The second time on The Barrel Roll, Nathan spit as hard as he could, only to have it return and hit him in the face. He laughed harder this time, flipping himself upside down again and trying to do sit ups. “I could get in shape in no time like this,” he shouted to the wind rushing past his face. When the ride stopped, he slipped down the side and fell on his face. He exited, paid another ticket, and entered for the last time. It was late, and he was the only person on the least popular ride.
Madame Ivanova found Melody, having seen a picture of her in Nathan’s mind, and asked her where Nathan was.
“He’s on The Barrel Roll. Third time in a row and he hasn’t thrown up yet.”
Madame Ivanova’s face went white. The photograph slipped from her fingers. She could barely move at first, and then she ran to the ride operator. “You have to shut down the machine,” she shouted, “Don’t let the floor drop.”
Melody picked up the photograph, screamed, and fainted. Jeremy looked away from cheering Nathan on when he heard Melody scream. He ran back to her, and cradled her in his arms. He grabbed a cup of water, and splashed her in the face. She came to, wide-eyed and gasping. She said only three words before fainting again, barely audible over the sound of the ride. “Oh, God no.”
Jeremy noticed the picture in her hand, as Madame Ivanova cried desperately for the operator to stop the ride. He saw the picture and his hands went numb.
All he could hear was a great wrenching sound, and then silence.