smile.
âI ainât scared of no clown,â Michael declared. âItâs a fun house, so itâs gonna be fun.â
Ray nearly protested, but he smiled to himself and patted Michael on top of his dumb head instead. This was going to be fun indeed. Ray would make sure of it.
Michael lost it in the hall of mirrors. With seemingly no escape from the darkened room, their reflections warped and leered at them like demons trapped just beyond the glass. Terrified, Michael threw his head back and screamed.
Ray thought it was funny at first. He took the opportunity to terrorize his little brother by circling Michael and Lauralynn, bounding from foot to foot like a crazy jester. But that was fun for all of thirty seconds; after that, all he wanted was for Michael to shut up again. The way he was screaming was just like how he had gone off in Wadeâs truck the day Ray had swept him up off the side of the road. There was a level of terror in Michaelâs wail that gave Ray a secret pang of joy, but it was also the kind that made other people nervous. Nervous enough to remember them.
âHey, shut up, stupid!â Ray yelled as a pair of teenagers gave the trio a curious look. They were deciding whether they should get an adult to help or forget about the screaming kid and be on their way. âShut up,â Ray repeated, more for the teens than for Michaelâs sake. âItâs just mirrors, see?â He danced in front of one of them, putting on a decent show of trying to calm his kid brother down. The older kids shrugged and left them behind.
Lauralynn crouched in front of the screaming six-year-old. She wrapped her arms around him and cooed into his ear as she rocked him back and forth.
âItâs okay,â she whispered. âThere, there, Mikey. Iâm here with you. Itâs all right.â
Ray stood by and watched the exchange while something ugly twisted into his guts like a rusty old screw. When he couldnât look at them anymore, he peered at the endless walls of mirrors instead. Thatâs when he lost his breath. The way the mirrors were angled, the three of them only cast a reflection of two. There was only Lauralynn and Michael, the two of them clinging to each other like castaways with no hope of rescue. Ray twisted where he stood, startled as he took in each reflection, which seemed to trail off into infinity. Somehow, by some weird trick of angles and light, the fun house had erased him. His big sister held his replacement tightly in her arms.
Ray turned and stumbled out of the fun house, pale as a sheet. Misty Dawn was leaning against some metal railing near the exit. Her mouth was smeared with powdered sugar, and her eyes glinted with mischief.
âI thought it was only scary if you were a dumb chicken.â A smile of wicked satisfaction pulled at the corner of her mouth. âGuess youâre a dumb chicken, huh?â She giggled, then folded a wad of funnel cake into her cheek. A moment later, she nearly choked on the pastry. Ray socked her in the arm as hard as he could before stomping away.
During the ride home, Ray sat on the opposite side of the truck bed from everyone else. He tried not to look at his siblings. But anytime he caught a glimpse of them, he could only note a single detail: Lauralynn was still holding Michaelâs hand.
8
----
R EBEL WAS IN a foul mood. He had hardly said a word as he lumbered around the house, waiting for Michael to get his boots on. Once the boys were in the Olds, he cranked the Rolling Stones so loud that it made Michaelâs head hurt. They drove for a while. Eventually, Reb parked the car along the side of the road and slid out of the driverâs seat. Michaelâs ears rang in the silence. He could hardly hear the crunch of old leaves beneath his feet as he followed Reb up the hill.
They crawled across the crest the same way they had before. Michael folded his arms and rested his chin on top of his
âI ainât scared of no clown,â Michael declared. âItâs a fun house, so itâs gonna be fun.â
Ray nearly protested, but he smiled to himself and patted Michael on top of his dumb head instead. This was going to be fun indeed. Ray would make sure of it.
Michael lost it in the hall of mirrors. With seemingly no escape from the darkened room, their reflections warped and leered at them like demons trapped just beyond the glass. Terrified, Michael threw his head back and screamed.
Ray thought it was funny at first. He took the opportunity to terrorize his little brother by circling Michael and Lauralynn, bounding from foot to foot like a crazy jester. But that was fun for all of thirty seconds; after that, all he wanted was for Michael to shut up again. The way he was screaming was just like how he had gone off in Wadeâs truck the day Ray had swept him up off the side of the road. There was a level of terror in Michaelâs wail that gave Ray a secret pang of joy, but it was also the kind that made other people nervous. Nervous enough to remember them.
âHey, shut up, stupid!â Ray yelled as a pair of teenagers gave the trio a curious look. They were deciding whether they should get an adult to help or forget about the screaming kid and be on their way. âShut up,â Ray repeated, more for the teens than for Michaelâs sake. âItâs just mirrors, see?â He danced in front of one of them, putting on a decent show of trying to calm his kid brother down. The older kids shrugged and left them behind.
Lauralynn crouched in front of the screaming six-year-old. She wrapped her arms around him and cooed into his ear as she rocked him back and forth.
âItâs okay,â she whispered. âThere, there, Mikey. Iâm here with you. Itâs all right.â
Ray stood by and watched the exchange while something ugly twisted into his guts like a rusty old screw. When he couldnât look at them anymore, he peered at the endless walls of mirrors instead. Thatâs when he lost his breath. The way the mirrors were angled, the three of them only cast a reflection of two. There was only Lauralynn and Michael, the two of them clinging to each other like castaways with no hope of rescue. Ray twisted where he stood, startled as he took in each reflection, which seemed to trail off into infinity. Somehow, by some weird trick of angles and light, the fun house had erased him. His big sister held his replacement tightly in her arms.
Ray turned and stumbled out of the fun house, pale as a sheet. Misty Dawn was leaning against some metal railing near the exit. Her mouth was smeared with powdered sugar, and her eyes glinted with mischief.
âI thought it was only scary if you were a dumb chicken.â A smile of wicked satisfaction pulled at the corner of her mouth. âGuess youâre a dumb chicken, huh?â She giggled, then folded a wad of funnel cake into her cheek. A moment later, she nearly choked on the pastry. Ray socked her in the arm as hard as he could before stomping away.
During the ride home, Ray sat on the opposite side of the truck bed from everyone else. He tried not to look at his siblings. But anytime he caught a glimpse of them, he could only note a single detail: Lauralynn was still holding Michaelâs hand.
8
----
R EBEL WAS IN a foul mood. He had hardly said a word as he lumbered around the house, waiting for Michael to get his boots on. Once the boys were in the Olds, he cranked the Rolling Stones so loud that it made Michaelâs head hurt. They drove for a while. Eventually, Reb parked the car along the side of the road and slid out of the driverâs seat. Michaelâs ears rang in the silence. He could hardly hear the crunch of old leaves beneath his feet as he followed Reb up the hill.
They crawled across the crest the same way they had before. Michael folded his arms and rested his chin on top of his
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