The Fairground Phantom
A short story for children by Dennis Stallard of Penygraig, Rhondda.
The view from the top of the Big Wheel in
the fairground was fantastic. Everyone who took a ride hoped they would
stop at the top to take in such a wondrous sight.
In the daylight the panoramic vista was a
sight to behold. At night as you looked down on the fairground all that
one could see was a myriad of coloured lights from the other
rides.
The only thing was, that not many local
people ever took a ride on the Big Wheel.
Why?
It was said to be haunted by the Fairground
Phantom!
Carl Curtis and his
girlfriend were on holiday at a caravan park about two miles down the
road and had decided to visit the fair that evening. The fair was quite
crowded and all the rides were pretty full, but Carl wanted to take his
girlfriend on a new white knuckle ride called The Cyclone.
This was a new double loop roller coaster
which everyone said was the thrill of a lifetime. "Why do you want
to go on that new ride Jenny?" asked Carl.
"It's the best ride in the fair so I'm
told and well worth the wait once you have experienced it." said
Carl.
Jenny said that she didn't mind as long as
they were strapped into the seats.
They had to queue about ten minutes and got
on the ride.
As the cars started their climb up the
incline to the top there was such a wonderful view, but then you
dropped down almost immediately going into the double loop. At the end
you did the same thing in reverse.
It was mind blowing, and Jenny, although she
didn't really want to go on the ride, said she wouldn't have missed it
for the world. The only ride that was easy to get on without much
waiting was the Big Wheel.
"Come on," said Carl to Jenny
"let's go on the Big Wheel, there's hardly anyone
waiting."
" I'm afraid of heights, what if we
stop on the top I'll be terrified."
" I'm big and strong, I'll hold you
safe" said Carl.
Jenny took his hand and they stood in the
small queue for a few minutes, Carl paid for the ticket and asked
if they could stop at the top to see the view. "I wouldn't do
that," said the old gentleman, "maybe the Phantom will get
you." he giggled and then they got on the ride.
As the old gentleman made the bar secure
across the front of the pair he said "Watch out for the Phantom
my dears, he haunts the fairground, especially this ride. It is said he
fell from the top of the wheel years ago. This is why it is said he
haunts this ride." he said with a chuckle in his voice as the
wheel started to move upwards.
"What did that old man say?" said
Jenny. "Nothing," said Carl "an old superstition about
the fair that's all."
It was a warm sunny evening and the sun
was just starting to set. From the top of the Big Wheel there was a
mixture of panoramic views and shimmering lights in the twilight as the
fairground had just switched on all the lights for the punters who came
that evening.
When their car eventually stopped at the top
of the Big Wheel Jenny said she felt quite cold and didn't like it
at all being up so high. "It won't be for long." said Carl
"We just have to move around for the cars to fill up, then we'll
start the ride properly."
Eventually the ride started the wheel
going around quite fast one minute up high the next down low again. It
made Jenny's stomach churn a little like being on a boat in rough
weather, as if you are going to be sick.
The wheel started to slow down and Carl and
Jenny were just about coming up to the top of the wheel again. They were
looking down at the other people getting off and waiting for their turn
as the wheel moved around.
Suddenly the old man in charge of the
ride suddenly collapsed on to the lever controlling the speed
of the wheel. The wheel then started to go around faster and faster and
all the people left on the ride realized something was wrong and started
to scream. Jenny was hysterical.
I'll have to try and jump off when the car
reaches the platform at the bottom and try to stop the thing. Carl said.
"You can't do that," said Jenny, "you'll be
killed."
" Well something has to be done."
As their car reached the platform Carl jumped, he fell rather heavily and twisted his ankle. Nevertheless, he hobbled over and lifted the old man off the lever. He then pulled it with all his strength and there was a grinding noise as the Big Wheel started to slow down, but the sudden movement stopping the wheel so quickly made the main cable driving the Big Wheel snap. The whole wheel then started to spin off its axis. Everyone left on the ride started to scream as the cars were now hanging at acute angles from the wheel.
The wheel stopped, there was silence for a
few minutes then all the trapped people started to shout for help.
Carl shouted to people in the crowd to ring the fire brigade and an ambulance.
At this moment a young man pushed his way
through the crowd and said he would help. "I'll climb up the
superstructure and you go and get a ladder from behind the
caravans." he said to Carl.
"You can't do that, you'll fall and
get killed."
"I know this ride, I work on the fair
I helped put this ride up." said the young man.
Carl went to get the ladder and they put
it up against the wheel and helped some of the people down
from the lower cars.
They could hear the sirens of the fire
brigade in the distance, by this time it was quite dark and when the
fire brigade arrived they switched on some big arc lamps to light
up the stranded people still trapped on the ride.
The young man had already started to climb
up the wheel as the firemen started to winch up a long ladder to the
top of the ride. A fireman spotted the young man and said
"What's the idiot doing climbing up the wheel?"
"He works on the fair and said he
would try to calm the people trapped on the ride. My girlfriend is in
one of the top cars."
As the firemen started to evacuate the
cars Carl went to see how the old man was. He looked ghastly, but he
was still breathing. It must have been a heart attack thought Carl,
he held the man's head in his lap as he waited for the
ambulance to arrive.
The old man suddenly opened his eyes, and
they were wide with terror. He was looking up at the Big Wheel tilted
off its axis. All he could whisper was "The Phantom! The
Phantom!."
"It's alright," said Carl,
"try to keep calm. Help is on its way."
Jenny was petrified. Too scared to move,
stuck at the top in the car at such an angle, her hands were numb as
she gripped the sides to hold on. The fireman reached her and then she
was helped on to the top of the ladder and the fireman moved down in
front of her telling her to keep looking up and he guided her on the
steps. It was at that moment that there was a terrible scream, from
the top of the wheel. Someone had fallen.
Carl saw a figure hurtle past Jenny and
the fireman, it was so dark now that he could only make out a falling
shape. Carl could see that Jenny was in good hands so he put the old
man in the recovery position and he ran around to the other side of
the Wheel to see who had fallen, thinking it might have been the young
man who had climbed up earlier. There was nobody on the ground.
He did hear a scream and saw the shape of
someone falling from the top of the wheel. Where was the body?
The ambulance arrived and they took the
old man to the hospital. Jenny and Carl were reunited once again. It
was a night that Jenny will never forget, neither will Carl.
The following day Carl went to see how
Jenny was, and asked her did she see the young man climbing up the
wheel towards her before the fire brigade arrived. "A young
man?" she said "I was too petrified, I had my eyes shut all
the time. It was only when the fireman arrived and spoke to me as he
helped me onto the ladder that I opened them. You never heard a scream
and saw someone fall from the top of the wheel as you were on the
ladder with the fireman? Someone fell from the top of the wheel? You
must have imagined it." she said to Carl.
Maybe it was the Phantom that haunted this
ride in the fairground!
Who was the young man who spoke to Carl
from the crowd and said he would climb up the wheel?
Could it have been the Phantom the old man
had mentioned to Carl?
The next time you visit the fairground, I
think you'd better have second thoughts about taking a ride on the Big
Wheel. Don' t you!
.........................The End