I'd always wondered what went on behind the scenes of those carnivals and circus-like sideshows that seemed to spread across the local strip-mall parking lots here in Florida. Since it was Halloween weekend, the theme of the most recent cluster of rides, cotton candy and games of (no) chance was ghosts and goblins and demons Oh my! People were showing up dressed in their favorite costumes or at least in whatever was left at the store. My wife and child had hit the grounds running at noon when it opened; it was now an hour later and I was just showing up to check out the tight dresses, pretty mommies, and college student hotties that always filled these spectacles. I mean, I was there to join my wife and daughter at the fair.
The purple/green outfit of my wife was easy enough to find but my daughter was nowhere to be seen. "She found a friend and her mom and they took off 20 minutes ago." I was informed. "I know you hate the rides but they've got a neat-looking House of Horrors at the other end that is really huge and scary looking. Want to check it out?" I kind of smiled and figured: What the hell?! Might be fun at that. What I saw surprised me some. Instead of a cheesy make- shift veneer with ghouls painted quickly all over it was a formidable looking house that had been assembled on the southeast corner of the parking lot up against the side of the mall itself.
Cathy was already sprinting towards the front door while I trailed behind. Handing the barker out front her ticket stub, she was quickly ushered inside while I started sprinting forward to catch up before she was lost in the dark interior of the dank smelling shell. They didn't seem as anxious to take my ticket as they had appeared to be about taking my wife's but I finally got in only to realize that my chances of finding anything were about zero. Webs and streamers and ropes and what appeared at first bump to be whips and cat-o-nine-tails were hanging from the very dimly lit interior's ceiling.
Then I could hear the first of what were to be several screams, moans and howls. A quick flash of light in the distance must have had a blinding rather than revealing effect on the person or persons who were up close to it. My eyes were seeing nothing but blue dots and I was at least 30 feet away from the quick light flash. Two steps farther and I bumped into someone soft, high-breasted and fragrant. "Sorry" I started to apologize when she suddenly pulled me close and proceeded to envelop me in a mixture of arms, hands, leg, and something that felt like, no, WAS nylon cord! "What the f.." was all I could get out before my hands were fixed behind my back in the cord.