Chapter 8

Darian, Clint and Anna look in every direction as they walk through the density of rides, games and food stands.  As they approach the Fun House entrance, an array of plastic flowers is seen bobbing and weaving atop Lucille’s head as she stands laughing before “Bertha,” the mechanical laughing lady in front of the Fun House.  Lucille alternates laughter and joke telling in a bizarre make-believe relationship.  Several people are standing about enjoying the exchange.

            Lucille laughs.  “Oh, Bertha, I love that one…love it.

Anna, Clint and Darian come up to Lucille and watch along with other people.

            Anna says, “That got to be her and …Bertha.

            Lucille, with a surprising talent for humor, throws her voice to Bertha.  “Did you hear…the one about…the cockroach and Bible salesman…” She steps up ad whispers the story in Bertha’s ear, laughing hysterically as she goes.

            Anna, feeling a bit upset, says, “Pathetic.  My God.  These people are eating this up like a sideshow.

            Clint leans into Anna.  “Don’t get so upset.  I think she knows what she’s doing.”

            “That doesn’t give them the right to…” says Anna.  Frustrated, she pushes her way to the front and screams at them to leave. “C’mon for God’s sake.  She’s not some kind of freak—leave her be.”  She turns around to Lucille, who continues laughing and whispering into Bertha’s ear, completely in her own world.  She hasn’t heard a word or a single laugh from the crowd, only her own exchange with the laughing lady.

Steely and Frank come onto the crowd. 

Clint spots them.  “Anna?  Trouble.  Steely’s snoopin’ ‘round.”

            Anna approaches Lucille, firing her words back at Clint.  “I don’t give a damn about this Steely creep.”  She takes Lucille by the shoulders.  “I’m Anna.  Do you know me?  Your granddaughter?

            The old woman just laughs more.  Anna now gently shakes her.  “Please talk to me.  Answer me, please!

            The crowd is laughing at the two of them now, thinking it’s all a put-on.

            Steely and Frank burst through the crowd and Steel jerks Anna away from Lucille.  “Hey, little girl. What you think you’re doin’?”

            Clint and Darian step up.  “Excuse me, officer,” says Clint.  “She’s just tryin’ to find her grandmother.

            “Grandma?”  He laughs.  “Hardly.  Buzz off kid.”

            Frank steps between them.

            Glaring with hostility and pity at Steely, Anna motions for the two boys to step back.  The crowd quiets down, only the laughing Bertha is heard.

            Steely focused his stone-cold eyes on Anna.  “Stay away from my rags, ya hear?”

            Anna remains stoic.

            “Ya hear?” bellows Steely.

            “Your rags?” says Anna.

            Steely nods and smiles.  “My rags.”

            The sight of Steely has broken Lucille out of her humor state and she panics, running into the Fun House. 

Anna breaks away from Steely and runs in after her.  “Lucille!  It’s alright.”

Steeling follows, shouting over his shoulder to Frank, “You keep everybody out of there.”  He turns toward Darian and Clint, “That means you too.  Stay put.”

Inside the Fun House, Anna is confronted by a huge room of mirrors completely covering the walls and ceiling, with the laughter of the mechanical woman outside filtering in, adding to the unreal perspective.  “Lucille?  It’s okay.  I’m not going to hurt you,” pleads Anna.

“Maybe you won’t, but he will,” replies an unseen Lucille from somewhere in the mirror reflections.

Anna turns and turns.  No Lucille can be seen.  Nothing but mirrors confronts Anna.

From the surreal maze, Steely’s voice punctuates the bizarre atmosphere.  “I’ve been pretty good to you lately, Lucille.  You been a good girl too…Lucille?”

Anna walks, bumping into the mirrors.  “God.  No wonder they’re all scared of you, Steely.”

Steely’s mirrored distortion pops into Anna’s view.  She makes her was to the right where she heard Lucille’s voice.  Again, Steely’s reflection surprises Anna.  Then her own reflection.  Then Lucille’s.  A proper perspective is impossible as they wind, bump into the mirrors, trying to find their way through the maze.

“Lucille?” says Steely in a saccharin sweet voice.  “Lucille, c’mon now.”  No response.  “Lucille!  God damn it.  Get the hell outa here.  I got more important things to do than chase a crazy through a bunch of mirrors.”

From somewhere in the reflections, Lucille responds.  “What could be more important than your lover, sweetie?”  She lets out an evil laugh.

“Don’t talk so crazy, Lucille.  Let me help you outa here.”

“You help me?  Now, that is crazy.”

Anna raises her voice, her words bouncing off the mirrors to Steely’s everywhere presence.  “We’re not hurting anybody, Sargent.   Why not just leave us alone.”

Anger rises in his voice.  “Like I said, stay away from my rags.”

Lucille suddenly appears behind Anna and whispers in her ear.  “Don’t get yourself hurt over me, honey.  I know I ain’t your grandma.”

Anna spins around as Lucille continues, “ I ain’t nobody’s grandma.”  With a strange little giggle, Lucille opens her layers of sweaters to reveal a hairy chest.  The voice suddenly becomes a masculine whisper.  “It’s a little easier stayin’ healthy and alive this way, ‘cept if ya get in Steely’s way.  He hates rags, specially women.  Makes all us rags wonder what fucked him up so bad, bein’ a war hero and all.”

“War hero?”  Where’d you hear that?”

Lucille takes Anna’s hand.  “Later.  C’mon.  I know a back way outa here.”  He giggles again, and leads a shocked and disappointed Anna out through the maze to a mirror that is actually a back door.