Amusement Park

Rusted towers loomed over the group as they searched the park for scraps. Xiamore kept a keen eye on the little ones with them today. “Put anything you think is useful into the cart.” She said. “And don’t forget your gloves.”

”Got ‘em.” The child waggled his little gloved fingers.

”Mama Xia.” A girl tugged on Xia’s skirt. “Is it true people used to go all the way up there?” She pointed at the loop of the roller coaster track.

”Yes. You’d take one of those cars all the way around, vroom! It was customary to keep your hands in the air, I believe.” She demonstrated by raising her arms and opening her mouth as if to scream.

”Was it for bad people?” The girl asked quietly.

Xia laughed. “No. Humans did this for fun.”

”Doesn’t seem fun to me.” The boy said.

”Well, there were lots of rides that weren’t so scary. That one over there used to be designed so you could ride on the backs of beautifully painted ponies.”

The girl looked up from the pile of metal she was sifting through. ”What’s a pony?”

Xiamore smiled sadly. “Have you ever seen a picture of a horse before?” The kids shook their heads. “Well, they were just small horses. Four legs with a long tail and fantastic hair. I’ll find a reference for you.”

”What did the humans do in those?” The boy pointed at the row of rotted, wooden structures. They were in varying stages of collapse.

“Ah, those were carnival games.” Xia said. She helped another little girl reach some wires above her head. “You would throw balls or shoot water guns to win prizes.”

”What kind of prizes?!”

”Stuffed animals and plastic inflatable toys. All kinds of things, I suppose.”

”I wonder if there are any left.” The boy said wistfully.

”I doubt the plush fabric would survive all these years.” Xia said. “But we can search over there if you’d like.” She and the children moved closer to the old game stalls. There were a few traces of the attractions left, metal table legs and rusty hooks. Some of the guns and throwing balls were in a semi-recognizable state. As Xia expected, there were no toys. The children were disappointed, but they hid it well. Their group searched the abandoned park for hours. Just as their cart was getting full, their stomachs began to rumble.

”I think we have enough materials.” Xiamore said. The others began pushing and pulling the cart out of the park, while Xia took the children’s hands and led them out. “Are you ready for dinner?” She got several enthusiastic replies, but one boy seemed elsewhere. Xia nudged him.

“Oh.” He said slowly. “Yeah, I hope there’s dessert tonight.”

”I have it on good authority there will be.” Xia winked.

***

That night after everyone else went to bed, Xia pulled her sewing box from beneath her bed and got to work. She found several fabric scraps. They weren’t very soft, but they would do. She wracked her brain for each child’s favorite color and did her best to match it.

A week later, smooshed face and crooked ear horses were galloping all around town.