It was the guy jumping from the still moving train who had me concerned He hit the platform awkwardly and crashed to the ground I ran up to him He was about my age dark-haired pale and dripping with sweat I helped him stand Wow not even waiting until the train stopped The ride must have really got to you He pulled away tried to stand on his own Winced I caught him by the arm I’m calling an ambulance You might have broken that ankle The train stopped People started climbing out of the cars Some were laughing A few looked shell-shocked Pressing a hand over her mouth one woman staggered to the washroom 6 Melanie Jackson
The boy looked about ready to heave too I lost track of the time I’m late for my job at the gift shop Klopper’s going to kill me Karl Klopper was the manager of Medusa’s Scream He was the one I’d come to see about the cook’s job I took it Klopper wasn’t the most easygoing of bosses I tried to calm the boy down Relax Everyone’s late sometimes He glanced around eyes wide with fear Klopper’s already mad at me for not catching the cat I’ve tried But it’s too fast for me It climbed up one of those trees He pointed to the willows by the ride’s chain-link fence The branches drooped with the heat Is it Klopper’s cat Let him catch it I said I couldn’t imagine getting upset about a cat But then I wasn’t a cat person 7 Medusa’s Scream
I started sneezing if they came near me If I ever got a pet it would be a dog The boy’s mouth trembled You don’t understand The cat knows too much This guy needed a vacation Or a quieter workplace Hearing that piercing whistle all day couldn’t be good for nervous types It had him imagining things A cat that knew anything let alone too much Give me a break I kept supporting him With my other hand I was holding a box with one of my pies inside I set the box on the ground I pulled my cell phone from my back pocket I started punching in 911 He grabbed the phone from me No Klopper doesn’t want trouble I can’t lose this job Nobody else will hire me I’m too shy I’m not a people person His fingers were shaking so badly my phone slipped through them It landed screen side down on the cement 8 Melanie Jackson
I’m sorry he bleated He picked up the phone He pulled a cloth from his jeans pocket He wiped the now-cracked screen with it A gaunt old man marched out of the Medusa’s Scream gift shop He wore jeans and a white T-shirt decorated with Medusa’s head The badge on his T-shirt read Karl Klopper Manager The kid thrust the phone and the cloth into my hand He hobbled out of sight behind a green plastic sculpture of Medusa and her slithery buddies Klopper walked along the train surveying each car A routine safety check I guessed Possibly also a barf check He noticed me and scowled You’re the one I saw on the security camera You were standing on the other side of the safety line when the train came in The sign over there says to stay behind the line You risking your life moron 9 Medusa’s Scream
