Carnival Read Free Page B

school. And both kids preferred the company of their father over the company of their mother. Which suited both parents just fine.
    Back at the Holland house, with Janet coming over with Gary, Martin leveled with them all about the hallucinations he’d been experiencing. Alicia looked scornful, Janet seemed worried, and Gary did not respond at all.
    The doctor took Martin’s blood pressure, his pulse—which had settled down to normal—looked into his eyes and down his throat. “Everything is normal, Martin. Like I said, I think you’ve got a bug roaming around in your innards, just winding up for the big punch that’ll put you down for a few days. You get some rest tonight and take it easy tomorrow.”
    Martin shook his head. “Gary, I feel just fine! Maybe somebody slipped some acid into my drink this evening?”
    The doctor sat on the ottoman, facing his friend since boyhood. “OK, buddy. Let’s pursue that line. Hey, we’re all out of the sixties, that time of great unrest and social change and experimentation. Did you ever take any LSD at good of’ U of N? Or anywhere else for that matter—like in Vietnam, to name one real good place where nobody would blame you for wanting to get zonked out? I mean, acid, or so I’ve read, can come back on a person.”
    Martin shook his head. “No, I never dabbled in acid. I smoked some pot in college.” He waved his hand. “Hell, we all did—remember? Took some speed. But I never got into psychedelics. By the time I got to ’Nam, I’d been clean for over two years. I never liked grass anyway; all it ever did for me was make me hungry, horny, and sleepy—at the same time.”
    Gary and Janet laughed at that. Alicia did not. That was too crude for her tastes.
    â€œGary, I don’t have a fever. I don’t have the sniffles. I don’t have a headache, or sore throat, or any aching in my muscles or joints. It isn’t the flu. And it didn’t start until I saw those carnival trucks begin to roll through town.”
    At that, Janet walked to the wet bar and fixed a pretty good bump of bourbon.
    â€œWhat’s with you, love?” her husband asked.
    â€œAh, well, here goes—even though you’re probably going to think I’m crazy.”
    He grinned at her. “What else is new?”
    Janet turned, facing the men. “Gary, I’m serious about this.”
    â€œAbout what?”
    â€œSome . . . damnit! Something pulled me to the fairgrounds today!” she blurted.
    Gary stared at her. “Say—what?”
    â€œGary, now I told you I’m serious. Don’t make fun of me.” She looked at Alicia for support.
    â€œOh . . .” Alicia waved her hand. “All right. It was more something pulling me than it was Janet and Joyce. It was probably just my imagination and when I told them, it became infectious, that’s all.” She seemed anxious to dismiss the whole matter.
    â€œCould the carnival have brought some sort of virus in here, Gary?” Martin asked.
    â€œOh ... maybe. But it would have to be a fast-moving sucker and everybody in that show would have to be infected with it.”
    Martin stared at his wife. “You felt a pull? Would you explain it?”
    â€œIt was like, well, someone had planted subliminal suggestions in my brain. Then all of a sudden, something triggered them. I just could . . . not help myself. I had to go to the fairgrounds.”
    â€œWeird!” Martin shook his head.
    â€œIt’s bullshit!” Gary muttered, careful that the ladies didn’t hear him say it.
    The phone rang and Alicia stilled it. “Yes? Oh! Yes, he’s here. I’ll tell him. Is the boy all right? Very well, doctor. Surely.” She hung up and looked at Gary. “That was Dr. Rhodes. He was called over to the teen center. Some boy named Harold went into convulsions and then began screaming about monsters