At Second Sight

Never judge a book by its cover. That’s what the boss says.

I suppose as sayings go, it isn’t all that deep. C’mon they’ve got board books and puppets singing catchy songs about it to toddlers. By the time they’re old enough not to crap their pants, they’ve moved on to other things, like look both ways before crossing the street. But it’s still true. You can’t tell by looks who’s going to be a good candidate and who isn’t.

Take tonight for instance. A group of high school girls come giggling up to the fun house. You’d think the one hanging back a bit, the one with a nervous laugh, who looks like she’s about to twitch right out of her skin will be the one who sees. Sometimes, you’d be right, but not tonight. No, it’s the one who seems to be leading the group, acting like the only thing she’s scared of is chipped nail polish. She sees.

Not right away though. She doesn’t notice a thing when I hand her back change for her ticket in – and she shouldn’t because part of what I’m paid for is to look ordinary. But while she’s in there, she sees. She sees something behind the strings holding up the fake zombies. She’ll notice something weird in the reflections in mirrors. She’ll see there’s something not really fake about the fake blood.

And I’ll see it. That’s the other part of what they pay me for. I always see and I always remember the ones who just know there’s something underneath the popcorn smell and peeling paint, whether they want to admit it to themselves or not.

Like I said, it’s a different kind of person every time. You’d think little kids would always see but they don’t. They do have a better chance than the average adult, but that’s no guarantee. And of the adults, sometimes it’s the guy in a business suit, sometimes it’s the gothed out punk. You never know on first sight, but you can see it when they leave, if you know what to look for.


I know. And I tell. Then the boss sends the others to collect. It’s pretty smart when you think about it. Why bother with people who can’t see a damn thing? There’s not even any fun in that. But if you know already who can see? Oh yeah, makes getting what you need a lot more efficient. You know the screams will come easy with them.  




Song choice: I'll Be Seeing You



This bit of flash fiction was inspired by the picture prompt at Magpie Tales.





28 comments:

  1. Oh this seems like a place where you can check in any time you want but never leave..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh you can leave...but no guarantees nothing won't follow you home.

      Delete
  2. Ahhhh! Scary! Definitely not entering any haunted houses!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, going into this one isn't a good idea at all!

      Delete
  3. Replies
    1. Thanks! This was just a quick bit of writing.

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Well I've written all my short stories from a hero's perspective so I wanted to experiment with a villain's point of view.

      Delete
  5. You have assumed your place among the Pantheon at The Place Beyond The Pines ....well done

    ReplyDelete
  6. Loved your take on this! Very creepy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really wanted to try a villain's mind with this, just to see if I could pull it off. Glad it turned out creepy!

      Delete
  7. That's the sort of tale I love. Fabulous. Also it's great to see some prose in this ocean of poetry - for once mine is not the only one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Keith! I like doing poetry every once and again too, but the last couple of times I really wanted to play with prose to see if I could pull it off. Thanks for visiting!

      Delete
  8. Oh yes, clever it is, and we can't always judge a book by its movie, as well as a movie by its book!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indeed! Books and their movies sometimes don't have much in common beyond a title!

      Delete
  9. Ooooo! Loved the creepy picture you paint, but hated it when I clicked onto 'Comments' and it cut Frank off at the Wishing Well. But, do not despair, I'm on my way back to Frank and was it Tommy Dorsey?

    ReplyDelete
  10. yep, that's why I remain a staunch unbeliever.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Probably the wisest course of action in this story!

      Delete
  11. Replies
    1. Thanks! This was a fun picture to work with.

      Delete
  12. Love how you weaved this one, Rommy. Loose at first, then tighter, tighter and tighter, until the end finds the reader with a pair of strong hands around the neck. Yum.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Then I feel like I've accomplished something with this one! :)

      Delete