THE MERRY-GO-ROUND

There was a fair in town, and of course, the carnival was there too. Margaret knew all about fairs, because she and Daddy had gone to the fair last year, when Jenny was still too little to go. Margaret kept talking excitedly about it. What a fine time she would have! She’d ride on the merry-go-round and the ferris wheel and the tilt-a-whirl and get a funny balloon and eat fluffy pink cotton candy and look at all the farm animals in the fair barns, and the flowers in the flower arrangements, and the prize winning baked goods and the biggest pumpkins. Her cousin Nancy Lee might be there and they would go on the rides and look at things together. It was hard for Jenny to imagine what it was like, but it must be perfectly grand.

On Saturday afternoon Jenny and Margaret and Mother got baths in the wash tub in the kitchen and Daddy got a bath in the horse tank behind the barn, and as soon as supper was finished and the dishes were washed, they dressed up in good clothing and got into the car for the trip to town. Jenny wore her “Fourth of July,” dress. It was a red, white and blue striped dress with panties to match. Margaret had a “Fourth of July,” dress too. Hers was white with blue and red polka dots and a red tie at the neck. Big girls like Margaret didn’t wear panties to match. They just wore their regular pink rayon summer panties. Jenny liked the smell of their car. The sky was growing dark now. The back seat of the car was soft, and the motion of the car made Jenny feel a little bit sleepy. Suddenly they were close to the fair grounds, and Jenny could see before her a world of sparkling lights. It was so pretty.

“There’s the fair! I see the ferris wheel!” Margaret exclaimed excitedly. She was wild with joy. Containing enough happiness to have a few crumbs left over for Jenny, she said condescendingly to her, “You’re big enough to ride on the merry-go-round. Lots of little kids do.”

Daddy parked the car as close to the carnival as he could in the crowded parking lot and they started walking toward the bright lights. The air was dusty. Then Jenny saw e giant wheel, a monster with a million glittering eyes, going up and around into the blackness of the night sky. She hung on tighter to Daddy’s hand, not saying a word. Before long they were right up close to the ogre. Jenny now saw that it carried boys and girls and men and women and she heard some of them screaming. The monster kept grinding and grating, as it took the people way up and back down. Would it ever let them go? She supposed this must be the merry-go-round. There came a loud blast of music, so loud it seemed to go all over Jenny.

“The merry-go-round! The merry-go-round! I get to ride!” Margaret shouted, swept up in a tidal wave of complete ecstasy.

“You and Margaret can both ride on the merry-go-round,” Mother told Jenny, anticipating her delight. Jenny thought of the giant grinding wheel with all its eyes, taking people up into the big dark sky.

“I don’t want to ride on the merry-go- round,” Jenny said in a panic stricken voice and began crying very hard. Daddy picked her up and said everything would be all right. But Jenny could not be comforted and cried into his clean blue shirt until it was wet with her tears and red and white spots appeared on her forehead.

So Mother stayed at the fair with Margaret and Daddy took Jenny downtown with him. It was quiet in town tonight. Jenny was relieved to be away from the monster and the noise. A man that
Daddy knew had a little booth set up in front of one of he stores and he was selling something for the American Legion. Daddy stopped to talk with him.

“Did you ride on the merry-go-round?” the man asked Jenny.

“She didn’t seem to think much of the merry-go-round,”Daddy said,”too much noise, I guess.”

“Well, I’ll bet you’re not afraid of this are you?” the man asked, and rang a little tinkly bell.

“Huh-uh,” Jenny replied and looked shyly down at her striped dress and wistfully remembered the bright lights. Some day, when she got big, she’d go to the fair again.