The Deadly Fortune

Really? This was the big “haunted boardwalk” that she wanted to go to?

Never let your girlfriend tell you that she wants to take you somewhere spooky. Standing tall against the Seattle waves, Raven’s Pier had nothing but an abandoned ferris wheel and funhouse. 

“What did you expect?” Brittany asked.

I gripped her hands tightly as I tried to smile. “It’s very exciting,” I lied. 

She frowned. “I know what could make this fun. Perhaps a game of hide-and-seek might spice up the evening?” She broke her hand away from mine and started to walk backwards. Her copper hair glistened under the moonlight. “Give me 5. In the meantime, go explore. You never know what you’ll find.” 

I agreed and she vanished into the darkness. Great, what now? I darted my eyes around the boardwalk. Something caught my eye in the distance. I ran up to an old fortune teller box, decaying and covered on the inside with cobwebs. A sign read: Behold! Zepptan the Spirit Guide.

Interesting, I thought. I put a quarter in to see if it would still work. One eye from the dummy began to glow yellow as it started moving around in a cheesy motion. “Welcome!” it said. “Press the button below for your future!” I did. 

A small white card slid out from underneath him. I squinted at the old, printed font. 

“The next face you see will die.”

I laughed. Don’t they always say stuff like this? “Whatever,” I said aloud, as if Zepptan could hear me. Suddenly I remembered that I had to go find Brittany. 

As I continued down the boardwalk, I spotted the funhouse to my left. For all the great qualities that Brittany has, originality isn’t one of them. I shook my head as I headed inside. 

The black void of the funhouse immediately swallowed my body as the door closed behind me. “Brit? A bit overplayed, don’t ya think? I know you’re in here!” I taunted. I could feel that I was in some sort of labyrinth. I tried my best to guide myself through the darkness when suddenly the maze opened up to a circle of mirrors. Even in the shadows, I could see my face perfectly. 

Suddenly, Brittany leaped out from behind one of them. “Boo!” Her laughter suddenly stopped as she looked at me, shivering. “Hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Babe? …Babe?”

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