Vagabonds: Anthology of the Mad Ones Vagabonds Vol. 3 | Page 49

Then Vin says, “You'll have to get home soon.”
We look around glumly at the ghost of the carnival. Jack stands, tosses his can and
says, “Let's give her a ride on the Octopus!”
We run to the Octopus. They take the cover off of one of the seats. They make a step
for me with their hands, and I climb in.
They can't put the machinery on, it would make too much noise, so they push it
around by hand.
It circles in slow motion until I am poised at the very top, so high there is only the
black space of sky. No lights, no sound, only a silence that pulses like blood through the
heart.
Safyah Alam
47