A beautiful October evening. Fall is in the air. My bestie, Erica, and I go to the Fall Festival every year and have since we were kids. We go primarily to eat everything that is deep-fried fried and sweetened. Which is practically everything.
We enjoy looking at the fall leaves and pumpkins plus the smell of fair food amid the cool, crisp weather. Sometimes we go on the hayrides or some other activity offered. Each year seems a little different and this year was no exception. After marveling at the small kids in their costumes we finally sat on a bench, taking a break after stuffing ourselves like a Thanksgiving turkey. Erica suddenly said, “Crystal what is that over there?” pointing in the direction of a fortune-telling booth. Neither of us had ever seen that before so we went to check it out.
Once there I studied the mysterious machine. I said, “That's just one of those stupid games that takes your money then lights up and plays weird gypsy music it can't tell your fortune!"
Erica looked closer before saying, "This one seems to be different." She then scratched her head from either bewilderment or dandruff.
"What do you mean 'different'? You surely don't believe this crap?."
Without answering she only pointed saying, "Look at the prices."
I gazed at the machine and its crudely posted prices: 25 cents to guess your weight, 50 cents to tell your fortune and for $1 it would hypnotize.
I almost fell over from laughter. What kind of gullible moron would fall for this ridiculous gimmick? I soon found out.
Erica looked at me and said, "I'm going to give it a dollar and see if it can hypnotize me."
"It's your money waste it however you wish."
She placed her bill in the machine. Instantly there was a little spinning wheel like the kind seen on the Twilight Zone. Erica was just sitting there staring at it. I asked, "Are you hypnotized?" while laughing at her. I was hoping she would at least begin clucking like a chicken. Now, that would be well worth a dollar.
She gave no response, just sat motionless, staring at the noisy contraption. Growing bored I said, “Come on Erica lets go this is a waste of time and money." Still no response. I was becoming a little worried, wondering if this machine was working.
I reached and shook her gently, still nothing. Now, I was becoming terrified. I yelled for help. "There's something wrong with this machine we need some help!” I began screaming louder, “Please, someone help us!"
I turned back around to remove Erica from the machine, but she was gone. The only signs left were her cell phone and clothes laying scattered on the ground. I called her name many times, but she never answered. I didn't know what was going on or even what to do. Finally, the manager ran over. "What's the problem here, lady?" He seemed quite irritated.
I said in a trembling voice, "My friend was just here and now she’s disappeared and that's all that's left of her." pointing at her phone and clothes. "Somehow, it took her away I don't know what happened." By now I was hysterical, drawing the attention of many uneasy attendees. They must have thought I was insane.
The manager must have agreed too. He looked at me with annoyance and said, "I wish you kids would quit smoking dope and taking all those drugs and then come here wasting my time." He then looked at her clothes and asked with his most pervy voice, "So she's nekkid?" With that, he left with his hand deep in his pocket and said sarcastically, "Have a great night lady."
I didn't know what to do. My bestie had vanished, leaving her clothes and phone behind. She might leave clothes behind but never her phone. That would be crazy talk. I looked around the machine for almost an hour trying to find a secret passage or even a magic trick to explain her disappearance. I couldn't even find an outlet where it was plugged in. How was it even drawing power to operate? I was even more mystified.
I had to do something. I grabbed a dollar and stuck it in the machine, hoping to discover what exactly had transpired. The same thing started happening. The little spinning wheels started whirring and eerie music began. I felt something pulling on me, some type of arm or an invisible force. My body was tingling. It was such a strange feeling, like stepping on a frayed wire. I jumped away and laid on the ground, wondering what exactly was going on. It couldn't be my imagination or a coincidence. My mind was racing. What had it done to or with Erica?
More determined than ever, I had to find the answer. Getting up, I put another dollar in the slot and this time I was going to unravel the heart of the mystery. I have seen too many Scooby-Doo episodes, to fail. It all started over again with the spinning wheel going and the feeling of something pulling me.
I must have blacked out. The next thing I knew I was lying on the ground, completely naked and looking at a strange lady dressed up like some sort of witch. I felt as if I was in a Goosebumps episode.
She reached out, helped me to my feet, smiled and said, "I'm glad you made it to my place." She was dressed scantily and held a scepter with a lizard-like head and glowing eyes. She was very attractive and with much of her skin exposed my tingling seemed to grow even stronger.
I was frightened, shaking like an Autumn leaf. Looking at this mystery woman I asked, " What is this place? Who are you and what have you done with my friend, Erica?" My questions were limitless.
She only answered with, "Calm down. I will explain it to you."
Looking over her shoulder I could see Erica shackled against the wall along with dozens of other ladies, all nude. The place looked like a dungeon; dimly lit by candles, moisture on the walls and large bats hanging upside down. Creepy for a Fall Festival. I asked, "What are you and what are you doing? why are we nude’?"
She finally answered, "I am a wizard, the Wizard of the Fall. I've lived hundreds of years” (I hope I look that good hundreds of years from now.)