Adventure at the Rascal Fair

Carl Wintergarten was huffing and puffing as his short little legs waddled as fast as they could. The piece of paper he held tightly under his wing flapped furiously in time with each waddle. Suddenly, he let out a penguin yell and started waving the paper back and forth excitedly.

"Look what I have, Bippy!" Carl yelled as he raced even faster towards his friend. Poor Carl was running so fast that his feet became quite tangled up and he flipped end over end, landing in the grass right in front of Bippy Wigglesworth.

"My goodness, Carl, are you alright?" Bippy was concerned for his friend even though he had to stifle a giggle at the sight of Carl who lay flat on his back in the dewy grass. "What could possibly be so important that you had to run all the way over to my blog?"

Carl jumped up, shook the dew from his face, and handed Bippy the paper which he had held on to so tightly. Bippy took the now damp piece of paper, smoothed it out, and read:

Come One, Come All

To

The Rascal Fair

Extraordinary Sights

Never Before Seen

In This World

Games of Skill

Prizes Galore

Exotic Cuisine

One Day Only

June 7th

"My, my," Bippy wagged his puppy dog tail in delight, "This certainly does sound like a fun adventure. And look Carl, today is the only day the fair will be in our corner of the blogosphere."

Carl jumped up and down, clapping his wings together. Even though he already knew what the answer would be, he felt compelled to ask, "Shall we go?"

Bippy grinned and with a little gleam in his eye said, "Why of course, my dear little penguin friend!"

It just so happened that the fair was not too far away from the blog that Bippy shared with Pandora. Bippy and Carl walked down the tree lined lane which meandered through their little corner of the blogosphere, pausing every once in a while to wave at friends or quickly visit the neighboring blogs. It seemed as though everyone was talking about the Rascal Fair and which bloggers would be in attendance.

Because Bippy was a little taller than Carl, he noticed the tents first of all. He let out a sharp little bark of surprise and started running circles around Carl.

"What do you see?" Carl tried to jump up to get a better view but because of his short legs, he was not having any luck. But as soon as the lane crested the top of the hill, Carl could see why Bippy was so excited.

In the field down below, several tents had been set up. They were red and white striped tents like the kind seen at carnivals. A large Ferris wheel loomed off in the distance. There was a carousel made up of many different types of animals and as the two friends grew nearer, they could hear the song it was playing,

Oh, the Merry-Go-Round broke down
And we went round and round
Each time t'would miss, we'd steal a kiss
And the Merry-Go-Round went
"Um-pah-pah, um-pah-pah
Um-pah! Um-pah! Um-pah-pah-pah!'
Oh, the Merry-Go-Round broke down
And it made the darndest sound,
The lights went low, we both said "Oh!"
And the Merry-Go-Round went
"Um-pah-pah, um-pah-pah
Um-pah! Um-pah! Um-pah-pah-pah!'
Oh what fun - a wonderful time
Finding love for only a dime.
Oh, the Merry-Go-Round broke down
But you don't see me frown
Things turned out fine and now she's mine -
Cause the Merry-Go-Round went
"Um-pah-pah, um-pah-pah
Um-pah! Um-pah! Um-pah-pah-pah!"
Oh, the Merry-Go-Round broke down.

"I'm not sure I would like to take a ride on a merry-go-round if it is going to break down," Carl shuddered. Bippy, of course, had to give a little giggle and to take his friend's mind off the song, he shouted, "Race you to the Rascal Fair!"

Soon Bippy, with Carl close behind, reached the first tent. A crowd had gathered outside the tent door and was listening intently as a barker, dressed entirely in black, told them what was inside.

"Come one, come all. Yes, ladies and gentlemen step right up and discover the fountain of youth. Is this a potion? No I tell you! Is this a special elixir? Again I tell you no! For the price of one small quarter, one fourth of a dollar, you will see the secret to eternal happiness and joy! Step right up and take a seat inside!"

The line was moving rapidly as people plunked down their quarters and disappeared inside the tent. Bippy looked at Carl with a mischievous grin in his eyes. "Let's take a look, Carl." Bippy whispered to his friend.

"But Bippy," Carl was confused since penguins are not known for having pockets in which to keep money. "We don't have a quarter to get inside."

"Not a problem." Bippy ran to one side of the tent where he was able to wiggle underneath and gain entrance. Carl, of course, followed suit.

"I sure hope we don't get into any trouble!" Carl, the more serious of the two, always liked to play by the rules.

"No one is going to notice a small puppy and a penguin. Not when the secret to the fountain of youth is about to be revealed."

As Bippy's eyes grew accustomed to the darkness inside the tent, he noticed the people who had been entering were now sitting down in folding chairs in front of a stage. The stage had a curtain pulled across so no one could see what was hidden behind.

When the audience was all seated, the barker came inside and walked up to the stage. "Ladies and gentlemen, you shall now be rewarded. I give you the secret to eternal youth!" And with a wave of his hand, the lights became brighter and the curtain opened to reveal a beautiful white car...a 2001 Dodge Intrepid SE to be exact...parked in the center of the stage.

The audience let out a gasp of excitement and wonder. "Can I please just touch it?" a middle aged man shouted from the front row.

"No!" the barker shouted back with urgency, "There shall be no touching. A look will be enough, a touch can be fatal!"

Bippy and Carl watched as the audience continued to bask in the light reflecting off the white car. They seemed to be in some sort of trance which Carl could not understand. "Why are they acting like that, Bippy?" he asked as they wiggled back under the tent fabric to the outside. "A car can't make you any younger."

"True," said Bippy, "But you are only as young as you feel. So if driving a car makes you feel younger than it could be considered a secret to youth."

Carl was mulling this over as they continued on to the next exhibit. Suddenly there was a flash of bright light and Carl was blind!

"What happened? Were we hit by a comet?" Slowly, Carl's sight began to clear. As soon as he could see somewhat normally, he glanced around to see his friend looking at easels which had been set up in the shade of a tree. Now he could tell that the flash of light which had temporarily blinded him was caused by the photographer's camera.

"Carl, look at all these neat pictures!" Bippy's tail was wagging with excitement. The photographer had taken a picture of Bippy and Carl as they walked by and now he was putting the finished picture up on an easel. Carl waddled over to take a look.

"Bippy, these pictures are black and white just like me!" Carl was very impressed. 

"Yes, he is a very good photographer," Bippy tilted his head to one side with his "art appreciation" look on his face. Carl tried the same pose but almost tipped over sideways in the process. The two friends laughed together as they continued on their way.

The next tent they came to had a large opening and people were actually driving their cars inside. The sign outside the tent stated in large, no-nonsense letters: "Rare, Endangered Species Soon to Become Extinct!"

"My, this certainly does sound serious," Bippy didn't know if he wanted to go inside or not. After all, you can never miss something you have never seen. But being the curious pup that he was, it wasn't long before he and Carl were wiggling their way inside this tent as well.

The cars were all parking side by side in front of a large white screen on which the movie "Grease" was showing. Bippy had never seen such a thing in all his life. It was far larger than any television screen. He then noticed that the people in the parked cars were laughing and talking with each other while eating popcorn. The kids had on their PJ's and the adults were not yelling at them to quiet down. How on earth could something this fun become extinct? Bippy was deciding that this Rascal Fair was a strange place indeed!

Bippy and Carl stayed to watch Grease until the end when Sandy and Danny drove off into the sunset. Carl was singing softly to himself as they left the tent. "We go together like ramma lamma lamma ka dinga da dinga dong. Remembered forever as shoo-bop sha whada whadda yippidy boom da boom. Chang chang changity chang shoo bop that's the way it should be. Waooo Yeah!"

"Hey Bippy, that song reminds me of us...best friends who go together."

"Like ramma lamma lamma, er, dippity do....." Bippy laughed, "Or whatever!" Bippy and Carl shared a smile and a high five.

"All this exploring has made me quite hungry," remarked Carl as they now passed booths serving the exotic cuisine. Aromas, some too unusual to describe, filled the air. Carl's stomach rumbled more with each deep inhale he took.

Each booth had a sign describing what sort of food was being served. The booth with the longest line had a sign which read:

"Auntie Hannah Cooper's World Famous Chicken Fried Steak"

Carl could hardly contain himself. If there was one thing in the world he enjoyed most of all, it would have to be Auntie Hannah's cooking. And it seemed as if everyone in the Blogosphere also enjoyed her cooking as well. But, alas, they still were penniless and Auntie Hannah's Steak cost one dollar.

"I have an idea!" Bippy was never short of ideas. "Auntie Hannah has a soft spot in her heart for you Carl because you enjoy her cooking so much. I bet if we sneak around behind to the kitchen, she will gladly let us have a taste."

Carl did not have to be told twice. He followed Bippy around to the back of the booth where they found Auntie Hannah cooking in a makeshift kitchen.

Hannah Cooper was a born chef. She had raised brood after brood of chicks and enjoyed cooking for them all. Even though she was a massive hen, she could move her wings in triple time...measuring this and sifting that. She worked furiously in the kitchen, frying up plate after plate of steak, only stopping to occasionally move a chick out of harm's way or to mop her brow with the hem of her apron. She glanced up from her work to see the bright eyed puppy and famished penguin.

"My, oh my. What have we here? I do declare, Carl Wintergarten, is that you?" Auntie Hannah had the accent that can only come from a pure southern belle. "Pull up a chair, you sweet thing you, and let Auntie take care of that hongry look on your face."

Needless to say, Carl did not have to be told twice. He was sitting at the table before Auntie Hannah could finish her sentence. Bippy pulled up a chair in a more dignified fashion even though his stomach was growling as well. They devoured the two plates filled with mounds of fried steak which Auntie Hannah Cooper had placed in front of them.

When Bippy and Carl had eaten their fill, they bade goodbye to Auntie Hannah and her chicks but only after Carl made the promise to "not be a stranger now, ya hear!" Even though they were very tired from the huge meal they had consumed, they still wanted to see more of the fair.

The next tent they came across in their exploration of the Rascal Fair was very small. There were no barkers to announce what was inside. In fact, there were no signs at all. The two friends went inside the front tent flap as a young couple, who were holding hands, exited.

"I wonder if they are in love," mused Carl, "They certainly looked happy."

"Yes, they do look happy," replied Bippy.

The inside of the tent was bare except for a nickelodeon and a chair in the far corner. Carl and Bippy, not sure of what a nickelodeon was, approached with caution. A sign hung on the front which read, "Photograph Viewing Instrument. Cost of admission: Free" There was some sort of eyepiece on the front which Bippy deduced one must look through in order to view the pictures. He leaped up onto the nearby chair and looked inside the machine.

The picture inside was of a man and a woman, holding hands and walking down a boardwalk. Bippy gave a sharp gasp as he realized that this couple looked almost identical to the couple who had just exited the tent.

"What?" Carl screamed with impatience. He was wiggling the chair Bippy was sitting on. Soon, he wiggled it so hard that Bippy spilled out onto the floor.

"Take a look Carl," Bippy dusted himself off. He jumped back up onto the chair and together he and Carl looked at the picture.

"I wonder who these people are. And where are they now?" Carl asked.

"I don't know the answers to those questions but this picture seems to be quite old. I don't know where these people are now" Bippy answered. "But one thing is for sure, you can tell from this picture that they love each other. And no matter how far away people you love become or where they go, they are always right here." With this, Bippy placed a paw over his heart.

Carl and Bippy walked slowly out of the tent, each lost in their own thoughts of people and places that they had grown to know and love. They were nearing the last tent which was even smaller than the previous one. Once again there was no barker and no sign except a large CLOSED sign which was blocking the entrance.

"I don't know about you, Carl, but I need to know what is inside and why it is closed," Bippy once again crawled on his belly underneath the tent fabric.

The inside of the tent was completely bare. There were no pictures, no words, no thoughts, and no ideas. Just dust on the floor.

"This is very sad," said Carl as he sniffled back a tear, "How could someone just take everything and then close like that?"

Bippy felt very sad as well. But then in an instant, he turned to Carl and said, "But it's not really empty, Carl. Even though there is nothing to see right now, the magic is still here. Can you feel it?"

Carl nodded in agreement. He could feel it.

As the two friends walked side by side on their journey home, Carl turned to Bippy and remarked, "That has to be the strangest Fair I have ever seen!"