smile breaking through the pain on his face.
âThought so. Were you trying to impress one of those girls over there?â
The kid looked down. âI feel stupid.â
âDonât,â Mel said. He pointed to a scar above his eyebrow. âSee this? I got it trying to impress a girl. I donât even want to tell you how.â
âDid it work?â
âShe didnât even know I was alive. Story of my life,â Mel said.
June stood silently listening to their conversation, impressed by Melâs ability to put the boy at ease. He must be a wonderful father.
âWeâll get you out of here,â Mel continued, âbut youâll have to trust me and work with me.â
âHave you ever done this before?â Jason asked.
âNot exactly, but I did get a Matchbox car out of the garbage disposal at my house. My son thought heâd never drive that car again, but it turned out fine. Just a few scratches on the fender.â
The kid didnât respond, just hung there miserably while Mel used a wrench to remove more bolts from the turnstile. With the shields off, June could see the guts of the machine. A series of gears and levers. She was glad Mel knew what he was doing.
âWe all have a few scratches on our fenders,â Mel continued, smiling at the boy. âGives us character.â
June was sweating. The boy was sweating. Mel appeared perfectly calm.
One of the firefighters held an ice pack on Jasonâs knee.
âItâll cool us both off,â he said. âAnd make it easier to slide you out of here.â
This is my familyâs park , June thought. I should know what to do. But she didnât. She leaned close and spoke in Melâs ear. âIs there anything I can do to help?â
âNot at the moment. You can do the paperwork later.â He raised one eyebrow at her. She was so close she could see the tiny lines around his eyes from hours working outside in the sun. âLots of paperwork,â he added.
âThank you for knowing what to do,â June said quietly.
Mel moved his head and his hair brushed her cheek. âItâs my job,â he said.
He worked silently a few more minutes. Roller coasters, happy screaming and carousel music formed the background, but the loading platform at the Silver Streak was silent. Everyone was waiting for Mel to tell them their next move. June stepped aside and called Jack on her cell phone, giving him a quick overview and assuring him it was under control. She expected him to show up at any moment and was surprised when he didnât, even after another ten minutes went by.
Jack was trusting her to handle this.
And she was trusting Mel.
June walked over to talk with Jasonâs friends and the ride operators who were in a clump on the edge of the platform.
âIâm sure Jason will be okay,â she said. âWe have our best maintenance man unlocking the turnstile and two firefighters standing by to help.â
Jasonâs three friends looked relieved. The ride operators looked nervous.
âDid you see this happen?â June asked the girl whose name tag identified her as Jessica.
âYes.â
âGood. Iâll talk with you later.â She turned to the three friends. âIâm guessing you saw it happen also?â
They nodded. Their expressions were tight, body language rigid as if they were being questioned as accessories to a bank robbery.
âItâs not a crime to show off for your friends and hurt yourself,â June said. âAt least I hope not. I just want you to write down what you saw so we have a written record. Thatâs all. Weâll work on that together later. Right now, getting Jasonâs knee out of the turnstile is our number one priority.â
She patted the girl on the shoulder, smiled and returned to where Mel was working. She knelt next to him.
âThanks for calling me your best maintenance
Deathlands 87 - Alpha Wave
Naomi Mitchison Marina Warner