Invincible (by Robert Gainer) A raucous cry foiled by the purring of generators and the mechanical churning of the barrel organ: Come try your luck with a rubber duck! The warm coastal wind blew in from the bay, wafting burnt onion odours from the hotdog stall. Fuelled by candy floss and more than a couple of Buds I swung the Hammer of Thor hard down upon the pad. In ascending white lights of bright buzzing bulbs I rose to ting. A big hit of ego and libido. My girl tried to feign disinterest by yawning. I was invincible. He came to me then: Top hat, face paint, sponge nose, long floppy shoes and oversized clothes. His eyes pulled me in, his white gloves miming a door. His lips didnt twitch yet I heard him clear, his deft hands turned the handle, flicked the switch, and his face betrayed utter joy. He clutched my upper arm, smelt me, and with a flourish he revealed the carousel. He pressed a love heart into my palm, my ticket to ride. Impaled by a twisted gilt rope afore their faux leather saddles, their faces rouged, their molars gritted, the ivory plaster horses bit the red reins studded with diamonds, and leaked powder from their injured knees. I mounted the mare on the inside track. My head started lolling and I giggled like a pubescent schoolgirl with a nauseous crush. The tin organ serenaded Blue Danube and we cantered off. My lids were hefty, my vision blurred, I slumped over Lucky Lucys back and we soared. But as the Danube waves washed through my skull the summer air turned quickly to an icy chill. My teeth rattled in my shaking jaw. Lucky Lucy looked back at me, and in her wet black eye I saw my belly reflected, being rendered apart by a host of ravens. I retched at the smell as swarming maggots feasted on my bloated rotting intestines, A crow hacked away at my kidneys, I screamed a shade of pearlescent cream, a boiling oyster shell hissing a voiceless agony. The fairground was now but distant sparkles of colour, like a light prism reflected in a shoe shine, as on the winged horse I held the reins for dear life. My throat was parched, it hurt to gulp, like swallowing an acid thistle, and my sleeve stained crimson where I wiped the sweat from my brow. Put me down, Lucky Lucy! Put me down! But she galloped still faster through the night paying me no heed at all. Then, with a cackling whinny she reared up and threw me to the ground. Was it ten minutes? Fifteen, that I fell to earth? I cannot recall. But I remember well the constellations that danced above me against the crystal purple haze. I saw Andromeda and Delphinus waltz, and Pisces unbuckle Orions Belt. I pointed at them only to see my fingers melting, copious molten silver drops dripping yet the tips were undiminished. On closing my eyes I curled up, foetal-like, and sucked my bitter motherless thumb. I awoke to the odour of burnt onions from the hotdog stall, To raucous cries and the mechanical churning of the barrel organ. The dark clown was nowhere to be seen (save in the Hall of Mirrors). Beside me, on the ground, lay the mighty Hammer of Thor, deflated. Defeated. My girl tried to feign interest but yawned. I was never invincible.
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 10:30:54 +0000
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