asked. ‘Where’s Edison?’
Holly flashed her a look of warning. Coco glanced warily at the ticket collector. Marcus opened his mouth to make yet another soothing remark about how Edison must be having the time of his life in such a wonderful place.
Before he could speak, however, Newt’s buggy said, ‘Edison is on the Giant Slide. It’s near the Flume. He’s been wishing you were here to play with him.’
Then both buggies moved off, steering back into the murky depths of the haunted tunnel from which they’d so recently emerged.
26
IN SEARCH OF EDISON
‘W HAT A WONDERFUL PLACE ,’ SAID C OCO . T HEY WERE strolling through the amusement park, between clusters of rides and stalls. To Marcus everything looked picture perfect: the twinkling mirrors, the gleaming toffee apples, the candy-striped awnings, the snow-white picket fences. The sky was a heavenly blue; the grass a lush emerald green. ‘It’s just perfect,’ Coco went on, as if she were reading his thoughts. ‘Eddie would have taken one look at this and the first thing out of his mouth would have been: “I wish Dad were here.”’
‘Maybe,’ her husband conceded.
‘He’ll be wanting to show you everything,’ Coco insisted. ‘And he’ll be wanting Newt to try out all the rides with him.’
‘Yeah, sure,’ Newt scoffed. ‘Like that’s going to happen.’
‘Shh!’ Holly glanced over her shoulder. ‘For God’s sake, Newt, will you keep your voice down? We’re supposed to love it here, remember? If you keep talking like that, you’re going to be heard! And then we’ll really be in trouble!’
‘I don’t see why.’ Newt’s tone was dismissive. ‘It’s not like any of this is actually real . I bet the mummies can’t even see where they’re going. And the skeletons are a joke. And I could outrun the cars in that ghost train any old time.’ She flapped a disdainful hand at the scenery. ‘I mean, what can possibly happen to us in la-la land?’
‘You don’t know what you’re talking about.’ Marcus tried to keep his voice low, despite the fact that he felt like snapping at Newt. ‘This place is really dangerous. The first time I came, I was nearly smothered by stuffed toys. And then a runaway ferris wheel tried to flatten me.’
Newt gave a snort of laughter. ‘Stuffed toys?’ she cackled. ‘You were attacked by stuffed toys ?’
‘Now stop it,’ said Holly. ‘We have to calm down and concentrate. We have to make sure we don’t miss Edison.’
Coco seemed far more interested in the fairground’s general hygiene. She kept shaking her head in amazement. ‘I’ve never seen such a clean fun park,’ she marvelled. ‘Not even Disneyland is this clean. And the food smells delicious! And the lawn is so well kept!’
‘The prizes are good too,’ Newt had to admit, however grudgingly. ‘I wouldn’t mind having a pair of those headphones myself.’
‘Yep, it’s a real achievement,’ Sterling agreed. ‘If only I could work out how it’s all put together . . .’
Marcus took a deep breath. He was about to point out, for the umpteenth time, that it was all put together with magic when something caught his eye.
‘Hey,’ he said, stopping suddenly. ‘Look over there. Isn’t that the Flume?’
Everyone looked. It was the Flume. Behind a towering stockade rose a series of chutes that carried fake wooden logs (with seats in them) up to the top of a man-made waterfall. As Newt observed these logs riding the rapids back to the ground, her grumpy expression became almost wistful.
‘I’d really like to go on that,’ she muttered.
Marcus could see the attraction. But he could also see the Giant Slide.
‘There it is,’ he announced. ‘There’s the Giant Slide. Right next to the Flume.’
‘And there’s Edison!’ Coco began to wave her arms. ‘ Yoo-hoo! Edison! ’
‘Shh! Keep it down!’ Holly begged.
Marcus could see Edison quite clearly. There were three giant slides, all stuck together in a
Holly flashed her a look of warning. Coco glanced warily at the ticket collector. Marcus opened his mouth to make yet another soothing remark about how Edison must be having the time of his life in such a wonderful place.
Before he could speak, however, Newt’s buggy said, ‘Edison is on the Giant Slide. It’s near the Flume. He’s been wishing you were here to play with him.’
Then both buggies moved off, steering back into the murky depths of the haunted tunnel from which they’d so recently emerged.
26
IN SEARCH OF EDISON
‘W HAT A WONDERFUL PLACE ,’ SAID C OCO . T HEY WERE strolling through the amusement park, between clusters of rides and stalls. To Marcus everything looked picture perfect: the twinkling mirrors, the gleaming toffee apples, the candy-striped awnings, the snow-white picket fences. The sky was a heavenly blue; the grass a lush emerald green. ‘It’s just perfect,’ Coco went on, as if she were reading his thoughts. ‘Eddie would have taken one look at this and the first thing out of his mouth would have been: “I wish Dad were here.”’
‘Maybe,’ her husband conceded.
‘He’ll be wanting to show you everything,’ Coco insisted. ‘And he’ll be wanting Newt to try out all the rides with him.’
‘Yeah, sure,’ Newt scoffed. ‘Like that’s going to happen.’
‘Shh!’ Holly glanced over her shoulder. ‘For God’s sake, Newt, will you keep your voice down? We’re supposed to love it here, remember? If you keep talking like that, you’re going to be heard! And then we’ll really be in trouble!’
‘I don’t see why.’ Newt’s tone was dismissive. ‘It’s not like any of this is actually real . I bet the mummies can’t even see where they’re going. And the skeletons are a joke. And I could outrun the cars in that ghost train any old time.’ She flapped a disdainful hand at the scenery. ‘I mean, what can possibly happen to us in la-la land?’
‘You don’t know what you’re talking about.’ Marcus tried to keep his voice low, despite the fact that he felt like snapping at Newt. ‘This place is really dangerous. The first time I came, I was nearly smothered by stuffed toys. And then a runaway ferris wheel tried to flatten me.’
Newt gave a snort of laughter. ‘Stuffed toys?’ she cackled. ‘You were attacked by stuffed toys ?’
‘Now stop it,’ said Holly. ‘We have to calm down and concentrate. We have to make sure we don’t miss Edison.’
Coco seemed far more interested in the fairground’s general hygiene. She kept shaking her head in amazement. ‘I’ve never seen such a clean fun park,’ she marvelled. ‘Not even Disneyland is this clean. And the food smells delicious! And the lawn is so well kept!’
‘The prizes are good too,’ Newt had to admit, however grudgingly. ‘I wouldn’t mind having a pair of those headphones myself.’
‘Yep, it’s a real achievement,’ Sterling agreed. ‘If only I could work out how it’s all put together . . .’
Marcus took a deep breath. He was about to point out, for the umpteenth time, that it was all put together with magic when something caught his eye.
‘Hey,’ he said, stopping suddenly. ‘Look over there. Isn’t that the Flume?’
Everyone looked. It was the Flume. Behind a towering stockade rose a series of chutes that carried fake wooden logs (with seats in them) up to the top of a man-made waterfall. As Newt observed these logs riding the rapids back to the ground, her grumpy expression became almost wistful.
‘I’d really like to go on that,’ she muttered.
Marcus could see the attraction. But he could also see the Giant Slide.
‘There it is,’ he announced. ‘There’s the Giant Slide. Right next to the Flume.’
‘And there’s Edison!’ Coco began to wave her arms. ‘ Yoo-hoo! Edison! ’
‘Shh! Keep it down!’ Holly begged.
Marcus could see Edison quite clearly. There were three giant slides, all stuck together in a
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