Page 69 of Something Handsome This Way Comes

Then came the carnival games.

Grievance could have happily walked past most of them. Milo, however, slowed at every brightly painted booth they passed, that familiar, almost childlike excitement creeping into his expression. Darts thrown at enchanted balloons. Balls hurled at stacks of milk bottles that rebuilt themselves with smug little shakes. Rings tossed over the horns of wooden imps.

Simple games. Ridiculous prizes.

Milo loved them. Which meant Grievance inevitably found himself standing beside him while Milo tried each one. Usually, Grievance was content to watch. He liked watching Milo more than he liked playing anyway.

After waiting in line for ten minutes, it was their turn at the cauldron games booth. Grievance didn’t see what made this one more appealing than any of the others, but it was clearly the most popular game at the festival. Three tiny black cauldrons bobbed erratically through the air twenty feet from the counter while contestants attempted to toss miniature ceramic skulls into their open mouths.

Grievance barely glanced at them. Then he did a double take when he spotted the prizes.

Hanging from the back wall was a large black teddy bear with a white skull stitched over its face, mismatched buttons for eyes, and a fat white pumpkin clutched between its paws.

“Can I take this one?” he asked.

Milo blinked at him. “You want to play?”

“Yeah, why not? Can’t be that hard.”

A grin spread across Milo’s face. “Oh, this I have to see.”

Grievance handed the attendant a coin and was given three little skulls.

“You know it’s probably rigged,” Milo said.

“I know.”

“That cauldron on the left just moved when that woman threw.”

“I saw.”

“And you still want to try?”

Grievance glanced toward the teddy bear again. “Absolutely I do.”

Grievance turned toward the cauldrons, weighing the first little ceramic skull in his palm. He lined up his shot and threw. The first skull missed.

Milo laughed, as did the skull now chatting from the ground.

Grievance narrowed his eyes at the offending cauldron. He understood its game now. This time, when the second skull left his hand and the cauldron darted sharply to the right, Grievance anticipated it, and the skull dropped straight inside.

Milo whooped beside him.

Grievance grinned. He needed three points to win, and his first miss left him no choice but to aim for the hardest target. The third cauldron was worth two points, but it darted in frantic circles, almost too fast to follow.

The skull left Grievance’s hand just as the cauldron jerked away. But he’d anticipated the movement. The tiny skull struck the rim, bounced once—then dropped inside. A bell shrieked overhead.

Milo grabbed Grievance’s arm. “You did it!”

“Of course I did.”

The attendant asked which prize he wanted, and Grievance pointed immediately.

“The bear.”

A moment later, the ridiculous thing was placed into his hands. Grievance turned and shoved it straight into Milo’s arms.

Milo caught it with an oof.