Kiddie Parker

Frankie felt like she was looking at an actor she recognized from a show her parents watched but didn’t know the name of. As Katie looked around at everyone, shocked at what was happening, she didn’t do anything more than just stand there, frozen still.

“I’m sorry… dad.” Drew spit out.

“No, you aren’t. You don’t feel bad at all, do you, Drew? You’re just scared of me.”

Drew hesitantly nodded, his father looking down on him as the girls watched.

“Hey. This seems like a family thing. Can we go?” Frankie asked the man. Katie then abruptly pulled onto her arm.

“Frankie!” She said in a whispery voice. “That’s the owner!”

“Ohh…” Frankie uttered.

She blinked as she realized Mr. Parker was looking at her, along with Drew.

“Can we go… sir?” She corrected.

Kiddie Parker sighed, looking back down on his inept son as he scratched the back of his own head. “Do what you like… did Drew cause much trouble for you? I came here because of the train incident, but when I heard he was spotted running for the same coaster as the guests he was harassing earlier, I knew I had to hurry up. Clear misuse of his V.I.P. status, cutting in line to stalk someone.”

Frankie looked back at the golden band on Drew’s wrist, marked with the insignia of the man who owned her hometown and all the surrounding areas. The man standing in front of her at this very moment.

“Listen… I love my guests. More than anything. And in the event that my son here has bothered you, I am more than willing to compensate you for the inconvenience.” As he spoke, Drew’s eyes widened.

“B-but dad!”

“What is it… are you seriously going to embarrass me even more today?”

“You… you can’t, dad… the park funds… don’t you want to get bigger?”

Kiddie set his hand on his son’s shoulder, leaning down.

“Drew. When I told you I wanted to climb the ladder… I wasn’t talking about cheap Kidney tricks. I’m doing this the right way.”

“B-but… but…” Drew whined.

Kiddie turned to the sisters, scratching his head.

“Come to my castle. I will make this right, you have my word. I insist.”

Katie looked at Frankie.

“Do you wanna go…?” Frankie asked her. She nodded as if Frankie should’ve already known the answer. The gloomy girl sighed, grabbing her baseball cap back from the storage box and twisting it back onto her now considerably messy mint hair. “Okay. Er- we’re very grateful, Mr. Parker, sir.”

“The pleasure is all mine. Now, come hither.”

He clapped his hands.

Frankie looked at Katie, before they both slowly approached the man, not really wanting to get anywhere near Drew again, who certainly wasn’t apologizing just yet as he found his gaze glued to the ground.

“Any second now.”

Katie excitedly looked all around.

Then, six employees operating a horse-drawn carriage (with four of those employees playing the horses themselves) appeared from the crowd of guests.

“Here, sir!”

“Excellent. Come aboard, children.”