“And if that isn’t a gamble, I don’t know what is.”
Elsa cut a glance to Ivy and saw her own concern reflected in her roommate’s expression. Suddenly, she didn’t care a hoot about whether Percy had enjoyed the hot dog.
“Ready to be amused?” Percy tossed over his shoulder as he put his glasses back on. “Ivy and I already explored Steeplechase Park, but we could hit Luna Park next.”
“Why don’t we start there?” Archer pointed to a giant contraption called Deno’s Wonder Wheel. It stood almost fifteen stories high and looked like the Ferris wheel’s unruly cousin. Elsa counted eight cars on the outside of the wheel, each of them holding six people. Then sixteen more cars swung from tracks in the interior of the wheel, sliding toward the hub and back out as the wheel turned.
Elsa’s stomach turned just watching it. “I’d better give all that food a little more time to digest before I try that.”
“No? The roller coaster, then. Thunderbolt opened last year,” Archer said, but he was clearly distracted by all the beautiful women smiling in his direction. “What a crop of tomatoes here, eh, Percy?”
“Archer.” Ivy cocked her head and snapped to get his attention. “If she isn’t up for the Wonder Wheel yet, what makes you think she’d go on a roller coaster?”
Elsa’s sentiments exactly, but Ivy’s response was quicker.
“What? Oh.” He shrugged again, and Elsa was beginning to understand why her elders had always called the gesture lazy. Truly, it was no substitute for words.
A man on stilts walked past them, wearing a straw boater and a sandwich board advertisement. “Don’t miss Luna Park!” he bellowed, sweat streaking his ruddy face. “The heart of Coney Island!”
“It’s a sign. A literal sign.” Archer grinned. “How about it?”
The rest of the group agreed. Spying an approaching trolley, they hopped on and clattered down Surf Avenue beneath electric lights strung between poles on opposite sides of the street. Riding the breeze were the salty smells of sea and sweaty people. They disembarked outside Luna Park’s elaborate white stone entryway and waited their turn to pay the dime-per-person fee. The name of the park was spelled out in electric bulbs that curved to fit inside giant crescent moon shapes.
Inside, the crowds moved at a shuffle pace. Barkers called out to steer tourists into their attractions. Popcorn and pretzels were sold on every corner, which explained the kernels crunching beneath Elsa’s feet.
“Now what?” she murmured, barely hearing her own question.
“World Circus Sideshow!” a man called from his perch ona stand outside a tent. “Step right up and be amazed by Armless Wonder, Spider Boy, a four-legged girl prodigy, the world’s strongest man, and the ugliest woman alive! World Circus Show, ladies and gents.”
Elsa shook her head and turned away, only to be confronted by more shouting men, each vying to be heard over the others.
“Get your thrills on the Toboggan, the roller coaster of the Alpines!”
“Fancy girls! Take a peep!”
Stepping over a puddle of spilled beer, Elsa pulled her friends to the edge of the sidewalk. “On second thought, this really isn’t my scene.” Cars full of shrieking children roared by on the wooden roller coaster. In a large window over Percy’s shoulder, a woman was covered by strategically placed fans and nothing else. Heat rushed to Elsa’s face.
“Come on, there’s something for everyone here!” Archer protested.
As if to prove his point, another barker called, “Live babies! All the world loves a baby! Three pound babies, still alive!”
Elsa turned to find a huge sign that readIncubator Babies.
“I read an article about this,” Ivy said. “Hospitals don’t have these incubators, so prematurely born babies are cared for here in a hospital-like environment at no cost to their parents. The nurses, incubators, food, and medicine are all paid for by those who spend their dimes to see. I’d like to go in.”
“Me too,” Elsa said. “In fact, that is the only thing here I’m interested in. Other than that, I’d rather walk along the shore.”
“You would?” Percy’s necktie blew sideways in the wind, and he tucked it back into his vest. “Sorry, I’m surprised that would appeal to you.”
Elsa frowned. “It appeals to millions. Not all at once, thank goodness, but the beach and boardwalk are the entire reason all of these amusement parks are even—”
“Yeah, I get it,” Percy interrupted, “but I thought going for rides would be more your thing, given your condition.”
“Change your mind about renting one of those rolling chairs?” Archer asked.
Irritation flared. Elsa bit her tongue, reminding herself that he could have no idea how the suggestion affected her. He didn’t know she associated those chairs with shame and loss, and she would never tell him.
Ivy crossed her arms and glared. “And what are we going to do aboutyourcondition, boys?”
