Funhouse (38 page)

“
Tell ya what.” Clayton said.  “Since it’s getting late in the day, how about you stay the night 'ere in Candyland? Then first thing in the morning I’ll get someone out 'ere to repair this beautiful caddy of yours, and ya can be on ya way.”

You ain't never getting out of Candyland now.

“
I appreciate the offer, I really do, but I really have to be on my way. Perhaps there’s a phone I can use?”

“
As ya saw from your own mobile, we don’t get much of a reception 'ere in Candyland. We only 'ave one phone, but unfortunately, my cousin Jacob has taken it with him outta town with him. He won’t be back 'til late I’m afraid.”

“
I can wait, I don’t mind hanging around until he gets back with the phone.”

“
Look, there ain’t no phone and there ain't no garage.” Clayton spat, his face twisting into a furious sneer.

Norton couldn’t hide his shock this time, and thought that this was perhaps his first look at the
real
Clayton Candy. Candy, for his part, recovered quickly, and reverted to a wide, fixed grin, as he wiped at his sweaty face.

“
What I mean to say is, we are just a small town, and we can't do much until morning. As soon as Jacob comes back, we can get ya on ya way.”

Norton was growing angry, and the oppressive heat only seemed to be fuelling his frustration.

“Are you sure you aren’t trying to keep me here Mr Candy?”

Clayton’s cheek twitched and he slid his eyes towards Herb, then back to Norton.

“Course not. Ya free to do whatever ya want to Mr Norton. As I said, if ya want to walk, Shadowlands is thirty miles back the way ya came. Next town in the opposite direction is Freeborough, but that’s a good eighty miles. If ya do decide to walk, then I ave to advise ya to be careful after dark. Some of the local critters 'ere wouldn’t think twice about setting upon a person if he was out there at night.”

“
Then it looks like I’m staying the night. Is there a motel here in Candyland?”

Clayton’s mood changed instantly, and he reverted to grinning widely. “Excellent! I’m afraid we 'ave no motel 'ere, but you can spend the night at ma home. I’ll 'ave ma daughter make up the guest bedroom for ya.”

“Thank you.” Norton said, his uneasy feeling growing by the second.

He glanced at Herb, who was staring at him, his eyes pleading a mixture of fear and horror. Clayton saw it too.

“Well Mr Norton, why don’t cha go ahead and enjoy the fete as best ya can. When it’s all finished, we'll show ya to our 'ome. In the meantime, as soon as Jacob gets back, I’ll have Herb 'ere get in touch with a mechanic from Shadowlands and get him out here first thing to fix up ya car. Ya should be outta here after breakfast.”

Clayton moved to Herb’s wheelchair and readied to push him away.

“Come on Herb, I’ll take ya back to ya stall. Mr Norton, please enjoy the rest of the day.”

Clayton left, taking Herb with him. Norton still couldn’t shake the jittery feeling in his stomach, the feeling that told him that something was wrong with the entire situation. Like it or not, he was stranded there, and decided that although Clayton Candy was something of an oddball, he would still try as best he could to fit in, at least until he could put Candyland behind
him.

Fo
r the rest of the afternoon, Norton grew more and more uneasy with Candyland. Outwardly, he made a show of enjoying himself, but inwardly he was ever desperate to leave. He started to notice little things, things that he probably wouldn’t have without the warning words of both Herb and Christine, who were both nowhere to be found, despite him trying to seek them out to get more answers. He had touched on it earlier, but now as he looked closer, he noticed that pretty much everyone in Candyland looked freakishly similar. Not all of them of course, but most of those he had seen certainly resembled Clayton Candy to a disturbing degree.

Maybe that’s why they keep staring. Because I look different.

Norton was starting to wonder just how much power Clayton had over the tiny town. Everyone he looked at had the same haunted eyes, the same sense of spirits being broken.               Although the fete was in full swing, Norton got the distinct impression that the townsfolk involved were just going through the motions. He half considered running for it, just getting out of town and taking his chances on the road, but he wasn’t ready for that yet. There was every chance that the knot in his stomach could just be his own overactive imagination making more out of the situation than necessary.

One thing was for sure. He wasn’t looking forward to staying at Clayton Candy’s house. In fact, the idea filled him with dread. Either way, there was nothing he could do, and as the day drew to a close and the townsfolk started to head home, Clayton returned, along with his giant of a daughter and together the three of them made their way towards Candy’s house.

Norton took a longing glance at his disabled car, wishing for the umpteenth time that he had never made the decision to stop at Candyland.

Clayton’s
house was on the far edge of town. It looked old and tired, its paintwork cracked, faded and in need of repair. The grass out front was sick and yellow. As far as Candyland homes went, it actually looked luxurious, but Norton saw it for what it was, a rundown ugly looking house.

“
Come on in Mr Norton.” Clayton said as he walked up the creaking porch steps. Norton followed, and waited as Clayton opened the door.

“
Come on in.” Clayton said over his shoulder.

Even though every instinct screamed at him not to, Norton followed, waiting just over the threshold as his eyes adjusted to the gloom.

The inside of the house was quite unremarkable. Old fashioned for sure, but still clean and tidy, which was a pleasant surprise to Norton, who had expected worse. The house was set up for simple living. There was no television. In fact, He hadn’t seen a single modern convenience at all during the tour of the house. The layout was simple, a modest kitchen and sitting room downstairs. Bathroom and three bedrooms upstairs. As he was shown around, Norton tried to gauge some kind of picture of who Clayton Candy was, but the house gave away no secrets. Everything was tidy, and even though the house had a dry, musty smell and showed some signs of age, the yellowed wallpaper and frayed carpets gave no indication of anything sinister.

Norton’s guest room looked out over a vast expanse of open desert, and in the very distance he could see the faint pencil line of the road, which was tantalisingly close. Clayton had told Norton to get some rest, and that supper would be ready at eight.

Alone for the first time, Norton had lay down on his bed, which creaked under protest, and closed his eyes, hoping to get a few hours’ sleep.

He woke to the sound of hushed voices outside his room. The sun had sunk low in the sky, and it had elongated the shadows in Norton’s room. As quietly as he could, he got up and crept to the door, placing an ear to the wood to try and better hear the heated conversation.

He could tell it was Clayton and his daughter, but what they were saying was inaudible. They were speaking in a near whisper themselves, and apart from the odd snatch of a word, he couldn’t make it out. All he knew was that they were in a disagreement over something. Clayton's tone was sharp and demanding, Christine’s was pleading and afraid. He half considered opening the door and making himself known, but wasn’t afraid to admit that he was more than happy to go along with things as anonymously as possible as long as it meant he could save his own skin and get out of Candyland in one piece.

He was about to go back to his bed, content to let the Candy
family argue it out amongst themselves when he heard something which changed the entire complexion of his stay. It was Clayton, and the three words he said to his daughter were clear and sharp, and no doubt a little louder than planned. Norton heard well enough though, and that feeling of unease which had been niggling at him, became a full blown fear.

The three words hissed by Clayton to his daughter were a simple enough instruction, but one which raised even more questions about Clayton Candy and the town which bore his name, and it was then that Norton knew that if he wanted to leave Candyland again, then he would have to escape to do it.

Numb and unsure exactly what to do, Norton went to dinner at eight as instructed. Clayton sat at the head of the table, his chair oversized and higher than the others, probably to make up for his physical shortcomings. Norton didn’t think he would be able to eat, but the meal served up by Christine was spectacular to say the least. A delicious roast with all the trimmings. There was enough to feed a family of eight, and he piled his plate high, topping it off with delicious, thick gravy. The three of them ate in silence for a while, Norton very aware that Clayton was watching him with some amusement from the opposite end of the table.

“
So, Mr Norton, whatcha think of Candyland?”

Norton took a moment to swallow his food and take a sip of water, ensuring he said the words in exactly the right way.

“It’s a nice place. Quieter than I’m used to, but the hospitality shown to me is second to none. Thank you again.”

“
Ah, no need for thanks, that’s what the people of Candyland do. We are a very close community, just one big family working together.”

“
Do you get many visitors from outside of town?”

“
Not really. As I said earlier, we keep to ourselves pretty much. We don’t bother the outside world and they don’t bother us. We like it that way don’t we precious?” He said, looking at Christine and smiling.

She didn’t answer, and looked down at her plate, which was piled high with enough food for two people.

“You'll have to forgive ma daughter Mr Norton, it seems she's taken something of a shine to ya.”

He didn’t know what to say to that, or to the hopeful glance thrown at him by both father and daughter Candy. As before he took a mouthful of potato, chewing slowly and sipped his drink, giving himself time to compose his thoughts.

“I’m flattered, really. But I’m not looking to get into any kind of a relationship right now.”

He saw the hurt in Christine’s eyes, and felt bad. Clayton’s expression remained neutral as he watched Norton eat.

“How old are ya Mr Norton, if ya don’t mind me asking?” Clayton said, his piercing gaze doing a fine job of raising goosebumps on Norton’s skin.

“
I’m thirty six. Thirty seven next month.”

“
I see. I see no ring so I presume ya still unmarried following ya divorce. Do ya have anyone in ya life right now?”

Norton hesitated, not liking where the line of questioning was going.

“No, as I said, I’m happy enough to be single for the time being.”

“
But surely, ya ain't getting any younger. Don’t ya feel the urge to settle down, find a good woman to live out the rest of ya days with?”

He didn’t like this. Clayton was becoming pushy, and even at the best of times, Norton wasn’t comfortable discussing his personal life with anyone.

“Not really, I have a busy life. I work hard, and don’t feel ready to settle down.”

He allowed his irritation to show, just enough to give Clayton the hint that he was uncomfortable, but Clayton went on regardless.