The Indian at the funfair, originally uploaded by Thorsten Becker.

Evening fell on the tumbling city below like a velvet blanket. Lights streamed from the funfair downtown, casting a rainbow of colors on a partially cloudy sky. A large harvest moon smiled on the busy traffic below before gazing back at the stars. The sun had blessed the preceding day with plenty of warmth and the remnants still lingered in the air, rising from the asphalt in little spouts of wobbly streams. It was a perfect night for a walk. Kathrin thought so as well and took Tommy, her always daydreaming nine year old boy, and went down to the fair.

Life can be a struggle. Money was scarce, she worked overtime every day of the week to keep up with the bills. She was glad to have Tommy after her boyfriend recently went on a “self discovery trip”. “I don’t know who I am, you know, what I want, where I want to be. I just have to do this, for me… for us. I want to be the best I can be for all of us, that’s what it’s all about, you understand?” No, she didn’t but she pretended she did, as always. She loved him and when you love someone you let them go. Right? “Right?”
“What mom?” Tommy asked.
“Oh nothing, I was just thinking out loud.”
“You look sad again.”
“It’s just the wind, blew something in my eye. See? Just a dust speck. Let’s go and have some fun”
As much fun as someone can have with whatever little change she had on her. And so they went, popping balloons, riding bumper cars and making faces at each other in the mirror labyrinth.
‘As long as the feet carry me I will go, never let go, always believe,’ she thought to herself.
She held Tommy’s hand and looked over at him, he was lost in the moment, in this magical world of lights and sounds and music and smells of cotton candy and candied applies and roasted almonds. She didn’t want to go home just yet. ‘One more go around, just stay in this moment’, like she used to with “him”, when he took her out on dates, when they went to the fair and just laughed and the world was a rose colored place of love letters and promises. A beautiful dream, don’t want to wake up from it. Just keep going around until the sun rises and a new day breaks.
Suddenly she felt Tommy pulling. He just stopped gazing at a figure of an Indian at one of the rides. She checked her change. ‘What the heck, one more ride.’
“Do you like this one?” Tommy didn’t reply. She went over to this side and looked at him bending down. “Hey Tommy, do you like this ride? Would like to go on it?”
“I wonder where he’s from,” Tommy said slowly and deliberate.
“Who?”
“Well him, the Indian. Indians live in America, don’t they? So what’s he doing all the way over here? He looks kind of lonely and lost.”
‘He’s getting into one of his moods again,’ Kathrin thought. Whenever he missed his dad the most Tommy would just retreat into a fantasy world. Everything around him just turned into a magical world and he get himself lost in it. A good friend told her it’s good for him, he needs this, but it was difficult for her to handle at times. As so often she tried her best to go with it.
“Maybe he wanted to see the world, thought that joining traveling showmen would lead him to all sorts of interesting places. But then they turned him into this figure and now he is stuck here until someone set’s him free.”
“Really? I want him to be free. What do we have to do to set him free? Maybe… maybe you have to kiss him?”
‘Oh great Kathrin, why did you have to get into it again.’ She gasped briefly.
“I… I don’t think that’s how it would work. He probably needs some magic potion, or the person that turned him into this needs to set him free.”
“No, I think this is exactly how it works mom. You have to try it, go give him a kiss. Pleasseeee?”
Kathrin squeezed Tommy’s hand, partially feeling sorry for him partially upset. She struggled with the thought of kissing this plastic Indian. Not that she harbored any resentments for Indians, but this was just a piece of plastic. On the other hand she didn’t want to disappoint Tommy, it had been such a fun evening for him so far. So she looked around, slightly embarrassed, and the moment she felt sure nobody was looking got up, briskly approached the figure and put a light kiss on its right cheek.
“No mom, the lips, you have to kiss the lips, like they do in fairy tales.”
Her face turned red. “I don’t think he would like that honey.”
“But you have to try, please mom. He’s lonely, I can feel it.”
‘Oh boy. Ok, how to make a complete idiot of myself. Well Katie, you had to get into it in the first place.’ And so she closed her eyes and put a surprisingly passionate kiss on the lips of the plastic Indian.
“And?” Tommy looked around her back.
She opened her eyes, then stepped back to look around again. She could swear hearing some teenage girls snicker in the distance.
“I don’t think it worked honey. See, he is not moving.”
“It’s ok, I feel he’s happy now. You made him happy. He doesn’t feel so lonely anymore.”
‘And… oddly enough he isn’t the only one,’ Kathrin thought feeling strangely happy inside as well.
And then…
“You know Miss, that has to either be one of the weirdest or cutest things I’ve ever seen anybody do, I haven’t decided yet. Are you planning on taking him home with you?” a friendly and slightly amused male voice inquired to the far left of her. She literally jumped in her skin then looked over in the direction of the person talking to her with eyes wide open and absolute embarrassment written all over her face. After the initial shock she tried to laugh it off “Yeah, well, you know…”
“I know, those foreigners, they are hard to resist, aren’t they? See his cute Indian friend over here, I’ve given her plenty of good night kisses, not quite as passionate as yours but I may have to give it try some time.”
“Oh really? That would be quite weird… or cute, I think, I mean…” Kathrin struggled for words, then chuckled. “Is this your ride?”
“No, I am not part of any of this. I just come here at night to soak in the atmosphere. It’s quite magical at times, if you understand what I mean.”
“I do,” Tommy said promptly and affirmative.
“I bet you do kid. What’s your name?”
“Tommy!”
“Tommy, eh? Pleasure to meet you. I am Tiziano. Let me guess, you’re a great adventurer, aren’t you? Someone with that name must be!”
Tommy smiled big from ear to ear. “Yes.”
“That’s cool, you have to tell me all about your adventures. How’s that?”
Looking over at Kathrin Tiziano asked “Unless it’s time to go home? If not maybe we can all grab some hearty adventurer rations somewhere and talk about grand tales. Would you like that?”
“Maybe,” Kathrin replied with playful curiosity in her voice.
Thus the three walked towards the exit chatting about the fair and the night and the lights and that magical feeling in the air. When they were a distance away the plastic Indian leaned slightly forward, tilted his head and looked over in their direction with a smile on his face.

© Thorsten Becker