Terror on the Midway, or at least a little jumpiness
Disaster Dave reports more than the usual number of skittish kids at his recent festival.
Even some of the bigger ones hide behind their parents when his puppet does what the festival business calls a “strolling act” on the grounds. Hiding may be shyness. But when children’s faces become stark or bug-eyed, that’s fear. (If they merely turn away, they may be just too cool to talk with a puppet.)
“Ah, yes. Terrorizing the populace. My work here is done.” Usually Dave uses that joke when a baby freaks out. Older scared kids just get a drive-by wave.
Dave thinks people who choose to live in Amish areas might be as reclusive and skittish about strangers as the Amish.
The number of times you see a child, flanked by two adults and held by both hands, is directly related to the overall number of nervous kids at the festival. That’s Dave’s hypothesis. Now it’s on the Internets. So it must be true.
Note, in case a festival’s administration reads this and thinks they recognize Dave: As usual, there also has been a solid majority of nice, friendly kids. The puppet and kids do the Vulcan mind meld, songbirds serenade, playful woodland animals frolic around them, the usual stuff.
(Note to first-time readers: Disaster Dave is a performer who only tells me his negative news. For obvious reasons, he wishes to remain anonymous.)
