pt 5: Devil's Games by Omar Najam

In which guests play carnival games and get up to all sorts of mischief. But all this whimsy comes at a cost. Will the guests be willing to pay?

Hello all, 

This year I’ll be, over the span of the next thirteen days, describing a Halloween-themed amusement park that I got to develop with Surena Marie, for fun, specifically for 13 Days.

As a big old imagineering nerd, this is a dream project and I’m so excited to share it with you all. Please excuse the shoddy sketches that accompany the overly written descriptions.

Enjoy.

Image by Igor from Pixabay

“Step right up folks, step right up!” 

Sounds of carnival barkers and and the ringing of game-stall bells beckon to guests as they make their way from the vastness of the west to a massive wood cutout of a demon’s head with an open mouth. Signs read “so much fun you’ll lose your head!” and “maybe you’ll never leave!” 

Now guests can at any time refer to their brown paper maps and notice that the paths through Pumpkin Park connect all the lands, that there is no specific need to enter the carnival. 

But that’s the fun of a gamble, isn’t it? The risk. And the chance of reward. 

For guests who step through the looming maw, the whistling of breeze through the flat desert will instantly become the crashing of waves, as impossibly guests will reach the end of the world as we know it: the ocean. And jutting out over the frothing waves, a pier. 

And on that pier, pure mischief. 

Games and contests flood the wooden holdout as red and yellow lights blink and flash, horns play and demons in striped suits cheer onlookers. The entire space is run by monsters. Creatures with horns and sharp teeth and claws. 

A goat will put brass loops into the hands of guests for a ring toss. A fiery beast will ask guests to knock down milk jugs with baseballs. And an angler fish will invite guests to race each other with squirt guns. 

But the farther down the pier you travel, the louder and rowdier the festivities get. Keep an eye on the shell. Place your bets. Put it all on the table.

Louder and louder. Rowdier and rowdier.

Until you get to the end of the pier where there's a little tent set up. And the ultimate bargain dealer seated there, a massive smile plastered upon his face.

And he asks guests "Would you like to have a good time? Would you like to have some fun? Would you like to partake in a little bit of mischief?"

And if guests reply "yes" this deal maker will pull out a scrap of brown paper and write his offer upon it. Slide it across the table. And tell the guests to only agree to the terms if they're willing to do it with their entire soul.

And if guests agree to these terms, if they pick up the piece of paper, and they read it, they'll see the words "then just do it!"

And the deal maker will clap them on the shoulder and tell them it's Halloween! The time of mischief! The time of fun! When we all get dressed up and go out and have a great time!

And the deal maker will tell the guests to enjoy their time on the pier, to play games, to make bets, but to make sure they do it all with nothing but fun intent in their hearts. For mischief is only worth it if you do it for the joy of the game, not at the expense of others.

With the shake of a hand, guests are returned to the festivities that at once seemed alarming, but now are clearly just games and contests.

Because in this season, it's best not to take everything so seriously.

Sometimes having fun is just having fun.

Guests can play as long as they like. And when they start to bore of the mischief and games, there's a beach below with bonfires a-plenty. And bonfire stories as well.