When lonely Mike Kranton attended the traveling carnival in town, little did he know that his destiny would be permanently altered that night. A stunning magician's assistant named Zelda captivates him, but he soon learns there is more to her than meets the eye.
Leaving his dysfunctional Connecticut life behind, he and Zelda travel across America, trying to elude men who are after her. Will they find love or an untimely end at the hands of Zelda's assailants? Sideshow Nights is a fast paced adventure turned romance novel that will take the reader on a wild ride.
Chris Varga is the author of three other novels ranging from comedy to mystery to horror. For his fourth, he delves into the adventure/romance genre. Three years in Southern California helped him to grow as a writer. A lifelong fan of creative thinking, Sideshow Nights is his most recent endeavor.
After finishing the cone, he counted his tickets. He still had fourteen. Maybe he would return the next night to use them. As he was walking towards the entrance and contemplating how to spend his hundred dollars, something caught his eye. Zelda was standing on the side of the House of Mirrors, near the back where people couldn't easily see her. She looked to be crying. Mike wondered what was wrong and stopped for a moment.
She looked at him. She was definitely crying. Her eyes were bloodshot and a tear was rolling down her cheek.
"Hi," Mike didn't know what to say.
"Hi," she grimaced.
Mike stood there wishing he was her friend so he could comfort her. She noticed he wasn't leaving. "Do you need help?" he asked and approached. This would be a good opportunity to speak to her. "It's nothing," Zelda sobbed. She thought of something to say. "Did you like the show?" she finally came out with.
"What?" Mike asked, not realizing what she meant.
"The magic act. I saw you in the audience, didn't IT' Zelda said.
"Oh, I've seen all the tricks before. But you looked nice," Mike wished he hadn't said the last line after he said it. "Thanks," Zelda laughed softly. "But looks can't help me now." "What do you mean?" "It's nothing. You're a stranger. I don't want to bother you with my problems." "Maybe I could help somehow," Mike suggested. "Not unless you have a hundred dollars cash on you right now." Was this what fate was, Mike thought to himself. He had just won a hundred dollars and now someone needed it. He quickly debated whether or not to offer it to her. Finally he decided, he didn't earn the money so it didn't matter if he lost it helping someone out.
"As a matter of fact, I do," Mike said.
"You're serious?"
"Yes. I just won it," Mike took out his wallet and showed her the bill.
"But I can't ask you to give it to me. We don't even know each other," Zelda seemed flattered.
"Hey, I didn't work hard for it. Easy come, easy go. And if you're that upset over it, I want you to have it," Mike held it out for her.
"But why?" Zelda seemed like she wasn't used to people caring about her.
Mike wasn't sure what to say. If you had to ask why someone would be attracted to someone and want to do nice things for them, it took the fun out of romance. He shrugged uneasily in response to her question.
Zelda hesitated and then took the money. "You're sweet. What's your name?"
"Mike. Is your real name Zelda?"
"No," Zelda simply replied.
They stood there not sure what to say.
"Well I thank you very much, sir. It means a lot to me," Zelda finally spoke.
"What do you need it for?"
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