It was a long drive to the amusement park, made longer by the fact that Jon and his mom had been made unwilling captives to a festering argument between Zoe and Mikey. Things had been beyond tense as of late, and this family excursion was meant to be a reprieve from it. Zoe was suffering through a difficult break-up with Gale, a punkish boy from school. Mikey, being the unrestrainable agent of chaos and terror that kids his age could often be, decided it was his sacred duty to tease her mercilessly about her newfound heartbreak. She had teased him every chance she could growing up thus far and, now that he could get back at her, he might never let up.
"Michael Gibson," their mom snapped from the driver's seat, in yet another attempt to mitigate a growing migraine. "Would you leave your sister alone, for the love of God?"
"No can do, Mom. This is divine punishment for her past sins again Mikey-kind. I'm on a mission from God," replied the boy calmly before returning to the pestering of his sister.
Jon groaned wearily, entirely sapped of what little spirit he had that morning. He was nearly willing to dig the stone out of his backpack and wish Mikey mouthless. Was this what counted as something interesting? Being forced to listen to his siblings bicker for two and a half hours?
"You're lucky we're coming up on the parking lot, otherwise we'd be turning around right now."
Once his mom's wallet had been sufficiently lightened at the entrance kiosk, the party split. While Zoe and Jon ambled toward some of the more classical attractions, their mom quickly grabbed Mikey by the arm, dragging him kicking and screaming toward a less dignified quadrant of the theme park marked by a cheap plastic signpost as "Kiddie Land".
"Finally. Peace and quiet," mumbled Zoe.
"No kidding," commiserated Jon, as if Zoe wasn't half of the incessant arguing in the car. At least she hadn't started it this time, he supposed. "Hey, what's that?" Jon pointed to a crooked glass box wedged into an alley between concession stands. Within the glass sat a silhouette of a figure they couldn't yet quite make out.
"It looks like a Zoltar machine," Zoe approached, curiosity piqued.
"A what?" Jon asked quizzically.
"Don't you watch movies? It's one of those old fortune-teller animatronics. They usually spout non-sense, but the one in the movie turned a kid into America's sweetheart, Tom Hanks. This one looks different, though."
"I know who Tom Hanks is," mumbled Jon as he followed his sister into the alleyway.
The bright bold letters painted along the casing read "TRADE POST: A Chance Change for Two. 10ยข." The figure inside remained obscured, only a silhouette, despite how close the siblings now stood to it.
"Trade Post, huh? That's kind of an underwhelming name for an attraction. Why is the glass all fogged over? I can't see the Zoltron."
"Zoltar," the girl insisted, rummaging through her purse. "Do you carry change? I don't know if I have a dime."
"Well, maybe this one's a Zoltron," said Jon, peeking over his sister's shoulder at the machine. "Man, kind of a tight space for a game for two."
"Never mind, found one." She slips the coin into the slot on the side of the box.
Ca-chunk.
The machine came to life with a loud, vibrating whir and a pre-recorded cackle played through its old speakers. Slowly, the glass unfogged until the automaton was visible. The teens gathered that once the thing likely resembled an old crone or witch, but most of the paint had long since peeled off. Its mostly undetailed face swiveled toward Zoe, then toward Jon, and finally its hinged maw opened.
"ROMANTIC HISTORY," it bellowed through its speakers. Then, promptly, it powered down. Its glass fogged over once more until the puppet was no longer visible.
"That's it?" Zoe grumbled, after a moment of awkward lingering. "It says 'romantic history', and that's it? That's not even a full sentence."
"That's... interesting, I guess." Jon mumbles, thinking idly back to his botched wish. If a wonky machine was all that came of it, he could sleep in peace. "Maybe it's broken."
"Hmm... Maybe we should try it again?" Zoe fishes around in her purse again. "I think that was my last dime."
--
Hours passed. Zoe was surprisingly good company for the rest of the day. He supposed, even if it didn't do anything, the Trading Post machine was enough of a distraction to get Zoe's mind off of Mikey's teasing.
After a third go on a swinging pirate ship, Jon got a text message from Gale asking to get back together. He chuckled. "u drunk? wrong number buddy," he quickly texted in reply before showing it to his sister. "I think your boy toy wants you back."
"I don't know if I want him back," Zoe replied with a somber laugh. "That's kind of hilarious though. How'd he go and text an entirely wrong person like that?"
"Beats me," Jon shrugs. "I forgot I even had his number."
"Oh, hey, Mom is texting us. She wants to meet up at the entrance to Kiddie Land," Zoe adds, handing the phone back to her brother.
"Well. Best mentally prepare ourselves for another two and a half hours of anguish," Jon frowns.
At the entrance, they found their mom and Mikey sitting on a bench. Mikey's face was nearly entirely coated in ice cream, much to their mom's chagrin. "Hello, Kids. How were the rides?" Asks Mom, once she sees her two eldest approach.
"Can't complain," says Zoe simply.
"How was Kiddie Land?" asks Jon.
Mikey only glowers. Clearly it wasn't as fun as the park proper.
Their mom clears her throat. "Jon, your brother has something he would like to tell you."
"Tell me?" Jon asks, befuddled.
"Jon..." Mikey hums and haws. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" Jon asks. "Sorry for what?"
"For um..." Mikey looks up at his mother, as if hoping to be let off the hook. When he sees no sympathy, he resigns to continue. "Sorry for teasing you about Gale."
Jon and Zoe both go pale. "Uh, don't worry about it, Pal. Apology accepted," says Jon, awkwardly.
"Hey Mom, do you have a dime by any chance?" asks Zoe. "There's something we'd like to check out before we leave."
