Episode 57: Scene Seven
"You aren't actually going to do this, are you?"
Karen glared at Chantal teasingly before moving up in the line. "How hard can it be to swing a hammer and make a little ball go up and hit a bell? My three-month old cousin could do this."
"Karen, it's not just a hammer and a little ball. The thing is practically a sledgehammer, so that means it's not exactly like swinging those plastic bats they're always selling in the library. What if you hurt yourself?"
"How on earth can I hurt myself? You are way too much of a worry-wart, Chantal. It's just a game, for goodness sakes," Karen grumbled while moving up again.
Chantal happened to catch a person walking up in the opposite line. She tapped on Karen's shoulder and pointed towards the person. "Maybe that'll change your mind."
Karen looked at where Chantal was pointing, then let out a loud groan. She quickly turned around before the person could see that she was looking at him. "What is he doing here?"
"It's an open carnival, girl."
"And I care, why? Look, I don't want to deal with him right now."
"Good!" Chantal exclaimed before looping her arm through Karen's. "Let's go head down to the beach for a swim. I'm wearing my swimsuit, so we can just jump right in!"
"Not so fast, Speedy Gonzales," Karen drew her arm from around Chantal's. "I'm going to play this game."
"You're going up against him, Karen!"
"Which means that I'll have a chance to drive his butt into the ground. Boy, won't he be humilated when he loses to a girl!" Karen guffawed at the thought. She rubbed her hands together deviously, a sly smile begin to dawn on her face.
"You are bad, you know that?"
"Yeah, you're about to find out how bad," Karen handed her dollar to the attendant and stepped up to where the hammer was resting in its container.
"Well, well. The Queen of All That is Holy's going to try and go up against me? This should be fun," Tanner grinned at Karen. He slapped his hands together before picking up his hammer.
"Yeah. It's going to be quite funny to see you get your butt whipped by someone you consider to be inferior."
"Inferior? Aww, now I never said that. I just said that you can't do anything better than me."
"And you wonder why you need tutoring," Karen laughed before picking up her device. "You know, they say that if you don't have the brains, you're supposed to have the brawns. In this case, though, you seem to have neither."
"Just shut up long enough to lose, little girl."
"Bring it on, loser-boy."
Tanner took a deep breath before raising the sledgehammer high above his head. After a few moments of holding it there, he let it come down in a sweeping arc. The object struck the pad at the bottom of the tall measuring post, sending a small gray ball towards the top of the post. It struck the bell, sending out a resounding ring that placed a triumphant gloss in Tanner's eye.
"Beat that."
"With ease." Karen picked up her sledgehammer and repeated the process that Tanner had used. When she brought it down, it hit the pad with such a force that the ball shot straight up into the bell, causing a loud, echoing ring to sound that lasted for nearly fifteen seconds. The bell had been dented by the force of the hard ball striking it. Karen turned to Tanner with an ear-to-ear grin.
"Now, what was this about you being able to do everything better than me?" Karen inquired saucily. When Tanner only stared at her stupidly, she placed the hammer back into its container and began walking away with a stunned Chantal. "Never underestimate the power of a woman."