For the uninitiated, a dark ride is\u00a0an indoor amusement ride in which guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes. If you\u2019ve ever been through a ride like the \u201cTunnel of Love\u201d or Disneyland\u2019s \u201cPirates of the Caribbean,\u201d you know what we mean. A dark ride doesn\u2019t have to be literally dark, but often darkness is used to conceal what comes next.<\/p>\n
Life is very much a dark ride. \u00a0Our future is concealed by the veil of time. It offers unexpected thrills around every turn. Sometimes the surprises are happy ones, but often they are terrifying.<\/p>\n
Our flash fiction assignment for this week was inspired by the season and the classic novel\u00a0Something Wicked This Way Comes<\/em>. Writer Ray\u00a0Bradbury combines horror and fantasy in a story of a traveling carnival that comes to a small town one October. The carnival leader, Mr. Dark, fulfills the townsfolk\u2019s secret desires \u2026 but at a price.<\/p>\n We asked our writers in the Cafe to channel their darkest thoughts and write a short story for Halloween. They have been thinking about carnivals and the strange awful things that could be lurking in those traveling shows.<\/p>\n So climb aboard. Keep your arms and legs inside at all times. This is a dark ride.<\/p>\n