This was it, the best headline for the virgin voyage of the town newspaper Dairy could have ever asked for 'bouncy castle of doom sweeps the spring fair as horror stuck on lookers watch in terror-'' Diary sighed to themselves, pulling their arm from between sinking folds of thick plastic, if only they could have the time to write it. But, they looked around themselves as the ever deflating castle came slowly down around them, while also managing to sickingly see the roof tops of the city they had called home for the last year. It looked like Diary might be too dead to do much of anything. The winds coming off the ocean had been too strong, the mayo knew that but he has been a pushover his whole life and had zero intention of stopping now especially when his wife was the town events quardinator. The hurricane would be here in two days they wanted to get the fair squeezed in before the crouds left for the season. But that left Dairy waist deep and sinking while simultaneously 3 stories high as the bouncey castle took flight for a scenic view of Wendy Bay. Diary's hand finally found the kids arm, wrapping around it tightly they pulled as hard as they could. It felt like the kid was stuck under a pile of mattresses. His head emerged from the folds of the castletaking a breath and beginning his screaming again. Dairy couldn't blame him but it was loud. Diary wanted to scream their self but was more concerned about what would happen now that the castle was deflating enough to desend the sky in an alarming speed towards the waters edge of Wendy Pier. There were people running both towards them and away, Diary could hear the waves crashing against the wood pillars under them on the piers but the forward motion of the castle hadn't slowed, the dark sun bleached color of the pier Dairy could see through the mesh window suddenly gave way to the dark blue of the already freezing waters. People began to scream and suddenly they were jerked to a stop. The castle was stuck around the light post at the end of the pier and instead of moving forward the castle quickly started moving down Diary couldn't see it but they knew part of it was already in the water. They were momentarily in shock floating for a moment, them not the castle moving. Then the swaying started, with every back and forth motion of the waves the castle began to be pulled into the depths. ''Shit" Dairy said out loud as people screamed from the top of the pier. ''climb!" Diary pushed the kid upwards he went from clinging to Diary to clinging the taunt fabric that was already darkening with sea water. Diary climbed but felt like they were going no where, with every tug of fabric upward the more. water they felt at their feet. Someone yelled from the pier ''its slipping'' confirming Dairy's fear. Finally Dairy felt wood under their hands but no place to grab. ''Over here!" They shouted, followed momentarily by the sounds of a large knife usually saved for the large boat lines comimg through the fabric perilously close to Diary's hand. Sunlight hit Diary the face they closed their eyes at the brightness but gripped the boy with one hand pushing him forward. Someone in the crowd near him shouted they had him. Diary let out a breath they hadn't known they were holding as the last of the boy's shoe left Dairy's grasp and the first air from the outside brushed Daiy's knuckles. The castle was swaying more than every as the icy waters pulled it into it's depths making it extremely difficult for Dairy to stay latched to the side especially since with there was zero footing below them now and when they looked down it was a straight and watery slide into darkness. Dairy was sure they had never know true fear until then. '' HELP '' left their lips without provocation and they began kicking their feet as if they could run up the side of the sinking castle. Hands reached inside the makeshift exit, more than Dairy could feel but they griped and pulled their way down Dairy's arm to Dsiy's shoulder nails burning across Daiy's skin. Sea salt burned Daiy's lungs as they finally felt their feet break free of the bouncey castle restraints. The fabric was taunt and heavy as it slapped the side of the pier. People began the cheer in the back of the crowd as less people held onto Dairy and Dairy was more able to wrap themselves around the railing of the pier. Dairy was starting to shake and their tongue felt too big for their mouth as fear from what had just occurred started to grip them. A snap that sounded like lightning rang out too closely beside Dairy at the same time a few people in the crowd shouted the alarm that the light post the castle had caught on was now breaking under the wait of the ocean's pull. Dairy's heart popped into their throat at the sound and Dairy had just looked up only to see the pole and fabric plummeting directly towards where they currently clung to the outside of the pier. Dairy woke to the sound thunder roaring in their ears as more lightning began the break across the sky. Their lungs seized and clinched like they were trying to expell water from their lungs. In that flash the memory of what happened, the break of the light pole, it hitting Dairy in the middle of the bac k before its decent into the water taking the last of the castle and Dairy with it. The extreme pain and sudden loss of all the air in their lungs followed almost immediately by ice and water then nothing. Lighting crackled across the sky as Dairy tried to rise in their hospital bed. ''Might want to rethink that'' the outline of a person against the window said. Dairy froze looking towards darkness, lighting cut through the sky illuminating a narrow face and narrow features. 'Your spine is bruised.'' Dairygulped stairing at the person before them. Unable to speak the room felt deafly silent even the rain pelting the window outside couldn't break it, you could only feel the rythmic slamming of it against the window but that is all. Dairy couldn't see the visitors face but knew their eyes were locked on Dairy. ''Are you afraid'' the figure asked, Dairy shook their head yes. The figure chuckled, ''so much for that old saying" the figure moved closer 'fear not for i am-" "Death" Dairy thought at the same time the stranger spoke the words. Death paused as if Dairy had said it out loud bemused a smile broke his face that Dairy felt very reminiscent of the weather outside. ''And I have a deal for you.'' Death finished and clasped his hands infrontnof him waiting expectantly for Dairy.