for once, he blended in albeit the crowds looked like what you'd clear from a gutter just dressed in sweaty colors and- thoughts of her surged, swirled as he passed another vendor, cotton candy stand she's just like these pink clouds pretty, sweet temptation on a stick but once you bite right in- only air yet he's there again and again and, anyway... a pocket starved and a sugarcoat on, gawdy lights buzzed as the sun cowered into a horizon of jalopies ferris wheel carts kept swaying carousel steads kept spinning twirling, popping a gunshot swallowed in the cacophony of joy crime rang through the carnival giggles rushed to white noise he chucked what was left of that attic insulation treat from sticky to itchy he felt the oils on his skin make him sick slam the drum in his throat to his core smelled the popcorn as he ran remembered those duct-taped theater seats silver screens of picture shows with heroes who always knew what to do in moments like- time to suit up, time to buckle down and fly so, busted sneakers burnt their soles against gum-ridden asphalt alas, he found the damsel, a boy amidst seas of townfolk between the funhouse and a port-a-john gangly teen, ball cap and braces and bullet grazed his shoulder ****, it seemed "just breathe," he told the kid because we all need air to live cussing the rescue he couldn't be smashing buttons until that tinfoil voice on the line assured them real help would roll up shortly he left, knotted his tie around the boy's bicep, kinda then hurdled the gate to the whole shebang because heroes, like her can't wait for bad guys to get away...