51. The Spring Carnival

Today, Sam is having a great day.


He is painting!

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He is painting one of his favorite things in the whole world...

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...something very valuable, and one of a kind...

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and absolutely irreplaceable.

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Himself!

Because today, is a day all about Sam.

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It is his birthday once again, and his friends have the most exciting surprise in store for him!

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Tickets to the spring carnival, which has just come to town!

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Sam is thrilled at what the carnival offers. What a wonderful birthday present!

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~~~

Uncle Tubby drives him and Bingo out to the park where the carnival has been set up.

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As they arrive, Sam can hardly contain his anticipation of a day of wholesome fun.

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As soon as the car is parked, he is off!

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ahem.

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Now he is off.

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When they get inside, Sam is at first overwhelmed by the varied opportunities at his disposal. What should he do first? Fun and exciting games, tasty treats, or riveting rides?

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But then, it hits him. The very first thing to do at the carnival, in Sam's book, is to pick out a new balloon for his collection!

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He goes up to a stand which seems to be offering a nice variety...

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...and gives the shopkeeper one ticket.

He then demonstrates which balloon he would like. This bright red one, please!

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To Sam's confusion, the shopkeeper does not seem to understand, and instead tries to offer him some sort of sharp implement!

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He again motions to the balloon he would like to purchase...

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...but he still doesn't understand, and insists Sam take this useless substitution!

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Maybe he is being too subtle...

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No, he really doesn't want that!

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He wants this balloon right here!

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But instead of just giving it to him, the shopkeeper becomes even more confused. Apparently, he thinks Sam must mean to give the dart to Tubby, so that Sam gets nothing at all!

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In one last dramatic display of intent, Sam tries to portray his request.

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But his actions are now misinterpreted again, this time by Uncle Tubby!

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He throws the dart right at the balloon!

Who does such a horrible thing!?!

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No, Tubby, now you've killed it!

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Et tu, Tubby?

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He leaves feeling very sad indeed.

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But not for long, because soon they meet up with Bingo again, and he too has come into the possession of a prize!

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He says he won it over there, at the duck hunt game. And suggests Sam try it too! He just might win as well!

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He wastes no time...

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...and gives the man in charge another of his tickets.

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This game seems to involve a pretend gun, and some pretend ducks.

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He figures he's supposed to shoot the foam darts out of the gun, but there are all these ducks in the way! He doesn't want to hurt the ducks, because that would be unkind of him.

So, he waits for all of the ducks to move away for a moment, but for some reason as soon as one disappears, another pops up.

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No worries though, because Sam can be patient.

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After what seems like ages, however, his chance comes! No ducks!

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With the ducks safely out of harm's way, he takes his shot.

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~~~

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~~~

A perfect score - not even one of the pretend ducks was pretend harmed!

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Oh, there they are again! No worries, though, Sam will wait!

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~~~

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~~~

Another chance! He is doing so good!

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The game manager definitely agrees. He has won the ultimate consolation prize - a perfect red balloon!

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Sam couldn't have asked for a better one! Now his spirits are lifted, and he begins to truly enjoy his outing.

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Sam waves goodbye to the kind game manager, and the three of them then go on their way.

This day couldn't get any better!

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When suddenly, it does!

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A hall of super silly mirrors!

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Sam and Tubby go on to see the supreme silliness, while Bingo watches their prizes outside.

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The mirrors are true to their description, and are very, very silly.

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~~~

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Sam has never seen such silly things before.

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~~~

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~~~

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Why, these mirrors are so incredibly super silly, Sam and Tubby cannot help but giggle.

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And even to chuckle!

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What wholesome fun they are having!

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Some of the mirrors are flattering.

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~~~

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Others, however, are not.

Some of the mirrors are shocking!

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~~~

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~~~

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And even, surprising!

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~~~

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As they finish the hall, Sam decides it has been his favorite part of the carnival so far.

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If this was already so exciting, he can't imagine what joys still lie ahead to be discovered!

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~~~

He runs off with Tubby to the next attraction.

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Forgetting something, probably, though neither can recall what...

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~~~

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~~~

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~~~

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The next attraction they come across is a super tall fun slide.

It really does look fun!

Because just one person is allowed on the slide at a time, Sam goes first. He asks Tubby to hold his ice cream cone until he is finished.

(Tubby is very trustworthy.)

Sam then climbs up the tall, tall stairs...

And takes a seat at the top.

It is very exciting! He can see for so far!

Maybe too far actually...

Yes, this slide is in fact much too tall. Sam has changed his mind. He does not feel up to such a tall slide today.

Maybe another day.

He decides to go back down, but finds the way is blocked!

Oh no. Someone has broken the rules. There are now two at a time on the slide. And Sam is trapped!

He has no choice but to go down!

He is sure he will not survive. The slide is just too tall, and now it is overloaded. It will probably break apart...

..or explode or something...

...probably.

...perhaps not...

...well maybe it's not too bad.

Actually, that was pretty fun after all!

~~~

To be continued.