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When Carlos told some people that the resort was haunted, they laughed and poked fun at him. Some of them even challenged the ghosts. This is what happened to one of those patrons.
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The night continued without any more apparitions revealing themselves to Suella, but somewhere in the bull room, something evil was lingering in the air, waiting for the right moment to show itself.
Carlos decided he wasn't sick anymore, so he told Boris Pastorius that he was feeling better and that he would operate the mechanical bull the rest of the night.
Boris moved out from behind the wooden booth, and Carlos quickly sat down behind the oak podium, placing his right hand on the control lever. The lever moved up and down and was numbered from one to ten, adjusting the action depending on how long and fast a patron could ride the bucking apparatus.
Carlos shouted, "Who's up next?" with a loud, almost daring tone, to the long line of people waiting to ride "El-Toro."
"I am," a deep voice answered.
Larry Bird, the same man who had come to the nightclub the prior night for guitar lessons, stepped up and plopped two one-dollar bills down in front of Carlos.
"Let's find out if that thing lives up to the hype!" Larry grinned as he stood there staring at Carlos. Larry was wearing a black Stetson, a red shirt, and denim-washed jeans.
"I wouldn't go there!" Carlos defiantly met his challenge head-on, as he glared back into Larry's eyes.
"Why the hell not?"
"’Cause this joint's haunted, man. If you mess with the spooks here, you'll regret it, dig?"
"Oh yeah?" The cowboy laughed. "Well, tell your ghost buddies to show up then. Look, I don't buy into ghosts, and whatever you're on, cut it out!"
Carlos grinned an evil smirk and then gripped the control lever with both hands. "Don't come crying to me later!" he said jokingly but meant every word of it.211Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmA9SNks4v
Larry turned and walked over to the black mat that covered three layers of foam rubber on all sides of the mechanical bull. He mounted "El-Toro" on the left side, and then cocked his hat back with his right index finger.211Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWS1NYJsl3A
"Whenever you're good to go, I'm right here!" he announced loudly.211Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipIKz5IzBg
He leaned back, gripped the tan leather of the handle of the bull with his left hand, and then raised his right arm over his head, just like the real rodeo riders do.211Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqF3qNAO3pA
Carlos looked at the crowd, then at Larry. He pushed the control lever up to one and the bull began slowly turning around in a circle. He pushed the lever to four and "El-Toro" began to buck and twist like an out-of-control tornado.211Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlKuvWyaUSL
Carlos maneuvered the controls back and forth, trying to throw Larry off the mechanical bull, but to no avail. The modern-day cowboy held on as if he were glued to the saddle. After the prescribed amount of time for each ride, Carlos began to slow down the bull until it stopped.
"Hey, ghost pals, better luck next round!" Larry mockingly blurted out as he sat on top of the machine and straightened his hat.
Carlos stepped out from behind the controls to go to the restroom as Larry continued to sit proudly on top of the bull, grinning at the girls to his right. As Carlos rounded the counter, the bull suddenly jerked and began to turn once more.
"Hey there!" Larry screamed as the bull suddenly came to life, twisting, turning, bucking, and picking up tremendous speed as if it had been thrown into fast-forward mode.
"What the fuck are you up to?!" Larry yelled at Carlos in a near panic as he gripped the handle of "El-Toro" and held on for dear life.
"Son-of-a-bitch!" Carlos shrieked as he quickly turned and almost threw himself back behind the controls, only to find that everything was turned off.211Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfpJksRbO5
"Cut it out!" Larry screamed, but there was nothing Carlos could do. There was nothing to switch off!
"It ain't workin'!" Carlos yelled back with urgency. "Jump! Jump now!"
"It sure is, you idiot!" Larry screamed as he flailed around like a rag doll, trying desperately to hold on.211Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCoMV6PrbD7
The bull had already reached its pre-top speed but continued to gain momentum, bucking, turning, and twisting faster and faster.
"Get moving, you fool!" Carlos bellowed over the increasing clamor of the out-of-control machine, but it was too late. Larry couldn't hold on another second. His body sailed toward the control panel, the black Stetson falling to the floor as he flew through the air some three feet from "El-Toro."211Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOrC6DfLVpM
Miraculously, Larry landed on his feet, facing Carlos. He wheeled back around and gave a quick look toward the bull and was stupefied to see the machine at a dead stop. The man reached down and picked up his hat, putting it back on his head, then turned to face Carlos.
"That was a dumb prank!" Larry snarled. "I could've been seriously hurt, you idiot! I should kick your ass!"211Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCSMUCK4s3
"I warned you about messing with the spooks in here. You're lucky you're still breathing. Should've listened to me."211Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡriX7z8VL0l
Mike was angry. He wanted to hit somebody, anybody, but he had watched Carlos walk out from behind the counter before the bull went crazy, so he knew the man wasn't guilty of trying to harm him. He knew there was more to those than met the eye, but he wasn't going to admit it. He gave Carlos a blistering look and shoved his way through the crowd of onlookers, heading for the bar to get a drink. For the first time in his life, he was frightened. Of what, he wasn't sure. he was sure, however, that no living being had touched those controls, and that thought sent a shiver up his spine. He decided right then and there that he would never make fun of Carlos and his ghostly friends again. No matter what!211Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2xevsRhGg
