I forgot about Dr. Von Hausen, and everything else. I had to get that ring back!
I went around the corner Darren has gone around just moments before. And I saw him talking to Connie Jenkins, one of the most popular girls at school. She was also the biggest snob in my class. She was saying something to Darren, something nasty, I figured. And then, I saw Darren say something, and Connie got a funny look on her face, like someone had just goosed her.
Then, suddenly, Connie's clothing melted off of her body. She didn't even have shoes or her jewelry on. She laid down naked on her stomach, her feet up in the air. Her body took on a -- sheen, I guess you'd call it. And she became stiff.
Next thing I knew, something was GROWING under Connie's stomach. It was a metal stand, and I could see Connie was definitely no longer human, because, as it lifted her off the ground, she stayed in the position she had been in moments before.
Then, under the stand, something big began to grow. It was a base made of metal or concrete. It was about six by four feet on the bottom, though the top was smaller by a foot on each side. A box, a COIN DEPOSIT box, I soon realized, was also growing out of the base. Finally, words appeared on the side of the base:
RIDE THE WILD BITCH! 25 cents
Darren had turned Connie into a cheap kiddie ride like you see in an arcade at a mall!
He stared, smiling nastily at his handiwork, and I had an awful feeling that Connie was still able to think and see, and all too aware of her new state of existence! And I wondered -- would he get on her back and ride her?