Go Get Charlie George R. Frost   © Copyright 2024 by George R. Frost

Photo by Melvina Mak on Unsplash

At the bottom are the prizes you covet. You know you will think about them long after you have left the arcade. Bugs Bunny, Spongebob Squarepants, Bart Simpson, Dora the Explorer, Baby Yoda, Buzz Lightyear, Shrek, you know they are all there. Just one of them would be a great addition to the collection you have lined up on the pillow of your bed.

Even the music attracts your attention with its bubbly, bouncy, melodic tune that reminds you of Saturday morning when you’d spend the morning slurping down bowlfuls of cereal as you watched Nickelodeon until the late afternoon.

No matter how many times you try to walk away, something always brings you back. Sure you check out all of the other attractions, but temptation is just too strong.

So you walk over to the token machine. You have a few dollar bills in your wallet. You take out one of the bills and put it into the token machine. Once the machine has possession of your dollar, you hear four tokens fall into the receiving port. You open the portal and remove the tokens. You put one of the tokens into the slot and watch the claw begin to tremble. Quickly you put your hands on the controls and watch the claw descend down, down, down until the metal brushes up against Woody’s boot. He is within reach. You maneuver the claw. You see Woody’s leg lift as the claw grasps it. You have him now.

But then as you move the claw, it opens and releases Woody who falls back into the pile of the other stuffed characters.

Cursing your poor luck, you put another token into the slot and start all over again. The results are the same. Were you expecting something different? You know what they say, “Insanity is doing the same thing all over again and expecting different results.”

It was a snowy day in Eagle River, Alaska during the holidays. My kids were jittery and bored to death. We needed to get out of the house for a couple of hours. My wife was at work at the clinic. I was on winter break from the University of Anchorage, Alaska, but I would be going back to classes in two more days. I was tired of studying for the next semester and the kids began to cheer when I announced that we were going to the arcade.

“Get dressed.” I instructed. Both of them disappeared only to reappear a few minutes later fully dressed and ready to walk out the door. “You each get five dollars, but once it’s gone, that’s it.”

They both understood this and readily agreed to my terms. We got on our winter coats and boots. Opening the door, we were greeted with an icy twenty degrees below zero.

“Daddy, I want to play some games.” My youngest declared.

“Are you big enough?” I asked as I started the car. The ice cold engine growled its disapproval, but after a few minutes, it turned over blowing out black smoke from the tailpipe.

“Yes, I am.” She declared.

“Alright.” I nodded, putting the car in gear.

The drive from our house on Klondike Circle in Chugiak to the Arcade in Eagle River normally took about ten minutes. Under the current weather conditions, however, it took us about twenty minutes that included some rear wheel spin outs and front wheel swerves, but we managed to pull into the icy parking lot. The white world around us was so overwhelming, I felt I was about to go snow-blind from the short jaunt to the arcade. Excitement rippled each of us as we exited the car. I was excited just to get my toes warm again.

Inside the Eagle River Adventure Land as it was officially known, I felt the first wave of heat and I was so happy, I wiggled all ten toes.

Both of my kids jumped into the pool of plastic balls. The arcade had ten ball pits as they were known for the kids to go swimming in a pool of plastic balls. I paid five dollars for each kid for this privilege, but there were adult chairs and a snack bar to suck more money out of my wallet.

I chose a chair where I could keep an eye on both of them. The other parents were also camped out in the uncomfortable plastic chairs. Everyone of the parents looked bored or perturbed for some reason or other. Cabin Fever is a real thing and it is usually followed by Seasonal Affective Disorder, known as SAD. And yes, it is just as the acronym says: SAD.

Some of the parents don’t even bother taking off their warm clothing. They just sit there nodding off from time to time.

The music being piped in is strictly for the under five-years-old crowd and will drive you nuts if you start to seriously listen to it.

After a few hectic minutes, my oldest asked if he could go into the arcade to spend the money I had given them.

“Sure.” I nodded, “Just remember when you run out of Danera, that’s it.”

“Yes, daddy.” My oldest nodded before dashing into the arcade while my youngest squealed with delight as she dove into the plastic balls.

When I felt my youngest was happily engaged in the plastic ball jumping activities, I strolled into the arcade to see how things were going. My oldest, with tongue stuffed in one corner of her mouth, was skillfully maneuvering the claw into position. I watched it come down over one of the prizes in the bottom of the glass cage. The metal talons hovered over Shrek, but when she tried to yank it from the pile, it closed empty. There was a groan of disappointment.

“I had it.” She said almost in tears.

“Are you gonna try again?” I asked.

She shrugged, “Not unless you give me more money.”

“Sorry honey, you agreed to the deal.” I shook my head. She sat down in one of the chairs to pout.

Just then two sisters entered the arcade.

“Are you sure?” The youngest one tugged on the sleeve of her sister’s hoody.

“Yes Amanda, I am sure. Mom said I could play.” The older one proclaimed.

“Okay.” She said tentatively as she eyed the claw. “I don’t know about this, Margaret.”

“Hush up Amanda.” She shushed her sister as she began to maneuver the claw. Like everyone I had ever seen working the controls, she managed to get the claw to hover over one of the stuffed cartoon characters. Just as she pressed the button, the claw released the captive and the stuffed cartoon character fell back into the heap. “Man, I was so close.”

“Margaret, I think we should leave.” Her sister tugged on her sister’s sleeve.

“Suck it, Amanda. I’m not leaving until I get Ariel down there.” She jabbed her finger on the glass.

I wanted to tell her that her quest was futile at best. Since coming here on countless occasions, I had never seen a single person snag one of the stuffed cartoon characters in the glass cage. I had no doubt that the claw was always the winner and no matter how many tokens you put in that machine, it would not yield a single prize.

Again, Amanda put a token in the slot and again she worked the controls. Without hesitation, the claw descended over one of the figures and closed around the mermaid.

“I've got her!” Margaret squealed as Amanda's eyes went wide.

“You’ve got her.” Amanda proclaimed in victory, but once again the claw failed to secure the prize as Ariel dropped all the way from the top of the cage.

“Noooo.” Wailed Margaret.

“You were so close.” Amanda appeared as if she was just about ready to shed some tears on her sister’s behalf.

“I know.” Margaret growled through clenched teeth.

“Are you going to try again?” Amanada stood on her tippy toes in order to have a better look.

“Yesssss.” Hissed her sister as she put another token into the slot. Again with perfect aplomb, she took the controls and guided the claw over the target. With her tongue stuck at the corner of her mouth, the claw began to descend over the mermaid. The ominous shadow of the prongs covered the mermaid. The shiny metal closed around the stuffed mermaid as Margaret allowed herself a victory smile. I watched as the mermaid was lifted heavenward. With the steering wheel, she moved the claw to the chute where the mermaid would be deposited as a well-earned prize. I don’t know what happened, but there was a bump and the mermaid fell back into the heap.

“Nooooo fair!” Margaret bumped her head against the glass.

“Oh no, Margaret.” Amanda was quick to console, “What do we do now?”

Without a moment's hesitation, Margaret turned to her younger sister and said in a very somber voice, “Go get Charlie.”

Amanda turned on her heel, nodded and exited the arcade while Margaret kept her eyes glued on the mermaid. I could hear her whisper, “I’ll get you yet.”

I so wanted to tell her that her quest was futile and that the mermaid would escape yet again no matter what she did. I had been to my share of fairs and parks where these games of chance entice the wary into foolishly parting with their money for just the prospect of walking away with a well-earned prize. But the fact is, this is not how these games are designed. They don’t want you to win. Winning does not help them, only losing. I knew this. I have seen it time and time again where it looks easy, like anyone can do it, but then once the game starts, it’s too late. There is no reversing fortune and once fate has you wrapped up in its claw, you become another victim in a long list.

There was nothing I could do to dissuade her. Her mind was set. I don’t know who this Charlie was who was supposed to redeem her, but I feared he too would disappoint her. Once he had lassoed the mermaid in the claw, once again the claw would relinquish the captive.

After a few short minutes, a small boy entered the arcade. He was just a few inches taller than Amanda who was behind him and a few inches shorter than Margaret.

“Hi, Charlie.” Margaret’s face filled with a wide smile.

“Whacha need?” He asked, pushing his oversized ball cap to the back of his head revealing a thick head of curly chestnut colored hair.

This was Charlie? He was only a tyke of a kid. He grabbed the step stool so he could peer into the glass cage where the claw loomed menacingly overhead. Without a moment’s equivocation, Charlie put the token in the slot. I watched eagerly as the boy took charge of the controls. With a couple of sharp twists and turns, the mermaid was grabbed and secured by the claw. With a steady turn of the wheel, the mermaid hovered over the prize chute. With a final jab, the claw released the mermaid into the chute where Margaret opened the door and embraced her prize.

I stood there slack-jawed, totally amazed at the boy’s skill and decisiveness.

“Thank you, Charlie.” She landed a kiss on the boy’s chubby cheeks still clutching her mermaid.

“No sweat, don’t mention it.” He shrugged trying to minimize the whole ordeal.

Margaret held her Ariel mermaid out at arm’s length to admire the prize Charlie had won for her. The three of them exited the arcade, mission accomplished.

A few minutes later, my kids entered the arcade as I was still awestruck by Charlie’s accomplishment. I knew that this was not the first time they had called Charlie to work his magic and I doubt it would be the last.

Sometimes when you least expect it, magic will happen right in front of your eyes. My advice to you is to be ready when it does.