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The first time Angel drove up to Agua Dulce, he hadn’t even known about the theme park.
He checked the website before he left. The structures looked impressive, as if straight off of a movie set.
With a shrug, he punched the directions into his navigation app and set out on his way. He was after answers not nostalgia, but if his contact wanted them to play tourist for a day, that was fine with him.
“Come on out, Jupe! Your friend’s here.” Amber’s cheerful voice called him to the window, and he looked down below with a furrowed brow.
The first time Ricky saw Angel in the flesh, he was standing by the P.O. Box, looking lost, phone held out in a way that usually made him anxious.
He tended to fret when he saw a visitor looking perplexed. Were they sharing some sort of grievance about the park? They could be uploading some poorly-lit photo or worse, an unfavorable Google review.
“That’s the guy, right? The one you met online?”
Ricky nodded at Amber. He’d told her everything, and with her keen attention to detail, he was sure that there could be no mistake.
She patted him on the shoulder, and not for the first time, Jupe was glad to have such a supportive business partner.
“Have a great time out there. He’s totally going to be impressed! You’ll see.”
Today it seemed he would be putting his best face forward for the guy from Fry’s.
He rushed down the stairs from the office and greeted him at the entrance, wondering if he should have said more about the location when they’d set up the meeting. His guest was spending more time looking up at the clouds than admiring the attractions.
Nevertheless, the show must go on. He was grateful to all the people who came out to support Jupiter’s claim to fame.
“Angel,” he called out as he approached cautiously. “It’s me, Ricky. Nice to finally meet you.” His visitor’s eyes lit up as they shook hands in greeting.
“Wow, it’s you. You’re him! You’re the guy. That cartoon on the website looks just like your character.”
Much better. Angel had a nice way about him, and he liked the look of his frosted tips. Any misgivings he once had about meeting up with a guy he only knew through DMs evaporated immediately.
“Yep.” A wave of relief washed over him at the recognition. He clapped his hands together and grinned broadly.
“We’re technically closed today, so you’re getting the full tour. Well then, should we start?”
They strode further into the grounds together, and he saw that Angel’s gaze was drawn at once to the Winking Well. He walked toward the center of the park and circled the device’s perimeter with curiosity. The mid morning sun beat down on them as he shaded his eyes with his hand.
“This is a camera?”
“That’s right. State of the art,” Ricky said proudly as he followed his footsteps.
“How do I uh, work it?”
“You’re gonna need some of these.” Ricky was prepared with a handful of faux gold coins stamped with a lucky horseshoe.
“Jupe’s Jangle. Normally, the guests have to play a game to earn ‘em” He held out the gleaming currency he’d brought invitingly. “Go on, give it a try.”
“Whoa, uh, thanks.” Angel took them gratefully. Following the directions on the sign, he quickly worked out how the contraption ought to work.
“Get in the picture!” he shouted excitedly as he pulled the crank and ran to the other side of the well.
No time to protest. Ricky took the space across from him and looked down right before the bulb flashed.
As it turned out, the resulting photo had him in the exact same spot he’d been in in all those promo posters. Angel wore a look of stunned surprise, but in his own eyes there was a hint of melancholy that he hoped no one else would notice.
They headed for the theatre next. As promised, the space provided respite from the heat and a full slate of Kid Sheriff-related infotainment. Angel was glad for a reprieve, and it gave him time to organize his thoughts, mostly about Jupe.
He hadn’t been aware of his online friend’s celebrity status until today. It wasn't like they'd used real names, only handles. His host seemed genuinely excited about the whole experience of inviting him here, or if not he was a way better actor than anyone had given him credit for.
“You know, I really appreciate all the special treatment,” he told him, hoping that he sounded genuine. Jupe just smiled again.
They hit up the concession stand together, and Jupe let him make his selections, serving him in place of the attendant that would usually be working the counter.
“Nice flavors,” he said, and Jupe seemed gratified.
“Glad you’re enjoying it.”
Angel took a sip of his drink and let out a refreshed “Ahhh” at the ice cold sweetness of the cactus ICEE. He carried the carton of popcorn for them into the theater and they went to their seats, the only two people in the audience.
His guest seemed perfectly happy, so why was he so nervous? Ricky fidgeted in his chair, hoping Angel wouldn’t pick up on his discomfort.
The playlist was in between films, so the video that played was Jupe’s welcome message.
Suddenly he was nine years old again, a child actor trying to please any and everyone. Please don’t hate me. Please watch my movies. Please come to my park and make me feel like I’m actually someone worth watching.
“...and thank you again for visiting. Have a great day now.” His celluloid self waved merrily as the screen faded to black.
“Nice video,” Angel said, sitting up in his chair.
“You know you have tears in your eyes.” His heart leaped in his chest as he realized Angel’s face was very close to his own.
“What?” Jupe started, coming out of his daze and wiping his eyes immediately. “Oh, um. Allergies. The dust gets crazy out here.” He sniffed and awkwardly pretended to search for something on the ground, not daring to look up at Angel.
“We can talk now, right? About the UFO hotspot you were telling me about?” Angel hurriedly changed the subject, and Jupe tried to believe he had just imagined the pity he'd heard in his voice.
“Sure. I’ve got time.”
They continued their discussions from online. Grays versus greens. Roswell. Why they called them UAPs now. Project Bluebook. All the things that Jupe had really had on his mind all these months.
Angel had come to this place in search of something. Even now, Ricky was struggling to figure out how to tell him that he’d already found it.
“You really think they look like that, or were they just misidentified baby barn owls?” he mused. It gave Ricky second thoughts about showing him his prototype for the The Viewers’ plushie design.
Angel talked so much that his throat dried out and he’d had to get him another ICEE. On the house. Ricky noticed how his eyes were lit up with enthusiasm. He was cute. And also dead set on getting him to watch “Ancient Aliens” on the History Channel.
His guest opened up about himself as well, and Ricky found that he liked hearing about his takes on rock genres and his collections of band tees.
He realized he wanted to kiss him.
Ricky hesitated. The guy was looking for extraterrestrials, not love. He hadn’t even told him about the Spectacle yet.
He had always been afraid to act on impulse, lest he give a bad impression. But Angel’s presence made him feel bolder today. He steeled himself. Now was no time to go back to those days, not when he was finally being vindicated by someone who might actually believe him.
The distance between them shrank to nothing, and there was onlysilence. Jupe felt a pressure push back against lips, something warm and insistent, and his heart soared.
Angel seemed pleased by this close encounter.
Outside in the fresh air, things did feel much less awkward. Just as he was about to bid him farewell, Angel gestured at the sign that led towards the newly-built seating area.
“What’s 'Out Yonder'?” he asked.
Jupe smiled knowingly.
“Come back to visit again, and you might find out.”
He just knew the Viewers meant them no harm.