baron & crow serial: chapter two

--------Surf Avenue is a tougher street to cross than most realize, especially when it’s jammed with cops, pointless paramedics, boys from the morgue and the international press all on their way down to the shore to get a glimpse of the tourist girl's bloated body.
--------I stepped out of Nathan's, the subway station in view, trying to push my way through the on rush. In the midst of the oncoming crowd I spotted Hoffmann from the Frankfurter Zeitung. If there was anyone that I didn’t want to see today it was him. I turned around, hoping to duck back into the hot dog joint before he caught sight of me. I hadn't gone more than a few feet when Brother and Sister, clinging tightly to each other stepped in front of me.
--------"Have you seen our parents?" they asked in unison.
--------"You two have got to give it up. It's been years. They're not coming back."
--------It had been at least forty years in fact since their parents had abandoned them on the steeplechase. They still hadn’t come to grips with that fact. I had more important things to worry about than their abandonment. Hoffmann was getting closer. I had to get a move on it. I tried to step around them, but they kept blocking my way.
--------"Let's get out of here," I said. "I'll get you some choco and ice."
--------"That'll be so nice," they declared in harmony.
--------We headed towards the boardwalk, pulled along with the masses. I lost sight of Hoffmann, but I realized that I would have to be more cautious if I wanted to make it out of Coney Island in one piece.
--------Brother and Sister were delighted with their choco and ice, but it wasn't enough. They wanted to ride the rides, and without parental support it was hard for them to get up the cash for the fare. They weren't going to let me go until they had a bit more fun.
--------We headed to the Ferris wheel and got on.
They'd have their fun, and I would be able to get a clear lay of the land.
--------"We haven't seen you out here in such a long time." Brother looked at me coldly, running a hand through his long graying beard while still holding tight to his sister with the other.
--------"Things aren't the same down here. The freaks aren't what they were."
--------"Have you seen our Mommy and Daddy?" Sister asked, fixing her lipstick with her free hand.
--------I looked out over Coney Island. We were at the top of the rotation. The whole of the beach was covered with morbid thrill seekers hoping to catch a glimpse of the tourist girl's bloated body. I was too far up to spot Hoffmann in the crowd.
--------"Have you seen our Mommy and Daddy?" Sister screamed.
--------"I heard that they moved to Florida when old Abe Beame lost control of the city."
--------Not being up on local politics, past or present, my remark left her bewildered.
--------"But you have seen Prima Ballerina." Brother said this in such a casual manner I couldn't help but suspect that he knew more than he should. "Let me tell you something," he continued. "We know a hell of a lot more than you."
--------"I know how to play hopscotch," Sister cut in.
--------"And I know how to play pin the tail on the donkey," Brother stated, cutting off his sister. "I know about cuckoos and I know about the Swiss.”
--------"You should never trust the Swiss." Sister put her lipstick back into her purse.
--------"You're telling me, Sister."
-------- “That Prima Ballerina..."
--------We came to the end of the ride. The door opened and I bolted out, not caring to hear whatever they had to say about Prima Ballerina, the Swiss, or cuckoo clocks.