Immediately I knew I wanted it. No. I needed it. The little boy carrying it smirked at me. He knew.
Unfortunately, I had a prior engagement to attend to and little time to hunt down where it had come from. I had already lost the smug child in the crowd, and there would have been serious repercussions had I snatched it from him.
I sped walked through the carnival grounds, looking frantically for it. Past a Hawaiian hut. Past numerous booths advertising their wilted churros. Past biergarten after stage after pommes booth after biergarten.
I had to find it today. I couldn't waste time tomorrow when I returned looking for it.This was my holy grail. This was what I had wanted my whole life. I only now realized it.
I wanted it more than a fat baby emperor penguin. I wanted it more than a pre-pinappled baby. I wanted it more than I wanted naturally electric blue hair.
I searched.
I stopped everywhere.
I peered into booths selling everything from scarfs in July to hollowed out bread on a stick.
I gestured around frantically and spoke in broken German to anyone who paused to listen.
They didn't understand my panic.
They didn't understand how badly I needed this.
It was so hot. I was sweating. My eyes darted around furiously. I had checked every square inch of the promenade where the carnival was set up. I was ready to give up.
Finally. I approached one last booth. There was nothing remarkable about it. In fact, there were over a dozen other booths that looked exactly the same. I was even sure I had checked it already.
But then, I saw it. Glowing. Radiating. Screaming my name.
I had found it.
Saturday afternoon could not come fast enough. I biked as fast as I could, leaving a zig zag trail of dust and gravel behind me. I hastily locked up my bike and wiped the sweat off my forehead.
I made a beeline for the promenade.
I walked.
And walked.
And walked.
Surely, it had been closer yesterday.
Surely, I must have passed it already.
I stopped and backtracked. In my haste I must have overlooked it. It couldn't have disappeared, right? I had waited all my life for this. I couldn't come this close and not get it.
Finally I saw the cursive lettering. The pink candy stripes. I pushed people out of my path as I made my way towards it. Old people. Children. I didn't care. This was the holy grail, after all.
The woman asked if I wanted it now or later.
As though "later" was an option.
Ha.
I refrained from grabbing it from her as she reached over the counter to give it to me. I even walked to the beach, where I was able to sit down and fully enjoy the fruit of my hunt.
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| That is the edge of my phone case. NOT a hipster vignette. It also came with a smurf gummy. |
