Vinegar Hill Horror

"I am never going camping with you again," Charlie announced as they walked home. Jen looked hurt.
"Oh! Why not?!"
"Because you made me do everything! You didn't cook, or light the fire, or put up the tent."
"That's because I can't do any of those things. I tried to, but you just got mad and took over from me. Also, I helped to carry firewood."
"Complaining the whole time about bugs and splinters."
"They were everywhere!"
"That's what camping is," Charlie sighed. "It's about getting closer to nature, not about sleeping all day and using all the torch batteries to listen to the radio."
Jen laughed, and kicked a piece of trash in her friend's direction.
"You know there's nobody else you'd want to go with."
Charlie grunted in what may have been agreement.
"Let's get ice-cream," she said suddenly. "I haven't had ice-cream in ages.""You had one on the way to the camp-site," Jen pointed out.
"Yes, well, that hardly counts. Anything you eat while exercising doesn't count." Her eyes dared Jen to disagree.
"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it looks like the store is closed." She pointed.

"What?!" Charlie shrieked, pressing her face up against the dusty window. The unlit interior was dim in the late afternoon sunlight, and clearly not occupied.
"Why?" Charlie asked, throwing up her hands dramatically. "Why would they do this to me?"
"I'm not sure that it was aimed specifically at you," Jen said soothingly, almost managing to hide a giggle.
"Now that I think of it, it is a little quiet today," Charlie said, looking around slowly. "There's nobody around and everything's shut."
"Maybe they're all dead?" Jen suggested cheerfully. Charlie responded with a glare.
"Maybe they're at the circus. That was meant to be in town this weekend, right?"
"Yeah," Jen agreed, sounding almost disappointed.
"They've got elephants, and tigers and stuff," Charlie pointed out. "And sideshow games. Maybe we should go check it out?"As if to confirm their theory a roar of delighted screams rose up from the direction of the fairgrounds where the circus always set up. Jen sighed - their homes were in the other direction, and she'd really been looking forward to a hot shower.
"Alright. Before they pack up.""Maybe they're selling ice-creams?" Charlie said, laughing. "Don't look so upset. We'll go home and clean up after they're gone. This is pretty much the most exciting thing to ever happen in this town."
"True," Jen admitted as they set off to the sound of distant screaming and laughter.