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Here's a painting that I made around 10 years ago. It's hanging in a small front room. Today the painting reminds me of a carnival. All the colors and shapes. I no longer work in that style. And never will in the future. Carnivals. I recall the times in Iowa when the yearly Royal American Shows would come to town. It's taken me fifty years to solve this mystery: at the carnival you'd see these young men, apparently high school boys, carrying huge stuffed teddy bears in their arms, walking alongside pretty girls. They won them at the gaming booths. I'd be with my girl friend and she'd point it out. "Ohh...look at the teddy bear! I want one!" Then I'd try to win her one, too. And I'd fail and lose my money. But who were these guys, anyway? I didn't recognize any of them. And I pretty much knew every high school kid in town. Then it finally hit me. They were hired by the carnival. They were actual carnies. And they were used to fish us in, and empty our pockets. We were dumb hicks who didn't know better. My friends and I never won a huge stuffed teddy bear for our dates. The games were fixed. Why did it take me so long to see through the con? So oblivious. After all this time.