By: Vanessa Woodson

Trembling I coil my sweaty tiny fingers around my dad’s hand. We wait in line listening to all the people shouting at the top of their lungs as they descend from the high tops. I watch the cart begin to swirl and twirl like a ballerina all the way down to a sudden STOP. I turn my nervous eyes to meet my dad’s.

I say, “Daddy I don’t want to I’m too scared”.

He responds by saying “Sweetheart it will be okay, it’s just a little fun”. 

The smiling riders get off the cart weak in the knees. The line inched forward and I knew we would be next. My heart begins to pump faster and faster as if it were going to leap out of my chest. As the next cart leaves our cart pulls up and starts to load. My dad tells the loader “We’ll take the first row”. So we shift our way up in the tiny cart and the ride begins to start. With a click of the buckle, we are ready to go. The loaders come around and tug to make sure we are in.

 “We are ready to go” they shout upfront. 

 The microphone comes on “Welcome riders to…”  I find my way to my dad’s hand once again and squeeze really tight and he looks at me and says “It will be alright”. The gears shift forward and with a sudden jolt the cart tips back and inches up the track. I get an even worse gut-wrenching feeling. Soon we are at the top and down, down, down we go and my stomach jumps into my throat. I squeeze my eyes shut so I won’t look below. The wind is whipping through my curls and I feel my dad’s hand let go. He throws his hands up and screams “Yippee.” I hesitate. But then I open my eyes as we twirl and swirl and whirl through the hot summer air. 

Screeeeeeeech.

 I finally catch my breath. Woah. What. Just. Happened. With a click of the buckle, I am free. I get up and I’m weak in the knees. I grab my dad’s hand as we climb out and walk wobbly-kneed to the picture station.

“So what did you think sweetheart?” says my dad.

I respond, “Daddy it was so fun let’s do it again!”

“See I knew you’d like it lets go find some more rides!”

We get to the picture station and look around. We see flashes of people’s facials expressions on the big screen. We continue to walk and eventually look to see cart A1. We begin to burst out into laughter as we see a crying terrified me and a smiling man with his hands up in the air. 

“Are you sure you liked the ride?? Your face in the picture looks terrified. We have to keep this one and get it framed”, my dad said in a chuckling manner.

“I did I did I promise I did”, I say.