My friends rush into the stagnant array of thrill seekers while I slowly follow behind without looking back. My stomach sinks with every high pitched screech that follows the free fall plummet towards earth, Falcon’s Fury. After our eternity-long hike around Busch Gardens Amusement Park, this is the last thing I want to face in this Florida heat. Previous coasters that once highlighted our day did not justify our need for speed, but I seem to have reached my limit with this monster.
The colossal drop tower branches across the heavens until my eyes meet the harsh rays of sunlight. I glance back to my friends for reassurance, but all I see is a grin creep across each face when fear flourishes on mine. After conquering many other extreme roller coasters throughout the day, chickening out on this one would be a complete embarrassment. My friends stare at me with humourous concern, “You sure you’re good?” Tanner questions once more. “Yeah I’m fine. It’s no big deal, dude,” I reassure him. I tried to convince myself more than him. As the line inches closer and closer to the death drop, we all got a better look at what this Falcon was so mad about.
This monstrous ride captures every person into a harness, shoots them into the sky, and plunges them back to their rightful stance on earth. After watching a handful of victims, we suddenly realized that halfway up the ride faces each person to the ground, Superman style. In one instance, I hear my friends amp up their excitement with unnecessary hollering as I try to catch my breath.
All of a sudden the extensive line condenses to a mere five people ahead of me, each of them anticipating telling me, “I told you it would be fun.” The scruffy park worker leads us to our death row and demonstrates the proper way to fasten our harnesses. I sink low into my seat on the ride; there is no turning back now. I can barely see my best friend on the other side of me, so I buckle my harness as tight as possible. I can feel my heart speed up, and my chicken tender lunch float up to the suspense that hangs above me. My feet slowly float farther and farther from their preferable place on earth. I look outward and see the beautiful Florida horizon, allowing me to forget my anxiety. After what seems like an hour of gradual levitation, I look towards the top seeking an end to my distress, but to my dismay, the journey upward has not reached halfway. As soon as I look forward again, the falcon immediately redirects our attention to the ground where we started. All of my weight presses on my harness, and panic consumes me. I never thought my life would ever have to rely solely on the securrance of an amusement park harness. All of the tourists are easily confused with specks of dust, but I find my sister on the ground waving up. My immature friends start spitting towards the ground, watching their spit foully fall towards the earth just as we would. The recurring question of why I allow disgusting seventeen year old boys influence my decisions that lead to inevitable regrets in life, like this ride, swarms my mind as I allow peer pressure once again take the win.
The feeling of terror instantly overcomes disgust as the expedition upward halts. The six of us impatiently dangle in the air, towering above the state of Florida, waiting for our moment of doom. We all become silent and wait an eternity to face the Falcon’s Fury. Finally, we are dramatically released and instantaneously plummet back to earth. All I feel is the rush of gravity and Patrick’s spit hitting my thigh, gross. Before I know it the two second free fall is completed and I return to my upright position in the seat. I look towards my sister with a sigh of relief, who waited to congratulate my survival after the ride. I jump out of my secure seat and attempt to reinstall feeling into my jelly legs. I begin to walk away until I feel Randall pull me back. “I told you so,” he declared. “Who said I didn’t think it would be fun?” I replied, failing to convince them. We quickly turn around to get in line again, and thanks to them I do not regret it.