I slathered the sunscreen on my face and shoulders. I could hardly contain the little sparks of electricity running through my spine. This was it: the day that I’ve dreamed about, ever since I was a kid.  I checked my makeup and smoothed out my dress; everything had to be perfect because this was the day; the day where I could relive being a kid. I grabbed my purse and my room key, and with that, I stepped out the door.
My family and I took a shuttle to get to our destination. The shuttle was cramped and musty and all I could hear was my grandma complaining about the heat, so I fell asleep to pass the time. When I woke up, it was right there: Disneyworld.
We had to walk a bit and take a few monorails, but we finally reached Magic Kingdom. The park bustled with thousands of people, and you could smell fresh baked snickerdoodles. The sky was a beautiful robin’s egg blue and the weather was extremely sunny and scorching hot. You could tell that it was going to a good, no, great day.
My dad had planned out what rides we were going to do first. I was in charge of the map so I led the way to Tomorrowland. Tomorrowland was a sci-fi landscape and home of the legendary Space Mountain, which coincidentally was the first ride of the day. We used our Fast Passes to get into the enormous metal mountain.
We walked up a dark hallway and there were neon lights everywhere. Goosebumps appeared on my arms as cold air was blasted through the vents.
We reached the front of the line after five minutes; Gia, Talia, Hailey, and I were about to get into the next car. Gia, Talia, and I hopped into the car without hesitating, but Hailey stopped dead in her tracks.
“I-I-I can’t do this. No- I can’t,” she stuttered as she pushed her way back through the crowd.
“Oh, come on!” I yelled after her, but it was too late. She disappeared in the dark.
I shrugged; her loss, I guess. The car suddenly jerked forward and started to move slowly forward. In seconds, the car picked up speed and we flew down a tunnel of bright, swirling lights. My hair whipped back and my stomach was tight, not from fear, but from pure excitement. My heartbeat accelerated. I felt like there was nothing underneath me; I was flying in pitch black. As we sped swiftly around loops and down drops, I closed my eyes and let out a happy scream into the darkness.
Earlier that month, Dad and I were deciding on what restaurant to eat at for lunch. He let me choose, and I picked out “The Crystal Palace”. So after we finished riding Space Mountain, we trekked over to the Crystal Palace. We entered a glass pavilion-like building only to see Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore. I felt a tidal wave of nostalgia slam into me; these characters were my best friends during the years I was bullied. I remembered hugging my stuffed Pooh bear tightly as I cried after she called me names. I would tell Pooh all about how I hated being weird and different and about how I sat alone during lunch. I had almost forgotten all about them up until now.
When we were all settled down and had ordered our drinks, we went over to the buffet area. I filled my lungs with the mouthwatering scents that lingered in the air. I piled my plate with baked salmon topped with Asian pesto that just melted in your mouth, sweet steamed carrots, savory sautéed green beans, and buttery yeast rolls. I had never eaten such amazing food in my entire life.
Every thirty minutes, a Winnie the Pooh character came around to take pictures with each table. I felt so happy when I took my picture with each character, and I nearly cried when each character hugged me, especially Winnie the Pooh. It was as if I had reverted back to six-year old Ellery; to her, hugging Winnie the Pooh was like hugging her best friend. I knew she missed him so much.
When we finished lunch and walked out of the door, I felt tears roll down my cheeks as I waved goodbye to Pooh bear. It felt like I was saying goodbye to my childhood right then and there. But as I walked away and wiped my tears, I smiled. I walked over to my dad and gave him a hug.
“What’s this for, Rozie?”
“I just wanted to say thanks for letting me choose lunch. I got to see my old friend again.”
After a full day of happiness, our tired, throbbing feet walked out of Magic Kingdom. The sky turned into a midnight blue as we took the shuttle back to the hotel. I thought about the events that took place that day and about how much fun it all was. As the car’s movement lulled me back and forth, I closed my eyes and dreamed about the place where dreams come true.