The sun seemed to taunt me into hysteria. This had to be the worst decision I had ever made. I concentrated on my breathing as my heart pounded out of my chest and my fingers molded into the orange bar that sat a foot above my lap. Next to me, my mother sat perfectly still as it went up. Up, up, up the wheels ground into the tracks and the roller coaster flung itself forward. My life flashed before my eyes… right before…. Nothing.
Earlier that morning I’d thrown on my shorts and a t-shirt outfit that I had planned for this special day. I tied my brand new sneakers snugly on my feet, and clasped my lucky bracelet on my wrist. I was definitely prepared for the worst; after all it’s not every day you get to go on the World’s Most Dangerous Coaster. (At least that’s what it seemed like to me…)
Excitement mixed with energy caused me to practically jump out the car window when we pulled into the parking lot. I bounded straight towards the entrance while my family tagged along behind me. The rod-iron gates stood right in front of me and a sign was taped up to one of them that said,
“OPENS AT 9.” I briefly considered trying to rip through the gates with a crowbar but I couldn’t find one. Darn. Only fifteen minutes left to wait. This was going to be a long fifteen minutes.

“DING DONGGGGG DING!!!!” the sound ripped through the air and the gates creaked open.
Rides lined the sides of the streets and big-nosed clowns with mile-high legs wobbled all over the place. Workers positioned themselves at cotton candy and popcorn stands, ready for the first wave of customers. Staff worked unflaggingly to get trash in trash cans and clean up the animal pens. Horses came galloping towards their stables to begin the rodeo and automobiles were being set into place on their grand pedestals. Technicians finished wiring the flashing neon signs and the streets shimmered against the summer sun.
At the very edge of the park I spotted it. The Titan looked so peaceful, sitting there, waiting for its first victim to sit upon its seats. Its malicious tactic was to horrify riders into absolute denial. To make them think that the ride was “phenomenal.”
The line was short, and the people that were there looked just as anxious as I felt. One man was holding hands with a girl that looked that she might pass out at any given moment. Six high school students were arguing over who was sitting where. (That was the least of my problems…) A girl about my age climbed right on in the seat and calmly sat down, just as if this was her daily routine. From the looks of her, it might’ve been.
I climbed in ever so carefully and pulled the safety bar onto our laps. My mother sat next to me. The worker on the intercom announced,
“The ride will start in 3…..2…..1!!!!” I almost lost my breakfast. The roller coaster shot forward and my breathing sped up with every turn of the wheels. I was jolted around in my seat. My mom clutched my hand and pushed me down into the squishy seat beneath me. If I was lucky, I might make it through the ride conscious, but even that had very slim odds.
It was going great until the first hill came around. The long treacherous way up, I looked down at the huge trucks that had shrunk to toy cars. My stomach churned at the thought of the drop, and my hands broke into a cold sweat. My legs shook violently as I pressed them into the front of the car. Reality was ripped out from under me like a tablecloth at a restaurant. The bright track disappeared and everything went black, the rough jerking smoothed out and my mind wandered to “la la land.” I felt my hair swing this way and that. I heard the pleasurable screams of the passengers in the surrounding cars. The familiar scent of over-buttered popcorn mixed with cotton candy filled my nose. But I didn’t see anything.
A few seconds later I awoke on the cold concrete floor that must’ve been painted with candy and soda. “OWWWWW!!!” I screamed as someone slapped me across the face.
“Oops… sorry!” my brother mumbled once he realized I was already awake. I gave him a dirty look and glanced around for any sign that I was still in the park but my view was obstructed by a tall shadow.
“Oh my goodness honey! Are you okay? You looked like a ghost!” Sure enough my overprotective mother was standing right next to me. Behind her I could see the dark blue tracks of another coaster shimmering into view. Yep, I was still at the unforgiving place.
Great I had my fun, I wanted to leave. My brothers were all giddy from the teacups and cotton candy they’d crammed into their mouths. Gathering my strength, I managed to stumble to my feet just in time to hear the ear piercing CRACK of the Titan as it went around again.
I almost went deaf from the thunderous roars of the coasters around me. The shrill screams of passengers, the excessive laughter of the children on the bumper cars, and the music blaring through loud speakers. Why couldn’t I go on a decent roller coaster without blacking out?! I clenched my fists and straightened my arms at my sides. My teeth ground together and I stomped towards the front gates that had once looked so happy. Now those gates were laughing at me, in a cruel, sickly manner. I whipped my whole body around and hissed,
“I’ll be in the car.”