“Mom?! Dad?!”
  I looked around me as an army of uncivilized creatures surrounded me, making me even more nervous. How was I going to get out of this catastrophe? Will I ever see my family again? Will I live my life as a atrocious fantasy in Disneyland? Will this happen to me again?  Eight and afraid, not very mature. Petrified. “It will all get better soon,” I murmured to myself. A phrase my mom always told me that comforted me when I was in a similar state.
Rewind to 10:00 am.
“Come on guys I want to get their before it gets crowded!”
“One second, Naya! I promise you, you will get to ride every single ride in the whole park just be a little patient,” my mom replied.
“I’m sorry, I’m just so excited!”
  Yes, I have to admit, I am just like any other average eight year old. My one wish was to go to Disneyland, the one place where dreams come true. I have had enough of watching advertisements and hearing stories from my friends, about how they got to meet Mickey mouse, and how they danced with Cinderella. It was about time I got to live my fantasy. My dream was finally going to come true.
Disneyland, has trasnsitioned from a dream into a nightmare. I never thought in a million years that I would be sitting on a broken bench, shivering from head to toe, alone, in the dark. It’s funny how your most unexpected thoughts could become a reality.
“Come on its 10:10 a.m. If we leave now we will still be able to buy the tickets and enjoy the rides in the nice cool weather without getting stuck in the traffic, and before the crowds get crazy,” I whined.
“Khalid, are you ready? Did you pack the snacks, sunscreen, and water like I asked you too,” my mother asked.
“Yup and I packed them in the car” replied my Dad.
“Come on let’s go before it gets crowded,” I hollered impatiently.
“Stop whining, I swear to god if you say one more word, I will cancel this whole trip,” my mom responded frustratingly. “Fine, fine I’ll be quiet.”
How did I get myself into this mess? I never knew I could be this reckless. I knew that sitting on a park bench won’t help and that I would have to take responsibility for my actions, and go on a conquest looking for my family. I tried to hold back my tears because I knew what attention a puny crying eight year old could get, and I wanted to undo my mistake on my own, just like how I made it. Gently, I wiped my eyes and took a deep breath. I held my head up high. “It will all get better soon,” I murmured to myself. I knew it would.
“I can see it, I can see Disneyland!” are the words I woke up to by my enthusiastic brother. The word “Disneyland” shocked me back to life. “What, where!?” I yelled.
  “Right over their in the corner! Cant you see it? It’s huge!” my brother exclaimed. “Oh wow, for the first time ever I can finally say it looks better in real life.”
The huge signs mesmerized my mind from reality and put me into a world of pure bliss, We were one minute away from the happiest place on earth.
  I looked around looking for a sign of my parents or brother, but sadly: no luck. What was I going to do? Twenty minutes has passed and I was freaking out of my mind; I couldn't imagine how my parents felt right now. Their immature, fragile little kid was lost in one of the biggest amusement parks in the world. I felt ashamed. Ashamed for being too shortsighted, and clueless to lead my family and I in such a abhorrent state.
 We reached the entrance and it was precisely 12:00 pm. Slowly, the ticket booth became more and more crowded: the line grew by the second. We were in a race against time to get to the line before it grew into a swarm of humans fighting for a spot. We reached the ticket booth and were around the 15th people in line. The line took forever; it seemed like a decade until the lady finally said the magic words: “Next, please.”
“It’s about time” I said anxiously, followed by a tiny scolding from my mom telling me to not be rude.
“Someone looks excited,” giggled the lady.
“Oh, she is, trust me, she cant even believe that she is here!” said my dad gleamingly. “You’re right, this still feel likes a dream to me” I replied.
“Haha, you’re going to have the time of your life.” At that time, I knew I would.
Where should I search first? I thought to myself. Okay, maybe I should look near the palace, that’s where I last saw my parents. Wait, or was it Ariel’s Grotto? No, I’m sure it was by the palace. You know what? I’ll look in both places. The last thing I needed was an argument with myself. As I began to walk I remembered one thing: little peculiar me didn't know where one thing was. I was going to cry because of my idiocy. What was I doing? In and out I knew I was a reckless child that couldn't get anything done. What was I trying to achieve? At the end of the day my negligent mind will always guide me to the same place failure. I am a failure.
“Okay, here are your four tickets, go on and have a blast!”
  I took my first step in the charming theme park. It was like taking my first steps for the first time… it was magical. It was more than magical. It was enchanting, fascinating, marvelous, extraordinary. It was a never ending list of positive adjectives. The distinguished and ravishing Minnie Mouse welcomed me with a bewitching smile so glamorous that it can change your mood in a second. I noticed a gigantic grin grow on my face. At that instant, I knew that this was going to be the best day of my life.
 It is officially the worst day of my life. I felt a stream of tears trying to escape from my eyes. This time I couldn't give in, I began to cry. I begin to cry like when I was three, cry like my youthful self. I sat down in the same rigid bench where I thought I could disentangle my false move. However, in reality, I was just a fragile seed that hasn’t bloomed.
“No Zayd! I don't want to go to the haunted house now,!I want to go to the palace and see the princesses.” I argued.
  “What are you too scared! Oh wait I just remembered you’re a scaredy cat,” my brother smirked insultingly.
  “I am not! You know I’m not!”
“Kids stop fighting, I don’t want my vacation to be ruined because you kids don't know how to make up your mind.” my mom pouted.
“Fine, we’ll go to the palace first and see the stupid princesses.”
“Thank you, Zayd,” I said, pleased.
  My huge smirk grew even wider, at the sound of this. I was going to meet my fictional heroes! My day couldn't have gotten any better. I knew that I wasn’t in the real world, I still believed I was in a dream. A dream I hoped to never wake up from.
 I continued to cry, cry out of pity for myself. A small figure began to approach me, “Oh, honey, don't cry, everything is going to be okay.” Her soothing words were like harmonious music to my tiny ears. Her strong arm was like a shield protecting me from the dangerous world keeping me warm. Then, I was more than positive I was going to be okay.
“Oh, you poor doll, you’re shivering! Here, take my jacket. Come follow me- we’re going to go get some help.”
  It was as if my tongue was cut off, even if I tried words wouldn't come out of my mouth. My lips were sealed; something was holding them together, fear. Fear of what? I didn't understand. She held me by my hand and walked me towards a small pink room with a sign that read: “Customer service.”
  “Sit down here, honey. I’m going to bring the manager and see what I can do. Do you want anything? Water, food?” said the kind stranger. My only response was tears, tears that I knew I couldn't hold back.
“Don’t cry darling, it will all get better.” replied the lady. Those were the only words that kept me motivated, just like my mothers words, they gave me hope. A narrow lady with peculiarly long hair, and bright pink nails, stepped out of the office and started pacing towards me in a quick manner. She seemed frustrated that she had to deal with a case like this. However, she held it in because she didn’t want to agitate me. At first, she wanted to break the ice and get to know me. She asked me personal questions, such as my hobbies, and my school. I felt alleviated, that my mind could take a break from worrying about what’s going on.
“Okay, now that we’re friends, do you feel more comfortable with me?”
  I nodded my head deliberately, and I felt a tiny giggle appear on my face. She began to ask me questions about my whereabouts, and where I last saw my family. I wanted to reply, but I couldn't. Everything seemed like a blur, even if I tried I couldn't remember anything that occurred less than an hour ago: it was all a flash in the pan. An unwanted memory. May was her name. It suited her.
“I’m so sorry May but I cant remember where I last was. ”
“I’ll be right back,” May exclaimed as she diligently rushed into the office.
“I have to say, even though I was against coming here at first, this trip is by far one of the most unique trips I’ve ever been on,” my dad smirked.
  “You’re right; we have to start listening to our daughter more often,” replied my mom sarcastically. Our plan was to leave at 7:00 pm, so we wouldn’t reach the hotel too late. The clock ticked 7:00 pm sharp and we all agreed on leaving. Until I remembered…
“Oh wait! I heard that their was going to be a fireworks and character show at 7:00 pm! Apparently they are a must-see by all visitors.”
“I guess, another half an hour won’t hurt. What do you say, Khalid?”
“I really don’t feel like driving in the midst of night... and you know how the traffic gets-” “Please! Please! I beg you!” I pleaded annoyingly.
“Fine, just this one time. I’ll make an exception.,” responded my dad.
May rushed back in the lobby faster than she left. She handed me a neatly folded paper.  “What’s this?” I asked It was quite thick. “Open it and you’ll see,” she winked at me. I unfolded it once then twice, thrice, then four. Finally, a large map of the park appeared in front of me. It was magnificent, with every single corner and peak labeled. It was a bird’s eye view of the park.
“Now that you have the whole park in front of you do you recognize anyplace?” May asked. I placed the map on a lengthy coffee stained table and observed the blueprint. “The Palace… that’s where the show was. The Palace!”
“Were you watching the Fireworks and Character show?”
“Yes... Is that what it’s called?”
  “Oh, silly! Why didn’t you tell me from the beginning? I know exactly where to take you, just follow me!”
“Oh look, I see some empty seats for the show, come quickly before their taken!”
I approached the seats like a racing cheetah and sat on them before it was too late,  I casually spread my arms and legs out, allowing people to know that the seats were taken and to just keep moving along. My family, equivalent to snails, arrived two minutes later.
“Finally! that took long enough, what if someone took these lovely seats I picked out while you guys took your precious time coming here” I gave them an unsatisfied glare.
“They wouldn't have , sweetie. Trust me they wouldn't.” My mom replied confidently
“Shh! the show is starting.” exclaimed my brother.
“Sorry”.“Excuse me.” “May I pass?” “Pardon me. The repetitive words I heard as I sped through the broad crowd of uncivilized beings.
“Keep an eye out for your parents, we don’t want to miss them!” Demanded May
“Ooh theirs the splash mountain I remembered seeing it when I got last, Oh and theirs the Ice cream stand” All the peices started to fit back together, I remembered everything clearly now.
“Thats a wrap! Hope you folks enjoyed the show, and don’t forget to come back tomorrow, for another magnificent show!” exclaimed Mickey Mouse energetically.
“One word. Outstanding.” My mom blurted shockingly.
“A great end to a great day, come on we’ve better get a move on” My dad proclaimed in a hurry.
As we approached the exit gates, which were fairly close to the palace. I got sidetracked when I saw a chocolate fondue booth, the silky velvety dark chocolate mesmerized my dry mouth. I needed from that fondue! and I wasn’t planning on leaving without it.
“Mom, Dad lets go to the fondue booth right their in the corner.” I demanded
“Of course not, we have to leave now.” my father argued
“Why not? It will just take a minute!” I bickered back
“I don’t care come on lets go!”?“Fine, Ill go on my own-”?“Don’t you dare, the last thing we need is someone getting lost in these huge crowds.” My mom contended.
It was too late, I was approaching the stand, and their was no turning back, literally. I got swallowed by a swarm of  large humans, twice my size. My endpoint was not the chocolate stand, nor with my family, it was next to a broken rigid bench. Where I was completely lost.
“Naya!” I finally heard the voice I was awaiting for, the voice that would take me out of this nightmare. “Mama!” she was less than ten meters away from me. I dived into her soothing arms, I never felt so safe in my life. Now I knew everything was going to be okay. I was more than determined. “Where were you! If only you knew how worried we were about you, I cant believe you did that to us, How could you be so selfish.” My mom jabbered on and on about how irresponsible I was. After all, she had the right.
Fast forward four years, Come on “Naya come on the ride with us” Pleaded Rewa, we were on a field trip in Shaab park, My friends were about to ride a roller coaster that aged 13+, likewise my friends, I was twelve turning thirteen in a couple months. Whereas my they were all thirteen, and fit for the ride. “The guy wont know Naya, you look like your thirteen anyways!” “Trust me I don’t want to take the risk.” “Which risk, Im positive nothing will happen” Argued Karen. I replied “You guys go enjoy the ride and Ill be waiting here, go on, have fun.”