Short Fiction
by Michael Vargas
Before this story begins, I'm going to tell you I loved roller coasters and after you hear this story I don't want anyone being scared of rollercoasters. I just want you to listen.
It was a sunny July day and I was at the annual carnival with my best friend. We were excited because they had announced this new ride called ¨shred head¨ It was a spinning hunk of metal with cages attached spinning with the ride. I had a very ill feeling about it but I had to show my best friend Aki that I wasn't scared, because if I pussied out I would never hear the end of it. We were about to be next to go on when I heard the screams of people on the ride. It made me want to throw up the funnel cake I had just finished before getting in line. As we were getting on the ride, and the bar strapped us in, and the door of the cage closed, my mind started racing ¨is this even safe? What if the door opens?¨ My mind was filled with “What ifs?” but I had to take a deep breath and try to enjoy myself.
As the ride started I saw the sky, then I saw the ground. I was scared, but in a fun way. I mimicked Aki and put my hands up and started to yell from enjoyment as we went around and around , ¨SEE? I TOLD YOU IT WASN'T THAT BAD!¨ Aki yelled, and he was right. For a few minutes it was one of the most thrilling rides of my life. Then the latch bar that was holding us in the seat snapped open, and Aki tumbled on the other side of the cage, I grabbed the handles on the sides so I wouldn't tumble out with him. “OH MY GOD, AKI! STOP THE RIDE! STOP THE RIDE!¨ I screamed, but my screams of terror were drowned out by the noise of the machine and the other people yelling.
As I was in a state of panic, Aki was having the best time of his life, rolling around the cage laughing and screaming ¨ LET GO OF THE HANDLES!¨ he said. I shook my head while thinking of a way to bring him back up. ¨C’MON THIS IS FU-¨ suddenly I heard a crack and Aki stopped talking. In fact he went completely limp. I started screaming at the top of my lungs for the conductor to stop the ride. My hands and arms were burning from holding on to the handle bars ¨the ride is almost over¨ I kept repeating to myself but every time Aki’s limp body slammed against the cage door it creaked open a little wider. I thought if I could get hold of Aki, then the door would stop breaking and I would figure out what to do from there, but that meant I would have to let go myself. I tried to hold him in place with my legs, but the cage was rotating, and holding him with my legs was making me my grip on the handles. Aki's body slammed into the door again, breaking the lock and swinging the door wide open. I can still hear Aki's body hitting the concrete, and the people on line screaming, and the conductor slamming down on the emergency STOP button. All I could do was scream along with everyone else.
A few years later, the ride was redesigned to be safer, and although Aki is still suffering some complications. he’s doing better. Me? I still feel the burns in my arms and my voice erupting in my throat.