Roller Coasters: A Short Story

I leaned away from my mother as her hand gently pulled me forward. I didn’t want to. It was an enormous metal trap that was sure to send me to my doom. In my four year old eyes, roller coasters were the fuel of my nightmares. I wasn’t afraid of clowns with pasty makeup and cold, dead eyes, no. I wasn’t afraid of monsters with razor sharp teeth and claws like a lion. No, me, I was afraid of roller coasters. The rolling cart with only a bar to hold me in was terrifying. What if-- what if I slipped out? What if I hit my head on an overhead track? What if I suddenly spontaneously combusted due to fear? All these thoughts were running through my young mind as we approached the roller coaster. I read the sign - “Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster.” Are they going
“FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE!” We shot off, my head forcing itself backwards onto the headrest as cameras flashed. We flew through the streets of New York, barely catching a glimpse of all the signs, billboards, and advertisements. I closed my eyes, thought for a moment, and opened them. There I was, in the midst of the Big Apple. I looked around excitedly and then began to scream in excitement. This was phenomenal! I wanted to do it again, over and over, until my heart stopped beating and I was no longer on this earth. I reached my hands into the sky, letting go of my doubt and fear, and I simply enjoyed the ride. As the ride came to a stop, I looked at my mother and I yelled, “AGAIN! AGAIN! AGAIN!” as we clambered off of the ride and entered the gift shop area, I bought a t-shirt. It said, ‘I survived ROCK ‘N’ ROLLER COASTER’, with a picture of the band that this was based on, Aerosmith, in the background. I put it on at the checkout as soon as we had paid for it. I was proud of myself for facing my fears, and I was never scared of a roller coaster again. This is a wonderful message about how you should be unafraid, no matter how terrifying the action may