Ferris Wheel

Lights twinkle against the night sky making the perfect contrast. The giant rides stare down at me, daring me to take a chance. They beckon me to them with their bright lights and animated details. There are people everywhere that I look, but right now, I'm surrounded by my favorite people; my mom, dad, and sister. I can practically feel the happiness in the air.

"Step right up and win one of these fantastic prizes!" I hear it yelled out in every direction. But despite my age, I'm smart enough to know that I'd have a fat chance at winning one of those games. Even so, that plush dolphin does look rather alluring. My younger sister Kayla shouts, "Wow look at that!" and she pulls me right out of my trance and into reality. She is pointing at a seventy foot high ferris wheel that dazzles in the sky some distance away from us.

It's the most mesmerizing thing I've ever seen. My mom drags her eyes slowly upwards to the tip of the ferris wheel and immediately she refuses to get on. But not me, no; I can't get enough adrenaline pumping through my veins. It's just in my nature. I've rode on every coaster that I'm tall enough for at least twice. So of course I start jumping up and down, begging to ride it in the next second.

My dad is more than happy to take me. Once we are standing a few feet away from it, my sister loses her confidence and backs out. I can't say that my bravery isn't faltering either, but I won't let that show. How bad could it be? No one has ever been injured on one of these...right? And with that thought my hands are clammy and sweat beads on my forehead. However, the sweat shouldn't be a surprise to me on account of what a warm summer's night it is.

"Come on. Let's go!" urged my dad. I had been so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even realize it was my turn to get inside one of the carts. But I got in and he followed; it was easy. There are a few strangers in here with us too, but we all have more than enough room. This isn't bad at all!

But we have been on this thing for seven minutes and I'm starting to retract my statement. Every minute or so, our cart rises and stops abruptly. I know this is just because they have to load up all of the carts, but that doesn't change how I feel about it. With every stop, the onlookers below get smaller and smaller. If I accidentally slipped over the side, the fall would be my death. I shudder at the thought. Making myself anxious isn't going to help the situation though, so I fill my lungs with the salty air and slowly release it to calm myself down.

Surprisingly, my breathing technique actually worked! Soon, all the carts are filled, and we continue moving at a comfortable pace. I can see the whole world from up here! I feel like Jasmine from the Disney movie Aladdin; the song A Whole

...