Jenny+S+Memoir

media type="custom" key="3417906" Everything in my sight was black and orange. I glanced to my right and then to my left. Yup, all black and orange. Decorations of rubber spiders, foamy webs, bright ghosts, and cackling witches created an excited atmosphere. Energy poured out of every roller coaster in the entire amusement park. Satisfied, I grinned and turned to see my friends grinning beside me. Six Flags Halloween Fright Fest was my favorite day of the entire year and it was about to become theirs also. Since I had been coming to the amusement park for many years and it was Priya, Sneh, Pooja, and Priya’s mom’s (even though she’s my friend’s mom, I call her my aunt) first time I was prepared to show them around. I would lead them to all of the best roller coasters and we would have a blast. While my aunt handled the tickets, us kids all began to wander around the entrance of the park. I grabbed the park map and showed them all my favorite roller coasters. The rides were filled with massive loop-di-loops, rapid twists and turns, and swift spins that could easily get your adrenaline pumping. Suddenly, I noticed my friends’ faces. For some odd reason, they all looked appalled, freaked out, and a little terrified. Glancing around, I couldn’t find anything that looked out of place. “What’s wrong?” Pooja’s face was a mixture of horror and confusion. “You’re joking right?” Now I was the one with the confused expression. Why would I be joking? “You guys don’t want to go on the roller coasters?” This time it was Priya who answered. “No! They’re so scary! What if you fall off or the ride breaks down?”

Suddenly, a memory came to me. A couple of years ago, when I was about six, I had come to this amusement park with my parents for the first time. I was terrified of the looming roller coasters, but my parents didn’t feel the same way. “C’mon, try going on a roller coaster. It‘s lots of fun. You‘ll like it.” they encouraged. My stomach rolled around uneasily. “Okay, but if I puke, it’s your fault,” I said, partly serious. Not wanting them to see my fears, I got on the ride. For those 45 split seconds, no thoughts accompanied me. I was flying, free, my hair blowing in the rushing wind. Nothing could touch me. It was wonderful. After that experience, I couldn’t resist any roller coasters. I went on them all, year after year, not just once, but repeatedly. I couldn’t imagine my life before these wonderful creations were opened up to me.

Coming back to the present, I tried to be encouraging like my parents had been. I tried everything, but my stubborn friends refused to be persuaded. We wandered aimlessly around the park, stopping at small rides, intentionally staying away from the roller coasters. When we passed them, I could not help but stare longingly at the mountains of beauty. We went on each of the little rides, and my friends screamed happily while I could barely force a smile. Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to get away from these tiny, unappealing, torturous inventions. We were all standing in line for yet another baby ride. While my three friends and aunt were passionately arguing about some Disney movie, I started to slowly drift away. When I got far enough, I began to race for the roller coasters, itching to go on Superman. I’ll go on my roller coasters while they go on their baby rides I reasoned in my mind. Noticing that people were staring, I slowed my frantic running to a brisk walk. On the way, I noticed a long line leading towards an ominous-looking house. Glancing closer, I realized that it was a haunted house. I felt as if the house was calling my name, pulling me closer. I had to go inside. But, the line was so long, it stretched endlessly, disappearing in some places, but always coming back until the very end where the last person was fervently texting. That was no problem for my clever, law-breaking mind. I ran to the front and stood in front of a man who looked old enough to be my father and began to chat with the young girl beside me, to make it look as if I was part of their family. The girl was bored enough to enthusiastically respond, so we kept up a steady conversation for a few minutes until it was our turn to enter the haunted house. The entrance was composed of dark walls and neon mist. I walked inside very slowly, not wanting to miss anything. To my right, a bloody, decapitated head grinned maliciously. A sudden burst of thunderous banging from behind encouraged me to move forward. I traveled through the dimly lit pathway, occasionally jumping away from the lurking ghosts. Something fluttered above me, possibly bats. Freaked out, I ran forward, right into a green fog. A vampire, complete with torn skin and pointy fangs came towards me, arms outstretched. I screamed and dashed the other way. I couldn’t see where I was going, the darkness engulfed me. I kept running until I bumped into something hard and bony. A skeleton, of course. It’s bottomless eyes looked right at me, mocking my fright. An arm grabbed me, causing me to yell. “AHHHHHHH!” “Don’t worry, it’s just me. The exit is this way.” It was the nice girl who I was previously talking to. She led me to the exit and I relaxed as soon as I caught a glimpse of the bright light peeking through the doorway. After enjoying the wonderfully terrifying haunted house, I decided to continue my journey to Superman. This time, I stood patiently in the lengthy line. When it was finally my turn, I excitedly got on the ride, already satisfied. After the large fall, the roller coaster was a zooming bullet, gracefully twisting and curving, weaving through the tracks. If only my friends could try it once, they would see how fun this really was. The thought of my friends reminded me that I needed to head back. Contentedly, I began walking back when two tall men abruptly began pointing at me and yelling. I caught one of their screams to be “I think that’s her!” Nervously, I tried to ignore them, and ran into a large crowd, trying to blend in inconspicuously. Maybe if they don’t see me, they will leave me alone. No such luck. They kept following me, not even trying to be subtle about it. I ran a little faster but one of them grabbed my arm with a sturdy grip. I had no choice but to fearfully look at him. Were they kidnappers? They didn’t look dangerous,; in fact, they had smirks on their faces. “Are you Jenny Shah?” I nodded, surprised. Kidnappers didn’t know names, did they? “Okay, you have to come with us. Your aunt is really worried about you.” Realization hit me like a bolt of lightening. My aunt must have gotten worried when she couldn’t’ find me. She must have called these people to come and find me. She must have shown them a picture of me and told them my name. She must be really mad at me. Now I was scared, not of the guys, but of the anger that my aunt was capable of. I grudgingly followed the men to a small musty office where my friends and aunt were irritably waiting. The look on my aunt’s face was enough to light me on fire. First, she asked me if I was okay. When I warily said yes, she began the yelling. She shrieked at me a little, gave me some disappointed looks, and then shrieked some more. Then, after she calmed down, she made me sit down and gave me a dreary lecture on being respectful and her trusting me. After she was exhausted, we started the walk back to her car, my friends eagerly asking me what I had experienced. Before we reached the park exit, we stopped to go on one last baby ride.