the abandoned theatre part twenty-three

With one less tin heart, I climb onto the ferris wheel and look at the man expectantly, and then he sits next to me. The safety bar falls down in front of us and the ride begins, slowly. We are lifted up, the ferris wheel pulling us toward the sky. For the brief moment when we are at the top, we can look out over the treetops and see the distant ocean and the sun bright above the water. In an instant the world is shining and beautiful. I feel the warm sun on my face. I look at the man and see him smiling too.

Then we are pulled back down again toward the ground. I see the dirt and the corroded metal of the signpost. The empty seats above us block out the sunlight. I see the theatre up ahead, its walls dingy and tagged with graffiti. Then the ride starts to speed up and we are climbing again. Faster and faster. No time to appreciate the view now. We plunge toward the ground and the seat swings as we soar upward again. I am starting to feel sick.

"How do we stop the ride?" I yell above the noise.

"Are we supposed to stop it?" the man yells back.

I think about what the sign said: First you must find out the secret of the wheel. How to stop the wheel? How to slow the wheel down? There's no time to think as the ferris wheel speeds up even more. Our seat is shaking violently and every time we plunge toward the ground I get a shock of fear. I realize that I have been tightly gripping the safety bar. If the ride gets out of control, the safety bar won't be any use.

"I think I might know what to do!" I yell.

I let go of the safety bar, throw my arms into the air, and scream.