The Monster in the Park

Allen and I just got off the Monster and were walking down the boardwalk at Shey's Amusement Park.

"Jim, let's go get a slurpy from that stand over there. I'm really hot!" suggested Allen.

"Okay." replied Jim.

Allen was tall, skinny, and had brown wavy hair. He was wearing his favorite neon green shorts and No Fear t-shirt. Allen was always thirsty. I, myself, get thirsty quite often, but don't whine like Allen. "Hey, Jim, let's go on the Monster one more time before we leave," asked Allen.

"Okay, but let's go on the Orbiter first," suggested Jim.

We were the last ones to get on the Monster before the park closed. "Aw man, I shouldn't have had that hot dog and slurpy before I got on the Orbiter," Allen whined.

"Yeah, but all the dips and turns were cool!" I exclaimed.

It was our turn to get on the Monster. Just as the safety bar came down over our heads, we felt a sudden jerk. "Here we go!" Allen shouted in anticipation. I shut my eyes so I could feel all of the twists and turns. I felt us going slowly up the hill and then racing down. I felt my stomach rise to my throat. A sudden jerk to the left sent me careening into Allen. We shot back to the right and then we went straight up into a loop taller than my two-story house. All of a sudden I burst into my own world. I was passing trees and cars. Everyone seemed to be having the time of their lives. Suddenly, we rumbled to a halt. When I finally opened my eyes, Allen was gone!

I frantically looked over at the exit, but the last kids had just passed through. I quickly ran out but Allen wasn't there. "Maybe he is at the front gate or by the phones," I wondered out loud. I ran to the front gate and phones, but no Allen! I heard a booming voice over the loud speaker, "The park is now closed for the night." I sprinted to the refreshment stand and there was Allen chugging down another drink. "Allen, I've been looking all over for you!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

"I was looking for YOU!" Allen shot back.

"Well, let's get out of here before the park..." my voice trailed off.

"Before the what?" Allen demanded.

"The park is closed, Allen. We have to call my mom!" I exclaimed shrilly.

"Jim, wait. Let's stay here for the night. I hear the Monster is supposed to be haunted. I want to see if it's true," he argued.

"NO WAY!" I yelped.

"I'll give you my Deion Sanders rookie card," he offered quickly. I hated when he did this. He knew that Deion Sanders is my idol and that I'll do anything to get his card. Let alone his rookie!

"Well, okay," I said in defeat. We quietly tiptoed over to the Monster when I saw the two guards head toward us. Allen and I simultaneously leapt behind Astronaut Andies' Famous Star Pop stand and crouched down low.

"Found you," one of the guards yelled.

They both came to a halt in front of the popsicle stand.

"Yeah, you won," the other guard replied. And with that they both walked off.

"Phew! That was close," Allen whispered. "Come on."

When we got over to the Monster we stopped. "No ghost," I said happily.

"Let's just wait here for a sec," Allen whispered. Then fog and mist appeared. We both seemed to notice it at the same time. Suddenly, an old man appeared. He had short gray hair and a long beard.

"My name is John. What's yours?" he demanded sharply.

"A-A-Allen and J-Jim," Allen replied, ready to scream.

"Get on," John boomed. We both got in the front car.

"Allen, am I just seeing things or did he just wink at us when he pulled the safety bar down?"

"I don't know," Allen grumbled.

"Hey! Doesn't this roller coaster seem a little too smooth?" I asked.

"J-Jim, we're not on the track anymore. Why, w-we're flying!" Allen screamed.

There we were, soaring though the air. "Jim," Allen finally spoke.

"What?" I replied.

"Look straight ahead," Allen said shakily.

"It's an airplane! I wonder why there are so many at one time. Why, that's the U. S. Army. They think we're a U.F.O.!" I screamed in panic.

The car stopped on its tracks, I mean on air, and turned around and bolted the other way. One man in one of the helicopters fired his gun and hit the roller coaster in its backside. We both screamed as the coaster lost altitude. We landed back down on the track with a hard thud.

"Allen, what's going..." I tried to say.

We both thrust back into our seats and shot into the air. Higher, higher, and higher, we coasted back through the sky until we were in space. This time it really was a U.F.O. An almost blinding bright red light shot through the galaxy. I realized it had shot a laser at us. With a huge bang it hit us. We propelled through the sky like an arrow. Down, down we sped. When John came into view I saw him yell a few words that I couldn't make out. Out of thin air a parachute connected to our car. We landed with a bounce.

"I suggest you leave. And don't stay after park hours ever again," John calmly warned.

"But..." I tried to say.

"Now!" he said sternly.

Allen and I raced out of the park! We never stayed late at the park ever again.

But after all of that I wonder why I'm crouched behind Astronaut Andies' Famous Star Pops stand with my other friend Brian. And what's that eerie mist coming from the Monster? Who knows...?

©1994 Joshua Parucki