The Brave and the Bold

Onion Ring looked up at the dizzying height of the roller coaster. He saw the people strapped into the little seats which were attached to the tracks by...who knows what. He heard the screams. He felt the pang of fear deep in his innards. He heard his father's coaxing.

Could he do it? Would his heart, which desired to experience the exhilaration and prove his bravery, convince his mind to will his legs to move him onto the platform and into a little seat to be strapped in and hurtled in all directions at great speeds? Or would the pang in his innards paralyze all else?

The battle raged within. And then, miraculously, he took one step forward...then another...and another. Then he was in the line with many people, inching forward bit by bit. Step after step and then soon he was in the seat, securely strapped in. He was beyond the point of no return.

The buzz of excited voices were close around him. Then came an explosion of speed, rush of air, hum of the tracks, screams, (some of the screams were his own) and he shut his eyes, then peeked out, then shut them, then opened them. His stomach was having an out of body experience; it was still at the platform. Then he felt it as it caught up with him and did the same dips and turns that the roller coaster did, only a millisecond after. His breath came in gasps between screams.

It was over in a few seconds. His blood, which had all but stopped during the ride, began rushing as though on it's own roller coaster ride through his body. He felt dizzy, giddy, shaky, and thrilled all at once. He had triumphed! He could hardly stop laughing.

"Let's do it again, Dad!" he exclaimed.



I didn't get any good pictures of the ride, "Wicked", (in the above picture, you can see the tower for "Wicked" on the left side) on which Onion Ring's bravery was tested, but if you want to check it out, go here; there is even a video.

Buttermilk Sky also made great strides in overcoming his fear this year at Lagoon. In the picture below you can see his face right before going on the "Spider", a roller coaster in which the car that you sit in rotates around as it speeds along the track.









Buttermilk Sky's greatest feat was going on "Colossus", the double looping roller coaster.



However, after going on these big, scary roller coasters, Buttermilk Sky said that the old white one was his favorite. Although last year when he went on it, he screamed non-stop, close to tears, that he wanted to get off and refused to ride it thereafter. So maybe next year Colossus will be his favorite.