• Boom, boom, boom!
    I can barely hear the screams of the innocent Behemoth riders over the sound of my heart frantically beating in my ears. Up ahead of me is what I like (or not so like) to call my doom. A hundred twenty-five feet above me is a seventy-five degree drop of steel whispering my name over screams, people chatting around me and my leaping heart.
    I take a sip of my semi-fizzy diet coke that I bought for a price I thought was outrageous (although what was I expecting for a shop in Wonderland?). I swish it around in my mouth for a few moments thinking this could be the last thing I’ll ever taste. I screw the top on and pass it to Alex.
    Alex, Heili and Melissa are all staring at what I said I was willing to go on. The expressions they’re showing me might make someone wonder why I’m not in a mad house.
    “Come on,” I whine not wanting to go on alone.
    No one wants to come.
    I look at the Behemoth again; I see orange and blue tracks glistening in the sun and a train that’s almost to the first drop. I might not be able to see them but I’m sure there’s panic in the passengers’ faces.
    I walk towards the line-up with the sign, “from this point wait time thirty minutes.”
    Alex, Heili and Melissa are still smiling, urging me on. I’m smiling too, while on the inside the butterflies in my stomach are throwing up.
    As I enter the line with the cold, dirty rails and the gum-plastered walkway I realize my mouth has gone dry. I wish I still had my coke with me.
    Suddenly I crinkle my nose; I just noticed the terrible stench coming from the gum-caked garbage can. A smell most superior to others. Even worse than the nasty smell of a man in plaid shorts’ aftershave who’s standing beside me. The two smells mixed together are revolting. It’s no help to my already sick-with-fear stomach.
    The line-up is slowly moving forward, I can now see Alex, Heili and Melissa sitting on a curb beside a booth talking to our teachers; Ms. Guenther and Mr. Spencer. Thoughts fill my head of what they could be talking about.
    The line moves again and I make the mistake of putting my hand on the rail beside me.
    “AGH!”
    I quickly pick up my hand and look at my palm. A wad of sticky pink gum is stuck to my hand and judging by the scent, its cherry flavoured. I frantically brush it off back on to the rail.
    When the line moves again I can see my friends once more. Ms. Guenther and Mr. Spencer are no longer there. Heili notices me and points me out. To my utter astonishment they are suggesting I’m going to die! Heili is pulling a finger along her throat and sticking her tongue out. Alex and Melissa start to imitate her. I smile but I can’t say it makes me feel any better.
    Now I’m so close to getting on the coaster I can see the control booth that is painted green and yellow. Heili is now saluting to me and I salute back. The words, “this is Samantha Dignan signing off for the last time,” pass through my head while a finish my final salute. I move forward in line so I can no longer see Heili.
    I’m now first in line.
    My train pulls up.
    I am going to die.
    A woman, obviously bored with her job assigns me to sit beside a lady with brown hair and sunglasses. She looks approximately twenty years old. My eyes are immediately drawn to her sparkling flip-flops.
    She sees me, “Oh, hi!”
    I sit down beside her.
    She smiles at me, “Excited?”
    “Yep!” I smile back.
    She looks unconvinced.
    “Well, more nervous than excited,” I say wearily.
    The attendant is lowering the restraining device. I suddenly realize how deep these seats are and how tight the restraint is. I try to hold on to the green bar holding me in but my sweaty palms keep slipping off.
    The attendant sticks out a thumb.
    ACK! We’re starting to move!
    We slowly turn a corner and immediately sun beats down into my eyes. I squint just barely enough to tell we’re heading up the biggest hill I’ve ever seen. No turning back now. My heart is pounding against my ribcage and my stomach is doing summersaults.
    “Better take these off.”
    I look to see the flip-flop woman taking her sandals off.
    “Don’t want them to fly off,” she smiles.
    I nod my head in agreement.
    “Who you with?” she asks.
    “No one,” I say, “my friends are too chicken to come on.”
    “Hear that?” the woman says to the people in front of her that look like her friends. “She’s alone,” pointing to me.
    Surprisingly this conversation is making me calm down a bit.
    Click, click, click.
    The Behemoth is slowly pulling us up. I’m amazed at what I can see up here; a sea of people below along with a body of water, more rides and attractions and the C.N. Tower!
    When we get about half way up the woman beside me asks, “Have you been on the ‘Drop Zone?’”
    “No,” I answered plainly.
    She looks worried.
    Eep! The drop is approaching up ahead! The woman puts her hands that are holding flip-flops in the air while mine are digging into the restraint. My breathing becomes short and quick.
    Oh boy is that huge! I can see it, the drop. Plain and clear. It’s not just huge, we’re talking enormous, giant, monstrous, pull your eyeballs-out-of-their-sockets huge! I can’t breathe. My life is flashing before my eyes.
    I suddenly catch my breath and scream as loud as my lungs will let me. I don’t care if I break someone’s eardrums I just know that screaming is making me feel better. For the next few moments we’re soaring and there’s no real way of describing the sensation. Up and down we go again, me screaming all the way, up a corkscrew and back down again.
    I yell to the woman beside me, “This isn’t so bad!”
    We sharply turn into a corkscrew which takes me by surprise. This is where the on-ride photo must be taken because I know I look like a complete fool with my eyes bulging and my mouth wide open (I have a history of bad on-ride photos).
    I feel like I’m tumbling in a dryer.
    We’re slowing down! I’m alive!
    I see my friends, below me and I yell towards them, “I’m alive!”
    The woman beside me laughs. I feel great. As if I just climbed Mount Everest!
    The restraint is released as we stop and I get off as quick as I can. Realizing my legs are jelly I take it slow on the stairs.
    I see Heili, Alex and Melissa.
    “I’m alive!” I yell again.
    A wave of relief hits me as I take a swig of the diet coke that Alex passes me. Wow. I feel my heart slow down. That wasn’t scary at all!