Boom! The vicious, metal monster clasped down on its next victim, drawing the helpless people further into the depths of its massive body. The monster slithered like a ravenous snake as it pulled its prey along. The beast flew high above the clouds nearly touching heaven and then bolted like lightning towards the ground faster than the speed of light. As it peered over the edge of the cliff, I saw the monster look me in the eyes and scream much louder than any noise I had heard before. In my mind I was in line to sign up for my death sentence.
On any normal day, I would be running far away from the monster, but today was not just any normal day. Today was different. Today everything changed. Today time seemed to slow down to a halt, everything grew larger than life, and even the sun seemed to glare down at me as though it was watching my every move. That was when I knew, I would begin the war with the cruel beast. Thus, like a brave knight I began to prepare myself for the battle that I would face later on. Little did I know, the battle was going to come much sooner than I had planned.
For many years my dad had tried to get me to ride a rollercoaster, but fear always seemed to hold me back from trying a ride. However, on this day I would push through the fear that always held me back. Today I conquered fear. Let’s go back to where this whole story begins. It all began only two days before, my family and I traveled to what I thought was the most amazing place in the entire world, Branson. We arrived at the condo and unpacked our bags. Little did I know what was going to happen later on that week. Ever since I was a little kid I had loved Silver Dollar City and I was excited every time that I got to go there.
After the first couple days had passed, we finally got to go to the old-fashion park, but when we arrived I saw it. It was there standing high above the trees. It stood much higher than before and its jaws seemed to clamp down harder. Today something was much different than before. The sight of the monster shot chills down my spine. It peared over the clouds and stared at me telling me to come closer to it. “I couldn’t let it get to me,” I thought. “I have to stay away from it or my life is over. ” Little did I know what was getting ready to happen to me and my dad.
Even though my family and I were in the small, home-like town that I had always loved, I was focused on the serpent that climbed high above me. The slithering serpent caused me to feel frightened all day long and I ultimately dreaded my day because of it. I knew that my dad was going to try to push me forward to ride the ride, but I was determined that I wouldn’t ride it. The day passed extremely slowly. After what felt like an eternity of time, the moment that I had been dreading came. My dad tried to draw me into a trap that I could never escape.
By the time I finally gave in my dad had spent an hour trying to coax me. I ended up giving in to an epidemic that I would never be able to cure. I inched my way forward to the mile-long line that led to the mouth of the beast. I traveled in a nervous shuffle, my legs shook in terror, my heart pounded in my chest, and my lungs burned as all of the air was sucked out of them. However, the line kept moving forward at a speed much slower than I had ever seen. An hours worth of waiting led me to this one moment, I was at the end of the line. That was when it all seemed to happen.
My heart was digging its way out of my chest and I was ready to run as far away from the scene as I could. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to do it. I would back out like I had every other day. “What am I thinking? ” I thought. That wasn’t going to happen, not today. Today everything was different. I turned back to run as far away as I could, but then came a hiss from the monster’s tongue telling us that it had two open seats. My dad was still determined to snag me and take me into the trap. He raised his hands and in that moment I knew the seats were mine.
It was then that I knew what my dad was doing. He was pushing me to face my fears and battle the beast. I sat down in the seat as the beast’s jaw clamped down around me. I couldn’t move at all. There I sat, paralyzed as the beast hissed its sign of approval. “I will never see home again,” I imagined. “I didn’t even get to say goodbye to my mom and sister. ” This was it. I counted down my final moments. Three. Two. One. Crack! My life was now in the hands of a big ball of metal. I moved forward preparing to be swallowed. The serpent began to rise towards the sky ready to strike me dead.
Then, it shot downward whipping me through a treacherous course, but soon after I flew back up I saw it again. This time it looked different than before. The contraption was no beast at all. It wasn’t out to kill me or to hurt me even. It was there to show me the world, overcome fear, and experience the thrill. It made me into the fearless warrior that my dad was trying to get me to be. If it hadn’t been for that one day in Silver Dollar City, I would still view rollercoasters as big, killer monsters that wanted to swallow me alive. I would have flinched at the sight of something that now brings me great joy.
Fear always held me back from fun times and good memories, but by overcoming my fears I opened my mind to a maze of possibilities and outcomes. It is so funny to watch myself every time that I get on a rollercoaster now and thinking back to what I did before. I will always remember that day in Silver Dollar City that changed my perspective on fun forever. This moment would become the start of many great memories with my family and friends. The sensation of the wind through my hair and the thrill in my chest would lead me to face more and more fears. I was changed forever because of this moment. This was where it would all start.