The Witching Hour

I study the boys face intently, as he raises his eyebrow in question, waiting for my answer. My sight travels to his hand on my arm, following my gaze he pulls it back shoving both hands into the pockets of his jeans.
“Oh, right. The ride...Um... I wasn’t planning on going on it.”
He looks from me to the entrance sign which hangs just above my head, obviously inquiring on my whereabouts.
“I’m just waiting for my friend,” I add, trying to make him see that this isn’t where I want to be right now.
I glance to my watch, my eyes widening at the time the arms point to, 12:30. Surely the ride would have ended by now.
A crowd of people begin push past me, exiting the ride Death Spell as they comment on its marvel and return back to the queue. My eyes travel from person to person, each face being carefully analysed before moving to the next. But none are that of Thora; no girls with cherry scene hair pass through the turn-stiles, no one dressed in a rockabilly dress and black converses is immersed amongst the groups of rollercoaster fans.
I pull out my phone and dial her number which goes straight through to voicemail.
Hanging up without leaving a message I rotate to study the contents of the park. Where could she have possibly got to? I think to myself as I stand on my tip-toes to see above the masses of people.
“She has my purse, I need to get home.” I state, more for my sake than my companies.
“The girl who was with you at school?” He asks, his voice seeming genuinely concerned.
I nod in his direction and look to the time again. I needed to get home now. But how? Walking was out of the question, it was over half an hour’s journey by car meaning it would be much more for my weak body to handle. I couldn’t get a cab with no money. I couldn’t get anywhere without money. I was stranded.
“Look, if you need a ride...”
I return my focus back to his, my eyes observing him in attempts to uncover any kind of remorse. “Thanks for the offer, but you’re practically a stranger to me. I don’t even know your name.”
He gives a weak smile and presents his hand. “Leo. You’re Kala.” He says matter of fact, as I take his hand and give it a pathetic shake.
“How is it you know my name?” I recall that he had called me by it earlier and I knew too well that my books hadn’t contained any evidence of my identity – I never wrote my name on anything.
His expression suddenly turns serious, his eyes hard as though attempting to contemplate some form of answer. “I guess you wouldn’t believe me if I said I was psychic?”
“Not today.”
“If you need a ride, I can take you home,” he says, focusing back to the main subject, obviously dismissing the matter of my name. “But you have to go on the ride with me first.”
I wasn’t a fan of any kind of ride. I had only ever been on one rollercoaster in my life and ironically it broke down just before a great drop. We sat waiting for ages for the ride to continue, eventually taking an unplanned journey down the tracks. Everyone screamed in panic. Children’s faces began to cover with salty tears which reddened their full cheeks. My stomach rose to my throat, making me gag at the feeling of my insides pouring out while I screamed in fear of coming off the tracks. I had sworn there and then to never go on another rollercoaster in my life. Death Spell most definitely didn’t look promising.
“I can’t go on that ride,” I state to Leo, my eyes widening with fear as I witness the sight of carriages climbing the track.
“You’re scared?”
I furrow my brow, in attempts to scrutinize him. He clearly seemed to find it amusing that someone would have a fear of anything – yet alone amusement park features.
“As a matter of fact I am,” I announce, not particularly bothered of what he thinks of me. Soon enough this ‘Leo’ character would be another to the list of students who judged me for my oddness.
“If you don’t conquer your fear, it will live with you the rest of your life, you’ll never be able to run away from it. It’s a waste of your time and energy to be concerned about.” I listen to what he has to say, nodding in understanding at his argument. He almost seems to relate with my fright as though looking in hindsight, although over a different matter. His expression turns rigid, his eyes losing all sense of humanity as his body stiffens possibly over the hurt he experienced in his past.
“Okay,” I agree, nodding weakly. “I’ll go on the ride with you.”
Shaking out of his trance, Leo smiles to himself, “Great.”
“The wait is two hours though.”
“Not for us. I have a booking of 12:45.”
“Oh.”
I couldn’t believe I was a mere minute away from pursuing the one thing I promised myself not to do again.
I gulp down the panic which still lingers within me; burying it deep down. Soon enough it would be non-existent, practically dead to me. I could move on just like Leo had said.
To the side of him, I make my way to the front of the line. He exchanges the booking ticket with the staff and holds his arm out, gesturing me to enter first. I push through the gate, starting toward the empty carriages. My heart pounding the entire time as my breath catches in my throat.
Reluctantly I slide into one of two seats in a cart and adjust the safety bars around me. Leo jumps in after, giving me a grin of the Cheshire Cat as he straps himself in.
“Ready?” He asks, speaking into my ear.
Rolling my eyes I shake my head. “No.”
Icy air fills my lungs as the carriage lurches back and then forward. The clicking of the wheels against the tracks drums through my ears, sounding out like a warning to me. We were seated in the last of the carriages and I could see the people upfront begin to ascend the climb.
My blood falls from my face as we get dragged up behind. Second by second, my thoughts scream at me for the choice I had made, I left it down to paranoia. The chances of the ride failing weren’t high at all. I was being absurd.
My ears ring in my head as time freezes in place. The first car, stationary in time, contains the frozen excitement of its passengers, who hold their arms in the air, their hair held in place in the motionless wind.
My pupils begin to stir to the back of my head; my face turning expressionless as I watch the future present itself before me.
The carts continue to rise up one-by-one, each experiencing the one-hundred foot fall after the other.
A moment’s hesitation hits my car as it rips from the carriage in front which drops forward with the rest. Leo and I sit immobile and terrified as we rock slowly, back and forth and back and forth. From below I hear the cautious shouts of the public and feel my life flash before my eyes. Wind wraps around us, tugging at the wheels of our abandoned cart, which gradually begins to roll forward. Our belts fly up over our heads, releasing us from the one assurance of safety which has now been stolen away. Leo and I fiercely pull them back, holding each of them with all our strength as we rip away from the atmosphere, falling to our soon to be demise.
My hair whips around my face, obscuring my eyes, as the sounds of the wheels cracking away from the rails comes to my attention. Through my curtain of hair, I only just see the loop which presents itself ahead. Instantly I see myself there, grasping onto Leo, as we hang upside down as still as a model representation.
But it’s too late. My arms slip through the restraints, my body slamming against Leo who reaches out to me. Although my hands find nothing, no reassurance of anything in my proximity, as I plunge through the cold air which slices at my skin, and rush to the concrete below.
I quickly regain consciousness, looking to Leo immediately who senses the terror in my face. “The rides’ going to fail, we’re going to die,” I whisper to him.
“I won’t let that happen,” Leo assures me, searching around into the distant lights of the amusement park. “Trust me.”
Just like my vision, we reach the top of the tracks and pull away from the train of carriages which rushes ahead without us.
“We need to push the cart back.” Leo shouts, leaning over the door and pulling at the tracks. “Help me!”
I scramble under the restraint the safety precautions place on me, tugging at the dampened rails as I assist Leo in getting us back - alive.
Before I knew it, Leo and I had rolled to a stop at the platform, greeted by the alarmed faces of staff and public who rush to our aid.
Released from the clutches of the Death Spell ride we are assured that compensation will be given.
I refuse mine, settling for the establishment to close until all features are checked excessively for any sign of fault.
“Well that was new,” Leo smirks, as we reach the parks exit.
I glance at him in shock horror; he seemed so relaxed as though it were nothing, appearing to have lost all fear of his near demise. “We could have just died.” I shout at him, studying his amused face.
“Yeah, but we didn’t. Believe me - It would have never happened.”