Bittersweet

23| Black Licorice

Dark themes ahead. Ye be warned.

"You only really fall apart in front of the people you know can piece you back together."
-Sarah Dessen, Saint Anything

I was around nine when I first went to the fair with my babysitter. Majority of the time, I stuffed my face with all sorts of sweets until I felt sick. However, that came to an end when I heard the sound of cheerful screaming coming from nearby. I knew then that I had to figure out what it was all about. No sooner than later I found my answer in the amusement ride called the Fireball. The ride was a massive, mechanical red circle that rocked you backward and forwards gradually climbing further up to the top until you were flipped upside down. I watched in a sort of awe as it carelessly spun the passengers around and around like clothes in the washer. Although it sort of looked terrifying, I knew that I wanted to tackle something much more than the kiddie rides. Something that made you feel.

My babysitter was either really kind or really wanted a raise because she let me go on anything I wanted. Therefore when I pointed to the big red mechanical circle with glee, she let me go after discovering I barely made the requirements to ride.

At first, the steady rocking of going backward and forwards was almost soothing, until it kept climbing higher. My fear increased tenfold when I felt like at any moment my stomach would come out of my mouth. I was being jerked around everywhere, sometimes losing my breath as we lurched forward at an unnatural speed. And when we got to the very top, our bodies dangling upside down, all the blood rushing to our fingertips, I finally screamed along with the others. Only mine was out of fear.