The Dead Muse Challenge #1

Challenge #1:  Wicked
Challenge Item:  "Hold onto something.  This is gonna be wicked."
Challenge Start Date:  June 13, 2012
Challenge End Date:  June 20, 2012


"Hold on to something. This is gonna be wicked," he said as he strapped me into the little log boat. He didn't have to tell me to, though. My hands were already gripping the bar so tight my knuckles were white.

What seems so safe and fun to many is terrifying to me, and he knew it. I have an insane fear of heights and speed ... and when you mix the two together, I'm a mess of nerves.

He called me early that morning and told me to meet him at the amusement park. It's something we did often together -- just walking, hand in hand, watching the people and talking was one of my favorite things to do. We had often discussed my fears of heights and speed, irrational as they may be.

When I got to the park, my stomach sank, though, when I went to our usual meeting place. We always meet at the central fountain, but on this morning, the cart from the Mine Shaft Drop was in my way. It looked as if some uncaring giant child had tossed it aside when he was done with his play for the day.

I asked one of the park employees what happened.

"Last night's storm knocked it off its tracks," he said. "I guess it landed it here. And now, dammit, we have to figure out how to get the friggen thing outta here.

"We're just lucky it happened when the park was closed. If people had been ridin' it....well, I hate to think what would have happened."

I shuddered at his words and wandered to a nearby bench where I knew he would see me when he arrived. I hugged my knees tight to my chest and watched park employees walk around the tossed cart, scratching their heads and whispering to one another, trying to find an easy and elegant solution to a problem they never had to face.

As I watched, darkness suddenly blocked them from my sight as a pair of hands covered my eyes. "Guess who," he whispered in my ear, his voice and breath so familiar and comforting to me. I smiled wide and reached up to cover his hands with mine briefly before taking them in mine.

As I turned my head for a kiss, he whispered, "I have such a surprise for you," followed by a small, playful peck on my lips. He slipped a blindfold over my eyes and said, "Just trust me," as he held my hands in his and guided me to my feet.

Slowly he led me through the park. The darkness that swallowed my view only heightened my other senses. Voices were more distinct, laughter more musical, and the sweet-tangy scent of sugar mixed with hot oil and the dough of funnel cakes filled my nostrils.

I actually enjoyed the walk through the park like this: My sight blocked so I could see nothing, but the sounds and scents were at once so familiar and more vibrant than ever.

Finally he stopped me, though, and guided me to a seat, his hands on my hips, gently pushing me this way, pulling me that, then whispering in my ear to sit, his breath hot as it tickled my hair against my skin.

Then I felt it: The bar lowered across my lap and snapped into place. I felt his hands move quickly around me, strapping me into the seat with the safety belt before I could protest...or even realize what was happening.

He leaned close and kissed my lips again as he slid the blindfold up and over my head. I blinked in the bright sunlight, my eyes aching because they had grown so used to the darkness of the blindfold, the light stung.

Finally, when I could see, I looked down to see he had strapped me into one of the small log boats on the log plume ride. I opened my mouth to protest.

"No..." I got out before his fingers on my mouth hushed me.

"Trust me," he said. "You'll thank me whenit's over. Now hold on to something. This is going to be wicked."

As the last syllable left his lips, the small boat lurched forward, and I was on my way to face my two strongest fears head on...and alone.

I couldn't help but scream as the boat pulled away, floating along the chute of the ride, bumping the walls occasionally. At first, despite my anticipatory screams of fear, I enjoyed the ride. It was slow and easy...but I could see what was coming.

Soon the boat began climbing, inching its way up a steep incline...higher and higher. With each small jerk of the boat, my stomach sank lower. I really couldn't hold back my fear anymore as I reached the peak of the hill.

The boat crested the hill, and there I was, face to face with the height of the ride...I had to be 50 feet in the air at this point...and I knew the as soon as the boat jerked forward one more time, it would plummet down the chute before me.

Down the little boat plummeted, so fast the wind whipped my hair around my head and stole my screams before they even escaped my lips.

When the boat splashed down at the bottom of the hill, I was finally able to catch my breath and let my fingers relax just the slightest bit from their deathgrip on the bar. Before I knew it, though, another hill was in front of me, looming like the giant in a fairy tale...menacing, dark, and the embodiment of fear.

Slowly the boat climbed the hill, then turned a corner...turned it too sharply! I felt the boat rock and sway beneath me, but it was too much. My head couldn't stop swimming as the boat tipped firther than it should, landing on its side in the chute.

I screamed at the top of my lungs and held on to the boat for dear life, all feeling in my fingers now long gone from gripping the bar so tightly. I could hear voices, shouts, louder than usual, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. I could only squeeze my eyes tight, feeling the tears of my realized fears stream down my face.

Higher and higher the sideways boat climbed the ride, the chain pulling it grinding, squeaking and straining to pull me up the hill. Finally, at the top of the hill, the chute flattened out and curved sharply. As the boat swung through the curve, it rocked and swayed again, tossing me around inside like a limp rag doll.

As it swung through the corner, though, the boat finally righted itself just before plummeting down the final hill of the ride. The speed pushed the air past my face so quickly it dried the tears on my cheeks.

After the final splash, the boat slowed and pulled into the boat house. I looked up, panting, shaking, unable to speak or even think. My first sight, though, was his face.

He stood there with his mouth slightly agape, his face white as chalk. As soon as my boat jerked to a halt, he rushed to me, grabbing me in his arms and squeezing me tight.

"Oh sweetheart I am so sorry." his words rushed into my ears as we clung to each other. "Are you ok? Are you hurt? Oh god, I was so frightened. I am so sorry, and I will never do anything so stupid again. I'm never leaving your side again!"

As he spoke, he held me close to him with one arm while he unstrapped me with the opposite hand. He pulled me to my feet and helped me from the boat before sweeping me into the tightest embrace I have ever had.

We clung to one another like this for what seemed like hours, until my heart and breath had slowed and I had quit shivering. Park employees surrounded us, but they parted as the park manager walked briskly through the crowd to us.

After many apologies from the manager and several free passes to the park, we decided to leave. As we strolled through the park toward the exit, our arms around each other, I couldn't help but toss a final glance at the log ride over my shoulder.

As I turned my head, I caught him looking at me, his eyes filled with fear, love, sorrow and warmth. I smiled at him softly, looked down, then liften my eyes back to his.

"Can I tell you something?" I asked. "Would you think I'm crazy if I said I want to go again?"