The wooden monster

 The once mighty rollercoaster, a wooden wonder of engineering back when, now sits abandoned among the other rides that brought so much joy and laughter to all who dared. He walked around in the silence, with only the occasional squeak of a kiddy ride moving slowly in the breeze. He came here often growing up. First, with his family as he waited with great expectation for the day he would reach the proper height on the big measurement sign and be able to ride. On his twelfth birthday, as he grew several inches, he was ready. His dad reluctantly agreed to ride with him, but no amount of asking would change his mom's mind as she watched in horror as they climbed the first giant hill, preparing to do a nose-dive that would take them on a journey of both excitement and sheer terror. When the ride was over, and Dad looked like Casper the Ghost, he begged them to let him go again, but his mom said she couldn't bear to watch that ever again.

The years passed, and trips to the amusement park were spent with friends who rode the coaster over and over until they felt perfectly safe holding their hands in the air as the force of the ride lifted them a couple of inches off their seats. He continued his walk, remembering the sights and the smells of popcorn, candy apples, and corn dogs all blending together to create the perfect menu. As more time passed, attendance at the park dwindled because a very large water park was being built just on the outskirts of town. Aside from the giant slides, there were a few rides meant for season riders, and a kiddy land as well. It didn't take very long, and the park he loved shut down. Some of the rides were sold, but some remained just as they were on the last day. Rust had claimed many of the rides, and once colorful signs lay in the weeds, forgotten forever.

As he was about to leave, he took one last walk to the wooden coaster, and hanging by one screw was the measurement sign that either allowed or forbade you entrance. He took the sign with him and would give it a good home in his workshop. Right alongside his other treasures, he found as he walked through the closed and now quiet park of his youth.

Mike  2026