Top of the Ferris Wheel – Victoria – [06/06/2015]

Every summer in June, the fair comes to my little corner of the city.

It’s not a big fair…though it’s a pricey one (name me a carnival that isn’t) – but it’s a fun one. And I had a little money in the bank, and for the first time in a long, long while, someone to go with. So I grabbed Amras by the hand and dived into the world of hot dogs, caramel corn and rickety traveling rides that can be set up in any local field overnight all over the world.

Fortunately for me Amras is a ride junkie, so he was willing to be dragged.

Before we could get to the fair there was the parade; which we practically walked into, since the parade route crosses the easiest way to get to the beach where the fair is set up. So we perched ourselves on a convenient garden wall and watched all the high school bands and preschools amble past. Leading off the parade was my old alma mater, now complete with a mascot and drill team – something that was never around in my day. They were followed by basically every school in town, including a few from outside of our little corner of the city…and the old fire engines and army units and other such things that make up a local parade. I shocked myself by finding that I teared up watching that world walk past me…later on when we reached the fairgrounds and were watching the high school jazz bands set up on the stage, I noted that while I would never want to go back to high school, I did miss the days when all you had to worry about was whether or not you would pass that French final..

And we were all in such a damn hurry to grow up…

But such serious thoughts are not really in place at a fair, and didn’t last long. Fair food douses seriousness, and the hot dogs were good…the mini-doughnuts were better.

It was early in the morning so the ride lines were short…at least relatively so. Whenever the fair is in town, I always hit the Tilt-O-Whirl first; a tradition started by my Dad years ago when he taught me how to make it spin like a top. The thing about the Tilt-O-Whirl though, is that it’s based on centrifugal force, and since I only weight about as much as a mackerel these days…I have a hard time making it spin on my own. Amras however? Heavier than me…all I could do? Was hang on..

And laugh…

Rather insanely..

You’re giggling…

What else can I do??

So that was a good start to the afternoon. Except that as we got out, my eyes were drawn to the towering swinging shadow that stood next to us.

I don’t go on that one…

Which one?

That one…

Y’see, the Kamakazi is just one of those rides that looking at it terrifies me. I’ve avoided it since it was traveling as the Skymaster years ago when I was a kid. Amras was willing to let this slide…for all of about perhaps twenty minutes.

I’m still not quite certain how I found myself in the line-up; staring up at this…thing. I looked at Amras pleadingly..

Why would you make me go on a ride who’s name LITERALLY MEANS SUICIDE!!

Because it’ll be fun!

Much to my utter shock…he was right! Seeing the world upside down gives one a rather unique perspective, and while I didn’t exactly relish the feeling of clinging to the harness for dear life for fear that I would fall out (one of the downsides of being a person with small build), and I’m pretty sure I screamed like a banshee…I did stumble out of the ride car with a big grin plastered over my face.

Some days are filled with enough sugar, laughter and sunshine that they just make up for all the rest…