Have you ever been so scared that butterflies start to eat your stomach? The kind of butterflies that don't go away until you get over the fear you have been fantasizing about? The butterflies you feel when your friends wheedle you into doing something you don’t want to do?  This is exactly how I felt when I was grasping the chair, waiting to be launched 198 feet into the air.

     It was getting darker by the hour, and we felt like every turn we made took us right back to the same place. The spine chilling hour was slowly approaching, and we did not want to be in the red zone, the zone where all the ominous people would be released. The cages would be opened, and the smog would fly into your face. We were trying to  expeditiously make our way over to the famous Hershey Tower, the gigantic tower you could see from any point in the amusement park.

     We toiled, trying to find the pathway that would advance us to this tower. Every shift we took conducted us right back to the beginning. We had finally found a map laying around, and it took us right to the ride in less than a jiff. The butterflies had begun to zap me. The excitement of the ride zapped me. I wanted to get this ride over with and go back to the hotel. I had turned around for a split second and saw the ride blast off into the air. The screams of terror, and then silence occurred. WOOSH… The wind from the air tunnels blasted into our ears waiting in line. I didn’t want to see what was happening; I just waited nervously for my turn.

     The minutes of waiting were going by extremely quickly, and it had been our chance to get on. The worker slowly but surely opened the gate and let us onto the ride. My heart started racing magnificently fast, and my hands were shaking. My friends and I were trying to search for a good seat, but we had to be very swift about it. We all had sat down in seats in the front so all the parents could see our faces. The workers came around and shut the seats on us. Once they pushed my buckle down I tried to figure out my hand position. I thought to myself,  Do I grab onto the side of the seat, or do I cross my hands around the seat? So many intrusive thoughts came flowing through my head. I had been so nervous about how to place my hands that I looked around at everybody else. Almost everyone had their arms wrapped around the seat and their hands crossed. This was the most comfortable and secure position.

      I could feel the perspiration flowing outrageously from my hands. Out of the blue I heard a loud whoosh of air from under my seat; we had begun to rise very slowly. My heart felt like it was pounding a thousand beats per minute, my lips were trembling, and my knees were knocking. I repeatedly said, “Holy moly, I’m scared!”

     The old lady sitting next to me soon asked, “Are you okay?”

      I quickly responded, “Yes, I'm just really nervous,” knowing this fear in me was bigger than nervousness.

     We slowly came to a stop, and I heard another loud woosh from underneath me. It sounded like a monster roaring uncontrollably. I knew this was the last roar before we blasted off into the stars. KA-CHOW. Before I knew it we were blazing into the sky. My heart suddenly stopped pounding, and my legs became stable. I wasn't scared anymore; I was just gliding through the air. That only lasted until we reached the peak of the ride. 

     We began to come to a stop at the top but were still gradually moving. It had been a pulchritudinous view looking straight ahead at the park. The colors had shined as bright as the sun when you first woke up. On the other hand the ground didn't look so magnificent. All I could see was alarming creatures walking around. Everything was dark and very far below me.

     The fear kicked back into my body, seeing how far up we had been. I tried to keep thinking to myself it would be okay, but we had been close to 190 feet in the air just hanging on by air tunnels.  

     WOOOOSHH.  There it was again, the final drop, the most alarming part of the ride. I gripped my seat the hardest I possibly could and waited to be released. I felt my seat and heart drop; I was falling from the never ending sky at a very rapid speed, grasping onto my seat, praying I didn't fall out. The fear was trembling through me, but before I knew it we had reached the ground, the final destination. My body began to feel normal, the kind of normal that feels good. I impatiently waited for my seat to be unlocked so I could rush back to see my mom.

     On that day, I realized that in life you will always have fears to overcome. No matter how frightening it could be, life goes on, and you need to live it up to your full potential. Take chances, and maybe you will enjoy it after all.  No matter how much I think about how frightening I felt during this experience, I am glad I am able to reflect back on it knowing that I made it through the ride and actually enjoyed it. This ride really taught me that no matter how scary or big something can be you will always be able to achieve it if you put your mind towards it.

-Rachel G.