Wanting to ride Pent Ghelsburg
Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental. They are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect. This work involves underaged characters and a predominately micro-macro theme. You have been warned.
"You only regret the rides
that you didn?t take."
-Unknown
Around and around we go, where we stop no one knows. The jubilant laughter of the patrons, the chatter of those idly walking around, and the constant give and take of those who run the park. The carnival is one of those places that is always full of life and joy. The variety of its offerings are often as diverse as the people who partake in its attractions. Of course, not everyone can enjoy every ride, for the often strict protocol of some parks does not allow for those with certain health conditions to ride on every attraction that is at the park.
While those with health conditions are more often than not understanding, some who are younger who have difficulty in comprehending the reasons for such rules. Perhaps the most daunting of which is the height requirement which for those kids who haven?t quite hit the mark, might be a rather sensitive issue for those who might not quite be tall enough to go on certain rides. This is even more true for those whose friends have already passed the mark.
Noah was a young boy who lived in the middle of the big city. His life was somewhat typical for an inner-city kid. At 12 years of age, he spent most of his time playing video games and the rest either with board games or some other version of role play. His imagination was petty top-notch, though many of his small groups of his friends didn?t always quite understand his quirks and sometimes thought him to be rather strange.
Noah lived with his family, a raft of otters who had made their homes along the largest river in the region. The family of three lived in a rather small apartment that overlooked the river. His parents both worked full-time jobs, so that meant his parents weren?t always around to entertain him. However, since he was now old enough to handle himself he was often left alone or allowed to go over to a friend?s house when they needed to work later hours.
This weekend was one of those weekends and Noah had been looking forward to going to one of the local theme parks. The place was opening a new roller coaster and the otter had yet to experience any of them. It had been a few years since the last time he had been there and he hoped that he was big enough to go. When he found out that his best friend was going, he couldn?t help but hope that he would be invited by the other boy.
A few days past and Friday rolled around and just when Noah was beginning to lose hope he finally got a call from his best friend. Caelum was a thoughtful cub who lived right down the street from the otter family. The two had been close friends ever since they had met each other early in primary school. A beaver himself, the two often found solace in the fact that they were both very much water rats.
"Yo, Otts. How goes it?" The beaver often referred to the other cub by his animal call name.
Noah chuckled a bit before he responded. "Good, sup bucky?"
"Notta. My family is going on a trip to treetops. Ya wanna go with me? Pops says I can bring someone if I want and I know you?ve been talking about it a while." Caelum didn?t feel obligated to invite the other but his parents had insisted since the two got along so well anyways.
The otter cub pistoned his strong arm. "Oh heck yeah, I wanna go on the screaming eagle for sure."
"Alright sweet. My parents will pick ya up in the mornin?. See ya then." The beaver ended the call without another word.
Noah jumped up and down before screaming out in joy. To say he was excited would be an understatement. Immediately he ran down the hall, looking to and fro searching to see if he could find either of his parents. He eventually found his mother who had to settle him down before he could share the news. Of course, she was fine with it, since they would be gone anyways. Besides, it would get him out of the house and not leave him alone, so there was nothing to lose.
The rest of the day went pretty fast, much of which Noah spent thinking about his day at the park and what they would ride together. By the time bedtime rolled around, his mind was whirling with possibilities. He spent a great deal of time tossing and turning as his mind simply would not let it go. It was quite a while before his restless mind finally exhausted itself and he was able to go to sleep. Even in the dream world, he couldn?t quite escape the fantasy of already being at the park.
In the morning he was awoken by his parents who made sure to get him up since he often overslept when he was let be. Of course, once he was awoken from his sleep, he was up like nothing. He knew all too well that Caelum and his family would be there to pick him up at any moment. The boy?s mother didn?t need to say a word, Noah already understood that time was of the essence and that he didn?t need to dally around. He wasted no time and quickly changed into whatever wardrobe he could find.
He was ready in a few minutes and several moments later he heard a knock at the door. Noah figured it had to be Caelum since the other boy said they would be there early. The otter rushed to the door and opened it without even checking to see who it was. Sure enough, the bigger cub was there waiting on him. The beaver was wearing a t-shirt that had the park?s name emblazoned across it he had been there before recently in the past.
The two shared their so-called handshake, a ritual they had created some time ago. Noah called back to his parents who yelled back to him to be on his way. The otter?s tail began to wag behind him, though it was subtle enough to not be noticeable. The two filed into the car without delay, Caelum first and Noah squeezing in behind him. The two had to fit into the already small space of the back seat which was somewhat taken by a cooler with stuff the parents had put in for the rest of the day.
Once they were inside, the father who was at the wheel pushed off. The two boys in the boy jubilantly shared a quick "Yay" but were soon shushed by the Caelum?s mother who knew the older male had sensitive ears. The two cubs soon turned to more quiet games, playing various things on their phones together to pass the time. The trip to the park wasn?t an incredibly long one but neither of them was that great about car trips, especially Caelum who was known to get carsick on occasion.
The car trip lasted only about an hour before they pulled into the park itself. The unmistakable, and fall-colored, canopy of trees that canvased over the area told them where they were. The theme park was just outside of a national part, not quite removed from the foliage of the area. The trees still providing much-needed shades for the patrons who decided to partake in its offerings.
"We?re here. Make sure to put on some suntan lotion before we go into the park. Both of you." The beaver?s mother reached back and handed both of them a small container of suntan lotion.
The two cubs did as they were told. They both knew the sun could sometimes be unrelenting, even under the protection of the canopy of the wooded area. It didn?t take much longer before they pulled into the parking lot. The parents were the first ones out, making sure to grab the cooler before allowing the two boys out. Both Caelum and Noah stretching once they were out in the open area of the parking area.
As they began to move towards the entrance the extended family noticed that there were quite a lot of people around today. They had expected it to be full but this was more than they thought. Still, they weren?t going to let them stop them from enjoying their day as the parents had already bought tickets for the day and they weren?t about to waste them. Once they reached the entrance, they filed into the line and made their way through the queues until they entered the park.
"Which side do you want to do first?" Caelum asked as Noah was the guest.
The otter scratched his head. "How about we start small and ride the tilt a whirl?"
The beaver looked to his mother. She knew exactly what he wanted without even saying a word.
"You two go and have fun. Just meet us at lunch at the cafeteria." She didn?t mind letting them go off on their own since neither she nor her husband was much of a ride person.
Caelum nodded to the other cub and began leading to it. He had a general idea of where everything was so he felt like he could get there without any sort of map. The two noticed that the place wasn?t packed but there were enough people around to feel like it was crowded. Still, they managed to make their way through the crush of people, weaving back and forth between everyone while trying to not knock into people. Eventually, they were able to find their way to the tilt a whirl.
They looked to the line which looked rather thin compared to the rides they had passed in coming there. The two friends filed into line and proceeded to wait. They began chatting about nothing specific, not having a single topic that they focused on. The conversation didn?t last incredibly long since the ride was a short one and the line moved rather quickly. The two cubs made their way to some empty seats and buckled in for the ride.
Once the ride began, the boys roared in joy. They giggled and held tight to make them feel safer than they would otherwise. Of course, the fastener that kept them in was more than enough to do the job, but their primal beliefs weren?t convinced. The ride didn?t last long but it was more than enough to please them for the time
being. Both of them had huge smiles on their faces as they exited through the back of the ride platform and back into the crush of people.
Caelum knew exactly where he wanted to go now. His favorite rides were roller coasters and like his friend, he had yet to ride the new one. He looked around to see if he could see a sign pointing to it. Sure enough, a statue of a perched eagle was visible with the claw marks making a pointed sign leading to the left. The beaver was certain that this was the new coaster as he hadn?t seen the marker before.
Caelum took his friend?s paw and began to run towards it. This caught Noah off guard who found himself being pulled away without much effort, but of course, he went along with it even if he had no idea where they were headed. The otter looked up and he could see the faint semblance of red railing on the horizon. He then understood that they were most likely headed to the new roller coaster. A mixed sense of excitement and anxiety began to fill his young head.
They were able to cover a pretty good distance in a short time as this area of the park wasn?t as busy as the one they had just come from. Soon they entered into an area that wasn?t as covered by trees. The roller coaster in front of them, sprawling rails in what looked like every direction. A cart rolled by with the patrons on board it screaming as it made a quick rush by. Caelum finally stopped moving and jumped in place, seeming more than excited to get to the ride as quickly as possible.
The otter didn?t stay still for long and Caelum wasn?t able to collect himself before he was being dragged along again. The two cubs followed what crowd was present to the entrance. A large bird perch with a mechanical eagle sitting on top made it clear that they were at the right spot. Underneath the wooden beam stood a person holding a bright red stick. A turtle wearing the tan explorers uniform that each employee in the park hard to wear.
To a bypasser, the turtle didn?t seem to be doing much but as the two cubs got closer the reptile eyed them. Once they were close enough to him to be at a personal distance, she slowly raised her arm until her hand was held out gesturing for them to stop.
"You...must...be...this...tall...to..ride..." The turtle?s words were slow and trickled out at a snail?s pace.
Caelum was the first one to approach the bright red stick, which had markings on it to distinguish the required heights for various rides. The top of which was for the coaster itself. The ride monitor measured him ever so slowly, extending the stick to make sure he met the mark.
Once he was verified, Caelum smiled and giggled motioning for Noah to do the same. The otter wasn?t so sure about himself and moved ever so slowly to where the stick was being held. As he moved under it, he couldn?t quite feel the stick hit his head. At that point, he knew he was still too short to ride the coaster.
"Too...short...please...come...again..." The reptile slowly moved his free arm to gesture for the smaller cub to go away.
Noah filed off feeling an immediate sense of disappointment as he slumped his head. Caelum looked over to him and felt bad, but knew there was nothing he could do about it.
The otter mumbled as he looked over to the other cub who was still at the entrance of the line. "You can go if you want...I?ll wait here."
"Alright, don?t worry about it. You can go next time for sure!" The beaver always tried to look on the positive side of things.
After he filed back into the line, Noah wondered what he could do to pass the time. It was warmer in this part of the park since trees didn?t cover the area. He saw a water spout next to a fountain and saw some cubs splashing around both in and around the fountain itself. Their parents not paying them any mind as they sat off to the side in a drier area. The boy considered joining them as he didn?t have anything better to do while he waited for his friend to return.
He slowly began to move towards it and watched as a few kids run past him in some swim trunks. Noah wasn?t worried about getting his clothes wet so he started to pick up the pace and run right through the spout. The rush of cold water made him feel a little bit better as he tried to enjoy himself running back and forth. Some of the nearby adults stared at him as he was easiest the most noticeable cub there due to his age. He didn?t let it bother him and eventually made his way over to the fountain where some other furs were sitting down.
He pulled out a single coin from his pocket and threw it into the center of the small pool of water.
He whispered to himself. "I wish I was big enough to go on all of the rides with my friend."
He watched as his coin flitted into the still water and shone back at him, heading over to a nearby fountain to get a drink. After he finished that he heard a yell, a voice sounding similar to Caelum?s. Turning his head in the direction it came from he saw the beaver coming towards him. Noah shook his body and headed towards the bigger cub.
"Dude that was awesome! It was crazy good." The bigger cub couldn?t hold back his obvious excitement.
Noah shrugged. "Hopefully I can go next time."
The otter didn?t want to drag his friend down but Caelum wasn?t about to let him take the fall either. The bigger boy ruffled his head fur.
"Come on, let?s go on something else."
The two boys began walking, Noah noticing that his clothing was somewhat tighter than he had gotten used to. He played it off as nothing, convincing himself that the water made it plaster to his body. As they walked together they made their way to a less intense roller coaster.
It was an older wooden fixture that had long past its prime but it was a rather well-known attraction for the place. There was no height requirement for it since it had seatbelts rather than lap bars. The cubs rode together rather happily, glad that they could enjoy the coaster together. When they got off, Caelum came up with an idea.
"What if we put coins in your shoe? I bet you?d be tall enough then. You?re not that much smaller than me so it shouldn?t need much." Caelum suggested as he had recalled the trick from earlier in his youth.
As the two stood there, Noah found he was almost eye to eye with the other cub. A peculiar nicety indeed as he had been used to looking up at the other cub.
"Alright...sounds good." The otter wasn?t about to turn down a chance to ride the star attraction and couldn?t wait to see if the plan paid off. The two soon began skipping off back towards the screaming eagle.
Getting back to where they came from didn?t take long as the three coasters that the park had, were all essentially in the same place due to their size. Of course, the screaming eagle was the largest and most flashy of the three and so too was the line that waited for it. Once they had arrived back at the bigger coaster, Noah looked up at it. Another cart rushed by with the patrons on board screaming their lungs out. Someone?s hat fell off and dropped right in front of him. One of the park employees was cleaning up nearby and came over to pick it up.
"Alright, let?s go in one of the stores and gets some change for some cash for your shoes." Caelum pulled his wallet out of his pocket and fished out some bills for the exchange.
Noah nodded and followed without saying a word. He wanted nothing more than to experience the ride and would do whatever it took to get on board. Inside the proprietor didn?t even take the mind of the new entrants to the locale.
"You want some water or something to drink since we?re here anyway?" The beaver asked as it had been a while since he had taken a break.
The otter shook his head as he was still pretty sated from the fountain. Caelum shrugged and got himself one anyways before taking it to the shopkeep.
The manhandling the sales, was a younger-looking male who wore the typical park garb. His head tuft was long and his fur was unkempt.
To Caelum, he looked like an older teen, who seemed disinterested in his job, not even turning to face them. The younger boy looked up at him, the teen?s fixture remains unmoved from the small tv he was watching. The otter tapped the desk and the vendor grunted as he turned his attention. The fluffy labrador-looking dog quickly took the small bottle of water from the cub?s hand and scanned it before dropping it. It was apparent he wasn?t entirely professional in the way he handled himself in the day-to-day tasks of the job.
Caelum handed him some cash, beyond what the price was. "Can I get some quarters for the machine?"
The teen shrugged and nodded before gripping the currency and throwing it into the register. The dog tightly gripped some coins and threw them onto the table in front of him before turning his attention back to the television show he was watching. Caelum didn?t think much of it and decided to ignore it before taking both the small bottle of water and coins that were thrown back his way.
"Come on, let?s go find somewhere for you to sit down." The beaver headed back out of the store with both of the things in his paw.
Once they were back outside, they found a small bench to the side of the store. Luckily there was no one using it so the two cubs took a seat next to each other. Noah understood what he needed to do and leaned over to take his shoes off. They had always been a little loose on him, especially when they were bought. They weren?t even that old and yet when he began taking them off, the otter had a bit of difficulty in removing them.
After both of them were off, he couldn?t help but rub his feet as they were a little sore for whatever reason. He determined it must have been from walking as much as they had. Caelum handed over the coins once he saw that the other boy?s shoes were off. Noah grasped the coins and split them evenly between both of his
paws. He dropped them into the heel of his shoes and flattened them out so that they didn?t move around as much.
Moving the shoes back near to where his feet were caused them to shuffle and jingle a bit. The unsettled nature of the coins made Noah think that this wouldn?t work but he was desperate enough to try it. Caelum continued to sip away at his water as he waited for the other cub who seemed to be taking his time for whatever reason. A few more moments passed before the otter pushed the shoes back onto his paws.
Of course with the coins on the bottom of his shoes, the footwear was even tighter than before. Noah picked himself up and wobbled a bit as he wasn?t quite used to walking around with stuff in his shoes. It wasn?t quite as annoying as having rocks inside them but still, it was noticeable. He looked down at Caelum who was just finishing up his beverage.
"Ready? You should be good now." Standing up, the beaver sized himself up to the other boy.
Noah was bigger now, perhaps even slightly above the other cub?s line of sight with the coins in his shoe.
Noah nodded and didn?t think much of the fact that he was bigger than the other cub now, playing it off to the little aid he was employing. The two began walking again, the otter managing to keep up despite the added difficulty of the shifting coins in his shoes. But eventually, they settled and it became easier to walk, at least a little bit. They returned to the entrance where the turtle was. As last time, the reptile eyed the two cubs as they approached her.
The same protocol was used with the woman being just as slow as before. Noah couldn?t help but be a little nervous about it, partially believing that he would pass the test. This time Caelum pushed him to the front since he knew that he was big enough. The otter moved to the bright red stick and pushed himself against it. The turtle looked down to make sure he wasn?t tippy-toeing. Sure enough, he wasn?t and the ride host brushed him along.
Noah smiled with glee and tried not to move suddenly as to give evidence to his ruse. Caelum wasn?t far behind as the beaver slapped him on the back playfully as he passed behind him.
"Awright your on! Let?s ride this beast." The now smaller boy noted as they walked together to the end of the line.
The line was a little longer now since it was later in the day but as before it moved rather quickly due to the short nature of rides. They even decided to wait for the front seats, which added to the already long queue they experienced.
As they neared the front Noah was feeling nervous as he saw some of the people getting off crying.
"It?ll be fine. Don?t worry. I promise it?s fun." Caelum rubbed his friend?s back a bit to ease his tension a bit.
Noah felt a little better now, but his shoulders were still tense. His whole body felt tight for whatever reason, but he played it off to the stress he was experiencing. Soon enough they were at the front and they filed into the front cart.
The otter wasn?t about to chicken out since his friend was right there with him. He figured there wasn?t much of a chance to escape, especially considering the large line of people behind them. Many of which were larger than either of the cubs were. Once they were on board a ride operator came by to press down to the body bar to make sure it was secure against both of their bodies. The added security made Noah feel a little more at ease about what was about to happen. He could see the track chain moving in front of him, which he knew meant the ride was soon about to begin.
The ride operators held up their hands signaling everything was good to go. A loud click was heard as the ride lurched forward and latched onto the chain pulling it towards the first climb. As they pulled out of the station, the rays of the sun hit them directly against the eyes. Both of them squinted to reduce the glare, though it didn?t help very much. The ride continued to creep ever upward as it came ever closer to the pinnacle of the first drop.
It stopped suddenly placing only the first cart over the precipice of the drop. Both of the boy?s hearts stopped as the adrenaline of the moment had only just begun. All at once, the cart began to pick up speed, going from a complete stop to full velocity in what seemed like an instant. Several of the patrons on board started to scream. Noah latched onto the handlebars in front of him without a second thought, even pushing himself back a bit with his feet to afford just a little bit of extra security.
The roller coaster continued to ride down the first slope making its first twisting turn to the left as it darted just above ground level. Both cubs felt the rush of the wind run past them as they sat next to each other. Caelum wasn?t nearly as startled by the ride?s surprises since he had already been on it before. The first loopy to loop left Noah almost white-faced. His stomach jumped but didn?t quite cause him to feel like he?d be ill. The ride darted through a small cave as some water jets sprayed some cooling mist to help their bodies cool off from the otherwise hot weather.
The sun struck them once again after the short stint in the makeshift cave came to an end, rotating into a barrel roll as it bulleted across the tracks. The ride made one final jilting rush forward as it streamed across some water. The pool shooting streams of water up at them, making many of the patrons wet. This time since Caelum was at the front, he got much wetter than before where he didn?t notice it quite as much.
As the ride slowed down and neared back at the station Noah began to recover. Caelum was a little more excited about the ordeal. The otter thought the whole thing to be exciting but it was more extreme than he was expecting. The vehicle came to a stop as it entered the station and the body bars came up on their own. Caelum looked over at Noah with a huge smile on his face.
"So...what did you think?" The beaver got up from his seat and proceeded to exit from the cart.
Noah did the same as he wobbled his way following the other boy out. "It was cool!"
The otter felt a little queasy and his entire body was tight. Caelum waited for him to get out and looked him over once they were next to each other. The otter now seemed to be a bit above his line of sight. It was nothing major but still noticeable.
He played it off as nothing since the other cub still had coins in his shoes. The two began to walk out the exit of the roller coaster. The entire time talking about the ride they?d been through together only moments ago.
"Want to go again?" Caelum was already roaring again.
Noah was hesitant to answer but came up with a quick response. "Don?t we have to meet your parents for lunch?"
"Oh, your right. I guess it is almost time for that. Let?s head to the cafeteria then." The beaver began leading towards one of those navigation areas that had a map plastered on the side of a short wall.
They located the cafeteria and began walking towards it. Noah was glad they wouldn?t have to go on the coaster again as he was still feeling a little queasy about it and his stomach was rumbling rather loudly now.
Once they arrived at the cafeteria, they could see it was rather busy. There was a noticeable line flowing out of the building and into part of the street that led into it. Caelum and Noah walked past it, the beaver was looking for his parents. Eventually, he spotted them near an outcropping of trees. The family had brought their meal since they figured it would be packed, especially when lunch rolled around. Caelum?s mother spotted them and waved them over.
The two friends made their way over and filed onto the seat next to each other. By this point, Noah?s feet were hurting pretty badly. Even the short walk had put some extra stress on his feet. It wasn?t that he was tired, it was that his feet were feeling strangely squished into his shoes. After they sat down, the otter tried kicking off his shoes by stepping on the heel of them with his free foot. It took some serious effort to get them off but once they were he felt an immediate sense of relief.
Caelum?s mother reached into the cooler and pulled out a sandwich for the two of them. Neither of the cubs wasted time in chowing down, though Noah was much quicker about finishing his meal as he was past famished at this point. The other boy?s mother watched him closely as he engulfed the small meal without delay.
"Well then, someone hungry. Would you like another?" She asked and fished another out without much thought.
Noah smiled and nodded before taking it. This time is slower about eating it but still being able to manage to down it.
Caelum?s father handed both of them a drink and patted them on the back as he approached from behind. Both boys finished their meal before long. Once they were done, the father insisted they wait until the food settle or they might get a cramp. Caelum sighed out loud as he wanted nothing more than to get back to the roller coaster. It was already past noon and he knew they didn?t have all day. After 30 minutes of sitting around, both of the cubs were feeling rather restless.
"Alright you two, go along. Meet us here at 4 and we?ll go home. Sound good?" The father asked while leaning over to hug his wife.
The two cubs nodded showing they agreed with this notion. Noah tried squeezing his feet back into the shoes so that they could leave. No matter how hard he tried, they just wouldn?t go on. He considered that his feet might have been swollen.
Caelum?s mother noticed his struggle. "Here, we have some spare sandals you can wear."
"Thanks, Caelum?s mom!" He smiled warmly at her as she handed them over.
He quickly put them on as he was now as eager to get back to the activities of the park as his friend was. Standing up tightened his clothing as it stressed against
his body. It was now small enough that a portion of his belly was showing just below the hem.
This was not something either of the boys cared about as they returned to the park. Caelum started to head back towards the coaster but Noah had something else in mind. He tugged his best friend over towards where the log ride was. Water rides were his favorite and he was feeling hot from sitting out under the sun during lunch. The beaver rolled his eyes but decided to play along since he wanted to do what his friend wanted to as well.
The log ride itself wasn?t far from the cafeteria. Once they arrived they could see it wasn?t much of a wait. As they walked through the wooden railing leading into the ride itself, they saw there was almost no one there. They were able to get to the ride without delay. It was one of the oldest attractions at the park and the little log creaked as it neared the entry station. Noah tried taking the front of the log but was denied by one of the attendants.
When they sat inside the small log, the otter found he could almost see over the other cubs? heads now. He figured the seat must have been on risers or something and rearranged himself so that he wasn?t holding onto Caelum. The log pushed off and led off towards the mountainous climb that led towards the ride itself. Going up the climb took just as long as the coaster, except this time the sun was blocked out by the man-made mountain in front of them.
The ride was themed to look like it was Mount Kiljayo, a well-known peak in the country. Air conditioning made the ride seem colder than it was, pushing cold air through it to make it seem like it was snowing. The log took them through the sightseeing portion of the attraction before taking them through some barricades as if they?re off track. It eventually took them to the singular drop that looked over the part of the park where they were in.
Both cubs held their arms up and let out subsequent yells of joy. The crash of water blew past them and soaked them entirely. The log continued until it pulled into the exit area and they filtered out of it. As Noah was getting out, the button of his pants burst outward and he reached down to cover himself, fully believing that his zipper would soon give way. Caelum didn?t notice at first but soon turned around to see what was going on.
Awash of concern now came over the otter. It wasn?t just his pants there were poorly fitting him now. The entirety of his wardrobe clung tightly against his body. They had fit fine this morning and yet now this wasn?t the case. He couldn?t figure out what was going on, his face turning red once he realized that his friend was now looking at him...He had to figure out what was happening...and fast.
