Ride

They have opened up a new ride in the mall. I have never been to this mall. It is a roller coaster that goes into a pair of red doors. The cost is fifty dollars. I pay it but I complain about the cost. – Shock me if you dare, I say to the Indian man. – If you fail I will return and collect my money with interest. No sooner am I strapped in, the car blasts through the doors, and it sounds like a sheet of ice hitting concrete. The car goes up, it goes down, there’s not much to this, except the decor is very well done. Mountains surround me. It's even cold. The air is fresh. There are birds. The car stops in the middle of a giant ice pan. There’s a man there who unbuckles me. He looks bored with his job. And he leads me to the edge of the pan. – Jump, you weak fucker, he says. Jump. I can’t see the bottom. Only fog. Children run past me, screaming, and they jump, and disapear in the fog. – Jump, you fucker. – Is this part of the ride, I say. – Jump, he says. – The ride is over, I say. I won’t jump. I can’t jump. The man grabs me like he would grab a tiny dog, and hurls me into the abyss.