In 1932 Chalky Pettedin is granted permission to buy property and turn it into his childhood dream: an amusement park. The area of land he purchased is a big field, known at the time as the "Ghost Field." There were sightings and rumors of ghosts ha...
It was a boring old thursday. I was in latin class, just waiting to get out. I went to a private school, a school with uniforms, that also looked boring. It was your basic old blue plaid short skirt and sweater combo. When that class finally ended, I decided to walk home. I lived close enough to the school that I could just walk home, so I began on my walk. Normally, I took this very long and extensive route home. Yes, I lived close but the walk itself was still pretty long. So I decided to try a short cut today. I hadn't actually tried this short cut yet, but I had known about it, so today I was going to try it, hoping I wouldn't get lost.
It cut through these woods. As I was walking through them, in my uniform with my messenger bag, I couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable. This skirt was particularly short. And I wasn't gunna lie, I thought I was pretty attractive. So if that doesn't scream innocent teen girl to any potiental predators I don't know what else does.
It was taking longer than usual, but after fifteen minutes or so I decided it was NOT in fact a short cut. Next time, I'd be going the long route I normally took.
That is, until I saw this blue color behind the trees in the distance. Curious, I followed a new path, heading towards it. Maybe five hundred feet away I came to a clearing in the woods, and a wooden rusted gate. I put my hand over the gate, and gently pushed. It squeaked like crazy, but came apart easily, as a piece of it extended out, swung open. I followed that curiosity, hadn't I ever learned anything from the movies?! Guess not, and I continued down the path.
What came next, was something of the fantastical. It was as if I had immediately walked into this other world. I was in this, this old amusement park. Rides and rusted buildings and somewhat of faded colors surrounded me at all angles. It was like I was on this big marketstreet of the dead. I walked down the dirt road, my eyes ablaze looking all around, my mouth gaped open.
How had no one ever known about this place?! It was magical! It was like I was in Wonderland but it was all faded and old. I walked until I came to what looked like bumper cars. I climbed up, following that stupid curiosity of mine, onto the platform and held onto the ledge/railing and peered over at the open area below. It wasn't bumper cars, but in fact some sort of ride that was held lower than the ground. Or maybe the ground had fallen through? Revealing a structure below. Nevertheless, it was really cool.
As I peered back over at the sky behind me, I saw pieces of dusk and pink as the sun was setting. I had to get home, because it was starting to get dark out. I walked back the way I came, where I was back in the woods again, and continued to follow the same trail I was on until I was out of the woods, back out onto the street with actual moving cars. I called up my dad on my cellphone, and had him pick me up. I was nowhere near my house, but at least I was in actual civilization again.
When I got home, I didn't tell my parents about finding the old amusement park. I didn't want them to know, because I knew exactly what they'd say.
"You can't go there, ever again Charisma. It's dangerous"
or
"Why on earth would you go to such a place in the first place?!" Assuming of course I'd gone there on purpose.
So I just kept my mouth shut at dinner, not saying a word. After dinner, when I went to my room, I changed into pj's and watched a movie. I was starting to fall asleep halfway during the movie, and my eyes were starting to close. As I was half fighting for more consciousness, I could have sworn I'd seen the TV jar quickly. But that's what caused my eyes to open wider, and for me to sit bolt upright in my bed. I rubbed my eyes.
"You're tired, Charisma" I said to myself outloud, getting up and shutting off the movie. "You need to go to bed."
I went to go brush my teeth, and after climbed into bed after shutting out the lights.
I dozed off to sleep.
****
The next day, that morning at school I met my friend Moxie at my locker before class. She always met me before class just to talk.
"I have to tell you something, something big" I said, all excitedly, eyes wide.
"What is it?" She asked, eager and curious, holding her books to her chest.
"Well, yesterday" I said. "I took a shortcut home from school, that I had never taken before. Anyways, I was cutting through the woods, when I accidently found this old abandoned amusement park!"
"What! Really?" She said, seeming interested.
"Yeah. It was really cool, Moxie. It was like I had walked straight into some other land. Like Wonderland"
"Wow, you gatta take me there sometime" She said.
"Maybe" I said. "I don't know if I really wanna get lost again. I barely made it home"
"Well maybe if we went with Cleo and Violet" She said. "It wouldn't be so bad"
"Maybe" I said.
The bell rang for class. I shut my locker and said goodbye to her and headed to English. But all that day, the only thing going through my head was that abandoned theme park.
Why couldn't I get it out of my head?
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Name: Moxie
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