We arrived at the amusement park, after a few more of Charlie's questions and Bernard's long-winded explanations to each one.
"Do you kids have an adult present with you?" The ticket lady asked the three of us. "It's required to get into the park."
"I'm an adult," I stood on my toes to appear taller.
She didn't look to believe me so I handed her my license. She still looked at me cautiously, but eventually, let us in after asking a few more questions.
"Well, Charlie, which ride do you want to do first?" I asked him once we got inside. We were given a brochure of all the rides, there were mostly family rides, a few thrill rides, a water park, and some petting zoo animals. It was a cute little park, with little shops and stalls that were decorated like... well, Santa's Village. The employees were all dressed up like elves, which Bernard quickly commented looked "very" inaccurate. There was also a meet and greet with Santa and Mrs. Claus, which Charlie wasn't too interested in, having met the real deal.
"Look Angie, it says there are real reindeer here!" Charlie beamed excitedly. "I definitely want to go see those later."
"Will do bud, but first let's go on some rides! Go ahead, choose one!"
Charlie grabbed the brochure with the map from my hands and looked it over. "What about that one?" He pointed to probably the biggest ride on the map, a steel coaster called Typhoon.
Bernard shook his head, "That looks far too big and scary for children. Why don't we start with... this one?" He pointed to the tree house slide. "This looks like it would be fun, what do you say Charlie?"
Charlie shook his head, "No way! That looks like a baby ride, I want to do all the big rides!"
Bernard gulped. "Why did I agree to this." He muttered to himself.
"Come on Bernard, you'll be fine!" I laughed, he looked very nervous. It occurred to me that he probably never experienced anything like a roller coaster before. "Okay, how about this? We can start with the family rides-"
"Angie-" Charlie whined.
"Then move on to the bigger ones. That way, we can warm up to them." I looked at Bernard for a sign of approval but he just sighed.
"I guess that works." Charlie compromised seeing Bernard's hesitance. "But Bernard, you have to go on the big rides with me!"
"Something is wrong." Bernard was turning red, "I think maybe I am sick. My skin is hot and I am excessively clammy."
"Bernard, when is the last time you've experienced an actual summer?" I laughed at him, getting concerned with his own sweat. "It gets hot in places outside the North Pole."
"Why do humans talk about enjoying the summer so much, this is miserable."
"Let's get you on some rides, then see how you feel. I packed plenty of water, you'll be fine!"
Starting with small rides, Charlie chose one called The Snowball Ride. It was a ride with circular booths that spun when turned by a wheel inside. Charlie and I spun the wheel as fast as we could, while Bernard sat there holding on for dear life with his eyes shut tight.
Bernard was looking a little green when we got off, so I handed him some water so he wouldn't puke sparkles in front of everyone.
"Humans think that's fun?" He asked me. Charlie ran a bit ahead, and I was keeping my eye on him.
"It is fun, you just have to get used to knowing what fun is."
"Nausea isn't fun."
Next, Charlie wanted to bring us to a small dragon-shaped family coaster. It was one of those cute small ones that always found themselves at county fairs and such, but were a good choice for small children.
Charlie had fun on this ride too, meanwhile, Bernard tried desperately to tell me that it looked a little too big for "just the second ride".
"Bernard, you have been alive for over a thousand years, yet you are scared of a little coaster?" Charlie raised an eyebrow, and I had to turn away so that I wouldn't laugh at him.
After a few more kiddie rides, we would have to walk across the petting zoo to get to the larger thrill rides. We stopped to look at the animals. Charlie loved the reindeer, each appropriately named as the actual eight reindeer. Bernard, on the other hand, had much to say.
"Angie, do you not see how inhumane this is?" He was pacing around the reindeer stalls with his arms crossed. "These reindeer have no room to run around or learn to fly. They have no opportunity to use their magic. Look at this food they are feeding them. What are these brown pellets?" He was very concerned. I never thought that petting zoos were inhumane, but I suppose that I wouldn't want to be poked and stared at all day either. "I should get E.L.F.S to come by and rescue these poor creatures."
"Bernard, I'm sure it's fine, look here," I read the sign, "These reindeer were rescued as babies. They have a nice big field they get to go on the off days too."
This calmed him a little but he still looked uneasy. "Dumb humans think they know how to treat these magnificent creatures. What's next? Are they going to have real elves pinned up in cages?"
Charlie ran up to us, "Isn't this so cool? Do you think these reindeer could fly?"
"Well any animal can fly if they believe they can, you just need to convince them." Bernard suddenly switched to a bright smile in Charlie's presence.
Charlie then went from reindeer to reindeer saying, "Come on Comet, you can fly! I believe in you! You can come to the North Pole and meet the real Comet!"
"Why, this is the real Comet!" An employee dressed as an elf said with a jolly smile.
"No, I met the "real" Comet when my Dad and I went to the North Pole last Christmas. Comet likes eating cookies, not feed, and he has darker eyes."
The elf employee gave Charlie a confused look but just chuckled after a moment. "Well, alright then son."
"Hey Charlie, let's go to the rides, come on," I ushered Charlie forward and we rushed away so the employee wouldn't ask any questions.
"Can we go on Typhoon now?" Charlie pointed to the tall white looping coaster in front of us.
"I am "not" getting on that," Bernard said adamantly, halting to a stop.
"Bernard, come on! Do it for me! How many kids get to ride a roller coaster with an actual elf? My friends would think I was so cool!" Charlie begged him, pulling on his hand towards the line.
The whole line, Bernard threatened to get out at any time to just watch us insted. He tried so hard to not get on the coaster, but anytime he would try to leave the line, Charlie would look at him with his big round eyes and Bernard would stand anxiously for the next few minutes.
"Can I sit in my own row? I think Bernard shouldn't sit alone." Charlie said, "He looks really scared."
Bernard, for the first time ever, gave Charlie a very moody agitated look.
"You really don't have to come if you don't feel comfortable," I told him, "You can stand below and wait for us."
He debated whether this was the right decision or not, but kept getting drawn in by Charlie's cutesy eyes.
Bernard and I sat in the front row together; Charlie thought it would give him a better experience being able to see more. When we were seated, several times Bernard would try to stand up before sitting down again. The coaster assistant waited impatiently as he struggled to make up his mind. Finally, he committed when the employee threatened to give the seat to another person, and he didn't want to make me ride by myself. At least, that's what he told me, but realistically I don't think he wanted to take the walk of shame out the exit line.
The coaster wasn't as big as some other ones that I'd been on. Dad used to bring me to Great America when I was a kid and always forced me on the giant thriller rides. I could see how it would be intimidating if it was someone's first experience ever with a roller coaster though, Typhoon wasn't necessarily small either. I swear I could visibly see him shaking as the cart shifted for the first time, his palms were tightly secured around the hand grips, so tightly that they were turning white. I had to admit, even though I did feel bad that he was so scared, it was a little funny watching the man that was so tough and straight-faced show an emotion other than annoyance.
We rounded the first corner slowly, and the cart clicked into the chain hill lift. The familiar sound of chains clinking sounded as we began our climb.
"Oh chestnuts, oh holly berries, oh candy canes, milk and cookies, oh dear blinking Christmas lights-" Bernard cursed to himself, his eyes tightly shut.
It was as if a strong force came over me, the type of pure fear running through his head reminded me of how I was when Dad forced me to go on the big rides when I was little. When I was scared, my mom would squeeze my hand tightly, and everything would seem a little bit less scary. I did the same thing when Dad inevitably brought Charlie and me back to big amusement parks and inevitably made him do the big rides too. I would hold his hand, and some of his fear would melt away. The two of us came to enjoy these rides now, not necessarily because of "magic hand-holding", but because we learned through that, it wasn't always scary as it seemed when you had someone right there next to you.
Without a second thought, I reached my hand over and grabbed his, squeezing it tightly. He flinched, almost jerking it away, but relaxed into my grip.
That's when it also dawned on me.
"Charlie, you little sneaky matchmaker," I thought to myself. He knew I would do something like this, I should have called it. That wasn't the important thing though, regardless of what Charlie would take away from this interaction, it was no different than me doing this to comfort him than it was with Bernard.
His hand was clammy and warm, no doubt from the mix of sweat from the hot weather and a little bit contributed by pure fear. At the top of the lift hill, it banked slightly to the right before dunking quickly down. I have to say, I've never heard a grown man... elf, scream with such velocity. He clutched my hand so tightly that I felt like I'd surely break a bone. Even if I wanted to move my hand away now, I physically could not.
Charlie was hooting and laughing behind me. With my free arm, I lifted it in the air, feeling the wind rushing through my fingers. I smiled widely, I hadn't been able to ride a coaster in a long time, and I forgot how much I loved the thrill.
We swooped around a few more corners and before I knew it, the ride ended. Both Charlie and I were laughing as the ride vehicles slowed to a stop. I peeked over at Bernard and his eyes were still shut.
"Bernard, it's over," I squeezed his hand, and he slowly opened his eyes.
"What did you think? Wasn't that the coolest thing ever!? Let's go do the next one!" Charlie was buzzing in his seat as the employee came and lifted the shoulder restraints off of us. Bernard was still shaking with a wide-eyed expression, most likely the adrenaline.
"Was that horrible now?" I asked Bernard as we got off the ride and started walking toward our next destination. "What did you think?"
"It was something." He was definitely shaken up.
"Will you do another one?"
"I suppose..." He didn't seem exactly enthused, but he wasn't outright trying to escape the park like last time.
"Charlie-" I pulled his arm closer to me. "Bernard, go ahead a little, I just need to talk to Charlie... about drinking more water." I came up with a quick excuse.
"What?" Charlie looked up at me, pretending to give me an innocent look.
"I know what that was. You are sneaky!" I whispered to him.
Charlie smirked. "I didn't do anything! Stop being..." He thought of a fancy Neal phrase,
"Distrustful of your trustful family and friends. Now come on, hurry! The line is getting long!"
Charlie, like before, would sit behind us, or to the outside edge on any ride we went on, knowing that it was an instinct of mine to try and comfort someone who was scared. I knew what he was doing, so it annoyed me, but I did not want to think about it. I'd do this for any one of my friends... I think. I shook my head. It was almost automatic too, we'd climb in the coaster, and to my surprise, he started to reach over to grab my hand too. I knew if Dad was there he would have plenty to say, but this was something that would not be mentioned to him.
Over the course of the day, Bernard appeared to be enjoying himself more. Around mid-afternoon, we stopped to eat some lunch and drink some more water.
"Can I get a reindeer dog?" Charlie asked the worker at the stand.
"We'll get three of those, and a few bottled waters too." I added.
Bernard gave this a weird look. He was very relieved to see they were just regular hot dogs and not literal reindeer ground up. He looked like he was about to continue his inhumane reindeer rant.
"Bernard, do you want to get married?" Charlie randomly asked him as we ate at one of the picnic tables.
Bernard choked on his hotdog and had to take a gulp of water. "I- suppose so."
"Angie wants to get married too. I think you'd be a cool brother-in-law Bernard because then I'd always see you."
"Charlie!" I practically spat out my drink and looked at him and he giggled. Bernard was rubbing his neck awkwardly, looking away from both of us. "Charlie do you not have any other questions you can ask him? Maybe some that don't involve his personal life?" I coughed, wiping some of the water I spit out, and trying to act naturally changing his topic of interest.
"It wasn't personal! I just asked him if he wanted to get married-"
"Okay, Charlie. How about this." Bernard lifted his hands, "Let's stick to magical learning questions."
Charlie frowned but reluctantly agreed.
Frosty the Snowman knows what he would have gone on to ask if Bernard didn't lay any rules. Even so, I knew this probably wouldn't stop Charlie from trying something else. It's not the first time Charlie has tried this type of thing either. I had a few guy friends I had met over the years, and inevitably Charlie would try to set me up each time in one way or another. He was good about it too most of the time.
"Can we go to the water rides? It's getting really hot." Charlie asked after he finished the rest of his hot dog in silence.
This was going to be a long day. A good day yes, but a long day.
A/N:
Okay, so both this chapter and the one before were going to be one big chapter but I felt like it was too long, so I split it in half and kept writing. Turns out I write a lot of words because I had to do it again. So there will be one more chapter in the theme park, then hopefully I'll progress the story a little further. I just wanted to focus on some friendship-building here, so there's a nice natural progression going on.