What's YOUR Favorite Ride?...


(Image created using an AI art generator on Night Cafe)

The trio of friends are hurrying towards the carnival, excited for the event they are about to attend. The group of extraordinary friends quickly become submerged in the sea of ordinary people, who are just as star-struck by the never-ending flashing lights, spectacular rides, the buzz of laughter and screaming, and greasy food! The annual Peach Carnival has always been a treasured memory for Kay, since she was a child, but she has since graduated from childhood and is now making memories of her own.

Starting university has been a rollercoaster ride itself; thankfully Kay has managed to maintain friendships that keep her grounded. Of course there is Eve -- beautiful Eve with the short dyed hair who has been Kay's best friend since grade 2! Jackson, however, is a newer addition to the group, majoring in civil engineering at the same school, and Kay's little crush... Naturally Kay invited her two close friends to attend the carnival, in the name of memory-making of course (while quietly pining for a moment alone with Jackson...).

"HellooOoo?"

Kay's train of thought is rudely cut off by a hand waving in front of her face: Eve's hand. "Jesus, Kay, I've only been asking you which ride first, three times now!" She looks peeved... Better think of something quick!

"Yeah girl," Kay gently laughs to brush off the question, "just taking a second to take in my surroundings!" Think, quick -- there! "Why don't we start off easy, with the carousel?"

Jackson smirks. "No complaints from me," and the trio of friends take off for the swirling horses over to their left.




"Oooh, honestly I don't think I can eat another bite..."

"Jackson, why would you buy a corn dog when you knew we're going on more rides?"

About an hour into the evening has passed, and the gang have covered nearly every inch of the carnival. The carousel was a classic -- easy, smooth ride. Kay has never been a fan of bumper cars, but she agreed to humor the other two by giving herself a headache on it. The Scrambler ride was thrilling, although Eve didn't agree too much on that one. Jackson, being the only man present, had to show off his manliness at the shooting booth, only to walk away without so much as a, "Congratulations!" The scene was so pitiful...

"Hey bestie." Eve, snapping Kay back to reality, with a huge grin on her face. "I know Jackson is about to hurl, but how are you holding up?"

On cloud 9... How could Kay possibly complain? An evening of thrills spent with her two good friends while the arrival of autumn weather creeps into the air. Warm enough to have skin exposed, yet cool enough to cause goosebumps to form, making Kay feel all tingly inside!

"I'm doing good, girl," Kay sighs happily. That kind of happiness where she simply never wants the night to end...

Kay takes in her surroundings once again when she notices an attraction in the far corner of the fairgrounds. So dark and ominous, with only the faintest alien green light to illuminate, it must have blended into the night during Kay's first glance around... "What's that, over there?"

A UFO... Now that the three of them have begun walking towards the contraption, a recognizable huge black UFO with a green underglow is in sight, with a sign that reads, Gravitron.


Source: In case anyone is unfamiliar with the ride, this is how it works

"Have you ever been on one before?" Jackson questions the two girls. "It basically spins so fast that you don't feel gravity."

Eve laughs aloud. "Oh, I've been on one before! My girl Olive got so sick that she really did hurl!" A glance in Jackson's direction. "Speaking of..." Eve mumbles, as her mind wonders back to that corn dog from earlier.

But Kay has not been on one. She watches the riders excitedly climb into the UFO, before the door is shut. What is happening inside is anybody's guess as suddenly the ride begins to spin, ever so slowly at first, until it picks up enough speed to send the riders screaming and hollering into a frenzy!

And that's all Kay needs to see -- "Let's do it."




The trio of friends step into the ride. It is a giant circle with padded walls; that's it. Confused, Kay watches to see what everyone else does, except everybody simply stands with their backs against the wall. As if anticipating some kind of weird ritual...

The ride operator stands in the middle of the circle, next to the control box, and boringly announces in the voice of someone who has said this a thousand times, "Welcome to the Gravitron, please stand with your back against the wall, do not try to hang upside down while the ride is in motion, thank you."

Just like that, the lights go out, and they are transported to another world.

The floor starts to spin, sending Kay off balance. Already people hysterically lose their minds, including Eve and Jackson, who are laughing wildly. Some of the riders are trying to walk around like nothing is happening -- but not Kay. Kay is pressed right up against the wall, palms flat, fingers digging into the padding as the ride picks up speed. She squeezes her eyes shut, feeling herself getting dizzy from the vertigo.

"Hold on!"

Somehow Kay manages to recognize Eve's voice amid the chaos. And Eve is right -- the ride becomes such a blur until Kay can finally feel herself floating! Her eyes shoot open to discover the other riders in an array of different poses (including upside down!). She peeks over to see Eve hanging sideways and Jackson upside down, neither one of them prohibited by the laws of gravity.

Then it stops. Kay feels herself thrown back so forcefully that she feels she may puke! Rather than hitting her head back against the wall as anticipated, Kay is instead sent floating into a pitch black space, watching the inside of the UFO ride through a "doorway" slowly shrink away, the screaming fade, before the door is abruptly closed.

Kay tries to gather her bearings amid a flurry of questions in her head: Where am I? what just happened? did anyone see that happen?! how do I get out? which direction is which?... Kay is surrounded by pure darkness, and with the "doorway" to the ride now gone, she doesn't have the faintest idea of where to start looking for an exit... if there even is one.

There is no light. There is no sound.

There is nothing.



Thank you for reading! 🙏 I really enjoyed this prompt; it's always the best when you get struck by a burst of inspiration right as you're falling asleep! 😄 Good luck, and see everyone at next week's challenge!

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