The Reader's Request Book [REQUESTS CLOSED]

Smile Always - Full Story

In the middle of England, there was a county called Stoke-on-Trent, which was home to one of the most famous amusement parks throughout all of Britain: Alton Towers. Built in 1980, upon the expansive grounds of a castle like structure of the same name, the amusement park contained over forty rides with many having their own unique history and fictional stories to give them character and meaning. Furthermore, each Halloween, Alton Towers would hold an event called, "Scarefest," in which additional attractions such as scare mazes, haunted houses and escape rooms were set up. The event was often intertwined with one or more of the attractions around the park, adding more depth into their frequently twisted stories.

The focus of this year's Scarefest was the story of a rather infamous roller coaster called, "The Smiler." The world's first fourteen-loop ride could rocket its passengers over fifty miles and hour through tight turns that were sure to unease the stomachs of even the most seasoned riders. Regardless of how gruelling the sickeningly fast and twisty the ride was known to be, the story the Alton Towers had given the ride was that it was designed to have its passengers in hysterical laughter with immense grins on their faces (hence the name), thanks to the supposedly mind-bending effects the roller coaster could inflict. Unless you were a die-hard fan or crazy lore enthusiast, this would likely be the extent of your knowledge for the Smiler's story, which was certainly case for the group of five YouTubers who had finally reached the front of the line to enter into the fantastical world of Alton Towers for the very first time.

Baz, Lewis, Rhys, Ryan, and Will had been intending to meet up for some kind of group holiday for an incredibly long time now, but each of their very busy and unsynchronised content creation schedules had prohibited this. Finally, the metaphorical stars had aligned in their work routines, and the five colleagues and friends had decided that their holiday location of choice would be Britain's most famous amusement park. There was to be no vlogging nor YouTube content creation of any kind, allowing the group to relax and enjoy their time with one and other to provide some much-anticipated respite from their hectic lives.

With the couple in front making their way into the park, having brought their tickets, it was now the YouTubers' turn to step up to the kiosk. The front desk had been decorated in accordance with this year's Scarefest; crudely graffitied green, white and yellow swirls covered the majority of the desk's surface, while large cardboard cuts out of cartoonish grins with spiralling eyes had been posted in the background. Sitting behind the desk, a cashier slowly turned to look at the new group. They wore beige trousers that were ripped at the knee, and a button up shirt that was striped black and yellow. Over the top of this shirt, the cashier wore a black waistcoat, with a large yellow smile at its centre. Atop a head of short, messy, brown hair were a pair of glasses, their lenses plastered over with spirals. On the collar of their waistcoat was a small badge, a bright yellow circle with bold black writing which read, "I HAVE BEEN CORRECTED."

As the five men approached, a wide smile crossed the cashier's lips, one that couldn't be attributed to simply, "friendly customer service." With their wide eyed and unblinking gaze keenly looking between each of the five men, the cashier maintained an uncomfortable moment of silence.

The five men glanced to one and other, before the eldest member of the group spoke up. "Hello!" he greeted the cashier with a smile, "I like your suit!"

The cashier's head tilted to the side; their gaze now pinned to the Scotsman with an eager, excited expression. "You have a beautiful smile," they smirked.

With an over exaggerated look of appreciation, Rhys laughed. "Thank you! Yours is very creepy!" As though they had heard the world's most incredible joke, the black and yellow striped cashier howled with glee, doubling over in their seat as they hit their desk with their fist repeatedly. Holding a hand to their head to steady themselves, the worker continued to laugh excessively, before leaning back in their seat.