Spiderland

"Can we go on the roller coaster?"

"Sure we can," Kent assured his son, whose eyes brimmed with hope and enthusiasm. Little Brian ran ahead towards the ride as his father walked quickly behind. It was one of those old, rickety coasters that doesn't keep you from falling out unless you hold on for dear life. Kent was always too scared to ride them as a child, but as a father it was his duty to be brave.

"Hold on there, kiddo. Ya gotta be at least this tall to ride," proclaimed the ticket taker, thumbing towards the height requirement standee.

"I am! I grew two whole inches this summer!" Brian boasted, then stood next to the grinning cartoon bear to prove himself.

"Looks like you juuuust made it," the man said with a grin and gave a little wink to Kent. "You two have fun."

"Hooray!" shouted Brian. "Come on, dad!"

Brian grabbed the cuff of his father's coat and gleefully led him through the entrance to the ride. They climbed into a coaster car and Kent taught Brian to hold on tight to the bar. He put his arm around his son, and they smiled at each other. Soon, the coaster began moving-creeping up into the sky. Kent felt the anticipation slowly billowing inside him, Brian giggling excitedly by his side.

"This is gonna be so awesome! Right, dad?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," Kent replied, trying to seem convincing. He was having second thoughts, but it was too late for that. They were at the top now, and were about to descend. Kent felt the terror of that brief moment before the coaster picks up speed, then the fun began.

Brian and his father howled and laughed as the coaster went up and down and all around; no loops, of course. Kent knew he made the right decision, and it was a great bonding experience for the two of them. In his mind, he patted himself on the back. But as the ride came to an end, Kent was hit by a wave of nausea, rushing to vomit just once into a trash can. The ticket taker looked irritated as he put his arm out to stop Brian from exiting the ride.

"Who told you you could leave?" he snarled in a sinister voice. Brian looked shocked, until the boorish gentleman smiled and said, "Just kiddin', little guy."

Kent ran over to protect his son from the inappropriately sarcastic man, but Brian was fine so he let it go.

"You okay, dad?" Brian asked in an adorably concerned fashion.

"Yeah, kiddo. I just got a little sick, that's all."

"Were you scared?"

"Of course not! Were you?"

Brian didn't want to answer right away. He just looked around like he didn't know he was being asked a question, so Kent tickled him until he cried, which left him with quite the appetite. Kent wasn't hungry after getting motion sickness, but he bought Brian some sweet carnival bread. Brian took a few bites and said he wasn't hungry anymore. Kent rolled his eyes, knowing this was a common occurrence for kids.

"Save it for later, okay?" Kent requested, and Brian wrapped up the bread and stuffed it in his knapsack.

"I knew I was going to need this!" he declared triumphantly.

"My son, the psychic," Kent joked, and they both chuckled. Brian was ready for another ride so they walked around the carnival looking for one they hadn't tried yet.

"I wanna go in there, dad!" Brian hollered, running towards a spooky looking fun house. It had a spider motif, and an equally attractive name: Spiderland Fun House. Kent stopped dead in his tracks.

"Oh God," he muttered. Ever since he was a boy, Kent had a paralyzing fear of spiders. He hated all creepy crawlies, but the idea that spiders trap things in their webs and then slowly suck the life out of them was more than he could handle. He prayed he could get his son to change his mind.