Page 104 of What You Wish For

But that’s when we started moving.

“No turning back now,” Duncan said

He wasn’t wrong. We were in motion. This was happening. How long did this ride last, again? Three minutes? Four? I felt my fingers get cold and then a sandpapery tingle of fear spread through my body.

How had I let myself wind up here? My heart rate had doubled—or possibly tripled—like it was not just beating, but more likeconvulsingin my chest.

I squeezed my eyes closed, but that was worse. I opened them again just as we tilted back and back on the tracks until we were fully sideways, and gravity pulled every unharnessed part of me back against the seat. It felt so vertical it seemed like we were tilting backward, and I decided to argue with the fear.All you have to do,I said to myself,is wait for it to be over. Just sit tight, and wait, and don’t die of a heart attack.

I’ll say this: they really draw out the anticipation during that ten-story climb.

“Are you okay?” Duncan asked.

But I couldn’t answer.

The anticipation was the worst part, I told myself.

But, actually, no.

The worst part was yet to come.

Because just as we reached the tippy-top of the ten-story-high scaffolding, just as we were barely starting to tip up to start the U-turn that would send us plunging back toward the earth… the coaster car stopped.

Like, stopped moving entirely.

Just went dead.

After a second, I said, “Is this part of the ride?” Maybe they were trying to intensify the anticipation.

“No,” Duncan said.

Not what I wanted him to say.

“What’s going on?” I said, my voice sounding like it was somebody else’s.

But next, a voice sounded through a speaker between our seats.

“Nothing to worry about, folks,” the voice said pleasantly.

“What the hell is going on!” I yelled at the speaker, as if it could hear me.

“We’re experiencing a normal pause of the system. The system is not broken, and there is no reason for alarm. Our computer sensors are highly calibrated to detect the presence of any foreign objects on the tracks. If the sensors detect an impediment, they immediately stop all rides until our technicians can resolve the issue.”

I met Duncan’s eyes. “What kind of foreign objects?”

The loudspeaker barreled on. “Foreign objects include, but are not limited to, newspapers, kites, beer cans, and pelicans.”

Duncan shrugged at me.

“Please sit tight and enjoy the view until the situation is resolved.”

The loudspeaker shut off, and for a second, there was only wind.

Wind, and nothingness. Because there was nothing at all around us. We were at the tip-top, perched at a slight angle like a jaunty hat, with nothing but sky in every direction.

That’s when the panic really hit.

“Duncan?” I said then.

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