Walsh Family Universe V2

Chapter 43
Six Flags

"Guess what?" Mom announced at dinner one Tuesday in April. "We're going to Six Flags this Saturday! The whole family."

Ash looked up from his chicken. "Really?"

"Really. Claire and Marcus are bringing Sophie, Eden's coming, and your friends from school can come too if their parents say yes." Mom smiled. "You've been working so hard with school and sports. We thought it would be fun."

Six Flags. The amusement park two hours away with the big roller coasters. Ash had seen commercials for it, heard kids at school talk about it, but he'd never been.

Well, he'd been in his previous life. But that was decades ago from his perspective, and a completely different body.

"Can I invite Marcus and Tyler?" Ash asked.

"Of course. I'll text their moms tonight."

That night, lying in bed, Ash thought about roller coasters. About being tall enough to ride them this time. Last year he'd still been too short for most of the good rides. But he'd grown over the winter—was 4'5" now at his last check-up.

The height requirement for most coasters was 48 inches—4 feet.

He might actually make it.

By Friday, the plan was set: Marcus and Tyler were both coming, their parents dropping them off at the Walsh house at 7 AM Saturday for the drive up.

"I've been on the Superman ride before," Tyler said at lunch, gesturing wildly. "It goes like straight up and then drops and you're basically upside down and it's SO COOL."

"I want to do the wooden coaster," Marcus said. "My brother says it's the scariest one."

"What about you?" Tyler asked Ash. "What ride do you want to go on first?"

"I don't know. All of them?" Ash grinned. "I've never been before."

"WHAT?" Both boys stared at him.

"My parents have been saying I needed to be taller first." Ash shrugged. "But I think I finally am."

"Dude, you're gonna love it," Tyler said. "It's the best."

Saturday morning arrived bright and early. Marcus and Tyler showed up at 7:00 on the dot, both practically vibrating with excitement.

"Let's go let's go let's go!" Tyler chanted.

"We have to wait for Claire," Mom said, laughing. "She's bringing Sophie."

Claire arrived ten minutes later with Sophie, who immediately ran to Ash. "Uncle Noam! We're going to Six Flags! I'm going to ride SO MANY rides!"

"You're not tall enough for the big ones yet," Marcus pointed out.

Sophie stuck her tongue out at him. "I can ride the kid ones! And Grandma said she'll go with me!"

Right. Mom was Sophie's grandmother. Sometimes Ash still found that weird—his mother was Claire's mother, and Claire was Sophie's mother, which made Mom Sophie's grandmother even though she was also Ash's mother.

Family dynamics were complicated.

Eden arrived last, climbing into the back of Dad's SUV with the kids. "Road trip!" she announced cheerfully.

The drive took two hours. Ash sat between Marcus and Tyler, the three of them playing travel games and talking about which rides they'd hit first.

Sophie sat in the way back with Eden, singing songs and asking a thousand questions.

"How big is it? How fast do the rides go? Will I be scared? Can I get cotton candy? What about funnel cake?"

"Yes to all of the above," Eden said, patient as always with her niece.

When they finally pulled into the Six Flags parking lot, Ash felt a spike of genuine excitement. The roller coasters were visible from the parking lot—huge, twisting tracks of metal rising into the sky.

"Whoa," Marcus breathed.

"I told you," Tyler said, grinning. "It's awesome."

At the entrance, there was a height check station. A board with different colored lines marking height requirements.

"Let's see how tall everyone is," Dad said.

Sophie went first. She barely reached the 42-inch line—tall enough for some kids' rides, but not the bigger ones.

"I'm so close!" she protested, standing on her tiptoes.

"You'll get there," Claire promised. "Let's go find the rides you CAN do."

Then it was Ash's turn. He stood against the board, holding his breath.

The 48-inch line was right at his forehead.

"You're good!" The attendant said, slapping a wristband on him. "All rides."

Ash felt a surge of triumph. Tall enough. Finally tall enough for everything.

Marcus and Tyler got their wristbands too—both were slightly taller than Ash, having hit growth spurts earlier.

"Okay," Mom said, pulling out a map. "How about we split up? You boys can go do the big rides with Patrick. Claire, Eden, Sophie and I will do the kids' area and gentler rides. We'll meet for lunch at noon?"

"Sounds good," Dad said. "Boys, stay together, listen to me, and no running off. Got it?"

"Got it!" they chorused.

"Have fun, Uncle Noam!" Sophie called as the groups split up.

The first ride Dad took them on was the Superman—Tyler's favorite. The line was long but moved fast. When they finally got to the front, Ash stared up at the coaster towering above them.

"You nervous?" Marcus asked.

"Maybe a little," Ash admitted.

"First big coaster is always scary," Tyler said. "But it's so worth it."

They got strapped into their seats—a harness that came down over their shoulders and locked with a click. Dad was in the row behind them with an older kid whose parents were a few rows back.

The coaster started moving. Slow at first, climbing up, up, up...

"Oh god," Marcus said.

"Here we go!" Tyler whooped.

They reached the top. Ash could see the entire park spread out below them. Then—

DROP.

They plummeted, and Ash's stomach flew into his throat. The wind whipped his face. They twisted, turned, went upside down—

It was terrifying.

It was incredible.

When the ride ended and they stumbled off, all three boys were laughing breathlessly.

"THAT WAS AMAZING!" Marcus shouted.

"Again!" Tyler said. "We have to go again!"

"Maybe after we try some other rides first," Dad said, grinning. "What else you want to hit?"

They rode six more coasters before noon. The wooden one (terrifying and rattly). The one that went backwards (disorienting but fun). The one with the loop-de-loops (made Marcus a little queasy). The spinning one (made Dad a little queasy).

Ash loved all of them. The rush of adrenaline, the speed, the feeling of his body being pushed and pulled by forces beyond his control. It was pure physical experience—no thinking required, just feeling.

At noon they met the others at the designated spot. Sophie was bouncing with excitement, clutching a stuffed bear.

"Grandma won it for me at the ring toss!" she announced. "And we went on the teacups THREE TIMES and the carousel and the little train!"

"Sounds like you had fun," Dad said.

"We did!" Claire looked slightly dizzy. "Though I think I'm done with spinning rides for a while."

Mom smiled at the boys. "How were the big coasters?"

"SO COOL!" all three said at once.

They ate lunch—overpriced theme park food that somehow tasted better because of the setting. Then they split up again, this time with Eden offering to take the boys on a few more rides while Mom and Dad took Sophie to see the shows.

Eden turned out to be fearless, dragging them onto the most extreme rides in the park.

"Come on, it's called the Death Drop! How can we not try it?"

The Death Drop was a tower that lifted you up slowly, slowly, then dropped you in free fall for what felt like forever.

Ash screamed the entire way down. So did Marcus and Tyler and Eden.

"AGAIN!" Eden shouted when they got off.

They rode it three more times.

By late afternoon, they'd been on every major coaster in the park at least once. Ash's hair was windblown, his face sunburned, his voice hoarse from screaming.

He'd never felt more like a normal nine-year-old.

When they met up with the others for the final time, Sophie was showing off a face painting—a butterfly on her cheek.

"Look what Grandma got me!" She spun around to show everyone. "And we got cotton candy and I rode the swings and the bumper cars and—"

"She had a very full day," Mom said, looking tired but happy. "How about you boys?"

"We rode the Death Drop four times," Tyler reported.

"And Superman twice," Marcus added.

"And basically every other coaster in the park," Ash finished.

Dad laughed. "I think we all got our money's worth today."

On the drive home, the boys crashed hard. Tyler fell asleep first, then Marcus, then Ash—all three of them slumped in the middle row of the SUV.

Ash woke up briefly when they stopped for dinner at a highway rest stop. Stumbled inside, ate chicken nuggets half-asleep, stumbled back to the car.

"Did you have fun today?" Mom asked softly as they got back on the highway.

"Yeah," Ash mumbled, already drifting off again. "Best day ever."

And he meant it. Getting to ride the big coasters with his friends. Being tall enough for everything. Spending the day just being a kid at an amusement park.

No adult responsibilities. No counting down days. Just coasters and screaming and laughing until his stomach hurt.

Just being nine.

Sunday morning, Ash woke up sore. His muscles ached from being thrown around by roller coasters all day. His face was definitely sunburned despite the sunscreen Mom had made them wear.

But he was smiling.

At breakfast, Mom showed him the photos she'd taken. The boys screaming on the Superman. Eden laughing on the Death Drop. Sophie with her face painting and stuffed bear. The whole family gathered for a group photo, everyone windblown and happy.

"I'm getting these printed," Mom said. "For the album."

"Can I get copies?" Ash asked. "For my room?"

"Of course."

Later, Dad came into Ash's room where he was arranging his baseball trophies to make room for his Six Flags photos.

"Have fun yesterday?"

"So much fun."

"You're tall enough for the big rides now," Dad observed. "That's a milestone."

Ash thought about it. He'd spent years being too short for things. Too small. His previous body had been short even as an adult—5'4" tops, and that was after trying everything to gain height.

This body was growing. Would keep growing. He'd be tall—really tall—when he was done.

"Yeah," Ash said. "It's cool. Being tall enough."

"Only going to get taller," Dad said. "You're nine now. Got a lot of growing ahead of you."

After Dad left, Ash lay on his bed and thought about that. About growing. About being 4'5" now and probably hitting 6 feet or more eventually. About his body changing, maturing, becoming.

About yesterday, riding coasters with his friends. Screaming and laughing and experiencing pure adrenaline joy.

About being tall enough.

"My name is Ash," he whispered. "I'm thirty-one years old. I'm nine years old. Yesterday I rode the Superman coaster four times and it was awesome."

All of it true.

All of it his life.

Five thousand days to go.

But yesterday had been perfect. No counting, no thinking about the future, no weight of his situation.

Just Six Flags and roller coasters and being tall enough to ride them with his friends.

Just being nine and having the best day ever.

He fell asleep that night with his muscles still sore, his face still sunburned, and the biggest smile on his face.

Already looking forward to going back next year when he'd be even taller.

When he'd be able to ride everything even easier.

When he'd be one step closer to the person he was becoming.

Growing up.

Finally, correctly, joyfully growing up.