James sits next to Catherine on
the ferris wheel bench, trying not to clench his hands on the safety bar. He
hates heights, but she had bounced up and down and clapped her hands when they
wandered near. How could he say no? He wanted to please her, keep her smiling,
keep that sparkle in her eyes when she looked at him.
The wheel lurches up, their bucket
swinging forward and back, rising on the back curve. He couldn’t figure
out where to look that wouldn’t make him sick. Forward? Aw, hell no. Up? Are
you kidding? Down? Bad, bad idea. Look at Catherine. That’s okay, isn’t it? Up
here? No one paying any attention? She’s looking all around like a happy kid.
Even through his rising misery -- yes, that was a pun, he thinks sourly --
watching her makes him happy.
“Oh, James, look! I love how the
lights end at the ocean, and then it’s just black out there. See those lights?
I wonder what kind of ship that is? What do you think?” She chatters on and
seems oblivious to his quiet.
They’re almost to the top, and the
wheel stops, their bucket swinging even more wildly. His knuckles gleam white
against the bar. The roaring in his ears drowns out even her voice, and
suddenly he feels hot resentment that she dragged him up here. No wait, that’s
not fair…
Her white hand slides over his,
light and dark fingers intertwined on the rail. She’s looking at him now,
really looking at him, realizing, oh god, she’s going to think he’s a total
dweeb and a loser. Suddenly she smiles.
“I think you’re the bravest boy I
know, James,” she says quietly, so he has to lean toward her to hear.
He pulls back. She feels sorry for
him? That’s just—
“Did Hogan give your class the
same lecture about courage?”
What? English lit Hogan? James
shakes his head.
“He said courage is being afraid
of something, and doing it anyway.” She reached her other hand up and brushed
the hair from his eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you would hate this.” She
leaned the rest of the way until their lips met.
He didn’t notice the lurching, the
swaying, the wheel drawing them up and around. He didn’t really notice much of
anything until some time later, when they were walking around the fairgrounds,
arm in arm, and they neared the ferris wheel again. He looked down at her with
a lopsided smile.
“I didn’t hate it that much,
actually. Want to ride again?”
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Dogs in house
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Houdini
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Time writing:
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~35 minutes
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September word
count:
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17,580
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