InsaniKey 2

Next I tackled the carousel.

I stuck a foot through the bottom loop of a treble clef and waited for the ride to start. When it didn’t start I sat inside the inner loop of a bass clef and waited again.

When that failed to start I perched atop the notehead of an eighth note. Slowly, the ride began to spin clockwise and the eighth note slowly raised and lowered. The moment I began to wonder how long the ride would continue this way, it began to spin faster until I found myself feeling dizzy and trying to focus on any one object in the distance. When that failed I tried to focus on something closer, the top of the ride, the bottom edge of the ride, and my feet below me. I started to feel like my stomach couldn’t keep up with my brain.

“Andy?” I looked around frantically as I began to feel a wave of panic set in and I tried to spot out the ride operator booth, I thought if I could make eye contact with him I’d be okay but that failed quickly and I shut my eyes tight trying to stop the contact between my eyes and my brain as it tried to sort out my shifting sense of gravity. I had to shut my brain off.

“Andy?” I tried again, gracing my thumb along the bandana covering my hand. It occurred to me that I could end this game at any moment. I drew my shoulders back and tilted my head up to the sky, stars, the underside of the tops of trees, wisps of cloud blurred together like a twisted painting. I began to cough as my chest tightened and the ride spun faster, panic rising again. I told myself that my body wasn’t moving and it was all in my head and somewhere in the chaos the ride began to lose speed, gradually until I was at a standstill with my mind and focus still spinning.

“I didn’t think I could hold on.” I said breathlessly.

“I knew you could.” Andy flashed a half grin and led me to the next ride.

Notes