TO THE AMUSEMENT PARK

It was a summer day when Adam Cartwright took his son Mitch and his friend Matthew Walker of both 6 years along to an amusement park. Matthew stayed temporary with the Cartwrights because his parents had to go to a wedding of a relative.

The amusement park was near Reno and had several attractions.

“Daddy, do we also go into the rapids?”, asked Mitch.

“You are but I am not. I will wait outside”, answered Adam.

“How silly”, reacted Matthew.

“He must have some briny. Then he isn’t so silly anymore and daddy comes along”, said Mitch.

A loud laughter sounded form the backseat of the Mercedes of Adam. He knew straight away in which mood the boys were and feared for the whole day.

“I can still turn back and then the day at the amusement park is off”, said Adam.

“We shall not laugh anymore and behave ourselves exemplary”, answered Mitch.

“We promise that”, Matthew said solemnly.

“Why don’t I believe you? But I want that you stay by me later on. It can be busy and I don’t want to lose you”, Adam said seriously.

“We will do that”, the 2 said at the same time.

As first the friends went to the rapids. It wasn’t really busy yet so they soon had the turn. Adam waited at the exit.

During the ride first Mitch got a water fall all over him whereby Matthew couln’t stop laughing anymore. But a moment later Matthew got what he deserved because he too got a shower over him.

“Own fault. Then you shouldn’t have laughed at me”, Mitch said laughing.

“Well, now we are both washed and so are our clothes”, reacted Matthew.

Mitch said, “That is less work for Hop Sing too.”

They got out and walked to Adam who looked smiling at them.

“Have you taken a bath with your clothes on?”, he asked teasing.

“No, we only have been washed”, answered his son.

“Mitch, I don’t understand why your father still is asking those dumb questions while he has studied”, said Matthew.

“He is graduated in the major ‘Asking dumb questions’”, his friend explained.

Again they laughed. Meanwhile the sun shone quite so that they both were dry quickly. Adam took them along to a restaurant to eat and drink something.

“You stay here and wait for me. Just look where you want to go to later on”, Adam said while he gave them the map of the amusement park.

Mitch nodded and took the map. Adam went inside. Mitch folded the map open and put it down on the table.

“Shall we go to the haunted house?”, asked Matthew.

“Alright. But I am not going in to that rollercoaster. I find that dead scary”, answered Mitch.

“I don’t like it either. But that gondola there seems fun to me”, said Matthew.

He pointed at the map.

“What about that shooting gallery? Or that ball throwing tent on the amusement square?”, asked Mitch.

“You throw that ball throwing tent into pieces with that throwing power of yours”, Matthew said laughing.

Then Adam came back with a tray with 1 coffee, 2 milk and 3 pieces of apple pie. He put it down and shared everything.

“Daddy, first we go to the haunted house”, said Mitch.

“That’s alright. And after that?”, asked Adam.

“That gondola which goes so high”, said Matthew.

“There is also a labyrinth”, said Adam.

“Then we go into that as well”, reacted Mitch.

“I suggest that first we use this, then to your planning where after we go to have lunch”, Adam suggested.

“And after lunch we go to the amusement square”, said Matthew.

“Deal”, said Adam.

They ate up the ten o’clock snack where after the haunted house got visited. Again Adam waited outside for the boys.

In het haunted house the boys had 2 girls in front of them. Yet before the first scary thing had come the friends let them get scared by yelling loud boo. The girls screamed hysterical which made the friends laugh.

At an ugly witch Mitch said, “That is your future bride.”

“And your mother-in-law for sure?”, asked Matthew.

They couldn’t stop laughing anymore.

At a skeleton Mitch said, “He comes into each house.”

“How then?”, Matthew asked amazed.

“Because he can use his collarbone for a key”, answered Mitch.

They laughed.

“Do you know why that skeleton is so all skin and bone?”, asked Mitch.

“Well?”, his friend wanted to know.

“Because uncle Hoss has plucked him”, was the dry answer.

Again there sounded a loud laughter. Then they heard a witch laughing mean.

“Matt, your mother-in-law is laughing at you”, said Mitch.

“No, that’s your bride”, reacted Matthew.

The ride lasted far too short against their will because quite soon they saw Adam again.

“Was it scary?”, asked Adam.

“No, not at all. But those girls in front of us were screaming it all together”, answered Matthew.

“We also saw a victim of uncle Hoss”, said Mitch.

His father looked at him non-understanding.

“That victim was a skeleton which was plucked by him”, Mitch explained.

“If you want to ruin your good relationship with uncle Hoss you surely must tell him that”, Adam said laughing.

Mitch knew enough. The gondola got a visit and a moment later the couple were floating through the air.

“Now we are really high”, Matthew said looking outside.

“I am now in between my parents. Mama is upstairs in heaven and daddy stands on the earth”, said Mitch.

“Then you are also in between your grandpa and grandma”, answered Matthew.

“That’s also true”, Mitch reasoned.

This too didn’t last very long so that the boys were with both feet on the earth. Though they didn’t tell their conversation to Adam.

Adam went to sit on a bench while the boys remained in the labyrinth. Soon he got company of 2 ladies.

“My daughters are already in there for a quarter of an hour. But I think that they won’t find the way out very quickly”, said the youngest woman.

“My son and his friend have gone inside as well. That was 10 minutes ago. But knowing them they will be outside very quickly again”, answered Adam.

“That’s impossible because it’s a very difficult labyrinth”, said the eldest woman.

Adam began to smile because he saw the 2 boys coming already.

“Was it fun?”, asked Adam.

“Fun yes, difficult no”, answered Matthew.

“How come not difficult?”, asked the eldest woman.

“I walked to the exit just like that. We asked 2 gals if they wanted to come along but they refused”, Mitch explained.

“And why did they refuse that?”, Adam wanted to know.

“Because we had scared them in the haunted house. Daddy, are we going to have lunch?”, asked Mitch.

“We will. Have a nice day ladies”, Adam said polite.

He got up and went with the boys to a restaurant.

After a delicious lunch the amusement square got a visits. Meanwhile it had become more busier and the boys stayed close by Adam.

At a shooting tent Mitch said, “Daddy, this is really something for you.”

Adam looked for a moment and said then, “I will show you how you must shoot.”

He paid and got a rifle. In a few seconds all plates were shot into pieces.

“Well done sir. Here is your prize”, said the man.

He gave Adam a koala bear which he gave straight away to Mitch. When Adam did it again Matthew got the 2^nd koala bear.

“Thanks daddy”, said Mitch.

“You too uncle Adam”, said Matthew.

“It’s alright”, answered Adam.

They walked on to a ball throwing stand.

“Mitch, go ahead”, Matthew said laughing.

The young Cartwright was allowed to throw and overturned all tins so that the other tins also fell down.

“What do you want to have?”, the man asked gruff.

Mitch looked and saw a beaker with the logo of the park.

“That beaker please”, he said.

Mitch got the beaker and gave it at once to Adam.

“Daddy, this is for you because you have taken us to this”, the boy said on behalf of Matthew.

“Thanks boys”, said Adam.

They walked all the stands until Mitch asked, “Daddy, may we into the rapids again?”

“Alright. I wait outside for you”, answered Adam.

They walked to the rapids where the boys quickly had their turn. They went in dry and soaked the friends came out. They liked it very much though.

Adam noticed that the boys were tired because they became more and more quieter.

“Shall we go home?”, asked Adam.

The boys agreed.

On the way home Mitch asked, “We are going to that amusement park again, aren’t we?”

“Of course. When?”, Adam asked who realized at that moment that he better couldn’t have asked that.

“Tomorrow!”, answered Matthew.

“In your dreams!”, Adam reacted at once.

“Matt, when your parents come to pick you up we ask if they take us to that amusement park”, Mitch suggested.

Matthew found it a good idea but Adam of course didn’t.

That evening they ate earlier than usual where after the 2 boys went to their beds, dreaming of the amusement park.