The Fair

• Stella Brown, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2020

Nichole laughed with Amy and Sophie, her friends, as they walked down the street towards the fairground. The lights, noise and fun grew closer with every step. After what felt like eternity, they arrived at the front booth where they paid, collected their wrist bands and eagerly pushed through the gates. Food stalls, rides and games, bright flashing lights. There was so much to take in.

The trio walked past a cotton candy stand, a pony ride tent, a roller coaster and a Ferris wheel, but Nichole was distracted. Her eyes searched the grounds for one particular ride. Then, all of a sudden, she spotted it in the background. The Whizzer. It was a huge ride that goes up, high into the air, and spins around and around, so fast that it makes your head spin. Nichole darted through the hoards of people towards the ticket booth. She fumbled through her black purse, a beautiful gold flower embroidered on the side and pulled out a ten dollar note. The operator slapped a ticket on the grubby bench and pushed it towards her. Nichole grabbed the ticket and climbed onto the cold, slippery seat. She couldn’t wait for the ride to start. She grinned widely, shrieking to herself with anticipation. However, in all the excitement, she forgot to click her safety bar down far enough.

Finally, the ride was away. Up it went, starting to spin. The pace got quicker. Faster and faster until the people watching from the crowd became just a blur of colour. The fun was short-lived, as suddenly, the ride stopped dead. Onlookers gasped and shrieked loudly in horror as Nichole was flung from her seat, through the air, to the ground. She landed with a sickening thud, her body a crumpled heap of limbs. Meanwhile, Amy and Sophie, who had lost their friend in the crowd and had been searching frantically for her, heard the commotion and rushed over to see what was wrong. There were people everywhere, nervously chattering to each other. Wailing sirens and blue and red flashing lights flooded the night sky. The girls finally pushed their way to the front and came across a horrifying sight. Nichole lay on the ground, covered in bright red blood, emergency services workers hovering worriedly over her. The girls screamed in disbelief, their eyes brimming with tears. “Nichole, Nichole”, they shouted repeatedly, as a policeman my out his arms to hold them back, a sympathetic look on his face.

As the ambulance drove up the street away from the fairgrounds, a critically injured Nichole inside, the crowd began to melt away. The fair was once again filled with lights and noise as the fun began once again. Amy and Sophie however, headed for home, a deep feeling of worry for their injured friend. They could only hope tomorrow would bring good news of a recovery.