Sam And Goliath

• Meili Conlon, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2021

The alarm went off on a warm autumn’s day, Sam rubbed his eyes. He looks at his clock, he thought; it’s 7am. Sam jumped out of bed and got dressed, then ran downstairs like a whirling tornado. Screeching with excitement at the top of his voice, “I get to ride the Goliath today!” He scoffed down his breakfast like a beaver on a mission. He grabbed his backpack, threw his lunch in his bag, and ran out the door only to be greeted by three other very excited teenage boys. They all started chanting together “GO-LI-ATH! GO-LI-ATH! GOLI-ATH!” They all enthusiastically jumped into the car, buckled their seatbelts and were on their way to celebrate Sam’s 16th birthday at the amazing Six Flags theme park. What will happen next?
Once the four boys got to Six Flags, they ran like a cheater trying to catch its prey towards the direction of the Goliath, the seventh fastest and highest rollercoaster in the world. When they were getting closer, to their shock, there was a huge line the size of an anaconda snake slithering off into the horizon. Sam said to everyone, “Oh no! It’s a 45-minute wait.” James responded hastily and with the sound of disappointment in his voice, “Maybe we should go on something else?” The boys responded with a resounding, “No way, let’s do this!”
The friends went on to wait patiently in line while they chatted cheerfully, playing and joking around on their phones to pass the time. As the line progresses and becomes shorter, the boys are distracted by their phones and are watching funny cat videos. They realised in a mad panic that they are next, and they frantically throw their bag into a crowded locker pushing past enthusiastic riders. They jumped into the bucket seats and pulled the harness over their heads, while anxiously waiting for the ride to start. The giant rollercoaster makes a big jolt and takes off slowly towards the 72-metre climb to the top. The train begins accelerating down the 78-metre drop into an underground tunnel, reaching speeds of 140 km/h. It is at this point that the boys realised they had put their phones into their pocket, instead of the locker. They began to frantically feel for their phones. Sam’s phone flew out of his pocket and the three other boys watched fearfully as the phone disappeared into the black tunnel.
The heavy rollercoaster came to a screeching halt, Sam waited doubtfully while the ride attendant released his harness. He slowly stepped out of his seat onto the platform with a distinct gloomy face as the colour started to drain from it. The attendant notices his sad face and asks in a concerned tone “Are you all right mate?” Sam sombrely said, “Stupid me lost my phone in the tunnel!” The man behind them saw the event unfold and approached Sam and said, “Are you ok?” Sam replied and sighed “No, I lost my phone in the tunnel.” The onlooker said, “I think it’s your lucky day, is this your phone?” “YAY, thank you so much!!” Sam said animatedly with a
sense of overwhelming relief.
The boys went on to enjoy the rest of all Six Flags. Cautiously and deliberately and paying attention to their belongings for the remainder of the day. As the sunset on another fun-filled day with friends, plenty of new fond memories were made and stories to share with their peers. They said their goodbyes and walked off into
the sunset with smiles on their faces, giving each other a high five.