Fireworks by the Castle
“We are going to Disneyland,” I shouted at my best friend, “Can you believe it?”I was jumping up and down in a trailer at my school of twenty-one kids. My friend
was high-fiving us all around. It was Friday and I couldn’t wait. We were going to ride
everything. We were dancing in the car listening to John Coltrain’s Blue Train.
At first we were noticing all the gargantuan rocks along the highway. They looked orange in the afternoon sun. But, after three hours, even the music on my teachers iPod was repeating.
Then, he had an idea. “I challenge you to sing ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall.” If we sang the whole thing, then, he would give us all jelly beans. “Bring it!” I said.
An hour later we all had head aches but were all happily munching on jelly beans.
Once dinner came around, we had cold pasta on the side of the road and would soon be sleeping in sleeping bags in a old church. Were we whining? No. We were looking forward to the next day.
When we got up, we traveled the rest of the way to California. We got there about midday, dropped off all of our stuff, and went to the beach. We played in the sand and built “indestructible cities.”
“You need to strengthen those walls!” my teacher joked. He was just sitting there watching us building and rebuilding, while his castle, on the other hand, was defying the waves.
The next day found us on our bus to Disneyland.
“Have you ever been to this park?” my teacher asked.
“Only for a few hours,” I said truthfully.
Because he is a big fan, he thought this was ridiculous.
We were stuck in line to get our tickets, but my heart was beating fast. The climax of our trip was approaching!
On the way in, my teacher had a plan: ride all the rides. I thought it was the best way to do it. By nine o’clock, we had ridden all of the rides, including the roller coaster and even the kiddy rides.
Now It was time to shop. My friends bought tons of candy and pins, but I didn’t buy anything accept for a little drink. Now, I wish I had souvenirs.
We were all tired. But, an announcement came over the loud speaker, “Fire works will be held at ten o’clock in front of the castle.” This motivated us!
It was the best show I had ever seen and will ever see. When I told my family about my trip, my sisters seem to think they have seen better. They are totally wrong.
When the “grand finale” began, I remembered all of a sudden that I was moving. I realized, “I’m not going to be here for ever.” I turned to my best Friend and said, “Let’s stay in touch.”
Earlier this summer, I was on the road to New Jersey in the same van. I thought back on my friends in all the places I’ve lived. I took it all for granted. I was oblivious. Now that I was moving, my friends were all gone. I had to start over. I said “Bye” to them and now I hardly remember anything about them.
Will I remember them this time? I am hopeful.
