A giant wooden circle spins. Old drawings of children riding on animals and laughing, cover the center hexagonal pillar. The roof is like an ornate hat for a spinning round house. Wood shaped into framed swirls and borders. The paint is faded. This ride has been on the Earth for some time. An old group of people occupy it. The music plays, yet the looks of blind joy, knowing sadness, and silent fatigue hangs on the face of the riders. A voice booms over their heads, the music fades, the lights dim and the ride stops. They make a line, some are wailing, and trying to hold on for one more time around, but when the music stops, everyone must leave. They begin walking slowly our of sight. The exit gate is closed as new group populates the circle. Riders sit on plastic animals impaled with vertical poles. The frozen faced beasts of burden drift up and down, limited to their evolution, or their design perhaps. The moment is brief. The ride starts. The ride ends. As the gate closes behind the old riders, children run to the animals, laughing and telling their own stories of how it all works.
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Copyright © 2017 Zachary W. Gilbert
Wow! Really give’s you a sense of how short life is. Glad I am on the ride with you!
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