A Descent to Ascend

Darcy was next in line. Her eyes moved over the red-painted roller coaster train take off in front of her. The Dragon’s Journey it was called. A new ride that had opened up in this small amusement park. The advertisements had been abundant for over a year now—all with focus on how revolutionary and spectacular the ride’s atmospheric designs were.

She had chosen to come alone today since it seemed like a relaxing and unique spot to get her mind off of everything. She wanted the alone time, and so far, it seemed to be working. Getting cotton candy on her own, getting popcorn, seeing shows, and riding whatever she wanted without having to compromise.

When the first coaster train vanished, the next one arrived. This one was painted blue, and all the riders got off. It wasn’t very long until the gate opened before Darcy, and she excitedly moved forward to have a seat. Each row had two seats, and the people behind her were a pair who apparently didn’t want to separate. She strapped on the belt and the shoulder restraint, not having to wait long for the worker to check them for safety measures.

“All right. Looks like we’re ready to go on the Dragon’s Journey,” a man with a headset stated. His voice boomed, courtesy of the microphone attached.

As the tracks readied to steer the train forward, that man rushed over to Darcy and held a box toward her. “Oh! And this just arrived for you.”

It all happened so fast. She took the box just as the vehicle started to propel onward. “Wh-what?” she started asking. “What is this?” She turned her head only to see that the man had gone. He was nowhere to be seen, which was impossible since he had been right there!

Everyone else appeared normal, as though that aforementioned sudden scene had not just occurred. No one moved, no one glanced around, no one else seemed confused.

Feeling her heartrate already increasing in pace, Darcy scanned what she could of the workers. “Excuse me, but why did…?”

She could not finish her question. The roller coaster began its way up the first hill, causing her to shift her body forward while glancing down at the mysterious package in her grip. It was wrapped in brown paper, approximately the size of a shoebox, and also about as heavy as one. A good part of her told her to toss it aside and into the trees below the tracks.

Then another part of her held curiosity. What was this package? Why was it given to her? And here of all places? Who would have delivered it? And where was the person who gave it to her?

Too many questions over something that she could get rid of with a simple toss.

If her mother were here, Darcy would hear her shouting to open the package and get it over with. It was what the woman had done after Darcy had applied to a number of colleges and universities and awaited responses. With every envelope that arrived for her, the young college hopeful placed them on a pile on top of her computer desk, unopened. It was better to leave them sealed than read a rejection letter, right? Not according to her mother who threatened to open up every single letter herself and read them aloud.

How funny it turned out to be that Darcy had been accepted to two of the top universities she desired to attend. She could have known that earlier had she checked.

As the roller coaster paused at the top of the hill, Darcy’s fingers instinctively clutched more tightly onto the box in her lap when she should have been holding onto the seat’s harness. What a risk she was taking. It was not a thought that crossed her mind as she gazed out at the view of the town and roads beyond. She was so high up…

…only to go speeding down the hill and toward the first corkscrew loop.

Her father would have said she was being too risky in even holding onto something that she knew nothing about. He would say that it could have been an explosive or anything of the sort. It was similar to when she had suddenly moved out of the house to rent her own place four hours away. She had done this to work as a video editor for a local news station. He had questioned the decision, wondering whether or not the job would be stable or even worth it. He questioned if it would be able to support her, especially on her own. Everything was secure at home, he had said. He reminded her that she could wait until she was more stabilized instead of delving into the unknown.

But she had gone on anyway.

Darcy was thinking too much. Perhaps she should simply enjoy the ride instead of overthinking the situation. Everyone around her was enjoying themselves, which was made obvious by the delighted screams and cheers. But none of them received this package. Or did they? Had she been too far into her own head not to notice if anyone else received a box in brown paper?

The ride went too fast for her to think. The wind blew past her face as the track twisted and turned, went through another loop, and then came to a sudden stop. Her body bolted forward, and the package remained unmoving in her grip. She caught her breath, glancing down at what she foolishly held during the brief pause in the ride where a female voice echoed that they were forbidden from entering the Ancient Cavern.

Then the train began a slow descent backward to the thrill of so many and to the surprise of Darcy herself.

It was like a surprise that might come if she opened this unknown box to see what was inside. Sometimes a surprise was good, and other times it could be disheartening like when the news station she had worked for was bought out by someone larger corporation, eliminating her video editing position. That event had occurred most recently—only three months ago. It was that event that brought her back home, making her feel as though she had to start all over. She had worked for the station for over twelve years, and now as a woman in her thirties, where was she to go?

“Now entering the secret passage to the Ancient Cavern,” the reverberating female voice said before the car descended into a dark tunnel.

Darcy closed her eyes as she let the ride’s momentum take her. If it were not for her job loss, she would not have had to burden her parents with an extra presence in their little home. If she had not taken the chance and moved to a different city, she never would have had a loss to begin with. She never would have been here on the new Dragon’s Journey ride with this mysterious package on her lap.

Her focus on the package, however, had caused her to miss the many beautiful decorations and designs that had been advertised for this roller coaster.

So she opened her eyes to glance around at the glittering lights and Asian-themed statues that raced past her. “You are now returning home,” that female voice announced.

When the roller coaster train slowed down, Darcy peered ahead to see that they approached the ride’s starting point. Her gaze moved toward the box that she still held—a box that allegedly just arrived before it had been passed her way. Her fingers slid to the item’s sides to begin peeling the brown paper away from the box. Whether or not everyone else received a package on the ride, she didn’t know yet.

But she did know why this one was for her.