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  “I've got this strategy. I always pick the seats that are the driest. That's where the people who didn't get wet sat. Like the signs say, on this ride you could get soaked.” Jack recites.

  “Does it work?” Amy asks, thankful for the small talk that eases Lauren Van Wormer and her gang out of her mind.

  “No, hardly ever. I am like a water magnet.”

  This makes Amy laugh. She can breathe freely again.

  The raft bounces all over the watery course. A huge rapid washes over the older couple. The man's three grey hairs stand at attention atop his head. After another spin and a whirl, a huge wave hits the side of the boat where Scotty sits.

  “So much for staying dry,” a soaked Scotty chuckles.

  “No one gets away from Bigfoot unscathed!” Mason cheers.

  “So far, so good. We’ re dry,” says Amy, who crosses her fingers playfully.

  “Oh great, now were jinxed for sure.” Grinning, Jack mockingly puts his head under his barricading arms.

  The raft jets up and down over rushes of water. The cave is just ahead.

  Inside the cave, a large Bigfoot dummy, holding a boulder above his head in a threatening stance, growls piped in sound effects at the riders.

  The raft spins. Jack and Amy's backs are to the front. Just then, the raft dips and a monstrous flood of water spills over the front of the raft, soaking Jack and Amy.

  The ride ends shortly after the drenching, and the attendant laughs at the soaked crew.

  “Look at me, not a drop of water!” Mason crows.

  Amy cannot believe how water logged she is.

  Now we have to walk around like this. It will take forever to dry. Jack thinks.

  Upon seeing the monstrous damage, the attendant throws Jack a towel.

  “Thanks.”

  Jack takes the towel and begins to wipe it across his chest when he stops.

  “Here, Amy, you first.”

  The act is so unselfish, so kind. While she stops herself from taking it too seriously, she can't help but let the small, simple offer warm her heart. In spite of the Tennessee summer heat and the sun's departure, the sudden soaking has sent Amy chattering.

  Jack goes on, “Hey, wait a second. Here, take this Amy.” From his backpack, Jack produces a red hooded sweatshirt. “Try this on. At least it will keep you warm.”

  “Thanks, Jack.”

  Now she can't help but take the second act to its logical conclusion. Something about the boy has changed. This was not a simple action. This was a deliberate act of chivalry. Jack Braddock has been intentionally thinking of her.

  Drying his glasses with his shirt tail, Scotty offers, “Think Clyde's got the Forrest on line? It's been 27 minutes. Let's get back.”

  Chapter 17

  A little train with seats for eight riders, two per cart, wheels past Clyde.

  “Looks like we're open for business.” Clyde declares.

  “So you gonna let the kids ride?” Gwen’;s statement reveals that she is still not sure about the reopening.

  “Well, I haven't been flipping switches for nothing. I should have said no. I wish I had. Would have saved us some time, but it's Jack. Ever since he was a little runt, he's been haunting this park from open to close every other day or so. It's not just that. There are lots of kids like that. Heck, I've seen most of this town get older. But Jack, well not many kids take the time to talk to this old man. He's been tugging on my shirt tail for years, and this ride…well, it's almost his ride.”

  “Okay, I just don't want to have to go in and bail them out of there.”

  “Neither do I. That's why I'm going with them. The power should hold up as long as they go ahead and get here. It's been holding steady for about 40 minutes at a time. ”

  “Here they come, Clyde.”

  The motley crew of four sees the trains move, they hear the sound effects and the piped in screams. Clyde watches as their pace quickens.

  “Looks like the power's on—you did it, Clyde!” Jack beams.

  “Yep, and you and your crew better hop on now. Not sure exactly how long it's going to stay.”

  “Come on Scotty,” Mason calls, “front row.” Mason clambers forward, blowing past Jack. Scotty places Lucky in the cart behind him, carefully lowering the bar over the stuffed bear.

  Jack takes the seat behind Lucky and looks to make sure Amy follows.

  “Okay, Gwen, I've got my radio. If the power shuts off, I'll let you know where we are.”

  Jack shoots a quizzical look up to the old man.“Clyde, are you coming with us?”

  “Yep, just to make sure I don't have to go in and fish you out if there's a problem.” The old man lowers himself in the final cart. “Oh man, they don't make these little trains for people my size do they? Urgh, it's been years since I have actually gotten in one of these. Too many TV dinners I guess.”

  Mason clears his throat and calls back to Clyde, “Hey, thanks for fixing the ride and all, but you don't have to babysit.”

  Clyde can see disappointment in the Chick boy's face. What's that all about? wonders Clyde. That Chick boy, never got a good feeling around him.

  “No problem, I want to ride, captain. Gonna take her for one last spin for old time's sake.”

  The sound system, which has not been updated since the 70’s, cackles to life.

  “Welcome to the Enchanted Forrest, please keep all hands and

  feet in the train until the journey is through. Enjoy your visit,

  and beware, the Enchanted Forrest has frightening images not

  appropriate for younger guests. Now, enjoy your journey into

  the woods…if you dare!”

  The train pulls out of the entrance cue and rambles forward under a large black metal archway, the official entrance to the ride. Etched into the cast iron frame are the words,

  The Enchanted Forrest.

  Just under the sound effects and piped-in music, Clyde hears what he thinks is calliope music. He swallows hard and thinks, No it's just in your head. Anyway, too late to get off now, let's just get this over with. A singular face forces its image into his mind—Douglas Finch.

  Chapter 18

  Things have suddenly gotten very complicated for Jack, and the timing could not be any worse. With Clyde behind him and Amy beside him, would Mason still expect him to somehow take the golden goose from the ride? It's Impossible, thinks Jack. He chides himself for thinking up the plan in the first place. There is no doubt in his mind that the mission is off. Surely Mason would not go through with it? And, why should he be worrying about it anyways? This is his last ride. He wants to enjoy it.

  The ride itself tells the hair-raising story of four fairy tale characters lost in the woods. Each room reveals another scene in the story. The story is “told” by a mannequin who appears in most of the 16 rooms. He is an older gentleman dressed in a white suit with shaggy white hair and a beard, and he carries an open oversized book in his hands as if he were reading. Jack always thought he resembled the author Mark Twain

  The narrator stands still as the first lines of the story pipe over the speakers while they pass by.

  “Once upon a time…”

  And with that, the cart rolls through two large black doors that automatically open into the second room of the ride.

  Jack glances over at Amy. “So this is your first time?”

  “I know, I just, well, it always frightened me as a kid and I never got around to it.”

  “It's not so bad. I'll give a shout when something scary is about to happen. Don't worry, the next couple of rooms are a breeze.”

  Haunting music chimes over the speakers, and Jack takes pleasure in seeing Amy grip the handle bar so hard that her knuckles turn white. Also, she scoots, ever so slightly, closer to Jack, who thinks, This is going to be good.

  Passing by the doors, the cart begins a slight climb up a hill. Plastic trees and a green floor give the allusion that the woods are getting thicker. Two mannequins, a boy and a girl in p
layful poses, occupy the space to the train's left during the slow climb. The mannequins look like the ones you would see at department stores, except they are not modeling the latest fashions. Both show signs off age: the peach paint is wearing off the boy's face and the girl with a red-hooded cape is missing her left pinky finger.

  The narrator speaks again.

  “Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water.”

  “Blair always tells me this Jack looks better than me.”

  “Well, she's wrong.”

  Heat rises up into Jack's face while he wonders, Is she flirting with me?“Your face isn't peeling off.”

  At the top of the rise, just to the left, an old fashioned wishing well sits to the side of the next set of doors. It has become a tradition for riders to throw coins into the well for good luck.

  From his vantage point, Jack watches as Scotty and Mason throw coins at the well. He sees Mason raise his hands in victory. The doors open into the second room.

  “Hold on, Amy.”

  The train—with a sudden jolt—rushes down a short incline.

  “Jack and Jill fell down the hill:

  It had been a nasty spill.

  All the way into the woods the children lay.

  Jack tells Jill, ‘Let's have a look around today.’”

  At the bottom of the hill, the two plastic children are on their knees recovering from the fall. The atmosphere of the ride changes for this room, everything is much darker. Sound effects of hooting owls and howling wolves play loudly. It is clear to Jack that the sounds are having their desired effect on Amy. The girl nudges herself closer to Jack. Now Jack is sure things are going his way. He wonders, Should I take her hand? No, not yet. There is still some time.

  Traveling on the track toward the next set of doors, Jack breathes deeply. He allows himself a moment of victorious thought. For the first time in his life, he's experiencing the excitement of a real budding romance. Of course, Jack does not count Jenny Pappadill.

  A large vulture on a string falls from the ceiling.

  Jack ducks. He had forgotten about the startling bird.

  A playful laugh escapes Amy. “Oh, so the brave Sir Jack has a chink in his armor?”

  Embarrassed, but not above giving a playful laugh, Jack excuses himself. “I forgot about it, that's all. Nothing much in the next room. But from there….”

  “Well, maybe I should be the one looking out for you?”

  The playfulness in the girl's voice warms Jack's heart.

  The next room introduces the other main characters of the ride. To the left of the tracks stand a tailor and his apprentice, who look ready to enter the woods. The tailor is adorned with a large gold badge. The apprentice holds a silver trumpet.

  Up ahead in the front seat, Jack can hear Scotty playing know-it-all for Mason.

  “In German fairy tales, the tailor is renowned for killing giants,” Scotty lectures.

  Scotty knows just about everything there is to know about this stuff, and he's a little too quick to point this fact out.

  “The brave Tailor called to the wood.

  There with his apprentice the brave man stood.

  To kill a beast, his goal that day.

  The reward, the king's daughter to live with him always.”

  The train approaches the figures. Mason turns to Jack and shoots him a wink.

  What is he up to? wonders Jack.

  Then, with catlike reflexes, Mason leans over the side of the train and yanks the badge from the tailor's chest. A patch of white shirt rips, and the tailor hobbles forward. The mannequin appears about to lose its balance but steadies itself with its own weight.

  Jack asks himself, Did I just see that? Looking at Amy, hoping the girl did not witness the theft, he relaxes a little to find Amy staring up at the ceiling, perhaps scouting for another vulture.

  Then Jack realizes, What about Clyde! Instantly, Jack turns to Clyde and thinks that Mason is perhaps the luckiest kid on earth or that maybe the coin in the well worked. Clyde is looking down behind them at an entire tub of popcorn an earlier guest had discarded on the floor.

  “No respect for anything these days. See that mess back there, Jack? You know who will have to pick that up tonight?” Clyde pauses for effect and then says, “Gwen.” The old man gives a chuckle at his own joke.

  Shocked at the boldness of Mason, Jack realizes the quandary now. The plan is still on, and Mason will expect Jack to come through. He has to get the goose. The gauntlet has been thrown down.

  Chapter 19

  The first three rooms have been relatively devoid of anything all that startling. The trip through the Forrest begins slowly; it was designed that way. The masterminds behind the reformat had deliberately planned to make riders feel a false sence of security before the real haunting starts.

  Jack knows that the biggest scare of the ride is looming through the next set of doors. Even after having been in the Little Red Riding Hood room countless times, Jack continues to always be startled. This is his least favorite room in the ride. Normally, he would duck down a little and turn his head away from the impending appearance of the Wolf, but tonight, he has to act brave. Somehow, he will have to face the rolling predator. At least he can take a little delight in watching to see what Amy will do when the beast appears.

  “The children split up to see what they could find,

  But before Jill knew it, she was in a bind.

  She did not know she would be attacked that day,

  And Jill, in her red riding hood, ran and barely got away.”

  The narrator stands among dense trees that mostly fill the room, giving way briefly to a small clearing. The train approaches the clearing and slows down a little on the tracks. Jill, the plastic girl, is also supposed to represent Little Red Riding Hood. Her little mannequin stands up to the right of the tracks in the clearing.

  Jack informs Amy, “From here on out, a bunch of villains narrowly miss the kids, and the tailor saves them in the end.”

  Jack's tour guide lecture helps to ease the tension of what is on the horizon. Gripping the iron bar he prepares to be startled, thinking, “Don't embarrass yourself again.” He tenses up. His hands grip the bar. He had not actually looked at the Wolf in dozens of trip because it is just so vicious looking. The massive hideous wolf should soon be rolling along a track and pitch down just above the riders’ unsuspecting heads. Mason points to the spot, and Jack closes his eyes instinctively—but only temporarily. He quickly opens them again, fearing Amy will laugh.

  Brace yourself, Jack tells himself. Here it comes. Bravely turning to face the impending beast, he

  grips the bar with resolve. Do not turn away, he thinks and says, “Okay, Amy, here it comes Amy, here it comes.”

  The sound of a snarling growl fills the air. The tension is so thick. Jack hears a whispered

  “yelp,” like that of a pup, escape from Amy's mouth.

  There is a flash of light and then….

  Nothing.

  No wolf? thinks Jack.

  The light reveals empty tracks and gears where the beast had been anchored for years.

  Mason turns to Jack, yelling from the front car, “What happened, where's the wolf?”

  Jack turns to Clyde.

  “I don't know, captain. We think some pranksters took him away. He's probably in some dorm room as we speak.”

  “So we missed something big, right?” Amy asks.

  “Yep, the best scare in the whole ride.” Jack, as much as he feared the wolf, is utterly disappointed. “I can't believe someone could steal that thing.”

  “I know. That wolf is so heavy. Must have been four or five guys. How they got him out without anyone knowing baffles me. Gwen just discovered him gone yesterday. Makes me downright angry.”

  By this point, Clyde is talking loud, almost shouting over the sound system. “I mean people these days. Just think they can take anything they want. We've been dealing with this crud a lot lately, people want
in’ to grab themselves a piece of the park before it closes, I guess. They may think it's cute, but it's stealing.”

  Ouch, thinks Jack. Is Clyde on to us? No, he couldn't be.

  Amy sulks, “I finally get on this thing, and I'll never know what I missed—this stinks. I hope they catch whoever stole that stuff. It's just so wrong.”

  Amy's disappointment and condemnation settle it for Jack. Even if Mason were angry for the rest of his life, Jack decides he will not be taking anything out of the ride tonight. The golden goose is only a couple of rooms away. But, with Amy beside him and Clyde behind him, Jack realizes that there is no way he could pull this off.

  The ride continues to the next room. Another narrator dummy with its large book mimics the lines of the story.

  “Jack finds a beanstalk large enough to climb.

  He scales the stalk to see what he can find.”

  This room, much smaller than the others, is filled by the massive green stalk. The train rolls around the perimeter and moves upward on the rising track. The next set of doors open to reveal the inside of what is supposed to be the interior of the Giant's lair, the room containing the goose.

  “So, we went up the beanstalk, and now we're in the Giant's castle. I'm tracking,” Amy happily chimes.

  In the room, oversized tables and chairs and a huge bookcase are designed to give riders a dwarfed feeling. In the corner to the right are scarier props, such as a stack of bones and skulls, brought in to create chills. To the immediate right is a tremendous fireplace, complete with a “fire,” created by red paper over a fan. It is adorned by a rake and shovel, and next to them is the Golden Goose.

  “Jack found where the Giant did roam.

  He knew pretty quickly he should go home.”

  Although the narrator's voice is audible, the builders had not bothered to place a mannequin here.

  “But before he fled, his eyes spied a surprise.

  He thought to himself, I could escape with a prize.

  Yes, a goose made of gold next to a fireplace rake

  Just waiting for a boy like Jack to snag and take.”