A Fatal - Fairground - Attraction

_{A Fatal – Fairground - Attraction}

_{This week, my nearby park has been invaded by the arrival of new age travellers – see old English translation for “Gypsies” -and their Funfare. I have many nostalgic memories, filled with excitement and wonder, at the advent of these annual carnivals. They temporarily, transformed the local recreational ground – that forgotten piece of wasteland - a muddy, unclaimed piece of land, a municipal graveyard to abandoned cars of yester-year and the unwanted, deathtrap, refridgerators, poor on facilties, rich in imagination - into a magical kingdom of colour, light, music -with accompanying generators - and the promise of possible danger. It was an escape to another world, a different level of existence, it was.....a chance to meet girls ! Although given my socially, crippling shyness in those formative years – the only hot dish I was likely to walk home with, was a Jumbo Hot-Dog, with extra ketchup...but, never mustard !}

_{Then, there were the rides, the speed, the height, the violent turns and of course the gravitational forces... a complete sensory overload. Nowadays though, my perception has changed somewhat. I'm still attracted to the idea of going to the fair, the sights and sounds, not too mention the candyfloss, but the rides not so much. These days, I tend to avoid any ride, which results in the rearranging of my bodily organs – like transplanting my stomach into the area formly occupied by my mouth – or from the attractions where I find myself literally, in an alternating head over heels position , on a semi-spin cycle. 
One of these guilty parties, is the infamous, 
“ Wall of Death,” this particular cardiac therapy - masquerading as a form of entertainment - uses the forces of centrifuge to paste it's patrons to the interior sides, so you become little more than a human wall-hanging. The basic principle of this whole “barrel of fun”, is that it rotates at such a speed, that anybody on the inside, are held in a temporarily state of gravity defying, suspension. Once this has been achieved, the floor suddenly drops away, leaving you in the precarious predicament, where your body is frozen still, while your mind is screaming it's brains out ! Then there are the “others,” those who have decided to share this experience, along with you – strangers bound together by manufactured fear. I remember one such time, where I ran a cursory glance around my wall of neighbors. The mouthy teenager, proceeding me, to my left side, had taken the bold but stupid, in my opinion, decision to throw caution - and any small change in his pockets – to the wind, and adopt a hand-stand position for the duration of this event. Thus, doubling my ever growing concern of being spun around like a cheap jumper in a spin dryer, with the real, possible danger, of receiving his dirty, great, size “9 in my “kisser” - upon his dismount !}

_{Then, I turned the other way and “ staked out” the youth to my preceding, right hand-stand, and became anxiously aware – as the ride commenced – that he was displaying the usual warning signs – slackening of neck muscles and slight discoloration of the upper-body and face area - of someone who was about to involuntarily, but forcibly, eject the contents of his bowels. Since my proximity was extremely close to my unknown, potential benefactor, I regarded myself to be in another high risk category. Fortunately, at the end, we had all managed to keep our composure and any recently digested materials, to ourselves.}

_{Now, I'm not a medical person, but even I can tell, that it takes me, 3 x times as long as it used to - in order to regain my equilibrium and use of my legs. These days, I just seem to be more susceptible to inertia forces and their embarrassing after effects. I'm not sure if i'm experiencing a sudden, unexpected endorphin rush, an extreme release of adrenalin or the on-set of a mild heart attack, whenever these rides reach the zenith of their duration. So, I have to come to the conclusion – sadly - that my days as a thrill seeker will have to be either curtailed or perhaps tempered with a concoction of motion sickness medication and Valium.}

_{Now, anyone for for the Dodgems ?}