Chapter : 50
Three Finger Cove Book 5: Matthew
Copyright © 2018, 2019 by Chowhound. All Rights Reserved.



Published: 5 Mar 2020


From Previous Chapter:

Ryan went home right after the Warren twins and told his friend Collin he’d see him at 9:30. The rest of the Covers went inside to talk about the race and what they would do at Six Flags the next day. Eventually, they all got tired and headed off to bed.

Mr. Ken tucked his ‘boys’ into bed and Collin as well. That night Chief stayed with Collin instead of Matthew. Everyone slept very well that night, as they were all tired from the long and busy day they had.


Ken Thomas was able to sleep in that Monday morning of the Six Flags trip. He’d received a phone call from Evelyn Staffans yesterday while he was reheating the leftover Party foods. She told him she would be happy to be a chaperone. When Mr. Ken asked her how she got the day off from work, she told him she was due a sick day and would call her boss Monday morning and take it. The two had a laugh over that.

The two adults talked about some more about Evelyn’s upcoming interview. She wanted to know how soon she could expect it. Mr. Ken told her she could do the meeting anytime that coming week or the next.

Mr. Ken told her he would be gone right after Christmas, and probably wouldn’t return until late Tuesday night. The owner of The Cove told her if she wanted to sit for the job interview the week after Christmas, he needed to know before he went away. She told him she’d let him know on Monday.

Mr. Ken was up at 8:15 that morning. He woke up refreshed and ready for the long day. He went out to get his morning newspaper and was pleasantly surprised at the air temperature. He expected to be as brisk as it was the previous day, but it was in the low 60’s with no wind to speak of. That was the whim of Mother Nature in Texas.

The Cover boys started getting out of bed by 8:30. They did their morning ritual of peeing, brushing their teeth and taking their shower. They all dressed in school clothes and headed down to the Kitchen Nook for breakfast. As they walked down the stairs, Matthew felt his coin in his pocket and hurried back to his room to leave it on his dresser.

Before they entered the Kitchen Nook, Robert checked his ‘brothers’ to make sure they had the twenty dollars their ‘dad’ had given them the previous day. The teen recommended they put the money in their shoe, so it didn’t get lost. They all got down on the floor and did just that.

“Good morning, dad,” called out Robert, as he walked up to him and gave him a hug.

“Morning, ‘dad’” said Charles, who also gave the man a hug.

Kevin and Kyle went up to the man and gave him a hug, as well. Kyle said, “Good Morning, ‘dad’” and soon thereafter, Kevin said it, too.

“Good morning, ‘dad’,” called out Matthew, as he waited for the twins to get out of the way.

Collin came down just as his ‘brothers’ sat down to eat. The teen went over to his Big Bro and hugged him and said “Good morning” to him as well. Chief waited until the college freshman walked away and she then gave her first master some doggie kisses before going over to her bowls of fresh kibble and water to eat, herself.

“Boys your friends will probably start arriving around 9:30, if not sooner. I would appreciate it if you are out there to meet them. Collin and Robert, I would ask you to direct where the chaperones could park their vehicles in the field to the left as they enter.

“The bus driver will get here about 9 AM. That’s so he can turn his bus around, and not have many small kids running around when he does that. If you are out there when he arrives you get on the front stoop or get to the Main Gate. I don’t want any of you hurt. Do you understand me boys?” asked ‘dad’ Ken with a smile.

A bunch of “Yes, sir’s,” were heard coming from all six boys.

Max wanted to get to The Cove as soon as he could. He told his mom he didn’t want them to leave without him. Evelyn smiled at her son’s enthusiasm. She hadn’t seen him this engaged or interested in anything for quite some time, and she was now very happy he had made friends with Matthew.

Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dan arrived around the same time. They parked where they were directed by Collin or Robert and then headed down to the house to meet up with Mr. Ken. The rest of the chaperones arrived within ten minutes of them.

When the other boys began to arrive, the gate guard let some of their parents’ park inside the estate. That gesture in itself made a small gabfest start out between the parents. They talked mainly about how Mr. Ken has continuously made their sons feel welcome and treated them as if they were his nephews. They were all glad the man kept their sons engaged and out of trouble.

When Max arrived, he headed directly to Matthew. He thanked him again for inviting him to go to Six Flags. The invitee told his young host that he’d only been there once and that was when he was too young to ride any of the bigger rides. Matthew told his new friend that this was going to be his first time there, and he was anxious about some of the rides.

Collin heard what Matthew said and decided he wanted to be his chaperone. He went and found his Big Bro and told him what he wanted to do. Mr. Ken said he’d let him and Mr. Wayne watch over his newest ‘brother’ and since there were seven of them, plus Chase when he arrives, he figured he might assign one more chaperone to watch over the youngest ones.

As it was getting closer to departure time, Mr. Ken took out his lists of those who were going along. He called out for his chaperones to step over to him, so he could check them off his list. John and Barbara Sullivan, Doug Jennings, Frank Longger, Wayne Mitchell, Dan Fischer, Claire Duggans, Addison Farrmers, Evelyn Staffans, Joyce Campbell, Collin, Ryan and Russell and lastly Ken.

Mr. Ken called for Robert and all of his friends to step over to him, so he could take roll call. As he called out their names he asked them to let him know they were there: Robert, Eric, Brad, Gordon, Chuck, Trevor, Logan, Cody and Josh

The next group called over was Charles and his friends. Mr. Ken did the same with that group and as he called their name he had them tell him they were there: Charles, Camm, Asher, Mason, James, Jacob, Hunter, David, Dylan, Tyler and Cooper.

Mr. Ken did the same for the twins: Kevin, Sam, Terran, Isaac, Nathan, Grant, Blake, Kyle, Dominic, Wyatt, Nicholas, Andrew, Landon and Eli.

The last group Mr. Ken called over to him was Matthew and his six friends. “Are all you boys here?” teased Mr. Ken.

“Yes, ‘dad’ were all here, just ask us,” teased back Matthew. That brought some laughs from the people standing nearby.

“OK, let me know when I call your name: Matthew, Noah, Brant, Ryan, Greg, Aaron and lastly Max. I take it you’re all here since you all said you were. And, let that be a lesson to you,” stated The Cove’s owner with a big smile on his face as he walked away.

“What lesson?” asked Max.

“It’s just his way of joking with us. To see if we were listening,” replied Kyle.

“It looks like we are all here, so I see no need to delay any longer. The chaperones will load first, then Matthew and his friends. After that the twins and their friends will get on board. When they are on board Charles and his friends will take their seats and lastly Robert and his friends.

“Ladies and gentlemen, there are NO open seats. Every seat is taken on this trip so when you get seated stay there. You can always change seats after we get going. Are there any questions?” finished Mr. Ken.

“Dad, where’s Todd? Did you send him an email and invite him?” asked Robert.

“Yes, son, I did and initially he was coming along, but Saturday night … after the Party, he came up to me and told me he was going to stay home with his mom. He said he wanted to help decorate their house with his mom. He told me in less than three years he’ll be away at college, so he wants to spend as much real time with his mom as he can, especially around the Holidays,” answered dad Ken.

“Oh, okay, that is good. He really loves his mom, doesn’t he, dad?” asked Robert.

“Robert, Todd knows how much his mom loves him and … well, he wants her to know how much he loves her. That was why he invited her as his guest to go to SeaWorld. He told me she never got to go anywhere and do things, which was why he did that. I had him invite someone else, then,” replied dad Ken.

Robert was happy with his dad’s response. He liked Todd and didn’t want him to miss out on special things they all got to do. He knew he’d miss him, but knew there will be other times that The Cove’s Beach Master may be able to go with them.

After everyone was on board the bus, Mr. Ken had the bus driver tell his passengers the password for the WiFi signal on the bus. The driver told them that if they stream any videos or large music files the signal will be degraded for everyone. The boys said they understood. They were now off to Six Flags.

As this was a totally different route than they took two months ago to SeaWorld, many of the boys looked out the large bus windows to enjoy the scenery. As they rode along, the boys talked about what they wanted to ride. Since Charles and Camm were there last summer, some of the boys asked them to tell them about the park and which rides to get on.

As the bus moved along, Mr. Ken talked to all of his chaperones and asked them to tell which group they were interested in watching over. He told the adults, he talked to the boys about making sure they stopped to let their chaperones watch some of the entertainment that Fiesta Texas offered through the day. The adults told him they appreciated that.

Mr. Ken told his volunteers there were going to be 44 boys in ages ten through thirteen. He explained Collin and Mr. Wayne already volunteered to watch over Matthew and his six friends. He asked if there was one other adult who wanted to go with them.

Evelyn Staffans held up her hand to go with Collin and Mr. Wayne, but Mr. Ken asked her to go with a different group, so she didn’t hinder her son’s enjoyment of the day. She said it would give her some time with her son. But, Mr. Ken told her it would more than likely stifle all the boys’ enjoyment if one of their parents was tagging along.

After some discussion of which adults would watch over what group it was decided that Doug Jennings would go with Collin and Mr. Wayne. Frank Longger, Dan Fischer and Russell would watch over Robert’s group. Watching over Charles’ group would be John and Barbara Sullivan.

Lastly, there was Kevin’s and Kyle’s friends. Addison Farrmers and Claire Duggans would stay with the older twin and his friends, while Evelyn Staffans, Joyce and Ryan would stick close to the younger twin and his buddies. Mr. Ken said he’d walk around watching over all the groups.

It was Dan Fischer who told all the adults, that the park may seem large at first, but when the five groups of boys get out and about he was certain they would be crossing paths often. He recommended they all take a map of the park and entertainment schedule as soon as they entered. He explained that way, they could decide where to go and when, especially if they wanted to watch a show or two.

It took the bus just about two hours to finally arrive at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. When they got through the parking booth, they were directed to the bus parking area just to the right of the main entrance to the park. They were met there by Mr. Chris and his family.

Mr. Ken got off the bus to coordinate with Chris Dominions to make sure they had enough tickets for everyone. Earlier that morning, Mr. Ken called Chris to tell him they needed a few more tickets. The final total of entrance tickets needed was 66, but Mr. Chris figured on a miscount, so he bought a few extra. Four to be exact.

“Well, Chris, it looks like after I give everyone their ticket I’ll have as many as four to give away,” laughed Mr. Ken.

“Yep, and you did such a great job last time, so I figured you could do your magic again,” said Mr. Chris as he laughed back.

Mr. Ken went back into the bus to begin handing out the tickets. He asked them to file out of the bus in their chaperoned groups and wait to the side in their group. He told them he wanted to make sure everyone had a ticket and they knew who their chaperones were. He also wanted to give them a one last instruction.

Mr. Ken handed out the tickets as the adults and boys exited. When everyone was outside and had their entrance ticket, Nathan and Owen and their three boys came up to the group.

“I thought you we going to meet us later tonight,” said Mr. Ken, as he shook the men’s hands.

“We both decided we needed to have some family time and fun time with our friends, so we are both playing hooky,” replied Owen.

“Hey, everyone let me introduce these men and their boys to those of you who weren’t with us for the SeaWorld Howl-O-Scream trip. I had extra tickets that day, as I do today, and we went looking for a small group I could give them to.

“Thus, that is how we met Owen, his partner Nathan, and their three boys, Jayden, Ryder and Chase. You all can introduce yourselves as the day goes on. I suspect Jayden will want to join Robert’s group, and Ryder will probably join Charles’ group, which leaves Chase to join Matthew and his friends.

“Now, my last instructions to you all is, we’ll meet for dinner at Sangerfest Halle at 5 p.m.. Bring your appetite! And boys, let your chaperones see some of the live entertainment shows. And, there is one show I believe you’ll all enjoy. It is called, The Majesty of Christmas and features live animals, and flying angels.

“And one last thing … HAVE FUN!” finished Mr. Ken.

The entire group walked over to the security entrance where they each had to empty their pockets and go through the metal detectors before they even got close to the turnstiles to enter into the park. Charles asked Mr. Dan if he had to tell them about his service weapon. That was when Mr. Gene and Mr. George came up and heard the question.

Dan Fischer didn’t have his service weapon with him. He knew he was going to be on a crowded bus, loaded with many kids. He also knew he would not need it inside the amusement park, nor need it along the way. The Warren twins said they had their weapons on them, but had a gun safe in their special vehicle and would go back and lock them up in it.

With sixty plus guests descending on the security entrance at the same time, it backed up the lines for everyone, including the other guests waiting to get into the park. Mr. Ken waited until all of his guests were processed through security before he entered. The man noticed Six Flags security was very rigorous as compared to SeaWorld’s. He wondered why they needed such drastic security.

After he went through security, Mr. Ken took the time to search out four kids who were in line to buy their tickets. He watched the interactions of the boys and girls to see who was deserving of the free tickets. It was then he noticed a family of six in line. The children looked to him to be in the ages between 6 and 10, with two boys being twins.

“Excuse me,” said Mr. Ken, as he walked up to the family. “I seem to have four extra tickets and I would like to give them to you. With four kids in tow, you could probably use an early Christmas present. Please take these and have a great time here at Fiesta Texas.”

“Oh, no, we can’t just take your tickets,” spoke up the woman.

“Please ma’am, I bought 70 tickets, so giving away four isn’t going to hurt my pocketbook,” replied Mr. Ken.

The kids started to argue with their mom about how much money it would save them. The oldest argued they’d have the money to have a nice dinner later. Mr. Ken smiled at hearing that, so he insisted they take the tickets adding that if they don’t, someone else will.

The mom and dad quietly talked and after a few moments they turned around to accept the tickets. Mr. Ken then gave them another Christmas present.

“Now that you’ve graciously accepted my tickets,” smiled Mr. Ken, “I want to invite your family to join me and my very large group for dinner at Sangerfest Halle at 5 p.m. So, please accept this added Christmas present as my ‘paying it forward’ and in this case to all of you.”

The woman broke down and cried. Then she hugged this strange man and thanked him for giving them this early Christmas present. She told him that going to Six Flags was going to be one of their children’s Christmas gifts, as they had been begging them ever since Thanksgiving.

Mr. Ken told them to be sure they arrived at Sangerfest Halle at 5 p.m. because his 44 boys would probably strip the place clean. They all laughed at that. The children then went over to the man and shook his hand and thanked them for the early Christmas gifts. As Mr. Ken walked away, the family wished him a “Merry Christmas” and they would be sure to meet him at five.

Robert and his friends watched Mr. Ken from around the ticket kiosks. When they saw he was walking back towards them they quickly got in line to enter Fiesta Texas. After they were inside, Robert waited for his dad.

“Thank you, dad, for doing that. That woman sure was emotional over your giving them the four extra tickets. I’ll bet they don’t have much, but their love for their kids had them use their Christmas money to bring them here. I wonder if he needs a better job,” smiled Robert, as he hugged his dad then caught up with his friends and chaperones.

Once everyone was inside the park, all the adults had taken a park map and show schedule so they could plan their day. Some of the older boys also took a map and schedule, so they could keep track of where they were and wanted to go.

“What are you all waiting for? Go ride some rides,” suggested Mr. Ken.

That said, the majority of the boys headed straight down the main thoroughfare to the first ride there. The older boys, though, turned left and went over to Goliath, a floorless coaster that started with a 10 story lift hill before it raced down an 80 foot curving plunge and up into a full 360 degree loop. All the boys, including Frank Longger, Dan Fischer and Russell, the lifeguard, got into line to ride their first ride of the day.

Charles and his friends stopped at the Boomerang. He and Camm had to tell their friends how Camm rode the ride not knowing what he was doing, when he sat down in the car. Everyone laughed at hearing that. All the boys got in line to ride it. John and Barbara Sullivan begged off and told the boys they’d wait for them at the exit.

Kevin and Kyle’s groups stopped at the Boomerang, as well, and watched it go thru its run. They then after they saw what it was all about they all decided to give it a try it as they now knew what to expect. Addison Farrmers, Claire Duggans, Joyce Cambelle and Evelyn Staffans decided they would forgo that ride and would wait for the boys. Ryan quickly joined the boys in line.

Matthew and his group stopped and looked at the ride and weren’t too sure they wanted to try it. It was Collin who told them they had to give the ride a chance and that it was a relatively tame ride that went forward and then backward through a loop and a bat-wing. The boys watched the ride go through its paces. They tentatively got in line.

When Robert and his buddies got off the Goliath and walked to the main part of the park, the Boomerang was the first ride they came too. They decided to get in line and found that Matthew and his friends were just about to load into the coaster cars and ride. They waited to see how they would handle it.

Matthew and Max rode together. The boys had decided they would change off riding together, so everyone had the chance to see how they each handled the rides. Aaron rode with his best friend Greg, Brant rode with Ryan, and Noah and Chase rode together. Collin rode with Doctor Doug, while Mr. Wayne decided to sit that one out.

When the ride started up the lift hill, some of the boys got scared and began to ask if they could get off. Collin yelled down to them they couldn’t and to just enjoy the ride. Once the train got to the top of the lift hill the holding clamp was released and the coaster train headed through its paces.

There was screaming heard as the coaster traveled along its track. Robert and his friends couldn’t tell who it was, but they all laughed as they thought it was Matthew and all of his friends. On the train some of the boys were screaming through the bat wing and loop. As the coaster train traveled up the second lift hill all the screaming stopped. Once the train was at its peak of the second hill the clamp was released and the train traveled backwards.

Immediately more screaming was heard, as the coaster train traveled backwards through the loop then the bat wing and to the station, but it wasn’t as loud as on its forward travel. When the train returned to the station it went through and halfway up the first hill. Some of the boys thought they were going to do it again. They were relieved when the coaster slowed to a stop where it had started.

Some of the boys couldn’t wait to get out of their seats and down the off ramp. Mr. Wayne waited at the exit for them and gathered them up as they exited. Some of the boys were still a bit shaken from the experience, but none of them were crying. When they all got together they all had to tell each other about their experience. That done, they headed off to their next adventure.

The boys passed the entrance to the water park and wondered what was in there and if it was better than the Lakeside Water Park near them. As they continued to walk down the slight hill they saw a small portion of the water park. They saw what looked like a portion of a lazy river, and then two different water slides that dumped the rider into a pool of water.

The boys knew there had to be a lot more behind the fence, so the ones who’d taken a map got it out to see what else showed. They saw there was a huge wave pool shaped like the state of Texas, a huge cone shaped ride called Tornado, and loads of different water slides. They each hoped that one day they’d get the chance to try them all.

“Hey, that looks fun. At least it doesn’t go upside down,” laughed Max, as the group of boys came up to what looked like a mine building.

“It looks tame enough, especially after that boomerrangy thing we just rode. Come on let’s get in line,” suggested Max.

The young boys quickly got in line for the Road Runner Express and walked the queue line for what felt like forever to them, but was really only about 20 seconds. The walkway went under the station house and they could hear the noises the brakes and trains made as they worked overhead. The queue line eventually had them walking up stairs and into the station. Now, that took much longer than the 20 seconds did to get to the front of the line.

Most of the older boys skipped past the Road Runner Express where the 5th grade boys stopped. They wanted to ride the Iron Rattler, or otherwise known as iRattler. They’d heard about it that it had a first drop of 171 feet with a drop angle of 81 degrees. They also heard its top speed was 70 mph. They couldn’t wait to feel all of that.

Matthew and his friends waited about 20 minutes to ride the Road Runner Express. When it was their turn they decided to ride in the middle cars. The seven boys and three adults all loaded onto the train then pulled back on the lap bar. A few moments later the train was dispatched from the station and they found themselves going up a lift hill.

At the top, the train took a left turn down a steep hill and then under the iRattler coaster. The train continued along its track and made a right turn into a tight bank and went quickly up onto another lift hill. After another left turn, at the top, the train went into a tight right turn that went down then up and into a tight, fast left turn that took the train back to the station house.

“That was more like it,” exclaimed Matthew. “No twists and going upside down, twice, and going backwards to boot. Are we going to do the iRattler?”

“Boys, what say we ride a few more rides and build up your experiences,” advised Collin. “This coaster is much higher than you may want right now. So, let’s continue on and see what comes up next.”

The group walked past the Gully Washer that was devoid of water as it was too cold to get wet. They passed Lone Star Lil’s amphitheater and the three waterfalls coming off the quarry wall. They stopped to watch as the train went into a rock tunnel. Their next stop was going to be SkyScreamer.

“Are we going to ride that next?” gulped Max. “It looks pretty high … doesn’t it?”

“Sure we are. It’s just a swing. Watch what it does,” suggested Doctor Doug.

The group watched the SkyScreamer as they all got into the line leading to the entrance. The boys watched as the swings went round and round and then slowly rose up into the air. They saw the people kicking their legs under them and just watching the swing slowly come down some and then go right back up to the top.

The boy’s reaction to the ride was that it looked tame enough. That it didn’t go upside down was a plus, so they waited their turn. When it was their turn they ran to get a swing. Some took the outside chairs while many took the inside seats not wanting to be out on the edge all there by themselves. The three adults joined them on the ride.

As the swings began going around and around, the boys enjoyed the breeze on their faces. Then the swing began its upward rise. The group found themselves sitting in their chair, dangling their legs 20 stories above the ground and going around in a 98-foot circle. They had a 360 degree view of the entire park and they loved they could do that, but they were spinning around too fast to catch more than a quick look of the park.

“That was awesome!” exclaimed Matthew, when they all exited the SkyScreamer.

“Yea, you could see forever from up there. I wish it hadn’t gone as fast as it did as I would have liked to have seen more of the park from up there,” said Aaron.

The Covers friends all agreed that ride was fun and wanted to do that again, so they could see the park again. But, Mr. Wayne said there was a lot more to see and do and they should check it all out before coming back. Their next stop was Fender Bender, the bumper car ride, which was located across the way.

The boys rushed to get in line and after waiting about eight rides it was finally their turn. They ran to get to their bumper car of choice and after the ride attendant checked their safety devices the ride was ready.

The attendant gave them some instructions over the PA system that no one could understand, and then the ride was started. The boys immediately mashed the pedal and headed towards their friends, or the adults watching over them. Matthew headed towards Mr. Wayne and after hitting him square on the side the man said he’d get him back.

The boys had a blast bumping into one another and their chaperones. Doctor Doug felt like a little kid, as he too thoroughly enjoyed chasing after someone and hitting them. The entire group was disappointed when their turn was over.

Robert and his friends hurried off the iRattler and over to SkyScreamer. They had the same experience as Matthew and his friends had. They all loved the view from the top. After that, they rode Superman, Krypton Coaster against the backdrop of Six Flags Fiesta’s famous quarry walls.

When it was their turn they rode the train up the lift hill, which took them to a height of 168 feet. The coaster train made a sweeping right 360 degree turn then raced down towards the second tallest 360 vertical loop in the world, which was 145-feet tall. The boys couldn’t believe they made it through that huge open loop.

The older boys and their minders were having a blast going through all the twists and turns and rolls the coaster went through. At the end, the ride was set up to take pictures of the riders and when they got off the floorless coaster they hurried to see what they looked like on the train.

Charles and his friends headed in the same direction as his ‘brothers’. They, unlike his youngest ‘brother’, Matthew, rode all the rides they came across. They were having a great time and it was still early afternoon.

The seventh graders loved riding the iRattler. Since Charles and Camm rode it a few months ago they told their friends all about their rides as they waited in line for their turn. When it was their turn to get into a seat line, they all tried to get the first seats, but the line was another ten to fifteen minutes before they would ride.

So, the boys made sure they all got on the same ride, and when it was their turn they eagerly loaded into the cars. At the top of the 171-foot hill they all took a quick view of the amusement park before racing down the 81 degree angled track. The ride reached its fastest speed of 70 mph as it raced through the bottom of that first downhill.

The coaster raced up the second hill, going into a left bank, to race down again in a sweeping loop. At the top of that loop, the train did a complete 360 barrel roll before going over a small bunny hill and into a right bank and then a left bank before doing a few more camel hills.

The next biggest downward hill came just after the second camel hill where the train raced down the quarry wall into a tunnel built into the quarry face. There was fog inside the tunnel to disorient the rider before the train raced up and out onto the brake run. The ride was essentially over as the coaster cars were let into the station.

“Wow, that was an awesome ride,” exclaimed Cooper.

David also said he was glad he rode it. He compared it to the Steel Eel he rode back in October. He told his friends the Steel Eel was the first roller coaster he’d ever ridden and when he got off he had to find the closest restroom and fast. All the boys laughed at him. David then said he didn’t need to use the restroom now. More laughter was heard as his friends patted him on his back.

Matthew and his group’s next stop was the ZoomJets. The ride just went around and around and up and down as the rider manipulated the joystick. After that, they looked at the Superman ride, but they all decided it went too high for them and besides, it had a huge loop.

The boys continued to go to the right to see what ride was next. They found a small roller coaster called the Kiddee Koaster. It looked like fun to them, so they all got in line. When they finally got to ride they found it had a very short lift hill and went around in one loop going over some small bunny hills. The Koaster was over 270 feet long and did two circuits before they had to get off.

The boys all laughed after riding the Koaster, as it was very different from the Boomerang they first rode and the Road Runner Express. The Whirligig, another swing ride, was right after the Kiddee Koaster; they all wanted to try it.

Kevin and his friends were thirsty after riding a few rides, so they stopped to get a soda. While they were in line, Kevin bent over and took his shoe off and pulled out some money. His friends laughed at him and told him he needed a wallet. All Kevin could tell them was Christmas was just around the corner and he’d have to tell Santa to bring him one. Kevin added he’d also tell Santa to put some money in it. All the boys had a good laugh over that.

The next stop for the fifth grade boys was a carousel type ride called The Grand Carousel. They initially watched how the horses, zebras, rabbits, lions, and even a cheetah went in a slow circular ride. Some animals went up and down while others were stationary. Matthew said he’d like to ride it since he never had before. Some of the boys balked at riding such a lame ride, but the chaperones said they could sit that one out while they and Matthew and anyone else rode it.

In the end, all the boys and their chaperones got on when it was their turn. When the young boys got off, they apologized for acting as they had, saying they really liked the simple ride, with the horses and other animals going up and down.

Kyle and his friends also did the Road Runner Express, followed by the SkyScreamer. They decided to forgo the iRattler saying it looked too scary for them. They eventually jumped over to the ZoomJets and got in line. The wait wasn’t very long at that time of day, so they weren’t in line very long.

They spied the Whirligig and decided to ride that and compare it to the SkyScreamer. As they got in line, Matthew and his friends were just getting off. The two groups exchanged what they’d done so far. The big question amongst them was whether they would ride the iRattler and Superman later. All the boys were noncommittal to either roller coaster.

Robert and his friends worked their way over to the Scream. They all couldn’t wait until they rode it. The line was already quite long, so they quickly joined it. Their chaperones also joined them. They too wanted to experience the ‘ups and downs’ of the 205-foot high ride.

When Robert got off the Scream, he waited for the rest of his group just outside the exit. As he and Logan stood there, with two of their friends, who were able to ride at the same time, someone came over, and deliberately bumped into him.

“Well, lookie who we have here, guys,” spoke up Brody Jordan. It was Robert’s nemeses from school and his and Logan’s attacker at the Lakeside Water Park.

“I’ve been watching you two, and I didn’t see any of your savior’s following along with you. So … so, maybe I can still take it out on you two that I couldn’t last spring. Now … where can we take you where we won’t be disturbed?” verbally announced Brody, as he looked at his three companions.

“I see you still have to have your bully friends around to protect you,” loudly said Logan. “You couldn’t take care of us then, and I know you won’t be able to do it now. You all will definitely get juvenile detention this time when you’re caught!”

“Who’ll catch us? Security? Security might be tight outside the park but here inside… it is a joke,” laughed Brody.

“When was the last time you even saw a security person, let alone a police officer?” chuckled Brody, with Nicholas Crown, Alexander Dennis and Easton Mitchell, who had his jaw broken by Robert at the Lakeside Water Park, joining in.

“Grab them,” called out Brody. “We’ll take them over to the restrooms next to Scooby-Doo.”


The saga of Three Finger Cove continues. Let Chowhound know you are reading his story: Chowhound at CastleRoland dot Net

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Three Finger Cove Book 5: Matthew

By Chowhound

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