The New Park

  “Hey Jake!” called Midge as she and Booker-T strolled through the front gate at Jake's house. “Where are you?”

“Jake?” called Booker-T. “Are you home?”

“Maybe he went to the vet,” said Midge.

They didn't hear anything so started to go around to the back of the house. As they turned the corner they met Jake coming around the house from the back.

“Hi you guys,” greeted Jake. “What are you doing?”

“We came to see you, but you didn't answer when we called you at the front door,” said Midge.

“Were you hiding?” asked Booker-T.

“I was in the back and didn't hear you,” said Jake. “I was just coming around to go to your house.”

“Well, we are here,” said Midge.

“Ah yes,” said Jake. “I see you are here.”

“Did you see what they are building over by the fire station?” asked Booker-T.

“No,” said Jake shaking his head.

“A park with rides,” said Midge. “Isn't that exciting?”

“You mean an amusement park?” asked Jake.

“What is an amusement park?” asked Midge.

“It is a place where someone goes to be amused I think,” said Jake. “They go to have fun and ride on different kinds of rides.”

“Lets go see what they are building,” said Booker-T. “I want to see what this amusement park is.”

The three left through the front gate and hurried along the sidewalk to the where the fire station is.

“Look,” said Midge. “Over there. Lets go see.”

They ran across the school parking lot and past the fire station.. There was a large fence around the area where the park was being built.

“Can you see in?” asked Midge. “I can't see.”

“Lets walk around the fence and see if there is a hole we can see through,” suggested Jake.

The three walked around the huge fence looking for a place that they could peak in through.

“Over here,” said Booker-T. “This slat in the fence is broken. I can see in there.”

“Can you get in?” asked Midge.

“We can't go in there,” said Jake. “We could be in trouble.”

“I don't see anyone in there,” said Booker-T still peaking through the hole.

“Can you get through the fence?” asked Midge.

“I think we can squeeze in,” said Jake.

Midge stuck her head through the broken part of the fence and carefully squeezed through it. As she pushed her way in, the slat fell out of the fence and hit the ground with a thud.

“Oh, no,” said Jake. “You broke the fence.”

“I was already broken,” said Midge.

“Lets go,” said Booker-T. “I want to see.”

They each pushed their way into the park and stood there looking around.

“Wow,” said Midge. “Look at those rides. Some of them are so big.”

“That one is very tall,” said Booker-T. “What is it?”

They walked to the front of the ride where they found a big sign. “It says it is a Tornado Twister.”

“A Tornado Twister,” said Midge. “What is a Tornado Twister.”

“It says it is the fast roller coaster in the country,” read Jake.

“Oh,” said Booker-T. “What is a roller coaster?”

“It looks like some kind of funny train that goes up in the air,” said Midge. “It sure is really tall.”

“That must be the little train over there,” pointed Booker-T. “It don't even have a roof on it.”

“They will get wet if it rains,” said Midge.

“Maybe they don't ride it when it is raining,” said Jake. “It's a pretty funny train. It don't go anywhere. Just up in the air.”

“Why do people want to ride a train that doesn't go anywhere?” asked Midge.

“Lets go see what that big wheel is that has all the seats on it,” said Booker-T. “What is it?”

Jake read the sign in front. “It says here, it is called The Big Wheel.”

“It just goes around and around maybe,” said Midge. “It don't look like it goes anywhere.”

“Won't you get dizzy on it?” asked Booker-T.

“I don't think so,” said Jake. “But maybe if it keeps going around and around, people maybe will get dizzy.”

“These are funny rides,” said Jake.

“Look over there,” said Booker-T. “Horses.”

“I like horses,” smiled Midge. “Lets go see them.”

They ran across the park to where Booker-T saw the horses.

“Oh,” said Jake. “They aren't real horses. They are pretend horses.”

“They sure are pretty colors,” said Booker-T.

“They go round and round,” said Midge. “Like that big wheel over there.”

“But this one goes round and round on the ground,” said Jake. “That one goes round and round up in the air.”

“I like these horses,” said Midge. “How do you ride them?”

“I don't know,” said Jake. “We maybe have to come when the park opens to see how they work.”

“When does it open?” asked Booker-T.

“I don't know,” said Midge.

“Do you think we can get inside when it opens?” asked Booker-T.

“We can try,” said Jake. “We can try to sneak in when people are walking inside.”

“I want to ride funny train,” said Midge. “I think it will be scary though. It is really tall.”

“That sign said it was very fast too,” said Jake. “We might fall out if it goes really fast because there is no roof on it.”

“How do the people stay in the seats?” asked Booker-T.

“I don't know,” said Midge.

“Lets go look at the cars,” said Jake as he took off walking toward the roller coaster. He walked up the stairs to where the train was sitting and walked over and peaked into the car.

“What do you see?” asked Midge.

“There is this big funny looking bar across the seat,” said Jake. “How do people sit on that bar.”

“They sit on the bar?” asked Midge climbing the stairs to see what Jake is looking at.

“I don't know,” said Jake. “There is a seat in here, but then there is this bar.”

“But it is too high off the seat to sit on it,” said Midge as she peaked into the car.

“I don't know what the bar is for,” said Jake.

“I think we have to come when it opens and see how it all works,” said Midge. “Lets go home now. I'm hungry.”

They agreed and crawled back out through the broken fence.