Once is not enough

Little Chester was no exception. He had been waiting all week to see it after his Mother had told him about the outing she had planned for them. Now here he was, and the young Blumaroo's eyes were wide with awe as he stood and stared at it, holding his Mother's hand who was smiling down at him.

"It's quite wonderful, isn't it?" she asked him, "I did promise that you would be impressed, didn't I?"

Chester could only swallow and nod, his tail flicking impatiently as he realized he had to wait behind many other Neopets before he could have a turn. It seemed as though they would never reach the end of the line, and he had begun to shift from side to side in anticipation.

But, it was fun to watch the other Neopets enjoy themselves. Everyone was laughing and smiling brightly as they were spun around in a whirl of colour and music on the Merry-Go-Round.

Roo Island's famous Merry-Go-Round.

It was like a shimmering jewel! Shiny, golden poles with hand-carved wooden Unis bouncing gracefully up and down. Each one was painted with such detail that Chester had thought they were real for a brief moment! The top of the ride had the carving of a Blumaroo face on it, proudly showing all Neopets that Roo Island was the place to be for fun and happiness. It also had rows of bright red flags billowing in the wind, a decorative touch to the wondrous display.

Chester was so happy and could hardly wait now! He watched the ride slow down and stop, and looked towards the front of the line as more Neopets moved forward. He was becoming slightly anxious now, and began to bounce on his tail. Something Blumaroos often did whenever they were happy or nervous.

"Have patience, Chester." his mother said softly, "Your turn will come."

Chester nodded and sighed as he stopped bouncing, knowing his mother was right. She normally was...

He looked at the ride once more and realized that more Neopets had climbed on, and they were now further up the line. They were only three spots away, behind a rather hyper looking Shoyru who had not stopped talking the whole time, and a Skeith who had been munching on a large bag of gummy Quiggles when they had lined up. The bag was almost empty now though...

"Yahoo! Watch this everyone!"

Chester's head snapped around at the sound of excitement to see a Mynci boldly standing on the back of his Uni, holding on with only his tail. He was making funny faces and noises as he showed off to the laughing crowd.

"Hmm, that seems rather dangerous." Chester's Mom stated, her expression disapproving. "Might I suggest you hold on with both hands, Chester? Much safer..."

Chester nodded quickly, as he had no intention of copying the Mynci. He was already shaking with enough nervous excitement as it was, he couldn't imagine how much worse that would become once his turn arrived.

He glanced over at the Merry-Go-Round once more, delighted by the entire visual. The way the flags fluttered in the breeze and how graceful the Unis were was all so hypnotic; it was impossible not to stop and stare at it. Any moment now, the ride would stop spinning and it would be his turn...

Chester paused at that point, as he realized the ride had begun to slow down at that very moment. It was finally his turn! It was happening right now!

The Merry-Go-Round stopped and the Neopets that had been riding it climbed off carefully. Well, other than the Mynci who did a back-flip before he darted off into the crowd. Chester turned and blinked as he realized the Shoyru and the Skeith had already headed towards the ride.

"Go on, Chester. It's your turn."

Chester grinned up at his Mother before dashing forward and climbing onto the base of the Merry-Go-Round. He paused to look at the Uni's for a moment; this was an important decision after all. Everything had to be perfect. He looked to see what the others ahead of him had chosen.

The Shoyru had chosen the starry Uni and was bouncing in the saddle happily, his wings flapping slightly as he waited for the ride to start.

The Skeith had just plopped down on the first one he walked towards, a yellow one, and was looking into his bag of gummy Quiggles to be sure he had eaten every one.

Chester smiled softly as he looked around, before pausing as his eyes zoomed in on a light-coloured Uni. It was a cloud Uni, Chester realized and he smiled even more as he knew that this one was perfect!

He walked over and traced a couple of the clouds slowly as he took in every detail. The clouds were painted on in such a way that they appeared to be as soft as real clouds and might float away at a moments notice. And the wings of the Uni looked so real that Chester thought they might actually begin to flutter!

He had always wondered what it would be like to fly. A ride on the Merry-Go-Round wouldn't be the same as flying of course, but it would be just as carefree he imagined. Chester carefully climbed into the saddle and looked around, taking in every detail. He gazed around at the crowd and waved at his Mother who was

watching from the sidelines.

"It's not fair, I wanted the pink uni!"

Chester looked to his left and seen a little Ixi pouting up at a grinning Grarrl who obviously had no intention of giving up that Uni. Chester held on a little tighter, glad that he had been able to get the Uni of his choice. He felt sorry for the Ixi and watched as she slowly chose the last Uni available. The last Uni...

It meant that the ride would start any minute and the smile that came upon Chester's face was brilliant. He bounced a little in excitement, watching as the Blumaroo who ran the ride walked around the outskirts, making sure everything was alright before heading towards the lever.

Chester quickly glanced at his mother, who was still smiling brightly at him before turning back towards the Blumaroo and watching him throw down the lever.

He felt a slight jolt as the platform began to turn. The sounds of calliope music began to play and Chester smiled even brighter as his Uni began to move. Up and then down slowly, the platform moving a little faster than before but held steady. The Unis bobbed up and down in perfect harmony as the ride moved and they seemed even more majestic now.

It was so wonderful! To be able to finally ride on one of the graceful unis was so much better than watching from the sidelines!

The sounds, the colours and smells! It was amazing! And the whirling of the Merry-Go-Round! The up-and-down motion of the ride and the spinning.

The-the spinning. Spinning...Oh, the spinning!

"Ooh...I feel a little bit dizzy." he mumbled, holding onto the Uni tightly. His senses were on slight overload; there were so many things happening at once. He closed his eyes and took several cleansing breaths. Chester only needed a moment to calm himself, he decided, and then he'd feel better.

He focused on the sounds around him to start, in order to distract himself from his slight discomfort. And there were many sounds to focus on.

All of them were filled with happiness. The most beautiful, uplifting sounds of laughter and cheering. As well as the whistling of the wind as it rushed past his ears.

It was wonderful! And Chester soon began to feel better, though he kept his eyes shut and decided to simply listen to the sounds of the ride until it stopped.

And it did. Much too soon, actually, as he noticed that the Merry-Go-Round had begun to slow down. Chester blinked his eyes a few times before opening them slowly, looking over at the other Neopets.

The Shoyru seemed even more hyper now and zoomed off the ride towards the back of the line. The Skeith seemed unaffected and headed off towards a nearby food stand. The Grarrl was grinning even more, and it was both amusing and somewhat alarming to see.

And the Ixi was no longer pouting, despite not getting to ride on the pink Uni; she was grinning from ear to ear! Chester smiled, happy that the Ixi still had fun.

"Chester? Are you alright?"

He looked up into his Mother's concerned face, realizing she had climbed onto the ride to check on him. He nodded slightly, before slowly getting down and using his tail for balance as he still felt a little off.

He wobbled down off the platform and allowed his Mother to fuss over him for a minute before he hugged her gently.

"I'm okay. I was just taking everything in. Mom..."

"Yes Chester?"

"Can we get back in line? Please? One ride on the Merry-Go-Round doesn't seem like enough!"

His Mother laughed and nodded as she took his hand and they made their way to the back of the line once more. And this time, Chester decided to try and find out what was so special about the pink uni!

The End.