Stuffed animal heads frozen in grotesque expressions bobbed up and down. Animal cries, drum music, safari horns blared from the loudspeakers as the line snaked around the metal railings leading to the entrance to the ride. The last steps before entering were taken on a creaky wooden plank. At the other side a red vinyl chair spun out, dumping riders at the exit, stumbling into sudden daylight. The chair paused as if reorientating itself before picking up its next riders.
The attendant unhooked the heavy chain and motioned for them to sit down. He pushed back the bar locking them into the chair and pushed a switch sending it on its way clacking on a steel track.
They looked for the last time into sunlight before the chair swung them around to face forward into the darkness of the ride.

They sat as far away from one another as possible in that small chair. The back shaped like a clam. Arms dangled draped across the back of the chair, faces expressionless as if to say 'ho hum, this will be dull.' Now while waiting for eyes to adjust to the darkness feeling as if they didn't exist, almost panicking, gasping in the thick heavy air. Fingers crossed the line drawn in the center, reached for the others arm. Eyes finally adjusted enough to make out objects in the shadows, they creeped slowly closer together.

The chair swung tossing them from side to side, it spun crazily in circles, until they were dizzy. Slamming to a stop under a rearing elephant, it's head thrown back angrily threatening to crush them under two tree like legs. Ducking they were swung away nearly careening into the chair behind them. She reached out her hand to slap the persons behind them in a high-five and saw a furry black paw with claws extended scratch her arm. Blood formed in circular spots looking like ringworm. Screaming they were whipped back into darkness.

She had seen the people on line behind her. An older lady with gray hair with pursed lips suggesting she wouldn't be having any fun. A small child with large bulging eyes who kept taking the gum out of his mouth, trying to do a cat's cradle with it. Leaving black sticky marks on the tips and between the cracks of his fingers. It was neither of their hands that reached out for her in the dark trying to pull her out of the chair by her wrist.

The chair was moving in slow motion. They went through swinging doors into another part of the ride. The doors had barely closed when she heard the other chair slam through. She knelt on the seat and peeked over the top. The chair was hurtling towards them crazily moving on its own, zigzagging off the track. The animals gripped the bar in front of them and were gritting their teeth or smiling. Two sets of teeth glowed in the dark. The ghastly green color toy skeletons glowed in her bedroom late at night. The skeletons her brother hid to scare her when a car went by outside and headlights flooded the room.

Turning the bend, two crawling bearded figured with bloody knees reached for her throat screaming 'water, please.' The bones in their faces and wrists ready to rip through their skin. Then she saw metal was holding their arms outstretched and thought "I'm just letting my imagination run wild." She realized then she was alone in the chair. Looking backwards she saw the two men devouring the remains of her friends while tossing the bones to the animals in the car behind her.

She tried to stand up and get out of the chair it was headed towards a large grinning safari mask. It's nose pierced by an ivory bone. The chair gripped her tightly as she struggled to break free. It would be foolish to get out. It was too dark to see and the animals could easily overtake her in their chair. Whizzing by her, one of them poked her with a bone and threw a large bulging eye at her. The animal next to him had a grey wig on and was pursing her large red lips, the bloody insides exposed like a baboons bum.

The ride had to be over soon. It was a three ticket ride and they were usually short or boring. A gun was pointed at her. It fired and a cork fell out, on a string a 'BANG' sign fell out next. "A-ha, ha, ha," she laughed harder and louder than she should have. Feeling relieved this was all a joke. Reaching over, expecting to find her friend crouched under the seat, he knew she scared easily. Soon he'd be saying "Come on, you can take your fingers away from your eyes, that wasn't all that scary was it?"

The chair slammed into hers so hard the animals spilt into her lap. They crawled all over her, chattering, pulling at her hair, picking under her arms and between her legs, licking her fingers with greedy, sloppy sounds. She screamed trying to squirm out from under them. Trying to kick or slap but there were so many arms it seemed useless and the monkey was using his finger like toes to pick at her hair.

Laying still, hoping they would get bored and leave her alone. One of them pried her lips apart and started thrusting a splintered bone into her throat. Gagging, she tried to push it away. Her eyes rolled from side to side, trying to anticipate what area to protect with her hands. It was no use. The animals picked her apart like she was a stuffed doll.

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