Kyle exited the roller coaster, rejoined Ally, who was waiting under a nearby tree, and said, “You just missed out on the best ride here. You should definitely try it.”
“That’s okay, I’ll stick with the milder rides.”
“Are you sure? We’ve got time for one more ride before we head home. Come on, just try it once.”
“No, thanks.”
“Hey, what’s that movie where the guy says you just need a few seconds of bravery? Didn’t he own an amusement park or something?”
“It was a zoo, and all he had to do was talk to someone, not go on a roller coaster. Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
“Fine. You got any ideas for the last ride?”
“Well, there is one that I really wanted to try, but I don’t think we can.”
“Why not?”
“Because of your… you know.”
“What?”
“You don’t like…”
“I don’t like what? Wait, are you talking about food? Just because I don’t like spicy food doesn’t mean you can’t have it. You wanna try the flaming sundae?”
“No, that’s not it. I—”
“The zesty cotton candy?”
“No—”
“Oh, I know. The hot lava milkshake. That one looks pretty cool. Well, not cool. Hot. Wait, it’s cold. So yeah, cool. But it looks hot. Anyway, I never saw a bright red milkshake before.”
“That’s not—”
“I wonder if they have one that looks hot, but tastes cold. Actually, it’s a milkshake, so they must all taste cold. Argh! I mean, maybe they have a red milkshake that’s not spicy.” Kyle suddenly noticed that Ally was standing still, arms crossed, staring at him. He knew that look. “Sorry, I’m listening now. What were we talking about?”
Ally raised an eyebrow. “One more ride.”
“Right. You name it. Your choice. Last ride.”
“I can pick anything?”
“Of course.”
Ally tipped her head slightly, squinted, then asked, “The swan pedal boats?”
Kyle swallowed hard. “Swans?”
“I know you’re afraid of—”
“Afraid? Me? Nooo. I just…”
“I know you got attacked—”
“Let’s not talk about that,” Kyle said, as he tried to look at anyone other than Ally.
Ally said, “I’m sorry, we can pick something else.”
As Kyle continued to watch people walking by, he noticed a man who reminded him of his next-door neighbor, Charlie. He thought for a moment, then muttered, “Great, now I gotta ride a swan.” Then he turned, started walking toward the Love Swan ride, and asked, “You coming?”
Ally caught up with him.
Kyle’s heart raced as they headed toward the ride. As they entered the line, beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. When they reached the gate, the ride attendant looked at him and asked, “You okay? You look kind of green.”
Ally took Kyle by the hand and said, “He doesn’t like swans.” Then she led Kyle onto the dock toward a swan-shaped pedal boat.
Kyle was sure that he was about to die of a heart attack.
As they settled into the boat, Ally said, “Thanks for doing this. I wouldn’t get very far pedaling alone.”
“Yeah, well, if I don’t make it, you’ll have to pedal back alone. Tell Charlie I died a martyr’s death.”
“Oh, Kyle, you’re so silly.”
With Ally happily steering, Kyle pedaled with his eyes closed tightly, muttering, “Husbands, love your wives. Husbands, love your wives. Charlie had better appreciate this. Husbands, love your wives…”
“Ooh, look! Swan babies!”
With his eyes still tightly closed, Kyle said, “Yup, that’s great. Future maniacal attack beasts.”
“They’re so adorable.”
“More like abominable.”
“Hey, look, there’s a cup of pellets in the console. It must be swan food. Maybe we can get them to come up to the boat.”
“Absolutely. Great idea. And if we attract enough of them and we run out of pellets, then we’ll be the swan food.”
Ally giggled, then tossed some pellets into the water.
Kyle took a deep breath, then tried to think of anything he could to distract himself from feelings of impending doom. All that came to mind was the Pledge of Allegiance. Probably because he had to recite it with the kids in his classroom every day. But the Pledge was good enough. As long as he had something to distract him. Finally, after he’d recited it dozens of times, the bell rang to return the boats, and Ally steered them back to the dock.
As they left the boat, Ally said, “Thanks for going with me.”
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s just get away from here so I can forget all about it.”
As they walked down the Love Swan exit ramp, a park employee handed something to Kyle and said, “Here’s your complimentary photo so you’ll always remember your ride on the Love Swan.”
Kyle forced a grin and said, “Gee, thanks.”
__________
Want more stories starring Kyle? Check out The Thugs Next Door and A Slice of Advice in the bookstore or read Twitch Pitch and Semiquin What? on the Story Blog.
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April Wenzel is an author and tabletop game designer. She is a multi-story FaithWriters Challenge winner. Her readers often describe her work as sweet, intriguing, funny, and surprising. Her game players say they enjoy the interaction and fun of borrowing and retrieving books in her book-themed card game, Once Upon a Bookcase. April firmly believes that her most valuable and joy-filled roles are wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend. Read her full bio at aprilwenzel.com/about.
Copyright © 2026 by April Wenzel. All rights reserved.
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This is a work of fiction. The characters, places, events, and incidents in this book are the product of the author’s imagination.
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