Breathe. Just breathe. And don’t look down.
“What’s the matter, Daddy?”
“Nothing, sweetie,” Chris said. He was trying not to hyperventilate as they pushed through the squeaky door of the Ferris wheel pod. He sat quickly and tightly gripped the bench.
Macy peered out the panel of clear plastic with a smile plastered to her face.
The upward lifting sensation threatened to send Chris into a panic. While Macy giggled with glee, he was assaulted by anxiety.
Why would anyone enjoy this? Why would anyone willingly dangle themselves from such a height? What had he been thinking? But what other option had there been? How could he have admitted to his seven year old daughter that she couldn’t ride the ride she’d talked about incessantly because he was too afraid? But as the pod lurched he imagined how terrible it would be to fall and wished they had stayed on the ground.
“Look, daddy! Look!” Macy exclaimed as she pressed her finger to the window. When Chris didn’t move or respond she turned and looked at him expectantly. No trace of fear in her eyes, only wonder. He couldn’t remember what it was like to be so dauntless.
There were many lessons Chris hoped to impart to his daughter, but being needlessly afraid was not one of them. Gathering courage, he leaned forward to peek out the window. The fair was a spectacle of lights below. In the spreading twilight the scene was dazzling. Breathtaking, but in a good way.
Author's Note: I'm following the example set by fellow creator, Matthew Fromm, to write to the word count. Check out his suggestions in his Self-Critique piece below. I'm trying to get some practice on 500, 250, and 100 word micros before some upcoming challenges. This one was inspired by the featured Unsplash image.
About the Creator
D.K. Shepard
Character Crafter, Witty Banter Enthusiast, World Builder, Unpublished novelist...for now
Fantasy is where I thrive, but I like to experiment with genres for my short stories. Currently employed as a teacher in Louisville.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
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FPS: The Last Flame Challenge Winners
Welcome to our first Winners Announcement of the year and to the final challenge in the Fall Poetry Series. The Last Flame invited writers to sit with endings, using fire as a central image to consider what remains when something burns out: ash, warmth, memory, silence, or the faint promise of what comes next. The strongest pieces treated endings as gradual rather than sudden, allowing them to flicker, dim, and linger.
By Vocal Curation Team7 days ago in Resources
Comments (11)
This was great. It's hard to write short!
You can tell a lot of story here.
Chris is so selfless, a very good parent. I'm too selfish for that and hence don't want children. Macy is so lucky to have him as her father. Loved your story!
The things we do for love. Wonderful story, DK!
I like how the father was trying to overcome his fear while living it, trying not to pass on this fear or any fear to his daughter.
You did a great job of writing the father's fear and his willingness to overcome it. Beautiful microfiction piece!
You express fear and awe so well through your characters here! Amazing work.
This is awesome - the dad's terror is expressed so well, and then contrasted with the pure wonder of his daughter to elicit real emotion. Great work!!
You conveyed the feeling well, great story
Oh...I could feel that fear so much. You did a superb job of packing the short with so much emotion and feeling. Well done.
It's like a real experience which i felt while reading this story. In childhood days, I fear to go Ferris wheel ride.