As we began to rise into the air, I took a peek at him. He was struggling to stay calm. I could tell he hoped that I would come to my senses and yell for the operator to stop the ride. It wasn’t going to happen.

When the spinning started, so too his screaming. I couldn’t stifle my laughter. I was laughing because his distress was silly, and I was laughing for the pure joy of the fierce whirling.

And then a loud crack exploded into the air; we were no longer spinning in a tight, controlled orbit. I heard his scream intensify, and suddenly I realized a dozen other voices had joined him in a terrifying chorus. It was only for a brief moment that I realized I was squealing along with them.

I felt my pod being flung into space; I felt the sudden free-fall sensation. And then I felt nothing.