by Ron Holzwarth
Editor’s note: This is Chapter 1 of a story written by Ron Holzwarth, describing a dream he had. Hailing from America, Ron is an engineer, who has studied quantum mechanics and has a background in technical writing. He also has extensive experience with the paranormal. Ron’s focus now is spirituality, and I can relate to this, originally coming from a scientific career. I thoroughly enjoyed The Ride and discovered new concepts and meanings when I read it again. To be continued in March and April. Enjoy!
Chapter One
I walked down the midway at the fair, and looked at a very small railway train ride. The track was only about eighteen feet long, and the two ends were just half circles. The two straight sections of track were only about six feet apart, and the little train went maybe two miles an hour.
It looked like a small old time railway train, but was obviously not powered with steam. It did not look like anything special at all, there were not even any hills to go up or down. The only thing that made it appear at all unusual was that the cars were large enough for adults to ride in, although only one on a seat, not side by side. It was that small.
I recognized the man at the ticket booth, while I did not know him, I knew he was a Jehovah’s Witness, perhaps from his missionary work.
I protested at the gate. “Oh, come on, it’ll be scary,” the man said.
I looked at him in disbelief. That thing couldn’t get off the ground, not even six inches. Let alone fly into outer space! It was no more than a child’s railway train ride at the fair. But it had seat belts! I knew I was to wear my seat belt, although it certainly did not look necessary.
I watched an old lady go on the Ride, she put on her seat belt. And she really believed that she was going to go into outer space. “Put on the seat belt,” the man told her, “and just believe.” That’s what she did. She had her Ride, while watching her, it appeared as though she saw something that interested her, then something that scared her,,, and then several things that put an expression of utter horror on her face. Then she appeared to almost faint. Without the seat belt, I think she might have fallen out. No wonder so many believe. I didn’t know what it was, but I was sure she was fooled, although I didn’t understand it at all.
After the Ride, she undid her seat belt, got up, and calmly walked away. She had completed the Ride and had seen all she needed to see, and would not care to ride a child’s railway train again. The Ride was not her destination, she had more important things to do, so she headed on up the midway.
So there I was on the Ride, and there was now nothing else. At one point on the Ride I realized that I had been here before.
I saw it two or three times, each time you go through the Ride it becomes a little clearer. But when you are watching the people who believe what they’re told going through for the first time, it is unbelievable that they think it could happen.
But on my last trip on the Ride, I knew when I exited from the void of space and the dark warplane appeared, that it was not quite as real as I had thought before. It was a moving hologram, and not even in color, just black and white. Only this time it seemed to be different than before. Instead of looming at me for only a second, the fighter plane had more movement. Towards me! Oddly, it was silent. I was sure Hitler was involved with this somehow.
There is a crash –
THE END!
After the crash at the end of the Ride, I remembered that I had taken many other trips around, but had forgotten all from each time until now, at the end of the Ride. I undid my seat belt and stepped out of the little train. Each time I saw more. You see, the Ride is a lot more complicated than it looks. Just believe. And be sure to wear your seat belt.
Once the Ride begins, you cannot remember anything that happened to you from before you got on the Ride, except sometimes in strange flashes that seem to be things that happened to someone else a very long time ago.
While you are on it, you really think it is reality. And for you, it is. And the weirdest thing is, even while you are on the Ride, you cannot remember your last Rides. Except vaguely, as in premonitions, and then more completely at the end of the Ride. Then you forget almost everything about the Ride as you disembark from what you think is the experience of your life. If you turn and look you see nothing but a child’s railway train ride at the fair. Nothing special at all. And by then you don’t even remember much of your Ride any more.