Published: 22 Sep 2022

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Levi said he’d definitely have the time next week to do that, and he was looking forward to getting back into his job and making things begin to happen. Mr. Ken told him he also needed to talk to Bill Jackson about his security company and see what, if anything, could be done there. Levi thanked him for reminding him of that.

The Cove was busy that Sunday evening with everyone getting ready for their trip. But eventually everyone settled down and they did get to bed at a decent time. But 5:30 came faster than any of them wanted.

The boys’ alarm clocks went off at 5:30 like they were set to do. Mr. Wayne got right up and used the boy’s bathroom to relieve the pressure on his bladder. The man then headed down to the indoor pool area and took his shower in the Men’s Locker Room. That was so as not to cause any problems with his taking a shower with the boys.

Billy got up and checked that his ‘brothers’ were all up, then he quickly went to the boys’ bathroom, used the porcelain god, then jumped into the shower, knowing the shower room would soon be crowded. When he was finished, he brushed his teeth.

Billy and the other boys didn’t count on Mark and Matthew using the girl’s bathroom showers that morning to relieve the overcrowding they knew would happen with eight boys trying to get cleaned up at the same time, but they were glad they thought to do that. Even still, Robert and Eric shared one shower head to get cleaned up that morning.

The boys were all showered, dressed and they had all of their bags down in the Foyer by 6:05 that Monday morning, and they were all in the Kitchen Nook waiting for their breakfast taco to finish heating. ‘Dad’ Ken had placed enough breakfast tacos out the night before to thaw and when he got up that morning, he put them into the convection oven to heat before getting ready himself.

Mark’s dad, Levi, was also up that Monday morning to talk to his son, and to see him off on his great adventure. The two talked as the boy ate his one breakfast taco. Mark was overly excited over his going on one of Mr. Ken’s famous trips. He’d heard about them from his ‘big brother’, Billy, and from his other ‘brothers’ and he just couldn’t wait until he was actually on one himself.

Mr. Chris had scheduled two limousines to transport the Covers to the airport that morning. The Estate Manager learned from the Covers’ last trip, that the transportation arrangements weren’t ideal. So, with three adults and eight boys, he knew one wouldn’t be big enough. It was planned that way throughout the entire trip.

Derrick and Rob drove into The Cove around 6:25 and went directly to the front entrance. Derrick rang the Foyer doorbell and when Matthew answered the door, he called for the rest of his ‘brothers’ to help him carry the bags out to the limos.

When the bags were all loaded into the limos, ‘dad’ Ken had everyone use the restrooms to drain their dragons and hurry back to the waiting vehicles. Mark did just that, then hugged his dad who told him to have fun and be good and that he’d see him on Friday.

As the travelers left The Cove at 6:40 it was Mr. Wayne riding with Billy, Robert, Eric and Charles, while Mr. Ken and Mr. Dan were riding with the twins, Matthew and Mark. Being it was a Monday morning, the trip would probably take ninety minutes to the airport, but since it was a charter flight there was no hurry to be there at a set time.

Along the way, Matthew explained to Mark what he needed to do when they arrived at the airport and what the plane would be like inside. He told his newest ‘brother’ to drain his dragon before he got on the plane, but that there was a restroom on board he could use if he needed to.

Matthew told Mark how after they took off and reached level flight the flight attendant would come back and ask them what they wanted for breakfast. Matthew then told his newest ‘brother’ what they had to eat on their previous flights. Mark’s mouth was now watering and he was looking forward to breakfast on the airplane.

Mr. Dan was also listening to what Matthew was telling Mark. Yes, he had flown with the Covers when they went down to Houston’s Hobby Airport, but he’d never flown with them for three hours as this flight back east would be. He too was now looking forward to what they would have for breakfast.

While the boys talked along the way to the airport, Mr. Ken and Mr. Dan talked some about the home invasion, and what the malfunctioning of the Panic Button could mean to the Goldersons. Dan told his friend that with the right lawyer, the Goldersons could wind up with a sizable sum. The Sheriff’s Lieutenant said his detectives’ report from the night of the invasion, showed that the button did not work because it was defective.

Ken told Dan that Levi hired Jules Diamond to have his security installers do an inspection of the system for him. Mr. Ken said he saw their report and they too reported the Panic Button was defective and should never have been left in place when they finished. Ken told Dan that Levi has a work order that shows the security company was supposed to call them the next day to set up a return date to fix the button, but they never called.

Dan said the company was obviously aware of the malfunctioning Panic Button from the existence of the work order, and their oversight in not replacing it, immediately, will definitely play into the hands of a good attorney, like Bill Jackson. Both men smiled at the mentioning of the name.

In the other limo, the boys were talking about what rides they planned to ride when they first arrived at the four parks. Charles, though, asked his ‘brothers’ what they thought about their ‘dad’ asking Ron to join them when they arrived at Crystal Lake. None of the other boys had any idea of why he’d ask them to do that.

Mr. Wayne joined the conversation, and he told them that their ‘dad’ might just want to meet the boy, since he seemed to be included in their FFF Passes, as they rode the rides that day. Charles asked Mr. Wayne if they were wrong to do that. Mr. Wayne laughed and said that he let it happen and if anyone should get in trouble he should. All the boys laughed at the thought.

Conversations continued in both limos to pass the time as they all rode to the airport. When they arrived at Austin-Bergstrom International, the limo drivers took them to the General Aviation Terminals where their air charter flight would originate.

A Gulfstream 650, a 14-seat aircraft was sitting out on the tarmac and the boys saw it sitting there. They asked their ‘dad’ if that was theirs and all their ‘dad’ could tell them was, he had to check with the counter to see if it was. He told the boys to go drain their dragons and wait in the lounge until they were called.

The Gulfstream was indeed their plane and the counter agent had their bags brought in for inspection by TSA and then she had the travelers go through the security checkpoint. Prior to going through the checkpoint, Mr. Dan told everyone that he did not have his service weapon with him. He explained that it was a big hassle to take it on board a plane and they were only going to be at amusement parks where he wouldn’t be allowed to have it with him anyway.

The TSA agent saw his badge in his wallet when he showed his identification as he went through the checkpoint and he was pulled aside anyway. The lieutenant explained to them that he did not have his service weapon on him or packed in his luggage, since his travels had him visiting places he wouldn’t be allowed to have it anyways. After a few minutes, Mr. Dan joined the rest of his group as they boarded the Gulfstream.

Mark had never flown before and he was amazed at what he was seeing inside the airplane. He couldn’t get over how plush the seats were and that everything was so clean and shiny. He was going to take a seat up front, but Matthew told him that the adults would sit up there.

Mark then tried to sit in the middle section, but Matthew told him his older ‘brothers’ would probably want to sit there. The four younger boys all wound up sitting in the third section on the opposite facing three-seat bench divans that were just as soft as the other individual seats were.

The flight attendant made sure they all were seated and had their seatbelts on before they gave them the safety briefing. Matthew told Mark to listen carefully as he never knew when they might need to use the information.

Once the briefing was over, the plane’s captain introduced himself over the intercom and explained about their taxiing, eventual takeoff and climb out to their cruising altitude. He asked them to stay seated until they reached their cruising altitude at which time their flight attendant would talk to them about breakfast.

Mark was fascinated with everything that he was seeing and hearing. But, just before the pilot released the plane’s breaks, the flight attendant came to the back looking for a ‘Mark’. Upon finding him, they led him to the extra seat up in the front with the three men. There he would get a firsthand experience during the initial climb out and level off of the plane.

Mark looked out the window the entire time the plane taxied and climbed out to cruising altitude. He was amazed at what he saw underneath him as the plane continued along its flightpath back east. His smile the entire time, told the three men he was thoroughly enjoying his first airplane flight ever.

“Mark,” began Mr. Ken, “what do you think about your first airplane flight?” asked the man.

“This is more than I ever thought it would be,” replied the smiling youngster.

“Mark, have you felt your ears pop? That’s the air in your inner ear expanding and coming out. If you yawn or swallow you can help it come out sooner if you feel it is uncomfortable. When we begin to descend later, there is a way I’ll have to show you so you can push the air back in there. Make sure you ask me or have your ‘brothers’ explain it to you. OK?

“Also, this is a private air charter. This is totally different from what you would experience if you were to fly on a commercial airliner. Here we all have our own window and we can walk back and forth, and there are two restrooms we can use whereas in a commercial airliner you could have to share there with upwards of 250 people.

“We also have tables between the front two sections, so we can play cards and use them when we eat. And some of the seats can recline if we want to go to sleep. They’ll soon come through and ask you what you want for breakfast, and I bet you are hungry. When they bring you your breakfast you can come back up here to eat. Now go back and join your ‘brothers’,” finished the foster dad.

Mark went back to Matthew and the twins. He told them what it was like to sit up front and watch the plane take off and how small everything looked as they climbed. The twins told their ‘brother’ they all experienced the same thing, on their first flight. Then Kevin told Mark that after they eat, they’ll probably take him to the cockpit and show him around and they might let him sit in the co-pilot’s seat. Mark had a great big smile on his face after hearing that.

The flight attendant came through and asked the boys what they wanted for breakfast. The boys all ordered something different, but in the end, it was all similar. Pancakes, scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, breakfast tacos, milk were what the boys ordered, while the men added coffee to their order.

The travelers were about an hour and a half into their trip when the flight attendant came to the back of the aircraft. He then asked Mark if he wanted to see what the cockpit looked like. Mark couldn’t move fast enough to get his look at the very front of the airplane.

The co-pilot began orienting Mark to what he was looking at in front of him. The man pointed out the major instruments they use to fly the plane and how there are two of them for each of the pilots to use to cross-check one another and also to be able to fly the plane from either seat.

The co-pilot then asked Mark some questions about what he’d told him and when the man was satisfied that Mark had been listening, he asked the youngster if he would like to sit down in the seat. Mark couldn’t believe he would be allowed to sit where the man was.

Mark got to do what all the other boys had gotten to do when they first flew. He was allowed to place his hands on the yoke and feel what it was like to ‘fly’ the plane. He had the headset on and was able to hear the communications between the pilot and the air traffic controllers, as the plane flew east.

When Mark was finished with his orientation from the co-pilot, as he walked back to be with his ‘brothers’, he stopped and thanked his foster dad for making it possible for him to do that. The boy told his foster dad that he thought the trip to visit the amusement parks would be awesome, but he didn’t know it would start with him being able to also ‘fly’ the plane. He leaned over and hugged the man.

Mark just had to tell his ‘brothers’ what he’d just gotten to do. Billy heard his youngest ‘brother’ telling his story, so he went to the back-bench divans to listen in and then add his own perspective when he was given the same opportunity. All the boys joined in with their own take on what it was like for them to do what Mark had just done.

With all that was going on throughout the flight, the breakfast, Mark’s cockpit orientation, and then the boys talking about their own chance to sit up front and how they saw it, made the time seem to go by very fast for the boys. And before they knew it, the flight attendant came through the cabin and told everyone to put everything away as they would be landing in about thirty minutes.

Mr. Ken called Mark to come up front and sit up there with them, so he would have a first-class view of the plane descending, and so that he could explain to the boy how to clear his ears as they descended. He also gave the boy a piece of gum to chew to help him keep his jaw moving to assist in helping equalize the air pressure in the middle ear.

Mark loved that he could see everything from the seat he had. Mr. Ken explained things to him as the plane reconfigured to land. The boy was all smiles and he kept looking out the window trying to see as much as he could see.

When the group arrived at the terminal, and they deplaned, everyone headed into the building and they all visited the restroom. Their transportation was there waiting for their bags to be brought to them and when they had everything, they had the group load into the two conveyances and they were off to the hotel.

After the approximately three-hour flight and the one-hour loss in time, the group arrived at the hotel around 1 o’clock. Mr. Ken went to the counter, introduced himself and his party and presented his credit card for the four rooms he had reserved. The counterperson warmly greeted him and told him everything was ready, and all they needed to know was who would be in which room.

Mr. Ken told the woman that Billy, Robert and Eric would be in the teenager’s room, Mr. Wayne and the twins would be in another room, Mr. Dan and Matthew and Mark would be in the third room and he and Charles would be in the fourth room.

The woman gave Mr. Ken the correct number of room key cards for the hotel rooms the group would be occupying and he in turn passed them out to his fellow travelers. The boys found trolleys to use to take their bags up to their rooms which were all located on the same floor.

The boys had all been there before, so they knew the drill. They told Mark to just follow along and to help where he could. The boys got all of the bags in the right rooms and were all downstairs by 1:20. Mr. Ken asked everyone if they wanted to head out to the park and eat there or eat along the way. The majority wanted to stop at a fast-food restaurant for a burger and fries so the meal would get a chance to settle before they began to ride the roller coasters.

The teens were disappointed they didn’t get right out to the park, but they did eat their share of fries with their burgers and drank a number of refills of soda. Everyone did drain their dragons before loading into the limos and continuing their journey out to their first stop of their trip, Fantasy Fun Park.

“Joseph,” said Mr. Ken, as he greeted his host, Joseph Shartz, The Fantasy Fun Park’s operations manager, upon exiting the limo. “Let me introduce you to our two newest travelers. This is Dan Fischer. He’s a Sheriff’s Lieutenant and is helping me out on this trip, since I seem to be adding to my flock.

“And this young man is Mark. He is my newest foster son. He just turned ten today. He came to me a few weeks back, but will be leaving and going back to his parents around Labor Day. They are both recovering from some serious injuries right now, but are on the mend and they all should be back together in a few weeks.

“Welcome Mark, and Happy Tenth Birthday, young man. I know you will enjoy Fantasy Fun Park. Your ‘brothers’ have been here a few times, already, so they can show you around and tell you which rides are the better ones for you.

“And a big welcome to you, too, Lieutenant. If you, ahh, have your, ahh, your service weapon with you, I’ll … I’ll need to call security …” was as far as Joseph Shartz got before Mr. Ken told him he hadn’t brought it with him. Mr. Shartz was relieved to hear that.

“Joseph, you’ve met the rest of the team. There’s Mr. Wayne, Bill, Robert, Eric, Charles, Kevin, Kyle and Matthew. The boys are anxious to get out on the rides, so do you have someone who can take them to get them their FFF Passes, so they can start their fun?” finished the owner of the park.

Just as Billy was walking away to get his FFF Pass, Mr. Ken called him back and reminded him not to overdo the intense rides. He asked him to take Mark and ride the less intense rides with him, and let the boy build up his courage to the scarier rides. The older teenager said he would, and then ran to catch up with his ‘brothers’.

Mr. Dan and Mr. Wayne went with the boys and got their FFF (Fast, Faster, Fastest) Pass, too. After everyone had them, Mr. Wayne asked the boys how they intended to group up and go about riding the amusements.

Billy spoke up and said he and Mark would walk around together, and get on the rides that Mark felt he could handle. The teenager reminded everyone he had to be careful of his insides, and he would not be riding the roller coasters or any of the intense rides with his ‘brothers’.

Robert, Eric and Charles had forgotten that Billy wasn’t supposed to ride anything that could jostle his insides, so that made them one person short of them each having a buddy to ride with. So, Charles asked Mr. Dan if he would go with them.

The thirteen-year-old told the man that they could show him around the park and take him to the better rides first, and that they could catch up with the rest of their ‘brothers’ and Mr. Wayne later.

Dan asked Wayne if he was okay with that. The Estate Master said he was OK with that and he’d stay with the younger boys. The man then asked the three teens if they had money for drinks and snacks later on. Robert and Eric said they brought money with them and Charles said he had some, too. With that settled, the two groups waved to one another as they went their own way.

Mark was excited he was finally at one of Mr. Ken’s amusement parks. He asked Billy where they should start and the teenager told him they should just walk to the right and ride the rides he felt he could handle as they came to them. Mark was all for that. The rest of the Covers followed along.

Mark, even though he was ten, was still a bit hesitant about what he liked when it came to which rides, he wanted to go on. The group came upon The Galleon. That’s the ride that was shaped like a boat that swung up back and forth and went higher and higher on each pass. The boys who’d been on it before quickly went up the Exit to activate their Fastest Passes.

Mark was a bit hesitant in wanting to ride it. He watched how the ride went back and forth and higher and higher and he wasn’t sure he wanted to go too high. Billy told him he could sit in the lower seats and he wouldn’t go as high as the people sitting in the upper ones and that he would sit with him. Mark agreed to do that, so he and Billy went up the Exit to activate their passes.

When it was the Covers’ turn to ride, the twins and Matthew hurried to the uppermost seats, while Billy and Mark sat in the middle seats. Mr. Wayne had decided to wait at the Exit for the boys when they were finished.

Mark was still a bit hesitant when the ride began to swing back and forth. Billy smiled at the way his ‘brother’ held onto the safety bar as tight as he could. As the Galleon swung back and forth, and went higher and higher, Mark could hear his ‘brothers’ whooping and hollering for as much as they were enjoying themselves.

After a few swings back and forth, Mark began to relax. The ride wasn’t as bad as he thought. He began to smile and laugh and talk to Billy about how silly he was to think the ride was too scary for him.

After the ride, Billy told his youngest ‘brother’ he had to let himself test his fears and ride with him on rides and that he would be there to protect and hold him if he did get scared or frightened. Mark agreed to try to do that.

When the group came to the Scrambler, Mark watched how it just swung around and sort of twisted around. He agreed to ride with Billy and even Mr. Wayne joined them in the ride car. The other three Covers rode together as well. Mark said he enjoyed that ride when it was all over.

When they came to the Tilt-A-Whirl, Mark knew what that ride was all about and he didn’t hesitate to activate his Fastest Pass. He rode with Billy and even Matthew joined them in the ride vehicle. Mr. Wayne rode with the twins.

After the ride, the boys laughed about how they twisted and turned on the hills of the ride and how much fun it was when there was more weight in the ride car. They then headed onto their next ride adventure.

The Covers walked past one of the roller coasters and the twins and Mathew wanted to ride it. So, Billy told Mark they’d stop and let their ‘brothers’ and Mr. Wayne ride one of the bigger rides and they could wait for them. The teen also talked to the youngest Cover about trying the ride for himself.

Billy told Mark the Comet, was an Out and Back coaster that was only 110 feet high at the top of the first hill and only had a downward hill of 80 feet. The teen explained that the train would go down and up and down the hills, then turn around at the end and come back. The teen wanted his younger ‘brother’ to think about maybe riding it tomorrow when they came back. Mark said he’d watch the ride and think about it.

After activating their Fastest Passes, Mr. Wayne rode with Matthew and the twins rode together. They all took the first car, first seats and Mark watched them go up the chain hill. After that all the newest Cover could hear was the screaming of the riders as they went down and up the hills to the end of the track and then back again.

What surprised Mark the most was when the coaster train came back into the station, all that screaming he heard was replaced with laughter and whoops and hollering and people clamoring to get back in line to ride the Comet, again. He couldn’t understand what that was all about and he had to ask Billy to explain it to him.

Of course, Matthew convinced his group to ride the train. He explained that Mark could see a good portion of the park from it and then when they returned to where they started, he could decide which rides he wanted to go to and try.

After the train ride, Mark did see a few rides he wanted to try and he and Billy did try them. He also tried a few rides that Billy convinced him to throw away his fears and give it a chance. One of those rides was called the Octopus.

Seated together, Billy and Mark sat in their ride car that spun on a center axle, while the car also spun on a central spindle; all the while the arms went up and down. Mark had watched the ride from the outside and thought it would make him sick. But once he was on it, he liked the up and down motion as well as the spinning he and Billy did. He was happy he tried it after he’d gotten off.

Billy led Mark over to one of the three new rides Mr. Ken had installed that spring. The Super Flyer is a 2-passenger laying down gondola that lets the rider experience the sensation of free flight with a wave-like oscillating motion.

Mark watched the ride as they approached it and he told Billy he’d try it if he was riding beside him. Billy smiled and said he would because it was one of the few bigger rides, he felt he could ride without hurting his insides.

The other Covers also activated their Fastest Passes and when it was their turn the six of them all got on the same ride. At first, Mark was a bit hesitant as the ride began to rise up and go around and around, but as it oscillated up and down, he began to enjoy the wind in his hair and the feeling of flying, which was what the ride was supposed to do. Mark came off the ride all enthused that he rode it, and wondered why he was so skittish about it as he walked up to it.

Billy then took Mark over to another of the new rides Mr. Ken had installed that year. This one was called Surfer Wave. This one was a giant painted surfboard that spun around and around as the riders stood up and ‘surfed’ the swells of the ‘wave’ on a track that had hills at both ends.

Mark thoroughly enjoyed that ride. He could see from afar that it was a tame ride and something he could enjoy. The six Covers waited for their turn and loaded to the front of the surfboard letting Mark go to the very front. Mark laughed and laughed as he rode the fun ride.

Billy and Mark rode the Ferris wheel while the other four rode something else. While those two Covers were at the top, Billy pointed out the third new ride, the Tomahawk. The teenager explained to Mark how you were strapped in and there was no way you could fall out. He told the ten-year-old to ask Matthew, because he was just as skittish last spring when he finally rode it and he was glad he did.

After the Ferris wheel, the two Covers walked over to the Tomahawk and they watched it go through its operation. Billy convinced Mark to activate their Fastest Passes and watch it some more. Billy had hoped his ‘brothers’ would show up and then there would be more of them to ride together instead of just the two of them.

The ride operator called them up a few times, but Billy kept telling him they were waiting for their ‘brothers’. All the time Billy was trying to get Mark to walk into the loading platform with him while still hoping his ‘brothers’ would show up.

Finally, Mr. Dan, Robert, Eric and Charles arrived at the Tomahawk and activated their passes. Billy told them he was trying to convince Mark to ride the Tomahawk, but he needed someone else, so they could put the youngster between them. He asked Mr. Dan if he would help him out.

Mr. Dan went over to Mark and told him he’d never ridden that type of ride before, but he was ‘game’ and wondered if he would sit between him and Billy and try it himself. Mark thought about it as the group walked out onto the loading platform and the six Covers got into their seats.

Then, before he knew it, Mark was strapped in and the shoulder safety harness was locked into place. The unique seating arrangements of the ride allows the passengers to interact with each other as they sit face to face and so the six Covers could see one another as the ride began.

Mark was enjoying the ride as it began to swing back and forth just as the Galleon had done. It slowly went higher and higher, but it also picked up speed and before Mark knew it, he was going upside down and over the top. He screamed.

The Tomahawk went over the top about three times before it reversed course and went over the top in the opposite direction. By that time, Mark had calmed down as he realized he hadn’t fallen out and neither had any of the other Covers.

“You tricked me into riding that ride,” smiled Mark, as he happily complained to Billy, as he also hit his arm.

“Who, me?” replied the teenager, with his hands up in the air at his shoulders, feigning he had no idea what his ‘brother’ was talking about.

“Yes, you, ‘big brother’. But I’m glad you did. That was fun … after I stopped screaming,” laughed Mark.

The rest of the Covers heard the exchange and they all patted Mark on the back for his daring to ride the Tomahawk. The six now walked around some, but as they did Mr. Dan’s phone rang. It was Mr. Ken asking him to bring the boys back to the operations building. He wanted them back so they could head back to the hotel and grab dinner. He told Dan to tell the boys they had all day tomorrow to enjoy the rides if they begin to balk. The lieutenant laughed.

They all assembled at the operations building and after the boys thanked Mr. Shartz for their Fastest Passes, they loaded into the limos and they headed back towards their hotel and dinner.

They stopped at a nice restaurant and as they ate, they talked about their day. But Mark stole the show as he told them about the rides he rode and how Billy convinced him to try a ride he really wasn’t too sure of. Then, the youngster told everyone how Mr. Dan and his older ‘brothers’ tricked him into riding the Tomahawk.

Mr. Ken said he couldn’t believe they would do that to him. Mark told everyone how he was thinking whether or not he should ride it, and they walked him out to the ride and had him sit down, and they strapped him in, and before he knew it, the ride started and he couldn’t get out.

Mark then told how the ride rocked back and forth and picked up speed and then went over the top and he screamed at the top of his lungs. The newest Cover added that he was scared he would fall out, but when he didn’t, he began to enjoy the ride and was now glad they did that because he loved the ride. Mr. Ken smiled at the boy’s tale.

It had been a very long day for the traveler’s and Mr. Ken told the boys not to stay up watching the television. He told everyone they would meet in the lobby at ten in the morning and go out for breakfast and then head out to the park for another day of fun.

The boys were up in the rooms by 9:30, whereas the adults were enjoying a few adult drinks in the hotel’s bar before they headed up to their hotel rooms. When they arrived, the boys were in bed and fast asleep. The men too, were soon in bed and asleep, as well.

The saga of Three Finger Cove continues. Let Chowhound know you are reading his story: Chowhound at CastleRoland dot Net

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