Published: 3 Sep 2026

From the Previous Chapter:

The owner of The Cove then headed down to his own retreat to get ready for bed. Once he’d done his usual preparations prior to going to bed, the man sat on the edge of his bad and looked back on what a wonderful two days it had been. He was so happy to have Kate there with him, and he couldn’t wait until they were married.

He then reached over and turned off the lights, and when he lay down, he was so tired that he fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit his pillow. The Cove household was peaceful and quiet the whole night through.

Five o’clock comes very early when you go to bed late. Mr. Ken didn’t get to sleep before eleven o’clock because he had so many small things on his mind. The other three adults fared a little better, but they still didn’t appreciate the very early wake-up call.

Again, that morning, Matthew told Rusty and Jessy they had to wait for their older ‘brothers’ to get their showers first, since they took too long. Jessy was about to pout, but Rusty told him to ‘can it’, as it didn’t take all that long yesterday.

And, indeed, the three older Cover boys were finished with their showers in record time and while they were finishing drying off and putting on their underwear and deodorant, they told their two younger ‘brothers’ they could come in and get their showers.

Rusty put down the clothes that he would wear after his shower and then undressed right there in front of his older ‘brothers’, and got into a shower. Jessy was a bit hesitant and he slowly put his clothes down, as he watched his older ‘brothers’ finally put on their underwear. He watched until they finally left the bathroom and then he smiled to himself, at what he saw, and then got into a shower and got himself clean.

All the boys, including Collin, were all downstairs by 5:35 a.m. Robert took the breakfast tacos out of the convection oven, that his dad had placed in there and put them in the microwave to finish heating them. Everyone, including Kate, Edith and Collin, wait anxiously, waiting for their one and only breakfast taco. At least they all had gotten themselves something to drink while they waited for the microwave bell to ring.

When the bell did ring, Billy passed out one taco to everyone waiting there in the Kitchen Nook. The conversation in the Nook got very quiet, as everyone enjoyed the wonderful taste of a Momma breakfast, even if it was just a breakfast taco.

As they all had finished, ‘dad’ Ken told everyone to rinse their glass, or coffee cup, and place it in the dishwasher, and then visit the restrooms, as the limos would soon be there.

Wayne and Dennis arrived as the inhabitants of the house were eating their taco. Ms. Judy also drove up to drop off Eric, who was also a Cover, and was going on the trip with his ‘brothers’.

They all placed their bags at the Foyer entrance and then the men parked their cars in the Parking Corral. It wasn’t too long after the Estate Masters had arrived that the limousines arrived.

Judy went in to talk to Ken, while Eric joined his ‘brothers’ waiting in the MRS Room. It wasn’t too long a wait when they saw the limos arrive, so they grabbed all of the luggage in the Foyer and began taking it out to the vehicles. But they didn’t know which limo to put it in. ‘Dad’ Ken saw the dilemma and told them that it didn’t matter, as they were all going to the same place.

While the boys took care of the luggage, Judy, Ken, Kate and Edith talked. Ken told Judy that she should have come along. But the Director of CPS told her friend that this was a very busy time for Children’s Protective Services, and she needed to be there to help with the problems that would surely arrive.

Judy then told Kate and Edith that she’d been on the parks trip and knows what they are about to experience. She then told them to enjoy themselves and not to worry about the fast-food lunches, as Ken would make sure they got a good dinner at night. The woman then hugged and kissed her son goodbye and then said she was headed back home and her puppy, Riley.

With Ms. Judy gone, ‘dad’ Ken called out and asked if there were any last minute ‘dragon draining’s’ needed to be done. Edith had no idea of what her future son-in-law was saying, so Kate had to explain it to her. After the simple, but cute explanation, everyone heard a feminine giggle. Edith now knew what draining your dragon was all about.

Ken spoke up and said that he, Kate, Rusty and Jessy were in one limo and he asked Wayne to supervise the other one. He then he asked Dennis, Edith and Collin which stretch limo they wanted to ride in to the airport. Dennis opted to ride with Wayne while Edith decided to ride with Ken and Kate.

Collin spoke up and said that with three adults in one vehicle, he’d be the third one with Wayne and Dennis. With that much decided, ‘dad’ Ken had Darrin and Phillip ride with him and he told the other five boys that they could ride in the other limo.

Mr. Ken had his driver stop at the Main Gate, where he got out to talk to the guards. He reminded that guard to tell his partners and to inform the relief guards that Todd would be staying at The Cove, while he and the boys were gone, and that the teenager may bring a few of his friends over. With that done. Mr. Ken got back into the limo and they were now off on their ninety-minute ride to the Austin-Bergstrom Airport.

Since it was a Tuesday, and the day after Christmas, traffic was very light that morning. It also helped that they got on the road at 6 a.m. In the one limo, the drive was lively with talk between the college man and his younger ‘brothers’. They all had been to all of the parks and they began telling one another which rides they were looking forward to riding.

In the other limo, since Phillip was the only boy who’d been to all of Mr. Ken’s amusement parks the three other boys kept asking him questions about the rides and what they would be able to see and do at them. Phillip told them what he remembered, but he also told them that he had a broken collarbone at the time, and that he didn’t get to ride all of the rides because of it.

Of course, with traffic being as light as it was, the two limos arrived at the Austin-Bergstrom General Aviation Airport in record time. The boys helped unload the limos and then they placed the bags on the TSA cart, so their bags would be inspected before being loaded onto the airplanes.

Upon entering the terminal, the older boys could see the two large jet airplanes parked out on the tarmac. One was a Gulfstream G650 Executive, a 12-seat airplane like the one they used last summer, and the other one was Collin’s, C.W.E Inc’s Gulfstream G280 Super Mid, a 9-seat corporate jet that he used the last time.

‘Dad’ Ken told everyone that he had to check with the people at the counter to see if the planes were ready for them. In the meantime, he told everyone to go ‘drain their dragons.’ And then, when he realized what he’d said, he apologized to Kate and Edith, who were now giggling and walking towards the Women’s Restroom.

While everyone was waiting to board, the pilots had come up to the counter to verify who was flying in which aircraft. Mr. Ken called Collin over so that way the two of them could confirm who was in which plane.

As the two Covers conferred, Mr. Ken asked the names that he calls out to stand to his side. Then he called for Kate, Wayne, Bill, Matthew, Darrin and Phillip. He told them that they would be flying with him in the Gulfstream. Collin then told everyone else that they would be flying in his corporate plane.

With their planes ready and waiting for them, they all passed through the TSA screening. Then once everyone was cleared, the two groups walked out to their respective aircraft.

In the Gulfstream, Ken, Kate and Wayne took the forward seats, while Billy showed Darrin where he could sit, as Matthew and Phillip, the seasoned flyers, knew where they could sit.

In Collin’s corporate aircraft, Edith and her grandsons were surprised at the differences between what they flew in to get to The Cove and what they were now going to fly in. Collin told Edith that as this was a corporate plane it was better appointed for the executives who use it and who take good care of it.

Collin then added that the Gulfstream is widely used by many people and since it is not theirs, they aren’t too mindful of how they treat the interior.

Darrin 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 would have taken a seat up front, but his older ‘brother’ Billy told him that the adults would sit up there.

Billy then directed Darrin to sit in the middle section, at a window seat, so he could look out and watch as the plane took off. Billy, Matthew and Phillip then filled in the remaining middle seats with two facing forwards and the other two facing backwards.

As soon as the flight crew received clearance from the air traffic controllers, the flight attendant made sure everyone was seated and they all had their seatbelts on before he gave them the safety briefing on the emergency exits, procedures and equipment. Matthew told Darrin to listen carefully, as he never knew when they might need to use the information.

Darrin then asked if he, Matthew, had ever had to use that information. Matthew almost teared up when he told his ‘brother’ that they were in an airplane just like that one two years ago when they lost an engine, and had the fire engines racing after them when they landed.

Darrin was going to ask his younger ‘brother’ to tell him more when the plane’s captain introduced himself over the intercom and explained about their taxiing and 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. Matthew didn’t elaborate any further.

Darrin was fascinated with everything that he was seeing and hearing. But, just before the pilot released the plane’s brakes, the flight attendant came to the back looking for him.

Upon finding him, he led him to the extra seat up in the front, so the teenager would now be sitting with Mr. Ken, Ms. Kate and Mr. Wayne. There he would get a firsthand experience during the initial climb out and level off of the plane, with Mr. Ken explaining everything to him, as it happened.

The teen Cover 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. He smiled the entire time and told the three adults that he was thoroughly enjoying his first airplane flight ever.

“Darrin,” 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 teen Cover.

“Darrin, ‘son’, have you felt your ears click and pop? If you did, that’s because the air in your inner ear expands as we go up in altitude, and it is coming out. If you yawn or swallow you can help it come out sooner, especially 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. OK? So, make sure you ask me, or your ‘brothers’ to explain it to you, then. 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 … here we basically have our own window and we can walk back and forth. Oh, and there are two restrooms; one just up front and the other one is in the back. In a commercial airliner you could have to share two or three restrooms, depending on the airplane, with upwards of 250 people.

“We also have these tables between the front two seats on either side. That would allow us to play cards and use them when we eat. And some of the seats can recline if we want to go to sleep. You saw back where you were first sitting, the four of you could have a good game of cards, or play some board games, while we fly along to our destination.

“Soon, the flight attendant will 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, or you can stay back there with your ‘brothers’, and they’ll show you how to connect the tables back there. Now go on back and join your ‘brothers’,” finished the foster dad.

Darrin went back and joined Billy, Matthew and Phillip. 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. His ‘brothers’ told him they all experienced the same thing, on their first flight.

Phillip then told Darrin that after they eat, they’ll probably take him up to the cockpit and show him around and they might let him sit in the co-pilot’s seat. Darrin said that he had heard that they might do that, and he was hoping that they would. Billy and Matthew told their ‘brother’ that they both had that opportunity and he’ll have fun when they show him around.

After they reached cruising altitude, 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, crispy bacon, breakfast tacos and milk were what the boys ordered, while the adults 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 Darrin if he wanted to see what the cockpit looked like. The teen didn’t hesitate to get up and go with the flight attendant, so he could get his look at the very front of the airplane.

The co-pilot had the teenager stand behind him, as he began orientating the Cover to what he was looking at on the instrument panel. 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 that they were able to safely fly the plane from either seat.

The co-pilot then asked Darrin some questions about what he’d told him. Then when the man was satisfied that the teen had been listening, he asked the teenager if he would like to sit down in the seat. Darrin was stoked that what he had heard would happen was now happening to him.

The teen 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 Darrin was finished with his orientation from the co-pilot, he walked back to be with his ‘brothers’, but 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 now that he’d gotten to fly the plane, like his ‘brothers’ had, he felt like he really was one of them. The teenager then leaned over and hugged the man. When the teen stood up, ‘dad’ Ken could see a few tears sliding down his cheeks.

Kate heard and saw what transpired and after the teen walked back to be with his ‘brothers’, she asked Ken if all the boys had that opportunity to sit where the co-pilot sat and ‘fly’ the airplane.

Ken told his fiancée that the pilots had done that for all the boys. He also told her that the boys will, and that she will too, get a Fastest Pass at his amusement parks, so they won’t have to wait in lines to get on the rides.

Kate then asked Ken if Rusty and Jessy would get the same experience in Collin’s plane. Her fiancé told her that he didn’t think that they would, as since it was a corporate plane they might be too ‘stuck in the mud’ to allow such fun things.

Kate then asked if her sons with them would they get to do that then. Ken asked her to wait on the return trip when the pilots have more time to allow the boys to do that. Hearing that put a smile on Kate’s face. She then kissed him.

When Darrin came back to his ‘brothers’, they all asked him how he like flying the plane, before he could even tell them what he’d done. After the teen told them about his experience, they all shared what they got to do while they flew the plane.

The flight had gone by so quickly for Darrin, as he was busy with everything that had been going on, that before he 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 Darrin 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.

The Cover teen loved that he could see everything from the forward-facing 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.

When each group arrived at the terminal, and they had all deplaned, the boys helped load their baggage on a TSA cart. A flight-line worker then took the cart into the terminal where they could claim their belongings. In the meantime, everyone headed into the building and they all visited the appropriate 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 vans for the boys and the two rental cars, one for Mr. Ken, Kate and Edith, and one for Collin, 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 six 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.

Collin then presented his credit card for his one room and this time around there was no problem with him getting a hotel room, even though he wasn’t twenty-one yet. The people at C.W.E. Inc. had ensured the hotel that he was the owner of their corporation and much more and was a responsible young man.

With room keys in hand, ‘Dad’ Ken gave a key card to Mr. Wayne and told him that Darrin and Matthew would be with him this time around. Mr. Dennis received the next key card and he was told that only Phillip would be with him. He then gave Edith her key card and then Kate hers and told her that Rusty and Jessy would be with her. He then gave a key card to Bill for the ‘teens’ room. He took the last room key card. He then asked everyone to be downstairs in about ten minutes, so they could go and get something quick to eat before heading out to the park.

The boys helped load all the luggage onto the trolleys and they delivered them to the appropriate hotel room. Then, after taking their luggage into their rooms and claiming their beds, the boys unpacked some.

They all met downstairs in the lobby and it was fifteen minutes later, not ten as Mr. Ken had asked, that the man did a head count. They then loaded into the vans, or rentals cars, for the ride to get something to eat at McDonalds.

As they were getting a quick bite to eat, Ken told Kate and Edith that they would get a good sit-down meal tonight, but for now the boys want to get out to the park and ride the rides.

When the Covers arrived at Fantasy Fun Park, Mr. Ken had Collin and the van drivers follow him to the employee entrance. The van drivers had never been back that way before, and they were both glad they had someone who knew where they were going.

Upon his arrival Joseph Shartz offered, “Mr. Thomas, I am so glad you were able to make it back here for our Celebration of Christmas Wonders.”

“Thank you, Joseph. … I trust you and the Fun Park are doing … well,” laughed Mr. Ken.

“Everyone … for those of you who haven’t met him … this is Joseph Shartz. He is my operating manager for Fantasy Fun Park.

“And Joseph … I want you to meet a few more important people. This is Kate, my fiancée … and her mother Edith. Rusty and Jessy are Kate’s sons and Darrin here … he is my new foster son. I think you’ve already met Wayne, Dennis and Collin and you probably remember Bill, Robert, Charles, Eric. Matthew and Phillip.”

“Everyone, while the two of us talk over some issues, you will have the run of the Park. Joseph, do you have someone ready to take them to the FFF Pass Booth to get them their Fastest Passes. I also need for you to get Edith a power chair for her to use?” asked Mr. Ken.

“Mr. Thomas, let me first introduce you to Adrian Thompson. He is my new assistant operations manager. Adrian … I want you to meet Mr. Ken Thomas. He is the owner of the park. He has brought his family here today to see and enjoy our park. Please give this group the VIP treatment.

“Take them to the FFF Booth and get them Fastest Passes, then reserve a power-chair for this young lady (Joseph Shartz pointed to Edith.). Then let the ride and food supervisors know who we have in the park today, and for them not to delay their getting on the rides,” finished the parks operations manager.

As Adrian took the majority of the group to the FFF Pass Booth, Kate, Edith, Rusty and Jessy stayed there with Mr. Ken. Ken told them that he and Joseph needed talk for a few minutes and then they would go and get their Fastest Passes and Ediths power-chair.

With Fastest Passes in hand, the group had to decide which way they would go. Billy suggested that they let Darrin choose, since he’d never been there. Mr. Wayne suggested that walk around the perimeter of the park and ride the amusements as they come, and then do any interior rides. After that, he recommended that they backtrack to the rides we liked the best. Darrin liked the way that sounded and suggested that they start going to the right, and ride the rides as they come.

The first thing that Darrin noticed was how clean, but old looking Fantasy Fun Park looked. He was also surprised at the number of people who were there for being the day after Christmas.

The first ride the large group came to was called the Galleon. This ride was shaped like a boat that swung up back and forth and went higher and higher on each pass. Darrin watched it and said he thought he’d like to ride that, so they all went up and activated their Fastest Pass. Even Mr. Dennis decided to ride it.

The group had to wait until the next ride to get on. While in line, Phillip told Darrin that the higher seats give the best rides and so when they were let onto the ride, they along with four other boys headed to the two higher seats on opposite sides of the ride.

Darrin enjoyed the feeling of him somewhat coming off his seat as the ride got to its highest position on each back-and-forth swing. He laughed and hollered along with his ‘brothers’ on each swing.

The next ride they came to was the Scrambler. Darrin said that he’d been on one of them at a local carnival. So, they all activated their Fastest Passes. Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dennis sat that one out.

The question the boys now had to ask was who was going to be the one squished. Collin rode with Darrin and Phillip, while Billy rode with Matthew and Charles. Robert and Eric decided to ride together.

As the Scrambler whipped and twisted around, all of the boys could be heard laughing, as they passed the two adults, Wayne and Dennis, standing at the perimeter fence.

The next ride they came too was the Tilt-A-Whirl, and Darrin didn’t hesitate to ride. Again, he said he’d ridden one like that at a local fair, and he didn’t hesitate to activate his Fastest Pass with his ‘brothers’. Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dennis decided to ride that one, too, so with ten riders and the boy’s wanting lots of weight in the car one person would wind up riding if they did that.

Darrin was going to ride with Billy and Matthew, Robert, Eric and Collin were going to ride together, leaving Mr. Wayne to ride with Phillip and Mr. Dennis to ride with Charles.

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. Mr. Dennis then said that he and Charles didn’t sit in the middle, but that they moved as far to the sides as they could hopefully make the car spin just as much. The boys never heard of someone doing that to make it spin faster. The man told them to try it next time.

The item that Mr. Ken wanted to discuss with Joseph Shartz was about the progress on the construction of the new dive roller coaster that he was having install that winter. Joseph told the park’s owner that the construction schedule was on time. The ops manager added that the public was fascinated with watching the work through the peep-holes they had all along the fencing.

Mr. Ken was happy with the report and then he went to put on his Owner’s shirt, before he, Kate, Edith and the boys went out in the park. He also picked up a park radio, so he could call Joseph, or Adrian, if there were any issues he needed to get with them about.

Adrian took the small group to get their Fastest Passes and, as they got those, he went and retrieved Edith’s power chair. Once the group had their passes in hand, they walked to the first ride that both boys could get on.

And just as their older ‘brothers’ had; the boys wanted to ride the Galleon. Kate and the boys went up the exit and activated their Fastest Passes, with Mr. Ken saying, as the owner, he wanted to see how the ride operator responds to him saying he was going to ride.

When the next ride was going to be filled, the ride attendant opened the exit for the VIPs to load and he didn’t say anything to Mr. Ken when he walked in with Kate and the boys. The four took the highest seat on the right side of the Galleon and then they waited for the people waiting in line to fill the remaining seats.

The boys loved that the higher they went the more they felt themselves coming off their seat. Mr. Ken had Jessy right next to him and he kept the boy from going too high off the seat.

When the ride was over both boys thanked their mom and Mr. Ken for taking them on it. They then told their grandma that she should have rode with them. All Edith did was tell the boys that she’ll ride something that is a little more her style.

The small group moved onto their next ride.

The Bumper Cars were next for the large group. Darrin said that he liked that the people got to bump into one another, and he couldn’t wait to get on that ride. Everyone activated their Fastest Passes and waited for their turn.

Once on the bumper car and strapped in, the teen placed his foot on the pedal and he couldn’t wait until the power was turned on. And when it was, he headed towards Billy and hit him square on the side. The gauntlet was thrown and from then on it was Cover against Cover.

Everyone got hit as much as they hit someone else. For everyone the ride was over way too fast, and they all agreed that the ride would be one they should come back to if they had time.

The group finally came up to one of the roller coasters, the Comet, which is an Out and Back coaster. It was only 110 feet high at the top of the first hill, with its first downward hill of just 80 feet, and Darrin was game to ride it.

They all walked up the Exit to activate their Fastest Passes and wait their turn, which was the very next ride. With ten people they took up the first three seats of the first car and two seats of the second one to the chagrin of the people waiting in line.

The coaster train went up the lift hill and after it descended and throughout the entire ride the Covers and the other riders, screamed, and laughed, as they also whooped and hollered the entire ride. And when they came back into the station the Covers were clamoring to get back in line to ride the Comet, again.

But that was not to be, as Darrin said he wanted to continue walking around the park to see what other rides there were. Matthew tried to convince his ‘brother’ to ride the train, which Matthew loved to ride, but Darrin said that he wanted thrills not to be lulled to sleep. All the boys laughed as they moved along.

The ride the large group came up to was called the Octopus. Darrin never remembered riding something like that where the ride car spun on a center axle, while the car also spun on the central spindle all the while the arms went up and down. He told his ‘brothers’ that he was willing to try it and asked who would ride with him.

Eric volunteered to ride with his ‘brother’ to the disappointment of Robert. But the rest of them, Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dennis included, decided to ride as well and when it was their turn, they all got on the ride.

Darrin liked the up and down motion as well as the spinning he and Eric did on the ride. And after the teen Cover had gotten off, he told everyone he was happy he tried it.

The small group were following in the footsteps of the larger group when they came upon the Bumper Cars. Kate wasn’t too sure that her boys should ride something like that with all the bumping everyone did to one another.

Ken told her that he could take Jessy and she would take Rusty and they would control the foot pedal, while they let the boy’s drive. He assured Kate that everything would be OK, and they all would have a fun ride.

Edith stayed back, while the four walked up the exit to activate their passes. The ride was just ending when they got there and the ride attendant came over to tell them that they would have to wait at least two rides before they could ride.

But as soon as he saw Mr. Ken in his Owner’s shirt, he opened the gate and let them head onto the floor to pick a bumper car. The ride operator knew the owner was on the property today, and he wasn’t going to get into trouble by denying them getting on the ride.

When the power was thrown on, both Rusty and Jessy went to bump one another. After the slight bump, because the power wasn’t on very long, the boy drove on to hit someone else. Those subsequent bumps were much stronger than Kate would have liked, at first, but she got into the ride when she had Rusty chase Ken and Jessy and hit them.

The boys went after one another at any chance they got and they were both laughing and telling their mom or Mr. Ken that they were having fun. After the ride the boys hugged their mom and Mr. Ken for letting them ride the big boy’s ride.

The five then headed to another fun ride for the boys.

The larger group of Covers next ride was The Super Flyer, a 2-passenger laying down gondola, which let the rider experience the sensation of free flight, with a wave-like oscillating motion. This ride was one of the new rides that Mr. Ken had installed a few years back.

Darrin watched the ride as they approached it and said it didn’t look all that scary and he was game to ride it. Phillip smiled and asked his ‘brother’ if they could ride it together, and they did. Darrin came off the ride smiling and telling everyone that it was a fun ride.

Matthew recommended to Darrin that he should ride another one of Mr. Ken’s new rides from about two years ago, the Surfer Wave. As the teen walked up to the ride, he saw that it was a painted giant surfboard that slowly spun around and around, as the riders stood up and ‘surfed’ the swells of the ‘wave’ on a track that had hills at the middle and at both ends.

Darrin told everyone that the ride looked lame and that it was probably something Rusty and Jessy would like. All of them activated their Fastest Passes, though, and when it was their turn, Darrin went to the very front and he laughed along with his ‘brothers’, as they rode the fun ride.

The Ferris wheel was the next ride the larger group went on, it was while they were at the top, that Phillip pointed out the Tomahawk, telling his ‘brother’ it was the third new ride their ‘dad’ installed a few years, ago. They also saw the new Mouser, the wild mouse coaster that Mr. Ken had installed just that last summer.

Darrin also saw another roller coaster and asked Phillip about it. The pre-teen told him that the Looper was a steel coaster that had a big loop, something like a zero-g turn, a helix, a corkscrew and a few other elements that make it a fun ride. Darrin said that he wanted to ride it.

After they got off the Ferris wheel, Robert explained the Tomahawk to his ‘brother’ Darrin. He told him how he would be strapped in and then there was no way he could fall out. He told the teen to ask Matthew, or Phillip, about the ride as they were both skittish about riding it their first time.

The group walked over to the Tomahawk and they watched it go through its operation. They were all going to activate their Fastest Passes when ‘dad’ Ken, Kate and Edith, on her power-chair, along with Rusty and Jessy, came up to the ride.

‘Dad’ Ken asked the group if they were going to ride it. Darrin said that he was, but he didn’t know if the rest of the ‘chickens’ were going to. The use of the word ‘chicken’, got him a few light punches in the arm from his ‘brothers’.

‘Dad’ Ken said that he wanted to ride, and as soon as he said that Robert called out that he wanted to ride with him. Charles then called out saying that he wanted to ride with his big ‘brother’ Collin. The rest of the boys began choosing who they wanted to sit next to.

Ken went over to Kate and asked her if she wanted to ride the Tomahawk. Rusty quickly spoke up and said, “I’ll ride with you … that is if my mom won’t.”

“Rusty … you are NOT riding this ride,” sternly spoke Kate.

“But mom …” moaned the almost ten-year-old.

“No ‘but mom’ me, young man. You are too young to ride this … this ride,” again, sternly spoke up Kate.

“Well, Kate … how about you? Will you ride this with me?” again asked Ken.

With the large group activating their Fastest Passes, the ride operator kept calling out to them to get on the ride. Mr. Ken called over to the ride operator to go ahead and load the people in line, as they were talking about who would ride with whom.

Ken told his fiancée that there were three seats across and that she could sit between him and Mr. Wayne, if that would help make her feel safer. Kate’s sons were telling her that she should ride it, but she still wasn’t too sure if she should.

Ken talked to her some more and convinced her that the ride was fun once you were on it. Then before long Kate said that she would ride as along as she was between two people.

With that decision made, the large group was ready to load on the next ride and when the ride operator called for them to take their seats, two more people than had activated their Fastest Passes walked out to the Tomahawk.

By then Mr. Shartz and Adrian had come out to see where the park’s owner was and how the large group was working its way through the park. The two came upon the Tomahawk just when the safety check ride attendants called out that two people didn’t have Fastest Passes.

Mr. Shartz heard what was happening, so he and Adrian quickly went over to the ride operator and asked him if he hadn’t seen the shirt the man was wearing.

When the operator said that he hadn’t bothered to look, Mr. Shartz told him that the man in the white shirt and word ‘OWNER’ embroidered on it was the park’s owner. The ride operator told his ride assistants to let them ride.

Hearing that the park’s owner was now in the group caused the ride operator to call the other ride attendants over to tell them what was about to happen. None of those people were working at Fantasy Fun Park last summer, so they had never met Ken Thomas and his ‘boys’.

Once everyone was strapped in and the shoulder safety harness was locked into place and double checked by the ride attendants, the ride operator began the ride sequence.

The unique seating arrangements of the ride allows the passengers to interact with each other as the middle seats sit face to face and so the Covers could see one another as the ride began. Ms. Kate and Darrin began enjoying the ride as it began to swing back and forth just as the Galleon had done.

The ride slowly went higher and higher, but it also picked up speed and before Ms. Kate and Darrin knew it, they were going upside down and over the top. Kate screamed. Darrin laughed.

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, Ms. Kate had calmed down as she realized she hadn’t fallen out and neither had any of the other Covers, or other riders.

“You tricked me into riding that ride,” smiled Kate, as happily complained to Ken, as she got off the ride and also hit him on his arm.

“Who, me?” replied the woman’s fiancé, with his hands up in the air at his shoulders, feigning he had no idea what his betrothed was talking about.

“Yes, you, my love. But I’m glad you did. That was fun … after I stopped screaming,” laughed Kate.

The rest of the Covers heard the exchange between their ‘dad’ and his fiancée. When the two had shared a hug and a kiss, the boys went over to Ms. Kate and told her how ‘brave’ she was.

The two groups separated with Mr. Ken, Kate, Edith and the boys going in one direction and the larger boys going in another. Ken suggested that they go back and ride the Tilt-A-Whirl. The boys were all for that.

Once at the ride, Edith said that she might like to ride that one, as it looked somewhat tame. So, she told Kate that she would take the boys with her, so she could ride with her fiancé.

They all walked up the exit to activate their passes and they had to wait for the current ride to end. Once all of the riders were off the ride, the ride operator came over to check their passes to tell them how long they would have to wait. But upon seeing Mr. Ken in the group, he knew to let them ride next.

On the ride Kate sat close to Ken and tried to hug him, but the cars movement wouldn’t let them cuddle at all. All the couple could do was laugh, hold hands and enjoy the ride.

Edith thought the ride was tame. But she found out that it was more than that with all the twisting and turning it did. She was at first mad at herself for deciding to ride it. But after riding with her grandsons, who were laughing hard, as the car spun around on its , while it went over the slight hills, she began to enjoy the ride.

When the ride was over, they all talked about how much fun the ride was and then they looked to see where they would go to next.

As the larger group walked along, they came up to a ride called Faster Up ‘N’ Down, which, in reality, was a tower that the rider is shot up and then allowed to freefall back down.

The boys wanted to ride it and they went up the Exit to activate their Fastest Passes. But, again, Phillip, looking at the height of the ride, hesitated to go with them. Collin went back down the Exit to talk to his youngest ‘brother’. The young man told Phillip that after going upside down this should be a ‘piece of cake’, as you are strapped in the seat as you go up and then come back down.

Phillip said that he was afraid of how fast they got shot up the tower. Collin told him that was the fun part of the ride, and that when you get to freefall back down you felt weightless and after riding the Tomahawk, this ride was tame. Phillip decided he’d ride, but he wanted to sit next to Collin.

The ride operator knew who the group was and had told them to wait for the next ride. So, when the current riders walked off the ride the ten Covers, took up three of the four 4-person seats on the tower. The ride operator then added the people from the queue.

Once everyone was seated and belted in and the over the shoulder harness was in place, the ride operator got the OK from the ride attendants and he set the pressures and before the Covers knew it the seats were shot up the 150-foot tower.

Phillip didn’t know what to think, as he found himself racing straight up the tower faster than he ever felt before. The seat assembly bounced a few times, then it rose to the top.

From the top of the ride, Phillip got a good view of that section of the park. Then, before he knew it, there was a hissing of air and then the seat assembly free-fell back down toward the ground, where they also slightly bounced up and down a few times before settling to a stop.

The large group walked over to last summer’s newest coaster, the Mouser and they found ‘dad’ Ken, Kate Edith and the boys watching. Kate watched the coaster as the ride cars went back-and-forth and then went down and up the hills. She wasn’t too sure about letting Rusty on the ride, but she knew her son wanted to ride some of the bigger rides, so she agreed to let her son ride, as long as he was between her and Ken and then it should be OK.

The group activated their Fastest Passe and now that there were thirteen people for the ride. With a maximum of four people per ride car they would take up the next four ride cars, with one person riding by themselves.

Mr. Wayne suggested that they break the group into one ride of four and three rides of three. He also asked that they go every other car, as the people in line don’t have Fastest Passes and it would only make it fair. Mr. Ken remembered them doing that last summer, and he thought that was a good idea.

The first ones on the ride though were going to be Mr. Ken, Ms. Kate and her son Rusty. Jessy was mad that he couldn’t ride the Mouser. So, Mr. Wayne took him to where the kids had the measuring line to see if he was tall enough. The Estate Master then pointed out to Jessy that he wasn’t even tall enough yet, and that he would have to wait until next year to see if he’d grown.

While that was happening, the first three where on the lift hill and Rusty was scared, anxious and thrilled that he was on a big coaster. When the ride car got to the top, it followed the track and when it came to a turn the car looked like it was going off the end and Rusty screamed just before the coaster car turned and went toward another end where youngster screamed again.

Mr. Ken comforted the boy by telling him that was the fun part of the ride and that the wheel carriage under them was designed to give the rider that thrill and that no car has ever gone off the end.

By then the coaster car had begun going into its steep down hills and tight turns and then going back up only to do it all over again. It did that about four times before going over some bunny hills and then going into the station.

As he got off the coaster Rusty ran to his little brother and told him that he would not like that ride, but it was fun and he can’t wait to be able to ride it again, some day. All Ken and Kate did was smile at the boys telling of his ride.

‘Dad’ Ken then told the larger group that he, Kate, Edith and the two younger boys were going to work their way back to the ops building, and along the way they might stop at a ride or two, but they were going to go out to dinner.

Collin gave his rental car keys to Mr. Wayne and told him and Mr. Dennis that if they wanted to go now, he’ll watch over the boys and after they ride the last two rides, they’ll take the vans to a fast-food place and then meet them at the hotel. The adults agreed and before long it was just the eight Cover boys left alone in the park.

The last ride of the day for the Cove boys was going to be the Looper. A steel roller coaster that was a two-seat across train which had a steep hill, a few inversions and some twists and turns.

When the Covers arrived at the Looper, they walked up the Exit to activate their Fastest Passes. The ride attendants saw them coming and knew who they were, from their previous trips to the park. So, he decided to hold the next train for them.

Phillip told Darrin that if he’d never ridden something like that before he should sit in the middle seats. When asked why, all Phillip said was, “Trust me!”

So, when they loaded onto the train, Darrin sat in the middle seats along with Matthew. Robert and Eric took the first car first seat, Collin and Charles took the first car second seat and Phillip sat with Billy sat in the second car first seat, not too far forward from Darrin and Matthew.

The Covers attached their lap belts and then pulled down the over-the-shoulder harness until it was snug. The ride attendants came and did a safety check before the ride operator released the brake and sent the train to the lift chain.

Darrin felt the coaster catch the lift chain and then be towed up the hill and, as it was, he looked around the park. He liked seeing the park all lit up with all the different colored lights. Then he noticed he was going higher than he did on the Comet. He turned to ask Matthew how high the coaster was and all he heard was a hundred and fifty feet just as the coaster train went over the top and it raced down the hill.

The teen Cover wasn’t ready for it as the train immediately went right into the inversion and then directly into a zero-g roll. Then there were a few bunny hills that led into a turn-around helix which then went into a corkscrew roll and a right twist, then a left twist and then another zero-g roll before a bunny hill that led into the station.

When Darrin came off the Looper, he told his ‘brothers’, “I’m glad we saved that one for the end. All of the teen’s ‘brothers’ laughed at him. And unlike what Collin and Phillip did when the youngest Cover rode the Looper, once before, Darrin did not get back in line to ride it again.

The boys stopped at the first fast-food burger restaurant the drivers came to and they all got something to eat. It was well after 9 p.m. when the group returned to the hotel. They thanked the drivers and told them they’d see them in the morning.

When the Covers got back to the hotel, Mr. Ken told the boys they had an early flight and had to be downstairs by 8 a.m. to make it to the airport by nine. He told them that if they wanted to eat breakfast, they should be down in the lobby by 7:30 and not to over eat.

‘Dad’ Ken explained they should be at their next hotel by eleven, or earlier, to unpack before they head over to their second park, Mountain Top Park. Their ‘dad’ told them they’d repeat what they did today, but this time he’d make sure their escort knows who they are from the start.

Everyone headed up to their rooms to relax some before going to bed.

The saga of Three Finger Cove continues. Let Chowhound know you are reading his story: Chowhnd at Gmail dot Com

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