Published: 29 Oct 2026

From the Previous Chapter:

When the group was back at the hotel, Mr. Ken reminded everyone that they had an 8 a.m. van arrival time and that they all should be down in the lobby by seven-thirtyish, or earlier if they wanted to get something off the breakfast buffet.

With it being late and that they had an early flight the next morning, none of the adults visited the hotel’s lounge that evening. They all decided that they needed to pack and get a good night’s rest before their day that started the next morning.

The travelers were all down in the hotel lobby by 7:45. Matthew and Phillip were down a bit earlier, as they wanted to get something off the breakfast buffet. It wasn’t much, a muffin and a carton of milk, that they said would hold them over until they get something on the plane.

By eight o’clock the vans arrived and the boys quickly loaded all of the luggage in them and before long the large group was headed to the airport in the vans and the rental cars.

Upon arriving at the airport, the boys loaded all of the bags onto a TSA cart, which was then wheeled into the facility for an inspection before being loaded onto the aircraft. The boys then headed into the nearest Men’s Restroom, while the two women went to the Woman’s rest facilities.

The aircraft were a bit late arriving, so everyone had to cool their heels until they landed and taxied to the terminal. Then upon arriving at the terminal, the pilots had to come in and check the manifest to see which passengers were on their aircraft. Another lost twenty minutes.

It was 10:30 when the planes finally taxied to the active runway, which meant the travelers wouldn’t arrive at their destination until midday, or later, depending on the weather.

The boys weren’t very happy because they didn’t get to the hotel until 1:45, and then ‘dad’ Ken had to spend time getting them their room assignments. This time out, though, Kate, Edith and the two younger boys weren’t staying there, as they were now headed back to their home.

After knowing which was their room, the boys took all of the bags and dropped them off at the correct door, and then they went to their own rooms to use the facilities and then meet down in the lobby.

‘Dad’ Ken did move his luggage into his room, but upon meeting everyone down in the lobby, he told his ‘boys’ that he was taking Ms. Kate, Ms. Edith and Kate’s two young boys back home. But Rusty and Jessy balked that they wouldn’t get to go to Crystal Lake.

Hearing that their younger ‘brothers’ wouldn’t be going out to the Crystal Lake with them, Collin spoke up and asked Ms. Kate if he could take them with him, until she and his Big Bro came there later in the day.

Kate knew how much her sons liked visiting Crystal Lake, so she didn’t want to disappoint them, as school would be restarting next week, and they wouldn’t get to visit the park for quite some time after that.

So, Kate told Collin to make sure they didn’t ride anything too big for them. The junior college man said that he’d watch out for them. Mr. Wayne spoke up and said that he’d watch Collin to make sure he doesn’t spoil her sons. Everyone laughed.

Ken, Kate and Edith, along with all their bags placed in the trunk, got into the rental car and they headed to the women’s home. The rest of the group loaded into the vans and Collin’s rental car and they headed to Crystal Lake Amusement Park.

The park operations Manager at Crystal Lake, Mr. Arnold (Arnie) Arnolds and his assistant, Darrell Griffin, met the group, as they arrived in the employee parking lot. Mr. Wayne introduced Darrin to the men, telling them that the new teenager was Mr. Ken’s newest foster son. He also reintroduced Rusty and Jessy as the man’s soon-to-be step-sons.

A smiling Mr. Arnolds told Wayne that he already talked to Mr. Ken about his engagement and he offered their pavilion for their reception, if he couldn’t find anything that suits him and Kate.

But seeing the boys were anxious to get out in the park, Darrell walked them all to the FFF Booth to get them their Fastest Passes. The staff there were surprised at the large group coming into the office to get Fastest Passes and they worked really quick to get all eleven processed.

The staff were also surprised that Rusty and Jessy would get their own passes, and they wondered how they would use them out in the park, because they never saw anyone that young get those kinds of passes before.

As they did yesterday, the group let Darrin decide which rides they would get on first. But Collin spoke up then and said that he needed to make sure Rusty and Jessy got on some rides too, and that they will go out on their own for a while, and that they’d catch up with them later.

Darrin told his ‘brothers’ and the two men that he wanted to ride the coasters first, as the flat rides were probably like the same ones that he’s already ridden. So, first up was the Boomerang.

He chose that one as Mr. Ken didn’t have one at any of the other parks and he wanted to know what it was like. When the group arrived at the ride, both Wayne and Dennis told the boys that they would wait for them there at the exit.

As the boys walked up the exit, Darrin asked his ‘brothers’ if they knew why the Estate Masters didn’t want to ride the Boomerang. Robert, Billy and Charles laughed and told Darrin that they let them ride up front and they didn’t like the experience. The teen figure there was more to that story, but he figured he could ask them later.

When the boys were let in to choose their seats, Darrin decided to sit in the first seat. His ‘brothers’ really didn’t want to sit up there, but Charles knew that his brother Robert would ride with Eric and that Phillip was still getting used to that type of coaster, so he decided to sit up front with his ‘brother’.

With the train car fully loaded, the coaster train traveled backwards first, surprising Darrin that it did that. But the teen soon found out that the train needed the forward momentum to travel up the hill to the Batwing and then the loop before going up the opposite hill. It happened so fast that the new Cover didn’t have time to contemplate what just happened to him.

Then as the coaster train was pulled to the top of the second launch hill, Darrin turned to Charles to ask him a question about the ride, but he never got the chance because the holding mechanism opened and the train went back to where it started.

As the boys walked down the exit, Darrin told his ‘brothers’ that now he knew why Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dennis don’t like that ride. All the boys laughed and at the bottom of the exit Mr. Dennis asked them why they were all laughing. It was Darrin who replied by saying that now he knew why they hadn’t ridden the Boomerang. That caused more laughter to erupt.

Darrin spied the Steel Coaster over in the distance, and asked if they could ride that next. No one had any objections, so the group walked over to that coaster. The group entered through the exit, and Darrin got his chance to ride the new, to him, coaster.

The teen decided to sit up front and Mr. Wayne joined him. Darrin was surprised the man did that and he asked him if he did that because he was wanting a snack. Mr. Wayne didn’t get the inference until it hit him that the teen was turning his earlier joke to the teen being turned back on himself. The two laughed, as the train climbed the launch hill.

Darrin loved the smooth speed this Steel Coaster had along with the immediate corkscrew, its tight turns and the two inversions. The thing about the ride that the teen didn’t like was that it was over too quick.

Rusty and Jessy knew what rides they liked at Crystal Lake, so they led Collin over to them. The first ride was the Swinging Boat. They loved sitting in the upper most seats and going high and being lifted off their seats.

When the three loaded onto the boat the boys scrambled to the highest seats with Collin siting between them. When the ride began and it went higher and higher, Collin didn’t hold onto Jessy as his Big Bro would do.

The college junior was enjoying the ride, as much as the boys were, but then it hit him that the younger boy was coming off his seat much more than his older brother, and he knew he needed to make sure he was safe. So, Collin grabbed the boy by the back of his shirt to keep him from launching himself off the seat, as he was thoroughly enjoying coming off the seat more than he ever had.

“Why’d you grab me by my shirt?” asked Jessy, as the trio came off the ride.

“Well … you were … you were getting a bit rambunctious enjoying the ride, so I had to keep you from flying out of the seat,” teased Collin, knowing the real reason for doing so. Jessy smiled at the inference.

The three then made their way over to Mini-Bumper Cars, but when they got there Collin asked why they didn’t ride the Scooters, which were the adult bumper cars.

Rusty told him that they usually ride with their mom and with Mr. Ken and that they’ve never did that by themselves. Jessy said that he’s still too small to press the pedal, so he’ll need to ride with him.

So, the trio went to the exit in order to use their Fastest Passes. When the ride operator came to let them ride, he told Collin that the smaller boy would need to ride with him. Jessy smiled up at Collin and they picked out a car, while Rusty went and got into his own.

Before the power was applied, Jessy told his big ‘brother’ that he needed to press the pedal while he steered. Collin had just put his foot on the pedal when the power came through and the ride began.

The two brothers enjoyed hitting one another at the fast speed, as well as the other riders, and they both laughed every time. When the ride was over, Rusty thanked Collin for letting him ride by himself and Jessy also thanked the young man for not lifting up on the pedal just before they hit another bumper car, as his mom would do. Collin just shook his head and then asked the boys, “Where do we go from here?”

Ken had taken Kate and her mother, Edith, back to their house and he helped them unload the car. The three, then, sat around talking about the ladies Holiday trip. Edith thanked Ken for the wonderful time at The Cove and all the parties.

The older woman told her host that she really enjoyed talking to all of his friends and associates and hearing more about what he was like, and how they enjoyed all of the parties and picnics he held. Then she told him that even though she got to see all of his amusement parks, the hustle and bustle of the trip was just way too much for her way of vacationing. Kate and Ken smiled at the way the Edith phrase it.

Kate also thanked Ken for the wonderful time and letting her know what it was like to be living at The Cove. She also thanked him again for her Christmas present that was unexpected, but that she truly loved. The man’s fiancée added that, just like her mother, she enjoyed meeting all of the important contacts he deals with, and she will undoubtedly come in contact with, as his wife.

The three also talked how Rusty and Jessy thrived with their big ‘brothers’ around them, and that Jessy’s love for playing the guitar was totally unexpected. Kate asked Ken if he would get her son music lessons when they finally move there. Ken smiled and said that would be one of the first things he’d do to make sure the boy excels with the instrument.

Then seeing the time, Kate decided that she and Ken needed to get out to the park, so she could check on her sons and maybe ride something with them, as they both enjoyed when the three of them did that.

The Tower of Terror was in view as the large group walked to their next coaster. Darrin said that he never rode anything like that before, and that he wanted to ride that. So, the group walked over to it and went to the exit to use their special passes.

When the ride operator saw the large number of people wanting to use their Fastest Passes, he knew that this had to be park owner’s ‘family’, who he knew were in the park that day. So, when the current ride was over, he called the nine to enter and take their seats.

The setup on this ride allowed four to sit across, but that would leave one person riding without a Cover. Mr. Wayne then found that the other seats were then filled in with riders from the queue.

The ride attendants then went to each rider and brought the shoulder harness down and gave the center strap for the boys to hook up themselves. Darrin smiled and then told Matthew that the workers didn’t want to get near their dangly parts. Both teens laughed.

Then before Darrin knew it, he heard the release of some air and the ride car bounced some. He didn’t know what that was, so Matthew told him that was to establish the weight to adjust the ride pressure for the shot. Darrin went to thank him for the information when the ride was then shot up the tower. There were some screams, but those were from the other riders. Matthew quickly told his ‘brother’ to look around before they are sent downwards.

Darrin felt the ride car bounce some and then it rose to the top. From up there, the Cover teen got to see what the park looked like from about 250 feet up in the air. The teen then heard some more air being released and he figured that the next thing that would happen would be that they would fall. And then it happened. Darrin felt his feet rise up and the air rushing across his face.

At the bottom, the ride car bounced some and then it slowly settled into its starting position. As he got off, the teen looked up to the top, and smiled that he’d ridden that Tower of Terror.

From the top of the Tower of Terror, Darrin spied his next coaster ride, Loud Thunder. The group walked over to it and went to the exit to use their passes. The teen asked, to no one in particular, what type of roller coaster is this? Billy heard his little ‘brothers’ question and he told him it was considered a wooden roller coaster even though it had a steel frame holding it up.

The older teen continued and told Darrin that the coaster was only 80 feet high was considered a family out-and-back and the ride wasn’t very long at 3400 feet long. Darrin remarked that even though it looked small, as compared to the other coasters he’s ridden, he still wanted to ride it, especially since he was there.

The group quickly went up the exit to activate their Fastest Passes. When they got to the top the ride attendant told them to wait right there, as they would be on the next ride. The boys smiled at hearing that.

When the coaster train came into the station, Collin, Rusty and Jessey were on it. They greeted one another at the exit and then the ride attendant had the nine Covers select their seats. Darrin asked Phillip to sit up front with him.

As the two ‘brothers’ went to the front of the train, Mr. Wayne called out to Darrin. And when the teen looked over to the Estate Master, he saw him picking at his teeth, then he smiled. Darrin understood what the man was saying, and all he did was brush his teeth with his finger and then laughed. Mr. Wayne just smiled back as he went to his seat.

When the brakes were released, the coaster train rolled down the slight incline and around a curve and then it caught the lift chain. The coaster train went slowly up the 80-foot first hill and Darrin got nice view of the area beneath from that vantage point.

At the top of the hill the first car rolled over the crest and sort of hung there waiting for the rest of the train to get off the chain. It made Darrin and Phillip smile as the rest of the train came over and they began to race down the hill. The two now laughed as they went over the second hill and then down and up and down the next and so on, until the ride was over.

After the ride was over, Collin, Rusty and Jessy were waiting for the group to get off, and they greeted Darrin and asked him how he liked it. The teen mentioned that it was a fun ride, but not as exciting as some of the roller coasters that he’s ridden.

The two groups then went their own way.

When Kate arrived at the park, she asked Ken how would they ever find her sons. So, Ken pulled out his cell phone and he called Collin. He then learned that the trio was over by Airplanes and the boys were on the ride. Ken went and put on his Owners polo and picked up a park radio, and then the couple then headed over to where the woman’s sons were.

Kate arrived just as Rusty and Jessy were getting off the ride. Upon seeing their mother, the boys hugged her, who returned their hug and then she told them that she missed them. The boys then hugged Mr. Ken who also returned their hug.

After the boys greeted their mom and Mr. Ken, Rusty spoke up and told the couple, “Mom, mom … Collin … he first took us on the Swinging Boat and then we all went on the Scooters.”

“The Scooters?” Kate asked in surprise.

“Yea, Mom … I rode with our big ‘brother’ and Rusty … he drove by himself,” piped up Jessy.

“You’re kidding me!” exclaimed the boy’s mother.

“No, mom. And it was so much fun driving by myself. And I got to go as fast as the bumper car would take me and crash into Collin and Jessy and the other drivers,” offered the smiling almost ten-year-old.

When Kate asked her boys what other rides, they got on, Rusty told her that they also got to ride the train, the Scrambler, the Frog Hopper, the Ballons, the carousel, the Swings and the Loud Thunder coaster.

Jessy said that the coaster was fun, but that he wished he could have ridden it with his mom.

Kate looked at Ken to see if he would go and ride it with the boys. Ken told his intended that he would be happy to ride Loud with her and the boys. Upon hearing that conversation, Collin then spoke up and told the couple that he was going to catch up with his ‘brothers’ and that they’ll see one another later.

So, Kate, Ken, Rusty and Jessy headed over to the family coaster, so the four of the could ride. They all went to the exit to get to ride the next train. The ride operator noticed the man and he immediately knew who he was. He called his assistants over and told them who was at the exit and that they had to put them on the next train.

Some people in the queue were upset that the four got to enter the station first and take the preferred seats. Jessy wanted to sit with his mom, but he didn’t want the front seat, so Rusty and Mr. Ken took it. Once they were seated, the ride operator opened the turnstiles and the train was filled with people from the queue.

Jessy loved it that he was riding with his mom. As the train traversed the track layout, the young boy held his mother’s hand, as she held his and felt as if she was keeping him safe.

At the end of the coaster ride, the boys hugged both their mom and Mr. Ken and they thanked them for riding with them. The boys then asked them to take them on the coaster called The Crazy Mouse.

While Darrin and his group walked over to the Crazy Mouse, they came across the Top Spin ride. The teen watched it for a few moments and then announced that he wanted to ride it.

Matthew asked his ‘brother’ if he was sure that he wanted to ride that screwed-up ride. The young teen told Darrin that the ride spun around as the arms also spun around in the arc and the ride turned on the large arms through an arc as well. Matthew told Darrin that when the twins rode it, they both had headaches after riding it.

Billy then told Darrin that he rode it last year, and he explained to the teen what the ride was doing as it twisted and turned on its axis. The younger Cover continued to watch the ride as the Top Spin went through its paces. He thought he saw the people on it were laughing, but he wasn’t too sure and he wanted to wait to see them after they got off.

After watching the rider’s come down the exit, Darrina asked them how they liked the ride. Some told him that they loved it, while others told him that there was way too much twisting for them. One or two told him that they now had a blood rush headache.

After hearing what the previous riders had to say, Darrin decided that he wasn’t going to ride Top Spin. He told his ‘brothers’ that he didn’t need a bad headache to finish off the day. The boys patted him on his back for making a wise decision.

But now they needed to find another ride and Phillip suggested they try out the Crazy Mouse. And since he hadn’t ridden that coaster, Darrin agreed that they should head in that direction.

As the large group approached the Crazy Mouse, they saw ‘dad’ Ken, Ms. Kate and her two sons also headed in that direction. The two groups greeted one another and then they all looked up to watch the Crazy Mouse cars going along the track.

As they watched the Wild Mouse derivative. the boys saw how the track had many tight turns at the top of the ride, and then it made lots of deep dips and quick turns, as it made its way back to the station.

Darrin was all for wanting to ride this new type of coaster, so he went over to the exit to use his Fastest Passes and wait for his turn. But Mr. Wayne called out to the teen and asked him to come back, so they could pair up. The Estate Master also told the teen, and the others, that they would go every other ride to allow the people in the queue to ride, too. since they didn’t have the Fastest Pass.

There were thirteen of them, which meant one person would ride alone. Kate decided to ride with Rusty and Mr. Ken was going to ride with Jessy and those four went up the exit. The next pairs would be Mr. Wayne and Charles, Mr. Dennis with Phillip, Robert and Eric, and Billy riding with Matthew. Darrin was the odd man out and he would ride alone unless someone who has ridden jumped in the car with him.

Kate had Ken and Jessy go first. At the top of the ride, the car followed the track and made tight, flat turns that made it feel like there was some speed there making Jessy smile because of the perceived speed. But when the car came to the end and made the tight turn it made the rider feel as if the car would go straight off the track and Jessy immediately got scared.

Mr. Ken laughed and told the youngster that was what made that coaster so ‘Crazy’. The man told him to watch what happens at the next quick turn. Jessy felt the coaster car appear to go off the track, but when it made that quick tight turn, the boys smiled and he relaxed some in Mr. Ken’s strong arms.

After the top section was completed, the coaster car continued to go down a steep hill, make a tight turn and then quickly go up a hill only to make another tight turn and go back down again. It also had some bunny hills and the car did some slight leaning to one side, or the other, before arriving back at the starting point.

“I loved that ride,” said Jessy to his co-rider, and then he hugged the man. “It was fast, and I liked that, but it also felt like we were going to fall right off the end before the car turned.” Mr. Ken … can I … can we … can we ride that again? Please!”

Since they were the first two of their large group to ride, Darrin, who was relegated to ride by himself, was still waiting his turn when they got off the ride. Noticing that, Ken went over to Kate and asked her if she would be OK with Jessy riding again, but this time with Darrin.

Kate looked over to her son, who was talking to Darrin, as he told the teen about his ride. She then looked to Ken trying to decide if she would allow her youngest son to ride. But she saw that her fiancé was smiling and looking as if she should let her son begin to grow up.

So, Kate called Jessy over to her and she asked him how he liked the ride. Jessy enthusiastically told her how much he loved the speed and the thrill of the car looking like it was going to off the edge. The mom then asked him if he wanted to ride the Crazy Mouse again. Jessy couldn’t answer fast enough that he did.

It wasn’t long before Darrin and Jessy were getting in their car, when one of the attendants told Jessy that he just rode. But the ride operator, who knew who the boy belonged to, yelled over and said that it was OK and that he’d explain it to him later.

Everyone waited for Darrin and Jessy to return before they would call it a day and head out to dinner.

The big group stopped by the operations building to say thank you to Mr. Arnolds and Darrell Griffin, the assistant ops manager, for giving them the Fastest Passes. Arnie also reminded the couple that if they can’t find a suitable venue for their wedding reception, he had his pavilion that they could use.

Kate told him that she would keep that in mind and let him know if they needed it. Ken whispered to her that if they used it there would be a ton of people walking around the park, at time of year. All Kate said was, “Oh.”

After their meeting and goodbyes at the operations building, from there they all headed to the buffet where the two younger boys could sit with their big brothers, and have them help them with their dinner if they needed it.

All of the adults sat at one table and they all talked about their day and the Holiday trips in general. Kate thanked Wayne and Dennis for all their help in staging the Holiday Parties and working with her boys, while they were there.

Kate told the men that she is going to miss Momma’s cooking and being treated like a queen while she was there. Wayne told her that come the spring, when she becomes Mrs. Ken Thomas, she’ll be right back in the lap of luxury. Everyone, including Mr. Ken, laughed at the obvious.

When dinner was over, Mr. Ken told everyone that he needed to drive Ms. Kate and her boys back home, and that he’d meet up with them either later, or in the morning. He told the group that they could sleep in as the plane wouldn’t leave until eleven o’clock.

Collin then spoke up and added that he would be flying home with them, now that there weren’t fourteen people in the group. The young man’s ‘brothers’ all clapped that they would all be on the same aircraft going home.

Ken drove Kate and her boy’s home and when they got there the two young boys hugged the man and thanked him for the best Christmas ever. Jessy especially thank the man for the guitar, but the man told him that it was Santa who got that for him.

Edith came out to talk to Ken and she again thanked him for such a wonderful Christmas and Holiday. She explained that they never had a Christmas anywhere as big as what he did and that being there, with all the boys and seeing how her grandsons fit in as if they belonged, made her a believer. When she hugged her future son-in-law, Ken saw the tears in her eyes and Ken knew that she meant what she said.

Ken and Kate sat on the front porch and talked before Ken had to go back to the hotel and pack. Their talk covered their projected wedding date and Kate promised him that she would begin working on reserving the church and reception facility.

Ken told her that he’d start working on where they would spend their honeymoon. He then asked her if she had a preference, as to where they should go. The man’s fiancée told him that she would be happy just to be with him, so anywhere would be alright with her. Ken inwardly smiled knowing that he could choose just about anywhere.

Besides talking, the couple hugged and kissed, as much as they talked. But before long Ken had to leave his intended bride and they shared one last long and intimate kiss.

The boys knew they needed to pack for the morning’s final trip. They also knew they needed to leave out a clean change of clothes. Once everyone had accomplished that task, they met in Collin’s room to talk.

The talk in the college junior’s hotel room covered their two trips, as well as Christmas Day and the Holiday parties, and everything before and after those. The boys also wondered when they would get to go to the shooting range now that they all had one-hundred rounds of ammunition to use.

Darrin spoke up wondering if he’d even still be there to use what he got from Santa. That comment put a damper on the conversation, and it was Collin who asked the question as to why he would think that.

Darrin then told the college man about the court date on that coming Friday where his uncle was supposed to show up for the judge to talk to him and decide if he would have to go and live with him. The teen told his ‘brothers’ he didn’t want to go, but Mr. Ken told him that CPS was chartered to reunite families and the courts were also supposed to ensure that the relative was capable and willing to do so.

The boys held a group hug with Darrin and with that they all went to their rooms.

Because they could sleep in the next morning, Wayne and Dennis were down in the lobby bar having an adult drink when Mr. Ken returned. The man joined his two employees and he, too, had an adult beverage with them.

The three talked about the past two weeks with their guests at The Cove and the two trips. Ken mentioned to the men that things will definitely change when Kate and her boys move in, but he didn’t know how much.

Wayne told him that it wouldn’t be any different than when he gets a new foster son, except they’ll be getting two fosters and a lady. The Estate Master then laughed causing Dennis and his boss to join in.

After the laughter died down, Ken reminded the men that after the Holidays were fully over, his construction crew would be at The Cove to transform the space above the garage into four single-person bedrooms with closets and two bathrooms. He added that he hasn’t seen the renditions of what the architect is proposing, but it didn’t matter, as there would be at least four single-person bedrooms and two bathrooms with any remaining space made into storage.

The men talked about a slew of other topics including what they felt would happen during that coming year. They discussed the upcoming picnics and then ventured as to what would, happen with Darrin after his court date on the fifth of January. They also speculated when would Phillip go back to living with his mother. Mr. Ken told them that they would have to adjust, as those two issues came to a head.

With no definite answers to consider, the three men finished their drinks and went up to their rooms to finish packing and then go to sleep.

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

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