Memories
Ngoc Hong Pham
I had never really realized the boundary between life and death when I was a kid. Of course, because I was too young, and my parents protected me very carefully that I did not even have a tiny chance to have that feeling. I was a naughty kid. I liked to do things prohibited by my parents. When I did something that was not supposed to do in secrets, it made me happy and excited. I remembered when it was my sister's tenth birthday. We had an enormous, beautiful cake for that special day. While everyone was busy preparing for adornments and the food, I was hungry. I looked at the cake, poking to the soft, fluffy cream, and put it in my mouth. That was the sweetest cream I had ever tasted. I was not allowed to eat it, but it always felt good to break the rules. Or one time, we went through a jungle, and I tried to eat colorful mushrooms. My dad took away my favorite barbies for that. Or another time, I fed my grandfather's luxurious fishes, and they all killed because of overfed. As a result, I had to stand, and faced the wall for two hours. My parents always warned me that I was going to be hurt, punished, and even died like the characters in Korean movies if I did it. But I did not afraid at all. Death seemed to be a total stranger to me until that day when I felt it through a game.
I remember it was a hot, sunny day in the summer when I was twelve. My family went on a vacation to Phu Quoc island. The island was beautiful and covered with clear crystal-like seawater and pristine white sand. There were lots of trees and flowers around. The sunlight made everything sparkling and animated. The breeze touched my face, bring me the smell of the salty sea and the popcorn's sweetness. The scent was glorious and beautiful, but I did not pay much attention to it. In front of me was an enormous, monumental playground. I saw the game castle, 5D theater, toy stores, food stalls, gallery, and a huge waterpark. Kids and their parents were going around, looking at the games in excitement. I was crazy about this place, turning my head non-stop at everything. My mom grabbed my hand, lead me to the merry-go-round. She wanted to take some photos when I rode the horse. It turned out to be the most boring game I had ever played. I sat on the horse and let it went around and around, making my view shaking and spinning. My picture turned out to be just speechless. I looked like I was going to fail from the horse. I was frowning because of the sun. I got a twisted smile, and sweat ran through my cheek, making my face sparkling. Several years, when I looked at it again in my album, I had a new awareness about my beauty. There were always places for improvement, and my beauty in that picture surprisingly impressed me. It was beyond my limits, but the couple behind me seemed to be enjoyable. They were riding the same horse. The boy was hugging the girl from behind. The girl was turning her face and smiling sweetly like honey to him. I remembered they rode the horse for several rounds. That day, after my mom finished picturing me, I asked her if the merry-go-round was the adults' favorite game. She told me with an implied smile "No, it is not, my sweetheart. When you grow up, you will know why." Oh my god! It happened again. Whenever I asked her something seemed to be hard to explain for my age, she used that saying. When I heard what she said, I thought perhaps she did not know why the couple could play so excitedly, too. She used that saying as a cover, and I did not expose it. But when I grew up, I got the answer myself. It was love. Teenagers had powerful love to do even the most boring thing in life for hours. That what I saw in my middle school, covered with love couples. How miracle love was!
After a not very happy game, we went to play the pumper cars, aquarium, ball pit, and arcade games. Then when we got a drink, my turning event came. I heard shouts and outcry above my head. When I raised my head, I saw a long, colorful roller coaster. It ran along the rails, bringing laughs and yells everywhere. I knew that was what I wanted to try. I asked my dad if we could play that game, and he agreed. I was glad that I was old enough to play with my sisters and dad. We made a line and got on the roller coaster. When I tied my belt, I realized my fingers were shaking. I was not really for it. But I had no choice now. The train was going up the rail slowly to the top, taking away my breath and vision. I was shutting my eyes, my hand sweating, holding the belt as tight as I could. I was waiting for the moment to come. Suddenly, someone shouted in a high tone behind my seat. At that moment, I believed that my heart had dropped to the ground. But it was not until the train went down. "AAAAAAAAAAAA!", "mother...", "father...", that is all I could hear. My body went numb at the first curve. I held my belt in one hand, another I held my chest, prevented my heart from running away. I tried to calm my heartbeats, gasping for some fresh air. Gradually, I felt some excitement when the train went down and up. I let out some screams, meaningless words that I heard from people around me. My lungs were filled with fresh air and popcorn's sweetness. Electricity went through my spine, gave me both fear and eagerness. Unexpectedly, I felt something wet on my face. God! Please do not tell me it was saliva! It was a few last seconds when I finally felt that I was not going to die. I could only enjoy the games when we had almost finished. When I got off the train, my leg was shaking, and I could not stand by myself. Overall, I did not know if I liked it. It was too fast. After the trip, I felt a little under the weather. Perhaps, I was not suitable for thrilling games. I pretended to be fine because I was the one who came up with this stuff. I drank water to pull down the hamburgers and popcorns in my stomach. Acting as I could do ten more rounds without frowning. But my artificial wall collapsed when my sister asked me to play the drop tower. I knew today was going to be my death anniversary if I tried that. I distracted my sister with the water park, and we kept on with the mirror maze, circus, and musical fountain until it was time to go for dinner.
It was a marvelous trip for me. Everything was perfect, but since that day, I have not played any thrilling games. My family was busy with work and school. We did not have a chance to go back to Phu Quoc. The island was my favorite memory when I went over the album. I loved my face in the picture and missed the smell of sea salt, as well as my remarkable roller coaster. Now, I was far away from my family, and it was even made me missed them more.
I remember it was a hot, sunny day in the summer when I was twelve. My family went on a vacation to Phu Quoc island. The island was beautiful and covered with clear crystal-like seawater and pristine white sand. There were lots of trees and flowers around. The sunlight made everything sparkling and animated. The breeze touched my face, bring me the smell of the salty sea and the popcorn's sweetness. The scent was glorious and beautiful, but I did not pay much attention to it. In front of me was an enormous, monumental playground. I saw the game castle, 5D theater, toy stores, food stalls, gallery, and a huge waterpark. Kids and their parents were going around, looking at the games in excitement. I was crazy about this place, turning my head non-stop at everything. My mom grabbed my hand, lead me to the merry-go-round. She wanted to take some photos when I rode the horse. It turned out to be the most boring game I had ever played. I sat on the horse and let it went around and around, making my view shaking and spinning. My picture turned out to be just speechless. I looked like I was going to fail from the horse. I was frowning because of the sun. I got a twisted smile, and sweat ran through my cheek, making my face sparkling. Several years, when I looked at it again in my album, I had a new awareness about my beauty. There were always places for improvement, and my beauty in that picture surprisingly impressed me. It was beyond my limits, but the couple behind me seemed to be enjoyable. They were riding the same horse. The boy was hugging the girl from behind. The girl was turning her face and smiling sweetly like honey to him. I remembered they rode the horse for several rounds. That day, after my mom finished picturing me, I asked her if the merry-go-round was the adults' favorite game. She told me with an implied smile "No, it is not, my sweetheart. When you grow up, you will know why." Oh my god! It happened again. Whenever I asked her something seemed to be hard to explain for my age, she used that saying. When I heard what she said, I thought perhaps she did not know why the couple could play so excitedly, too. She used that saying as a cover, and I did not expose it. But when I grew up, I got the answer myself. It was love. Teenagers had powerful love to do even the most boring thing in life for hours. That what I saw in my middle school, covered with love couples. How miracle love was!
After a not very happy game, we went to play the pumper cars, aquarium, ball pit, and arcade games. Then when we got a drink, my turning event came. I heard shouts and outcry above my head. When I raised my head, I saw a long, colorful roller coaster. It ran along the rails, bringing laughs and yells everywhere. I knew that was what I wanted to try. I asked my dad if we could play that game, and he agreed. I was glad that I was old enough to play with my sisters and dad. We made a line and got on the roller coaster. When I tied my belt, I realized my fingers were shaking. I was not really for it. But I had no choice now. The train was going up the rail slowly to the top, taking away my breath and vision. I was shutting my eyes, my hand sweating, holding the belt as tight as I could. I was waiting for the moment to come. Suddenly, someone shouted in a high tone behind my seat. At that moment, I believed that my heart had dropped to the ground. But it was not until the train went down. "AAAAAAAAAAAA!", "mother...", "father...", that is all I could hear. My body went numb at the first curve. I held my belt in one hand, another I held my chest, prevented my heart from running away. I tried to calm my heartbeats, gasping for some fresh air. Gradually, I felt some excitement when the train went down and up. I let out some screams, meaningless words that I heard from people around me. My lungs were filled with fresh air and popcorn's sweetness. Electricity went through my spine, gave me both fear and eagerness. Unexpectedly, I felt something wet on my face. God! Please do not tell me it was saliva! It was a few last seconds when I finally felt that I was not going to die. I could only enjoy the games when we had almost finished. When I got off the train, my leg was shaking, and I could not stand by myself. Overall, I did not know if I liked it. It was too fast. After the trip, I felt a little under the weather. Perhaps, I was not suitable for thrilling games. I pretended to be fine because I was the one who came up with this stuff. I drank water to pull down the hamburgers and popcorns in my stomach. Acting as I could do ten more rounds without frowning. But my artificial wall collapsed when my sister asked me to play the drop tower. I knew today was going to be my death anniversary if I tried that. I distracted my sister with the water park, and we kept on with the mirror maze, circus, and musical fountain until it was time to go for dinner.
It was a marvelous trip for me. Everything was perfect, but since that day, I have not played any thrilling games. My family was busy with work and school. We did not have a chance to go back to Phu Quoc. The island was my favorite memory when I went over the album. I loved my face in the picture and missed the smell of sea salt, as well as my remarkable roller coaster. Now, I was far away from my family, and it was even made me missed them more.
My name is Ngoc Pham. I like swimming and pretend to be my sister. Yes, I have a twin and we are very close. I like making people confuse and see their faces. My dream is to go around the world and taste every kind of food. I want to have my own restaurant.