Love, A Magical Journey

Love is a two-minute ride in the Viking at the carnival.

You patiently fall in line at the ticket booth with other people, waiting for your turn to get that tiny yellow ticket that you wondered for a second how it cost that much for a very short ride. But you get one anyway and went on to your way. 

You couldn't decide first where to sit, trying to figure out which could the best seat be where that ticket you paid for would be worth it. You try to feel where would your three-minute ride be unforgettable. So you chose to seat at the very last row and put on the safety bar.

The ship slowly roared to life, with gentle sways for some time that made you think that maybe it wouldn't be as bad as what you heard from people behind the line on the ticket booth from a while ago. And it continued to sway back and forth at the same pace for a minute.

Then it caught you by surprise when it swings too hard and for the next two minutes, you felt like your insides are throwing themselves out of your system. And you can't help yourself from shouting at the top of your lungs, feeling the euphoria building up together with every back and forth swing of the ride. But it didn't matter because you felt really happy despite the dangers in it.

And then it came to its stop, and your euphoria too. You walked away from the ride thinking 'what the hell just happened.' And you kept walking, hands in your pockets, finding another ride while wondering how it lasted so short like love sometimes where there's only a three-minute feeling of euphoria and mostly rushed but costs you more than necessary.

But love is a Ferris wheel ride too. 

Not many people were in the ticket booth line because maybe it's one of the clichés rides like a wheel turning slowly and people sometimes don't like to take things slow. But you got your ticket anyway and head for a booth. You didn't even mind how much it cost.

And it started to turn and sometime later you're at the top and it let you see the whole place, the whole carnival for what it really is, the glow of the lights and the cold yet shy caress of the wind against your skin. And you take it all in. You take it all in, letting everything sink in you slowly. You took your time and you enjoyed it too.

And you have that gentle smile on your face with your eyes closed, slow and at ease breathing. You felt more than euphoria, you were contented too. It felt like the time there at the top flows differently from the rest of the world and you let it. You thought to yourself, 'this is what love is too.'