Chug！ Chug！ Chug！ The rollercoaster roared as I rose higher and higher into the air. High above the bustle1） of Paris， my sister and I rose and plunged on the snakelike coaster. My stomach started sinking like the Titanic when I dared look down for a split second2）.

Why did I do this to myself？ I silently screamed， not really wanting to answer my own question.

In a blink of an eye， we were almost at the top， and I felt my stomach clench3） as I stared wide-eyed at the gargantuan4） drop！

If I could have one wish， it would be to freeze this moment. I could not mentally move past this point. One second later， reality belly-.opped5） me into a black hole.

Chug！ Chug！ Chug！ The rollercoaster taunted6） me. All I could think about was how high I had climbed， how soon the death-defying drop would make me plummet7） into an abyss8）， and why I had agreed to do this.

"Aren't you excited about the big drop， Izzy？" Hannah asked， gazing at me as joy shot through her voice like a sunbeam.

"Yeah，" I muttered， not looking at her.

I was lying both to her and myself.

Think happy thoughts， I told myself， but how could I think that way when the once bright sapphire sky was now dark and gloomy and the grass under me no longer seemed green but shadow black？ I shut my eyes， not ready for what lay ahead. I would face the drop in .ve， four， three， two ...

"ARGHHHHH！" my sister and I screamed. I hurled my hands in the air and let the wind run against my arms， and to my surprise， it didn't turn out to be as scary as I had thought it would be.

After the ride was over， I realized I enjoyed conquering my fears and trying new challenges.

"See， wasn't that fun， Izzy？" my older sister asked， turning to me with her golden smile.

"Yeah， do you want to go again？" I asked， my voice singing with confidence as I gazed up at the giant rollercoaster with pride.

"Sure."

With that， Hannah and I clasped hands conspiratorially9）， and we joined the line.

1. bustle [.b.sl] n. 繁忙；喧鬧

2. split second： 一刹那

3. clench [klent.] vi. 收紧

4. gargantuan [ɡɑ..ɡ.nt.u.n] adj. 庞然的；巨大的

5. belly-flop： 跳水时肚子先碰到水面，这里指让我肚子朝下坠落。

6. taunt [t..nt] vt. 嘲笑，奚落

7. plummet [.pl.m.t] vi. （通常指从高处）快速落下，陡直掉下

8. abyss [..b.s] n. 深渊

9. conspiratorially [k.n.sp.r..t..ri.li] adv. 密谋地endprint