Funland:
Fantasy World is a popular family run theme park just outside the outskirts of Seattle, Washington. Two million people passed through its stylish entrance gates last year (2008), many being returning visitors.
Split into five distinctly themed areas, the park has also won numerous awards and nominated for even more.
Such areas include Egypt, Italy, China, Mexico and New Zealand, each with their own roller coasters and an assortment of other rides both big and small, for the big and small.
Another detail of note that has won the park even more plaudits is their criminal record check at the entrance gate, and those more likely to be seen causing trouble are watched with close scrutiny throughout the theme park by security cameras and guards via the aid of a ring shaped tag the park issues at the entrance that these potential culprits must wear around their arm or leg to ensure the security cameras can track them at all times.
This very check has ensured that Fantasy World and the area around it has the lowest crime rate of any amusement park in the whole of the United States of America.
Visiting the park today (17th November 2009) however are two off duty crime unit agents Alex Manning and Dwight Miller, a day for them to forget their every day troubles either at work or domestically at home.
Alex is six foot three inches tall, fifteen stone and inevitably, fully dedicated to his job. His features include short, flat black hair, blue eyes and normally wears jeans with a black leather jacket atop a white shirt.
Distinguishing features include silver bars protruding from his left eyebrow and a lengthy scar along the length of his right cheek, beginning just below his eye and finishing up right on the corner of his mouth.
The scar is the result of a horrific knife slashing by an armed thief a few years back that almost left him for dead.
Alex is also twenty-eight years of age.
Dwight Miller is his assigned partner within the Serial Crimes Unit and is much older at forty years of age.
He is of African-American descent and stands at six foot five inches tall and weighs in at seventeen stone. He has little hair atop his head and green eyes, and typically is seen clad in jeans and a dark hoodie over an equally dark shirt, both normally emblazoned with the face and logo of his favourite rap artists.
Apart from having large muscles, Dwight does not have any stand out distinguishing features.
The two of them passed the fingerprint scanner test that coincides with the police criminal records check at the theme park's entrance gates and after collecting their tickets and a park map, it's time for them to be ushered through the gates to Fantasy World.
Upon doing so, it seemed like they had left behind one world for another, as themed pagodas and restaurants as well as the 'Great Wall of China' were all present in what would usually form the main street area in a typical amusement park.
The park's elaborate globetrotting themes gave it a surreal edge, as the pyramids of Egypt could be spotted in the distance over the entrance area's Chinese theme.
The joyous screams emanating from the nearby Black Dragon, the China area's premier attraction dominated the sound nearby as did the roar of the train traversing the track.
The Bolliger & Mabillard manufactured 'flying roller coaster' is likely to be Fantasy World's most popular ride and probably the most thrilling as it gracefully meanders through twists, corkscrews and a large, graceful 'pretzel loop' element that towers over the China area, looking greatly intimidating with its black track and golden supports holding the ride up.
Both Alex and Dwight grinned as they set eyes on the beast nearby.
"So is that what we tackle first?" Alex enquired calmly as he glanced over at his work partner.
"Perhaps..." Dwight responded bluntly as the pair of them wandered in search of the ride's entrance.
Passing gift shops and restaurants on the way, Alex and Dwight encountered a child's toy left seemingly carelessly on the ground. Dwight slowly and cautiously scooped it up, realising he had been an SCU agent long enough to understand that things are not always what they seem.
Fortunately, no repercussions occurred as the pair studied the dark brown teddy bear for a moment and concluded there is nothing unusual about the toy.
"We ride Black Dragon first, then we check this in to lost property." Dwight declared with a do-gooder attitude about him. Alex agreed with his partner almost immediately as they came across the elaborate pagoda themed entrance building that houses the Black Dragon station and boarding platform.
Unusually the queue had become almost non-existent between them and the ride itself.
"Odd. This ride always has a big queue." Alex pryed, almost in concern as he referenced his previous visit.
The two of them continued onwards regardless, soon reaching the indoor section of the queue line, both admiring the rich attention to detail, including large, elaborate carvings of dragons in the walls, 'scorch' marks and even claw scratches on every surface.
Alex turned around to relieve sweat from his head and almost gasped out aloud when he saw a little girl standing a few feet away, staring back at him. She appeared to have long, poorly coiffured jet black hair that also covered her face from view and wore a hood over her head connected to a plain black hoodie.
Alex rubbed his eyes for a moment and then looked back to see she had since disappeared. He shook his head in disbelief at what he saw and then turned his attention back to the roller coaster.
"You were in your own little world then." Dwight mocked his partner and chuckled in Alex's face.
"Fuck you..." Alex bluntly responded as they reached the ride waiting area to board the train. Assigned a row number, they found themselves waiting for the front of the train.
The Black Dragon station, unlike the queue for the ride, appeared packed with excited future riders as they waited their turn. Men, women and children shared their enthusiasm and kept the lively atmosphere thriving.
Alex and Dwight looked at the large statue of the black dragon itself, its stomach penetrated to allow the track of the ride to thread through the middle.
Its large wingspan meant its wings curved around two sides of the station as if to appear dominant over the proceedings.
Fake candles also illuminated the circumference of the station and yet more carvings of the mythical creatures engraved in the walls.
Alex looked through the belly of the beast and spotted who appeared to be the same little girl he saw a few moments ago walk across on the outside of the ride station, before the sudden sounds of screams emanating from the Black Dragon's present riders jolted him away from comprehending thoughts for what he thought he noticed.
The train they will board arrived. The seats tilted forwards to the upright sitting position slowly and the ride operators unlocked the restraints to allow excited ride survivors to disembark and head for the exit.
"You fucking pigs!" A scruffy man called out as he spotted Dwight and Alex in the waiting area having just been on the ride himself.
He appeared drunk as he staggered off. The partners knew him from a previous crime and noted he has one of the theme park's security tags present on his leg.
"Why don't you fuck off and leave it while you can, huh?" Dwight asked him calmly, showing the one time criminal a pair of handcuffs attached to his belt. The man shook his head and drooped his hand in a sarcastic gesture to the two crime unit agents before walking off cockily.
Alex placed the teddy bear in a storage rack for loose items to ensure they do not lose it on the ride and, along with Dwight, took his place on the front row, seating himself on the padded seat and pulled down the grey vest like restraint, also locking his feet into place as he did so.
The ride operators checked that every restraint along the train is locked securely in place and having found no faults, signalled for the ride to begin.
The inside of the station turned a deep shade of red and the almighty roar of the black dragon sounded throughout the building. The seats then tilted back so each rider lay on their front over the restraint, giving the sensation of flying.
"Oh yeah here we go, baby. This ride fucking owns, man." Dwight felt the need to remark as the train began to crawl along the black track and through the belly of the black dragon...
To be continued.....
