Crowds.
Sunshine.
Clanking sounds, like ghosts dragging chains.
A strain of popular music grates through a public address
system, poking out occasionally from:
Screaming.
Crying.
Bells tinkling as a two carriage train fights through the crowd. A mother curses as poorly trained staff fail
to manage a queue.
Laughter.
Foreign languages.
‘Can we go on the spider again?’
‘It’s your birthday.
You can go as many times as you like.’
Disneyland has longer queues and shorter wait times.
One of the rides is closed down.
Weeds grow between the uneven pavement.
Purple uniforms are hoisted to the waist to stop them falling down.
Broken down Mad Mouse carriages sit in full view.
Yet happiness reigns.
Are Melbournites so cheap?
Where is our high quality theme park?
Where is the Big Dipper? And the
River Caves? I miss the Giggle Palace.
Yet happiness reigns.
Only one staff member per ride to keep the costs down and
the time between rides interminable. Yet
people wait.
The Scenic Railway is ninety-nine years old. It has the longest queue. We wait, and buy the picture of the children,
arms raised high and mouths open in giggle-screams.
Happiness reigns.
No comments:
Post a Comment