Excerpt from Chapter 1: Desparate Prayer on a Roller Coaster


The excitement of his first roller coaster ride didn't allow him to think about how scary it might be. It wasn't until after he found himself creeping up the first giant hill, strapped in the front row of the roller coaster, that Mike's fears began to get the best of him.

As the powerful chain jerked the front section of the coaster that Mike and his sister were sitting in, he was startled by the loud clanking noises from the gears and pulleys. "It was never this loud watching with Mom from the ground," Mike thought to himself. The quick jerk threw his head back violently and Mike was left wishing he was back on a safe kiddy ride.

Mike was afraid for his life so he held onto the safety bar stretched across his lap as tightly as he possibly could. And, suddenly, he found himself pleading to God to spare him. Mike quietly prayed the first prayer that came to his lips, "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you - "

"Clankety clank!" went the chain pulley. Another pause in the ascent, and then, another violent jerking motion. "Blessed art thou amongst women. And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."

With each word, the coaster moved higher and higher and before long Mike could barely make out the faces of the people below. He could see the entire park from up here now and he wanted nothing more than for this roller coaster to stop so that he could get off. He was certain that death was near; it was impossible in his mind for a young boy with so little strength to hold on like this much longer. He was going to fall out of his seat and plummet to his death on the tracks below - he just knew it. And so he began to shout his prayer out loud, "HOLY MARY! MOTHER OF GOD! PRAY FOR US SINNERS NOW AND AT THE HOUR OF OUR DEATH! AMEN!"

The rickety old wooden roller coaster finally made its way to the top. While everyone else was shouting for joy, Mike went on screaming, "HAIL MARY! FULL OF GRACE," He prayed even though no one could hear his screaming because of the driving wind and the cranking of the loud chain pulley. The only one who could hear Mike's prayer was his sister Allie who was smiling, laughing and screaming all at the same time.

Then the coaster appeared to stop at the very top. What a blessing! - More time for last minute prayers. "...the Lord is with Thee! Blessed art thou amongst women! And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, AAHH!!"

SWOOSH! The free fall began.

"HOLY MARY!! - AAAHHH!!" All the way to the bottom the coaster fell to where a sharp turn waited for them. Mike's body was thrown into his sister as they whirled around to the right, back up a hill and then quickly down another. "MOTHER OF AAAHHH!!"

An agonizing thirty seconds later (although to Mike it seemed like an eternity) the roller coaster found its way back home to the starting house. As it came rolling through, Mike whispered a prayer of thanksgiving to God that his life had been spared and that he would soon be getting off the ride and kissing the sweet ground below.

But as Mike passed through the housing with the rest of the coaster behind him, it did not slow down. He glanced at the blur of the crowd and he saw that the park attendant who was supposed to be applying the brakes was caught off guard. The young man was too busy talking with a female coworker to notice that the coaster had already made it back. Before Mike realized what had happened, his sister smiled at him and yelled, "All right! We get to go again!"

Mike thought he was going to get sick. He didn't know whether to cry or scream. Just when he thought his nightmare was over - he was about to relive it all over again. "HAIL MARY! FULL OF GRACE! WAAHH!!"

Suddenly Mike found himself back at the courtyard of St. Gabriel Church. The memory from his childhood brought back all of the same kind of emotions that he had just felt inside the Church while waiting in the confessional line. The feeling of being scared for his life, the fear of the unknown, the anxiety of having to face it all alone. And in that quiet moment, he looked up at the statue of the Blessed Mother for guidance. He had always felt a special connection with the Blessed Mother ever since his mother's death; and if ever there was a time when he needed her help, it was now.

In her face he always found comfort. Over the years he had come to realize that she understood pain and sorrow more than anyone. In her presence, he did not feel judged - only loved. It was then that he felt assured that the Mother of God would hear his prayers and come to his aid just as she had done those many years before at the amusement park.

So, taking a deep breath, he turned around and headed back toward the front of the church. Mike now had the courage to finish what he had started.

And as he walked quietly back to the front door, Mike thought about the events of the past few days which had led him to this pivotal moment in his life. It had all begun in Sister Clara's religion class the other day -