Orlando Lights

"David, wake up!" I feel someone tugging at my arm. "David, the show is about to start!" My mother brushes her fingers across my cheek as I slowly open my eyes. I do not want to wake up. After all, I was finally in a deep sleep and my stroller is awfully comfortable. I look around my stroller to discover the night has arrived and the white blotches that my mother calls "stars" are painted across the night sky. It's extremely warm and humid out, the kind of weather that really makes my nose stuffy. My family took me on a big silver bird called the airplane and we went to some place called Disney World. I've never been here before, and there are a lot of things to discover here. My dad and my sister, Katie, have been going on a lot of fun looking rides together, but my mom tells me that I'm still too little to ride with them. This makes me a little sad, but it's ok with me as long as my mom doesn't leave me, too.

One thing I did not particularly like discovering was the abundance of giant animals here. Yesterday I was sitting at breakfast waiting for my mom to give me some food, and out of nowhere, this six-foot chipmunk jumps in front of me and starts to poke me in the stomach. Then when I scream to make him know I do not like to be touched by strange six-foot animals, he starts covering his eyes and jumping around. All I could think was, "This chipmunk wants to play peek-a-boo with me now?" I think not. What the heck was I supposed to do? I had to protect myself from this freak of nature, and the applesauce was all I could reach. I still think throwing it at him was a good idea, but all I got out of it was a good scolding by my dad. The thing that really bugged me was that Katie was happy to see all those oversized animals. She was running around with my mom getting them to write in her little blue book and taking pictures with them. Not me, though. I knew they were no good. I am petrified of those furry beasts.

Anyways, right now I can see a bunch of kids getting really excited for something coming down the street. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but it must be a truck full of baby food or toys or something, because these kids are really excited. I can hear music playing, and it makes me want to march around. As I start to kick my feet to the beat, my mom lifts me out of my stroller and holds me in her arms.

BOOM! Ah! Out of nowhere this huge blast sounds across the night. I jump a mile and hide in my mom's shoulder. She does not seem the least bit afraid of the loud noise, and instead of covering my ears, she tickles me and tells me to look over at a colossal castle to my left. I do as she says, although I am still weary of the loud noise. Suddenly there is a flash of light in the sky and an assortment of red and green sparks rain down on the Magic Kingdom.

"Ooh! Ahh!" exclaim the crowds of people watching the light show.

"David, those are fireworks. Aren't they pretty?" asks my mom. In all honesty, despite the scary noises that come with them, the fireworks are a delight. I watch more fireworks of all different colors rain down to the earth, each one more beautiful than the last. Suddenly my mom points me in a new direction, back towards where I thought the truck of baby food was coming from.

"Here they come, David!" my mom tells me. Who are they? I have no idea, but the fireworks and the music have been all right, so this must be something good, too. I try to look around some people in front of me, but I still am not able to see anything. I look across the street and I see people cheering and waving and all the kids jumping up and down. I am starting to get really eager to see what is coming. It must be the main event, because people are not even watching the fireworks anymore. As the mysterious object makes its way closer to me, I can see the people closer to me getting more and more excited. What could this possibly be? I cannot wait to find out. BOOM! BOOM! The fireworks continue to explode above my head, and the lovely melody plays over the speakers surrounding Main Street USA. The kids next to me start waving and yelling. My sister starts jumping and smiling ear to ear.

"David! Look who's coming! Look!" Katie yells at