Original writing - the roller coaster

A huge roller coaster - The Whirlwind - dominated the skyline, and we followed the signs straight there, hoping to be the first in the line. Somehow a few others had beaten us to it, but we weren't made to wait for long. We climbed aboard and pulled down the safety rail, me and the wife in front, the two kids behind. Phew, what a ride! Loops, curls, corkscrews and so fast. The g-force was, to quote the kids, 'Heavy'. They wanted a second go immediately, but I said we should try a few of the other rides first, and bought them 'I Rode The Whirlwind' t-shirts from a nearby souvenir stand to keep them happy.

A few rides later, I was getting hungry and the kids were ravenous. There was a burger stand handy, so I treated the family to burgers and fries. We ate them by a fountain in the picnic area, in the cool shade of the trees. Bliss. The food was good, but the salty fries soon had us all thirsty, so it was out with the wallet again for a few colas and the inevitable ice creams.

As I put my litter in the bin I noticed the kids had left rubbish on the grass, but before I could get them to pick it up one of the park workers had whisked it away. Still, the day wouldn't have been complete without giving the kids a good telling off and their subsequent tantrums.

Refreshed and rejuvenated I felt like a challenge, so I chanced my arm on the Coconut Shy. Those coconuts must have been glued in, because I hit them on the full a few times but they didn't budge. Then my son decided to humiliate me by hitting the cans for six in Tin Can Alley. Now it was my turn to sulk, so I decided to cool off in the Saloon while the wife and kids went off exploring.

When I emerged I needed to answer a call of nature, and the clear sign posting meant I'd found a toilet in no time. The Super Toilet was so clean and user-friendly, I remember thinking I could have stayed there for hours. Next I headed for the Wishing Well, a meeting place for separated families, and sure enough the wife was waiting with the little ones.

They'd had a marvellous time in my absence, had travelled all over the park by Monorail, and hadn't even minded the inevitable shower of rain because a man dressed as a chicken handed out umbrellas to protect them. Plus they rode the Whirlwind for a second time and it was even faster than before, speeded up for extra thrills.

We stood and watched a spectacular fireworks display as the sky grew darker, and then tired but happy made our way back to the bus. All in all, the family's day out at Mystique just couldn't have been any better."