I was the last one on the bouncy castle at the fair. It was fairly big and could fit around 20 people. A bunch of plastic orange pillars came down on the sides, and I could look up to see the crimson top of the castle. My mom was going out to get some food for us, so she let me stay in here to pass time. I was surprised no one was in here—bouncy castles are usually always pretty crowded where I’m from. I continued to jump onto the bouncy castle, springing up and being launched into the air until I almost touch the ceiling. Loud, blaring fair music plays in the background, but screams of joy, fear, and happiness drown the music out.

I jumped down into the ground, my heart racing and beating out of my chest. I was out of breath now. I pulled on the plastic exit path, but it wouldn’t budge. I started kicking at it but made minimal progress. I eventually just layed down on the hard plastic, the sound of the castle being inflated suddenly stopped. I looked around the bouncy castle. The floor was suddenly starting to droop down, faster than it normally does. I got up but the castles floor just sank down, and my head met the hard grass. Now a giant hole was ripped in the floor. I scrambled to get out of it, watching as the castle walls started to droop and collapse. The once vibrant colors reflected the inevitable collapse. A plastic wall collapsed on top of me before I tried to get on top of it but I was smacked with another collapsing pillar, sent flying to the ground where I ripped yet another hole. 

I turned around and scraped down the exit door, kicking and punching. Simultaneously, my body sank down oneo the ground. I could feel the air leaving the bouncy house as I tried to free myself, and it all happened so fast that I couldn’t even scream. I desperately attempted to climb back up but I was sucked right back down, now stuck in a deep, dark abyss. My arms were too short to reach the exit anymore as the walls caved in. The rest of them collapsed on top of me, all I could see was the light from the suns glare. Now felt like the right time to scream, but with all the music and happy children already, it was barely audible…