Descriptive Essay. Doc

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Jeffrey Thompson Larry Neuburger Eng Comp 101-132 February 24, 2011 Descriptive Essay Fond Memories As I sit in my chair comprised of rugged leather and jagged plastic, I reflect upon my time in California. The shifting sand surrounded the bare skin of my feet as I paced along the beach. The pearlescent water skimming between my fingers as the emerald tunnel closely surrounds me. The floral scents of suntan lotion, as well as the chalky stench of sunscreen filled my nose. How I relish the memories of a time not long forgotten. I was a 16 year-old playboy, believing that I already achieved enlightenment on a level most couldn't possibly fathom. Looking back, I realize now that all I did is revel in many temptations of the human flesh. I remember the sweet, almost rosy scent of my ex-girlfriend Jennifer. She always waited at the beach for my return, only to clamp her velvety arms around my neck. Sometimes even lather my face with kisses from her silky lips. To be young in California, perhaps may have been the best time of my life. I resided in the glamorous city of Harbor City. During the day, riding the turquoise waves of the Pacific, however, the night is a different story of sorts. I recall a time I rushed through the sea of lights, as I clamped onto her delicate hand. We rushed to the carnival of lights on the docks of the beach. The smell of cotton candy filled the air. You could hear screams of joy resonating throughout the carnival. Jennifer pulled my hand and led me to the Ferris wheel with a squeal of joy. I knew in her mind the entire night already came into plain view, mine, on the other hand, did not have a clue. The nightlife actually became the main attraction in Harbor City. The carnivorous, aquamarine waves came second to a life of partying and enjoying the fast-paced city underneath the luminous light of the moon.

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While she rushed both me and her throughout the sea of lights and faces, I glanced upon her visage to see a gleam in her eyes the likes of which I had not witnessed before. True, it remained throughout the duration of our relationship, but tonight seemed rather different. We finally reached the Ferris wheel. Her azure eyes pleaded with me to get on, and I wasn’t about to refuse. As the colossal fusion of steel and cloth locked me inside, I realized my fears boiling to the surface. I watched as the gargantuan began to rotate, and I began ascending to the stars above. I grew timid each inch I moved further towards not only the sky, but the overwhelming feeling of doom washing over. I cannot tell you if she could read my mind or not, but she gripped the surface of my arm and nestled her head into my chest. To forget such an overwhelming fear certainly remains a difficult task to this day, but she accomplished it with only a few seemingly insignificant movements. The mechanical beast continued rotating as the moon disappeared behind a blend of steel and flesh. The crisp night air that filled my nostrils slowly faded, only to be replaced by a mixture of cotton candy, sweat, and other differential smells. As I moved, it seemed that the temperature went the opposite direction. I felt a wondrous cool breeze at the top of the contraption, and a torridness caress my skin until it consumed me. Confronting my overwhelming fear of heights rewarded me with a rather abrupt stop. She refused me time to respire before she hastened through the wondrous ocean of colors and smells. When we finally reached a place to rest, I remember rapidly exhaling and inhaling, thinking of how I would rather just take a breath than fill my lungs with the noxious fumes of a cigarette. I finally persuaded her into relaxing for a moment to breathe. I decided to light a cigarette, and inhaled as the fumes began to fill my lungs, only to be blown into the night air. She only allotted me enough time for a few puffs of the Marlboro as she repeated the consequences of even touching the toxic abomination. She did not tell me anything that I had not heard from doctors even years before that day. She whined throughout our entire rest period, complaining of

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how we had so little time. We honestly did not know at that time how right she was, but that should be reserved for a different story. Her soft hands encompass mine as she pulls me towards our next adventure for the night. Upon our arrival, I witnessed a monolithic structure towering over me. I gazed upon “The Dragon” as it was so aptly named. The passengers screams faded in and out as the iron beast sped across the tracks. Lightning followed behind him as he glided across the metal. The ride screeched as it came to a halt in front of me. It was almost as if the beast tried to challenge me. Jennifer and I eagerly accepted his challenge. In actuality, she eagerly accepted his challenge, I reluctantly did so. The unkempt driver locked me into the twisted contraption. I gripped the bar, as it could mean the difference between life or death. I know now that couldn’t have been the case, but youth dramatized the majority of my life at that point in time. I glanced over to see her expression, hoping to see some sign of distress to comfort mine. As I saw her face, disappointment fell over me, leaving me alone in my fright. My cranium launched back as the ride furiously jerked forward before the expedition it rode countless times before. Breathless, I gripped the bar as the leviathan pushed farther into the sky. “The Dragon” bellowed as he sped to a velocity rivaled only by jets of today's caliber. Tears blurred my vision, stretching the stars until they became one whole entity. The joyful sounds of the carnival deafened by the howl of the wind as the chill blanketed me. We encountered turn after turn, feeling my breath escaping me as my contents try to pry from my body. We finally creeped to a complete stop, with the glorious feeling that I had conquered the mighty beast. I stepped out with Jennifer clasping my hands. Throughout the blur, I couldn’t make out her expressions, even if I tried to look. Glancing at my watch, I realized curfew had passed, and I certainly did not wish to face the wrath of my grandparents. She tried to coerce me into staying, but my hand slipped from her grasp as I trudged to my grandparents’ house. Instantly, her mood had changed from gloom to a brightness that rivaled even the sun. She locked her arms around my neck and whispered in my ear, “I love you” as her eyes began to shut. Her

Thompson head rested on me as I walked her to her humble abode. The oak steps creaked as I slowly crept up composed of what appeared to be broken glass. Her peaceful expression deterred me from waking her from her slumber. I spotted a bench beside the door and laid her down, leaving my jacket to both comfort and warm her. Even to this day, my jacket remains in her possession. I kissed her tender forehead, as sweat and perfume filled my nostrils as well as my lungs. I pressed onward to my grandparents’ home under the lights above, to sleep in the comfort of my silky sheets.

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