"One More Bolt" - A Short Story by Jack Flack/SAZ

    Sandy franticly dialed the number of the amusement park
again.  Four rings.  Five rings.  "Answer the God damn
phone," she whispered to herself.  The phone felt heavy in
her palm as it slipped back and forth in her hand from the
sweat pouring out of her palm.  Eight rings.  Nine rings.
Gently, she placed the phone back in the receiver, and sat
back down at the kitchen table, going over the note that
Walter had left on the table one last time.

    "Dear Sandy,
         Please forgive me for what I am about to do.  I know
    that suicide is no answer, believe me, I do, but there
    are many things that are more important than my own life.
    I can't stand to see the kids go without eating.  I can't
    stand picking which bills can wait a little while and
    which can wait longer ... I'm tired of it all.  Please
    take care of the kids, which I know you will do, and in
    turn, and you must trust me on this-I will take care of
    you.  I always figured I'd die on the Topsy Spinner
    anyhow.
                         Love Always,
                                      Walter"

    Miles away, sitting in the Topsy Spinner, sat Walter.
Walter brushed his greasy hair to one side and back over his
ear before the ride began.  He had tried this stunt before.
Not to this extent, of course, but he knew he could pull it
off; he had gone over it in his head a thousand times.
    As the ride attendant came by the check the bar which
held Walter in his capsule of life, Walter knew exactly what
to do.  Lodging his foot between the area where the bar could
move made the bar feel like it was securely latched.  The
attendent, a pimply faced 15 year old at best, pulled on the
padded bar, which didn't budge an inch.  He nodded at Walter,
who nodded back, and then continued on his journey around the
ride.
    Walter's hands began to sweat.  It wasn't like he was
killing himself for no reason.  He was taking care of his
family.  Walter had planned this moment for years.  As a
matter of fact, one time, earlier in the summer, Walter had
planned to pull of the deed in it's entirety; unfortunately
at the last minute, he was forced to share his seat with
another man, and the plan had to be postponed.
    It was time.  Slowly, the Topsy Spinner began to move
around in a circle.  It would only be a matter of seconds
before Walter would perform his heroic actions.  As the Topsy
Spinner began to pick up speed, Walter reached into his
pocket at retreived his metric socket wrench, a 3/8".
Quickly, after removing his foot from the safety bar, Walter
removed the two bolts holding in the foam padded restraint.
    The next few moments seemed to blur together as one swift
motion.  According to spectators, as the ride began to pick
up speed, the safety restraint on one of the cars broke,
sending it's occupant flying out of the ride and through a
fence, breaking his neck instantly upon impact.  Of course,
the five o'clock news would be quick in pointing out the
lawsuit potential of the case, the poor widow who had to
suffer through such an event, and his three starving
children.

    Sandy remained sitting at the table for almost two hours.
Suddenly, the phone rang.  Sandy listened to the voice on the
other end of the telephone.  She suddenly gasped, held her
hand over her mouth, and excused herself for a moment.  And
just then, she did something that her children to this day
still think was somewhat peculiar.  Sandy took a piece of
paper off of the table, wadded it up, and flushed it down the
toilet.

(c) 1994 Jack Flack/Soulz At Zero