“THAT WAS FUCKING AWESOME!” Nick yelled as he exited the rollercoaster car.

He turned to look at his friend and bandmate, Brian Littrell.  He looked white as a ghost.  It make Nick snicker.  It had taken some fast talking and smoozing from Nick, but he finally talked Brian into going on the ride. 

“Please watch your language Nick.  There are kids around” Brian scolded him.

“Whatever” Nick responded as he walked over to the cubby where riders kept their things then put his beloved, black black fadora back on his head.  

As they walked through the gate and down the exit ramp of the ride, they discussed which ride to go on next.  Nick always wanted to go on the adrenaline pumping rides where Brian was more of a Merry-Go-Round kinda guy. 

As they talked, a big gust of wind came up and took Nick’s hat right off  his head.  It had blown into a fenced in area just below the rollercoaster they had just ridden.  Without even thinking about it, not seeing the “DO NOT ENTER” sign, Nick side-leapt the fence after his favorite hat.  Running over, he bent down to pick it up.  Then stood up.

“A-HA! Got….

It happened so fast, he had no time to react, cutting him off mid-sentence.  A car of the coaster whizzed by just as he stood back up.  A girl’s leg had been sticking out of the side of the car.  Her foot connected with Nick’s head with so much force that it ripped it from his neck, sending it flying like a football that had just been punted.  Nick’s body fell to the ground,  jerking and spazzing all over the place, blood squirting like a geyser, spraying on passersby, including Brian.  Brian let out a blood-curtailing scream then passed out from the scene that was before him. 

It was later discovered that his bloody head was found at a nearby vendor’s cart, on one of the paper cones that held cotton candy, one of Nick’s favorite amusement park treats.