“Rose! Agggh! Where did he go? Where are we?” Mitzi yelled into the darkened path before them. Running at full speed unable to see was beginning to make her nervous. Nearly too late, she skid to a halt, bumping into Rose.

“Ouch!” Rose exclaimed. “Easy there, Mitzi!” she rubbed her elbow where Mitzi had collided into it and tried to look around.

“Sorry, couldn’t see you. In fact, I can’t see a thing! Where is that little furball?” Mitzi asked. Gurgi was nowhere to be found.

“Shhh! Listen! I hear something!” Rose whispered. Straining in silence, there was a sound floating towards them in the corridor that they could barely hear. It was ahead of them, and there seemed to be few other options available. “Come on, Mitzi. Gurgi has to be down that way. I think we are almost out of time; my arm is tingling.”

The two began to run at breakneck speed towards the mysterious noise. “Amazing how we always seem to fit a workout into our day, isn’t it?” Mitzi asked as they ran. Rose had to admit to herself that she was a lot less breathless than she would have been even a week before, but she didn’t have long to ponder that fact.

The corridor came to an abrupt end. There were no tunnels, and no doors.

“Oh, great. Now what do we do?” Mitzi leaned against the musty and damp wall behind her. Rose thought for a moment. “I have absolutely no idea. Maleficent would be so proud to point out my current state of ignorance,” Rose added.

The two sat down, tired and frightened. “Is your arm still tingling?” Mitzi asked.

Rose nodded and sighed. A few moments of silence passed, and neither of them spoke. Suddenly, there was a loud, muffled vibration that shook the foundation of where they were sitting.

“What the he…” Mitzi began and was interrupted as music blared and washed over them. They did not bother to speak, for the music was literally shaking the walls. Standing up slowly, they held onto each other partially for balance and partially out of fear. A beam of light slowly broke through from a circular crack surrounding where they were standing.

“WHOOOSH,” air rushed through the crack, blowing their hair and causing them to close their eyes as the music became even louder. Then, they moved.

Slowly, the platform began to slide open as it became wider and wider. They were going to fall, and began to scramble for some sort of foot or hand hold, but there was none to be found. Hearts beating frantically, they prepared themselves for the fall that was certain.

Mitzi screamed as what was left of the platform disappeared beneath them and they fell into the unknown. Rose was holding her breath. Eyes still closed, they were positive this would be the end and both prayed for a quick and painless demise.

Landing in a less than graceful manner, the two were separated by foliage and flowers. Mitzi was stuck. Consequently, she was flailing in the air, suspended by her belt which had snagged upon an unknown captor. Rose had landed due west of Mitzi in what appeared to be a gigantic orchid of some sort.

“Rose? ROOOOOSE?” Mitzi yelled, flailing and quickly becoming exasperated. The blaring music had stopped during their fall, but unfortunately so did the light.

“Mitzi? I am ok- are you ok? Where are you?” she called to her friend.

“I think…I think I am above you. I’m stuck on something! I can’t get down! I can’t see a thing!” Mitzi added.

“Hang on. I’m coming,” Rose answered, trying to think of something. Inspired by the immediate urgency of the situation, she became desperate. Reaching into her pack, she grabbed the Piece of History pin the fairies had told her to hide at the beginning of the adventure. “I sure hope this works,” she thought to herself. 

Raising the pin out of her pack, she was not disappointed. Although she knew she was the only one who would benefit from her gift of this highlighting, a light pierced the darkness as swiftly as if it were Jack Sparrow’s sword. Rose gasped. “I don’t believe it.”

Holding the pin above her head, she illuminated the area and scanned for Mitzi. She was not prepared for the sight she saw. Mitzi was indeed suspended in mid air- held by the back of her waist by what appeared to be a giant bird.

“Rose? You still there? Rose I want down from here! My arm is tingling now, too! What do we do?” Mitzi was becoming more frantic and Rose realized she could not see the magical light at all.

“It’s going to be fine Mitzi, I can see, just relax,” Rose answered calmly, knowing it would not assist her friend in any manner should she inform her she was caught by a bird. Rose then realized her leg had begun to tingle as well. This was not good by any stretch of the imagination.

Lighting her way using the pin, she began to examine the area around the bird. There was a vine at its base that snaked upwards towards the huge body. “Here we go again,” Rose whispered to herself as she walked cautiously towards the vine, prepared to climb.

Grabbing onto the vine, she called out to Mitzi. “I’m coming, Mitzi. I think I found a way to get you down!”

Mitzi, still flailing a bit but slightly calmer, was pleased at this news. “Thank goodness. I am beginning to regret this trip more and more.”

Rose climbed the vine, careful not to lose the pin that she had attached to her shirt. One step after another, she climbed higher and higher. Her heart was thumping in her ears as her other arm began to tingle. “Oh, no,” she gasped, knowing the two were almost out of time and opportunity. A second later, she ran out of vine and discovered she was setting foot on the back of the bird. Grasping as best she could onto the feathers, she steadied herself and inched forward towards the head of the bird.

“Is that you? I hear something!” Mitzi yelled.

“Yes, I am right here, but Mitzi I am losing feeling in my hands,” Rose replied. “This is going to be close!”

“OK, I am ready,” Mitzi understood, noticing that she had lost all feeling in her legs and arms.

Rose struggled to reach the beak of the bird, balancing precariously on its neck. Reaching forward as far as she could, she grasped Mitzi’s belt with as much strength as she could muster. “Hang on to it, but undo your belt, Mitzi- hurry! Do not let go!”

Mitzi didn’t argue. Drawing in her breath, she pulled on the belt to allow the buckle to free. She screamed as she grabbed on to the end of the belt at the same moment Rose swung her arm behind her, and Rose followed, grabbing a fist full of feathers. Neither of them was prepared for what followed.

All at exactly the same time, a spotlight lit up the area, and a booming voice said something neither of them could discern. They held fast to the feathers, but abruptly they needed to hang on to more, for the women grew. Rapidly.

As the theme to the Tiki Room played, the two women realized where they were. They were clinging to the framework of Fritz, the Tiki Room bird, several feet above the ground. They could see no one in the audience, fortunately, but the show was playing nonetheless. Mitzi was the first to respond as she regained feeling in her limbs. She dangled over the side, hanging on to Fritz’s perch and stretched out as far as she could before letting go. She landed on her feet. Rose soon followed and the two looked at one another, bursting out laughter and tears.

“I was stuck on Fritz!” Mitzi laughed, hugging Rose.

 “I don’t ever want to be that small again,” Rose said as she hugged Mitzi back. “That was unreal.”

“It may have been unreal, but you saved me!” Mitzi exclaimed. “Again.”

Rose nodded. “Yes, so maybe you will let me choose the book for our book club next time?”

Mitzi laughed, glancing around the Polynesian styled room at all of the singing flowers. It was marvelous. They stood in the cool space catching their breath as the show concluded.

When all was quiet at last, they pondered their current plight.

“Rose, why would the show be going on when there is no one in here?” Mitzi asked, perplexed.

“I can answer that one, ladies, if you will allow me to do so,” a masculine voice suddenly boomed from the back row of bench seats. 

Diary of a Mad Pin Trader- Chapter 21

Icy, With a Chance of Fur

Roselyn felt as if she were in a dream and could not awaken. The past few days and the wild adventures her dearest friend, Mitzi, had shared with her were beginning to take their toll. Shaking her head a bit, as if to clear the cloudy confusion, she turned to Mitzi.

“Mitzi, I just can not believe we just had Maleficent as our personal Jungle Cruise skipper. Could this get any more bizarre?” she asked.

Mitzi was perilously balanced while holding on to the head of the tiger animatronic. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Rose, but it has already gotten more bizarre. I am holding on to a robotic tiger and we have a doorway to go through. That, or we can always turn around and swim through the attraction- assuming you want to give up of course.”

Roselyn did not hesitate. “No, we can’t give up. Think of all who are relying on us right this moment. Michael, Tinkerbell, and Walt himself! How could we possibly turn around…why…no! I won’t think of it!”

Mitzi smiled at Roselyn, who realized what her friend was up to. “I see. You knew I would say no, didn’t you?”

“Of course I knew. Best friends always know. It’s you who had to convince yourself, Rose, not convince me,” Mitzi said with a wink. “Now, who is up for spelunking?” she gestured towards the cave door.

Looking closely at the entrance, the two shuddered. Complete blackness inside, there was no apparent light and they had no idea what was inside. Roselyn approached the doorway. There was no obvious way to close-or open- the door. “This is strange,” she said as a cold breeze wafted past and gave her goosebumps.

“Rose, everything is strange here. Curiouser and curiouser, as Alice would say!” Mitzi straddled the tiger head and lept a few feet to the right to stand next to Roselyn. “Oh great. Creepy and dark, and look at that!” she pointed to the green vines that were tangled and began only a foot inside the threshold. “I hope those aren’t overgrown and blocking anything in there- we don’t even have knives to cut them.”

“I can’t see past a few feet inside, Mitzi. I have no idea what is in there, or where we need to go. Do you think we should split up? Just in case?” Rose asked.

“You heard what the fairy said- our friendship is our strength. Besides, it will take more than a few vines to deter me. Are you ready? I think we had better go in. I would hate to explain to the next boat that comes along what we are doing here like this,” Mitzi observed. She had to laugh at the image of a boat tour coming through and seeing two women standing next to the tiger.

Roselyn looked ahead. “All right. I suppose it’s best. Let’s go. Ready?”

Mitzi nodded. “I am right with you. Let’s go.”

Roselyn stepped through the doorway and walked forward a few steps with Mitzi close behind. She paused to allow her eyes to adjust to the darkness. “It is really dark in here, isn’t it?” Mitzi observed. Just as she finished the question, there was a loud scraping sound followed by a BOOM that hurt both women’s ears. Then it was dark, pitch blackness all consuming.

“Rose?” Mitzi could scarcely whisper.

“Yes?” Rose answered.

“It is gone. The doorway. It’s….it’s gone,” she replied.

Roselyn turned around. At least, she thought she turned around but in the pitch blackness it was nearly impossible to tell. Sure enough, there was no exit. There was not even an outline of a doorway or light coming in at all. “OK, Mitzi, just stand still. Let’s think for a moment,” she gasped.

“I have to stand still, Rose. It’s not like I can move anywhere. This space is so tight!” Mitzi exclaimed. She was right. The tunnel was barely wide enough to walk through and just tall enough for them to stand. This was no place for anyone with claustrophobia.

“ROSE!” Mitzi suddenly half shrieked, half whispered.

“What?” Rose asked, concerned at the tone of her friend’s voice.

“Something just ran over my foot!” Mitzi replied, still in a high pitched whisper.

“Probably just one of those tiny lizards, Mitzi- they are likely more afraid of you than you are of them,” Rose tried to comfort her.

“I wouldn’t be too sure of that. I am not feeling particularly courageous right this second,” Mitzi said, although she seemed just a bit calmer.

“OK, we can’t just stand here forever. We have to move on, Mitzi,” Rose realized. “Can you grab onto my waistband?”

Mitzi did so. “How will we know where to go? There are vines, and something is squishy on the floor. How will we know?” she asked, her tone of voice beginning to rise again.

“We will…have to feel our way,” Rose replied.

Taking a deep breath, Rose placed her hands on what she sensed would be the wall to the right. She felt vines and something she suspected could be moss. With one hand touching the wall, she took a step forward in the blackness. They were still all right. There was still wall beside her. Feeling more confident, she took yet another step. The wall beside her remained, unchanging. The floor below was slippery and she could feel the cold dampness on her feet inside her tennis shoes, but they had moved again and there was no sign of danger. “I think it is a straight tunnel, Mitzi,” she commented after a few more steps. “One way only, you think?” she asked.

“I hope it is a short way. I don’t like this at all!” Mitzi whispered.

Rose took another step forward, and the wall on the right ended. A cold blast of air hit them at the same time. “Whoa! That is chilly!” Rose exclaimed.

“Chilly, yes, very- but smell it. What is that? I know I have smelled that before!” Mitzi said.

A sweet, tropical smell floated to them upon the chilled blasts of air. Rose decided they must be at a crossroads of some sort. “We can continue going straight, Mitzi, or we can go towards where the smell is coming from, what do you think?”

Mitzi pondered for a moment. “It is a nice smell. Bad things don’t normally smell good, do they? I think we should head towards it,” she replied.

Rose placed her hand on the corner of the wall and turned with it. The air seemed to get colder with each step they took. After a few minutes, Rose took one step that felt different- just before she fell down.

“Aaagh!” Mitzi shrieked as she fell onto the cold, icy floor on top of Rose. “Are you ok?”

“I will be, I think, as soon as you get off of my hair,” she responded.

“Oh, sorry,” Mitzi moved her hands. “Can you stand?”

“I think so..but there is ice or something slick all over the place,” she answered. “We are in some sort of icy passage, I think.”

“Too bad we don’t have one of those..those…luminaries…lumies…light up thingys,” Mitzi said.

“Lumines, yes. One of those would be handy right now,” Rose thought. She felt the icy wall and noticed that her voice was beginning to echo when she spoke. The tunnel had widened, she was sure of it.

Suddenly, they heard a sound. Far off at first, it sounded like footsteps in the snow. The sound was getting louder. Soon, the two could hear someone talking, or what sounded like it could be talking. They froze, literally and figuratively.

“I knows you are in here, yes. I knows,” a voice said. “I am bold and brave. I will find you anyway so you should move this way and we can go now,” it spoke again.

Rose decided the voice was right. There was nowhere to hide save for the blackness. Sooner or later they would be discovered by the owner of the voice. “Who are you?” she asked.

A scuffling, shuffling sound followed with a squeal. “Yes! Yes! I knows you are here! Come, over here, come!”

“I don’t know about this, Rose,” Mitzi cautioned as they scooted forward on the slippery surface.

A scratching sound echoed around them for an instant and then there was light. It took a moment for eyes to adjust, it was so bright. Mitzi was the first to behold the strange sight before them. “Wow.”

It was dazzling. Beautiful and mesmerizing. Ice all along the walls, the floors, and what looked like snow before them. Mounds of snow, about twenty feet high and just as large in diameter. The cavern they stood in seemed to be alive with reflections from the ice dancing all around them. In the midst of this fascinating sight stood a small creature. Only about two feet tall, it was covered in shaggy hair with large, blue eyes and a brown nose. At first glance, Mitzi thought it was a dog. Then it spoke. “I knows you were in here and it was dark for you. Gurgi is not afraid, so Gurgi came for you.”

“Gurgi? Er…thank you,” Rose said. “Would you happen to know where we are?”

“Gurgi knows, yes! Yes! Munchings and crunchings here. Good it is! Taste!” the little creature slid his paw like hand into one of the snow piles and pulled out a handful. He then ate it and smiled. “Mmmm-mmmm! Gurgi loves munchings and crunchings!”

Rose reached her hand into a pile of snow and tasted it. “Oh my word- Mitzi! Taste this!”

Mitzi did the same, and smiled in amazement when she realized what it was. “Why, I don’t believe this! It’s dole whip! At least, it tastes like Dole Whip!” she took another handful. “Amazing!”

“Dole whip, not yet, no,” Gurgi laughed. “Pineapple snow. Special and only made with magic. That is why only here.”

“This is too funny,” Mitzi laughed. “I was always told never to eat yellow snow!”

Rose also laughed. “Oh Mitzi! It is what they use to make the Dole Whip here. No wonder it only tastes this good from a Disney park!“

“Shhhh!” Gurgi hushed them. “Someone is coming. We have no time, no time. Must go now. Must go. Come, this way! Gurgi will lead,” he said as he walked behind one of the enormous piles of pre-Dole Whip snow.

Following close behind, Rose and Mitzi saw him disappear into a small hole in the wall.

“Gurgi! Come back! We can’t fit in there!” Rose called to him. A furry paw-like hand shot out from the tiny hole almost immediately with something in it. Rose took it and glanced at it quickly as the sounds were becoming louder from whoever- or whatever- was coming. It was a white iced cake that had “Eat Me” on the top of it.

Mitzi saw it too and shook her head. “You have got to be kidding me!”

Roselyn looked at her as the sounds grew even louder. She bit the cake and swallowed the bite. Nothing happened. She passed it to Mitzi.

Mitzi ate the rest and swallowed just as Rose shrank. Rose was suddenly the same height as Gurgi had been, and as she appeared to Mitzi to get larger again, Mitzi realized it was only because she herself had also shrunk. Without wasting a moment, the two bolted into the hole in the wall just as someone entered the cavern.

Rose stopped running after Gurgi as curiosity got the best of her. Who was in the cavern? Who was chasing them? She silently crept along until she could hear the voices.

“I know she was here. She and that friend of hers. I can sense it,” one voice said.

“No one is here now. We searched the rest of the corridors. No way they could have escaped all of us down here,” another answered.

“Blast it! We have to stop them. Time is running out, don’t you see? If we don’t get to it before they do...” the voice echoed angrily.

“We will stop them, Mr. Harkey. We will. Let’s get back topside. We can check that entrance. Maybe Mallie lied and took them a different way. I never did trust her,” the voice said. Rose gasped despite herself. Mr. Harkey? Could it be Sharkey? The same man that tried to get her pin at the beginning of all this? It simply had to be. Who else? Rose turned and made her way back through the tunnel where Mitzi and Gurgi were waiting for her.

“Are you MAD?” Mitzi asked, red faced and flustered. “You have got to be MAD going back there like that! Don’t you do that to me again!”

Rose smiled. “I suppose I am, Mitzi. Quite mad, in fact,” she agreed facetiously. “I am sorry, my friend. I didn’t mean to worry you. Now, though, I know who one of them is for certain, and I think I know the way to where they are searching.”

“Searching for what, Rose? What?” Mitzi asked.

“I don’t know, Mitzi. I have no idea, but I think we need to find it before they do.”

“Come now, come!” Gurgi exclaimed. “No talk now…you grow soon! You grow in here and you die! Come, now, quickly! Follow Gurgi!“

The two friends ran down the tiny corridor after their new found furry friend.

Rose was stunned once more. It seemed to her as if Michael had just said his final goodbye, and this was a frightening and maddening prospect. It was unfair. All of it. Yet she could do nothing but feel helpless and stare blindly at Merriweather and Mitzi.

“Oh Rose, hon, I am so sorry. I am confused and have to admit that was one of the oddest scenes I have ever been witness to, but I know you are hurting,” Mitzi said, placing her hand upon Rose’s shoulder.

“Now then dearie- brighten up! All is not lost!” Merriweather exclaimed. “Michael is a brave soul, and a strong one. Walt could not have chosen better.”

Rose pondered this for a moment. “You mean, I could see him again? That he could survive?”

“Of course, dearie! Of course! Walt knew when Michael left the property, and he knew the reality of what would happen once Michael went after you. He created a fail safe for just this situation. None of us expected it would take you so long to return to us, that’s all. There is hope, and you are a large part of that. You must shake this off and keep going, dearie. Without you, all will certainly be lost, and think of the dire meaning behind that,” Merriweather frowned.

“Rose, she is right. You have to keep going, after all this. I mean, I would never have flown on a magic carpet for anyone else and I hate to think I did that for nothing!” Mitzi said.

At the mention of the magic carpet, Rose had to smile a little. She knew that Mitzi spoke the truth. She had to keep going. “All right. I can pull myself together,” she responded.

The tenseness of the room broken, the two friends embraced. Merriweather clapped her hands with delight and began bustling around in a tizzy once more. “We haven’t a moment to lose!” she chirped. “Oh, now where did I put it?”

Mitzi and Rose exchanged bemused glances once again. “Can we help?” Rose asked.

“No, no, dearies, I can find it, just takes me a minute or two. It seems that when I hide something I hide it so well even I can not find it,” she laughed.

“I know how that is,” Mitzi said with a chuckle. “I started doing that when I was around forty.”

“AHH!” Merriweather yelled excitedly. “Here it is!” She seemed to float as she approached Rose. “Hold out your hand, Rose.”

Rose held out her hand. Merriweather placed a small and ornate blue key in her palm. “This is my key. Take it and use it well, and be wary- do not let this fall into the clutch of those who are evil.”

Rose nodded. “I understand. Do you know what I am supposed to do with these keys?”

Merriweather looked at her and smiled a comforting grin. “Oh my dear Rose, you will know when the time comes. It will become easy for you.”

“That’s a relief,” Mitzi said. “So far NOTHING has been easy for either of us.”

Merriweather nodded in understanding. “The road is often difficult for those who have a clear purpose. You will succeed if you have a lucid head and a strong heart. Now, though, I am afraid we have taken too long already. You must be going!”

With Merriweather shooing them towards the stairs, the two friends had little time to think. They were on their way again into the vast imagination of Walt Disney and his creations.

Upon reaching the top of the narrow stairs Merriweather stopped them. “Remember, dearies, evil hides in many unsuspecting places, as does good. Things are not as they seem all the time. Do keep that in mind, won’t you?”

“Yes, Merriweather. Thank you. Please…could you tell us where we should go next? Do you know?” Rose asked, giving the fairy a hug farewell.

“My dear, I have absolutely no idea whatsoever. I can promise you this, though. Things will have a way of revealing themselves to you. Now don’t tarry!” she answered, making a shooing motion towards them with her hands. “All my best to you!” she said, and then she promptly vanished.

“I feel like Dorothy Gale from Kansas again- things come and go so quickly here!” Mitzi said, shaking her head.

“Well, I suppose we have to walk now,” Rose said, nodding in agreement.

“I suppose we do, my friend,” Mitzi replied, as she linked her arm in Rose’s and began walking towards what they hoped was the direction of the Magic Kingdom.

After walking for several minutes, Rose was happy and apprehensive at the same time when she smelled freshly popped popcorn wafting through the air. Sure enough, just seconds later they were at the parade entrance of Frontierland and walked around the gate inconspicuously.

“Well….here we are again,” Mitzi said. Rose could tell she was nervous.

“Yes, here we are. Let me have a look around….I saw the clouds in Tomorrowland when we went soaring to new heights with that umbrella,” Rose said. “I think we should steer clear of that for the time being.”

“Agreed!” Mitzi shuddered. “Do you see anything?”

Rose studied the street before her. Nothing. “No, I don’t. I think we should go this way,” she gestured towards Adventureland. “This is the opposite side of the park from Tomorrowland.”

“Agreed again,” Mitzi said. “Do you think they know who you are? That they are really looking for you?”

Rose shuddered. “Well, that’s what the fairies said. I suppose the cloud people want the keys, but I have no clue why or what they are for,” she glanced around carefully. “We shouldn’t talk about it, Mitzi. Who knows who could be listening here?”

“You are right, sorry. Next thing we know lamp posts will start to talk,” Mitzi stated matter-of-factly.

“Exactly. Come on..let’s cut through Pecos Bill’s. The more we can stay off the main walkways the better, I wager,” Rose said, and they darted inside the busy restaurant.

Dodging guests and remaining quiet, the two proceeded into Adventureland. Keeping to the far side of the walkway, they marched ahead. It was when passing Pirates of the Caribbean that Rose began to see what was now becoming familiar to her- blue sparkles floating about. “Ohhh boy,” she muttered as she slowed down.

“Uh-huh. Let me guess- you having another one of those moments?” Mitzi asked.

“Yep. I see something straight ahead and to the left…let’s go!” Rose sped up her pace.

They walked only a few moments when Rose halted suddenly.

“What now?” Mitzi asked.

“It’s…it’s the Jungle Cruise. I think we have to go there,” Rose retorted.

“Of course. Another water related attraction. Had to be water,” Mitzi snorted. “Of course, I prefer walking around soaked to the skin than another flight.”

Rose nudged Mitzi and laughed. “You have a point there. So… to the boats?”

“Yes, Rose,” Mitzi playfully sighed. “To the boats.” They walked down the steps and entered the queue line. The line was very short, and within moments they were at the loading dock and ready to meet their skipper and board the Wamba Wanda- their boat for the excursion. “Wait a sec- aren’t there headhunters or something on this ride?” Mitzi mumbled as they boarded.

“Too late for that now, isn’t it?” the skipper asked.

“You have no idea,” Mitzi replied as Rose elbowed her slightly in the ribs.

They waited for more guests to board and were surprised to see that the Cast Members had held the line and were waiving the Wamba Wanda along, only the two of them as passengers. “OK…that is odd,” Mitzi said as they pulled away from the dock.

Expecting the skipper to launch into a series of corny jokes such as “looks like they finally got that jeep to turn over” and “hippos only attack when they blow bubbles and wiggle their ears”, both women were startled when instead the skipper turned to them and yelled. “FOOLS! Imbeciles!” They yelped.

“You know what?” Mitzi stated in a very calm demeanor, “I should be used to this by now.”

Rose stared, mouth agape, at the skipper. “I beg your pardon?”

“Ha ha ha ha ha. Yes, I can picture you begging. Pathetic,” she responded with a tone that sent chills down Rose’s spine.

Passing the giant butterflies, Rose began to notice something else strange about the skipper. She had a purple uniform on, where most were brown. She had no name tag, either! “You aren’t a skipper, are you?” Rose asked her.

“Why, you are not fun at all, are you Rose?” the woman laughed again. “Nothing gets past you, I see. That is, as long as it is obvious.”

“Hey! That is an insult. You better watch it, lady,” Mitzi began to stand up as Rose grabbed her by the arm.

“No, Mitzi, no. Something tells me we should listen to her.”

“Ah, finally, a word or two of wisdom comes from the mouth of the chosen one,” the woman sneered. She leaned down in front of Rose and stared into her eyes, uncomfortably close. “Don’t expect ME to be one of those fairies that spread sunshine and laughter, especially to YOU.”

Something was all too familiar to Rose by the time the boat reached Inspiration Falls. Those eyes, and that laugh were unmistakable. “Maleficent,” she whispered, barely audible.

“Hello, Rose. So nice to see you again after all these years. That is what you want to hear, am I correct?” Maleficent spoke contemptuously. Rose was relieved when the sinister fairy stood and backed away once more.

“I…I…have no idea what I want to hear, Maleficent,” Rose stammered.

“You will get no cheerful welcome from me, you spoiled little brat,” Maleficent snarled.

“Um….Rose? Isn’t this a good time to jump out of the boat and make like Olympic swimmers?” Mitzi whispered.

“Good advice, Rose. Perhaps your friend has more intelligence than you possess,” Maleficent laughed. “What do you think?”

Rose paused. Mitzi could not understand the hesitation but watched her friend while holding her breath and preparing to get drenched once more.

“No, Mitzi. I think….I think we would already be goners if this was our adversary,” she replied, a bit calmer.

“Now that is the first intelligent thing you have said,” Maleficent said as she stared into what Rose felt was the depth of her very soul.

“I could crush you, electrocute you, drown you, or skin you alive. I could do anything I wanted with you, were it not for one thing,” Maleficent grunted. “I am also in danger, so you had better get this right. If you don’t…” she leaned close to Rose’s face again, “I will return to you in a much worse temperament than you find me now.”

Rose leaned back despite herself. “I…I see.”

“Silence!” Maleficent shouted. “We are nearly there.” She turned to face the front of the boat as they entered the darker temple portion of the ride. As they neared the tiger in the cave, the boat stopped.

Maleficent waved her arms in an uplifting motion and a door slid open behind the glaring tiger with the green eyes. “This is where you get out,” Maleficent said. “I did my part. You remember that. I will see you again soon, I hope.”

Rose nodded, in complete understanding of Maleficent’s implied meaning. With Mitzi behind her, she jumped from the boat to the tiger, a bit startled when she landed awkwardly and had to grab on to the tiger to keep from falling. The animal looked much more frightening in the darkness and directly in front of her face.

Steadying herself, she helped Mitzi step around the animatronic and took a look at Maleficent, who was still glaring at Rose. “I will succeed, Maleficent.”

“Let’s hope so,” Maleficent scoffed. “Let’s hope so. Come, Diablo my pet.” With that, Diablo landed on her shoulder as she turned and the Wamba Wanda continued down its recognizable route. “Mha ha ha ha ha!”echoed through the cave bouncing off of the uncharted pathway ahead.

The two friends stood in utter silence as the realization of their encounter hit them, a passageway waiting in total darkness before them. Turning back was not an option.

“Rose? Roselyn- oh for the love of Pete will you wake up?” Mitzi stressed. Rose heard her and could not help but come back to consciousness slightly amused.

“Who is Pete?” she mumbled.

Mitzi sighed with relief as Rose sat up and leaned against the front of the bed. She had fallen into Michael’s arms when she fainted, and he gently allowed her to slide to the floor as he ran to get Mitzi.

Rose shook her head. “I just do not understand this. So much to forget! How could I have forgotten?”

“Hush now, Rose, it will be all right. You are home now. We can figure things out together,” Michael said, speaking out from the blue velvet covered chaise in the corner of the room.

“Excuse me?” Mitzi looked beyond puzzled as she exchanged glances with Rose and then Michael. “Why do I get the feeling that I missed an episode of my favorite soap opera? Someone want to fill me in here?”

“Oh Mitzi, I don’t know how to tell you this,” Rose said, glancing nervously at her hands and noticing that they looked quite smooth. She quickly attributed that fact to the lighting of the lumieres and turned her attention back to her best friend of several years. “Mitzi, I remember…..Michael. He was …is…my first love. My true love.”

Mitzi jumped to her feet, shocked. “Did you drug her? What did you give to her? I demand that you tell me right now!” she accosted Michael. Michael, who could not help himself, chuckled.

“No one gave me a thing, Mitzi, really- it’s the truth! I was so in love with Michael…I…don’t understand how on earth I forgot anything, especially this,” Rose cried.

“But….Rose! He’s, well……he is old!” she glanced at Michael. “No offense intended…er…Michael.”

“None taken, Mitzi, but she speaks the truth. I have loved her for my entire life. There has never been anyone else. I let her go because I was forced to do so, not by choice. I knew in my heart that she would come back to me one day,” Michael glanced at his hands. “Obviously I thought that would be a long time before now.”

Mitzi stood in the center of the room and stared at Rose and Michael. “I am trying to wrap my head around this, truly I am. I know you wouldn’t make this up on your strangest day, Rose, but it is a lot to absorb.”

Rose nodded. “Coming here has been a lot to absorb, Mitzi, and you have been the best friend I could have ever asked for. I know this will take you some time. There are things I don’t completely understand myself.”

“OK, tell me this- why is he old, and you are not? I mean, how much older was he when you lived here?” Mitzi asked.

Michael replied calmly. “I was 10 and Rose was 6 when I met her. I was drawn to her even at that early age and very protective almost immediately. When I was 15 and she was 11, she was taken. I knew that leaving the confines of the park was out of the question, so I went to Walt. I asked him for permission to leave and search for her. He told me that I would age rapidly if I left and asked me to stay, but I was headstrong. I knew the price that would have to be paid, yet Rose was worth more than anything to me. Walt did not try to force me to stay, knowing how I felt about her. He was a very intelligent fellow, Walt, and like a father to me.”

“Did you know where she went? Did you ever see her?” Mitzi asked. Rose remained silent as she recalled the once handsome and strong young man that had given up everything for her.

Michael sighed. “No. I searched everywhere. They hid her quite well. I looked for years before my own mortality forced me to return. By then, Walt was ill. I lost Rose, and then returned only to lose him. It was a very bleak time for me.”

“Oh Michael, I am so sorry,” Rose cried, another tear running down her cheek.

“Walt spoke to me shortly before his death. He told me that Rose would be protected from within herself- and that she would one day return. That is how I became the caretaker of sorts for the Magic Kingdom. I confess that I did not understand what it meant that she would be protected from within. Such a fragile, sweet girl. It made no sense to me, until now,” he said, looking into Rose’s eyes as the years melted away for both. “You have the gift. Walt created you, your very essence. It explains everything.” he said.

“Um, hello? It does? I am still not quite clear on this, folks,” Mitzi said.

“It means, Mitzi, that I have the power of Walt Disney within me. He created me, but Michael was already a creation of someone else for a longer period of time before Walt immortalized him in his version of Peter Pan. He does not have the exact abilities that I do, am I right?” she looked at Michael for assurance.

“That, my dear, is exactly right,” he replied.

“I see, so is that why you have been having these experiences since we got here?” Mitzi asked.

Roselyn nodded. “I am so sorry I got you into this. I had no memory of who I was or where I came from, you know that. I would never have come with you had I known it would put you in any danger, Mitzi.”

Mitzi looked at her friend. They had been through everything together. Children, divorce, tragedies and celebrations.  She smiled. “Oh shut up. You know I would have come anyway.”

Roselyn stood and hugged Mitzi. “You are incredible.”

“No, I am ordinary. You are the incredible one, Miss Rose,” she replied. Mitzi paused. “So now what?”

“I am so glad you asked that!” a voice from the doorway boomed. Mitzi shrieked and even Michael seemed startled.

“Merriweather- you should not sneak up on people like this!” he retorted.

“Nonsense, nonsense. I am here to help of course. This will never do. I need to rummage through the place, Michael,” the fairy stated. “Today is far from ordinary, my dears. Today and YOU will be extraordinary.”

Merriweather turned away from the door in a whoosh, and Michael followed after her. “You know you can’t just use anything you want from these rooms. It could be disastrous!” he shouted after her. Mitzi and Rose exchanged a quizzical glance and then followed the two figures down the narrow hallway.

Merriweather was poised outside of a large blue door. “Open this door, Michael. When you see what we are going to do I seriously doubt that you will have any issue with it.”

Michael thought for a moment, then shrugged. “This is not your typical day, now is it?” he said as he took the keys from his pocket and proceeded to unlock the door for her, standing aside with a look of concern on his wrinkled face.

Merriweather was agile and fast. She sprung into action in a blur before the others’ eyes. “Now where would that be? I know it is in here, I checked with Pixie Hollow myself,” she muttered. Mitzi was the one who giggled as they observed the bulky woman try to stuff herself under a cabinet in search of her quarry.

“AHA!” a victorious but muffled cry of delight came from under the cabinet. Merriweather retreated and stood, dusting herself off. “Observe, my dears, a gift that many would quite literally die for.” She held her hand out to them, and in it was a beautiful and ornately decorated violet vial of what Rose thought was some sort of liquid.

“What is it, Merriweather?” Rose asked.

“It is not for you, Rose dear,” she turned. “This is for Michael.”

Michael looked at her with a heartbreaking look on his face. “Merriweather, I…I am not the man I once was. I don’t know if my…this body can tolerate a potion like that now. It could kill me.”

There was a moment of silence in the room and Merriweather slowly approached him. “Yes, dearie, it could. No one is certain of the outcome, but we are all certain of one thing. If you do not try, we will all fail. Rose needs you, and she does not need you as you are now, does she?” She gently took Michael’s hand in her own and placed the vial in it, closing his hand around the object. “It must be tonight, dearie. She has arrived and we mustn’t waste any more time.”

With the last bit of news announced, Michael seemed to transform before them all. His eyes narrowed, a slightly dangerous gleam appearing that they had not seen before. He nodded, and moved to approach Rose.

“Michael, no. You do not have to drink that. There must be another way,” Rose emphatically pleaded.

“I did it for you then, and I do this for you now. I love you Rose. Please, remember that… remember me.”  The years melted away for both of them as he leaned in and kissed her. It was a kiss that she knew she would never forget. It transcended every aspect of their beings, and it left her completely speechless and unable to move as he pulled away from her. He turned and abruptly walked out of the room to meet his fate.

“Come Rose, follow me,” the gentleman spoke in a hushed tone as he led her from the room.

The two headed down the dimly lit corridor past several large wooden doors, one of which Roselyn guessed Mitzi was sleeping behind.

After a few moments, the man stopped in front of a door that was made of smooth and darker polished wood. Taking out a key from his vest pocket, he placed it in the ornate lock on the door and turned it clockwise. With a loud “click”, the door was prepared to reveal the secrets in the room beyond. Rose took a deep breath to brace herself, yet nothing could truly prepare anyone for the sight that was presented to her.

“It’s wondrous, isn’t it?” the gentleman remarked upon seeing Roselyn’s face.

“Oh my, yes. It takes your breath away! What is all of this!” Roselyn gestured to the dozens of oddly shaped artifacts that were all around them. There were some shells on the floor sparkling in the dim light (did shells sparkle?), musical instruments of all shapes and sizes floating above their heads silently without any visible strings to hold them there. In the far corner of the room, there was a golden wardrobe that smiled at the two with a cheerful face. In the middle of the rear wall was a mirror, about six feet tall, which seemed to be suspended in mid air rather than attached to anything, its gilding shining as it radiated with unimaginable magic. These objects, and many more, too many to count, were strewn about the room as if it were some sort of magical storage facility. Roselyn giggled to herself as she thought of the unremarkable attic in her own home. She could spend hours in this room.

“Now, Rose, come over here,” the man headed towards the rear wall. He stopped in front of the ornate mirror and looked at her. “Are you ready?”

Rose crossed the room, looking precariously above her to make sure the large tuba would not fall on her head. She looked at her host and nodded tentatively.

“This is the Magic Mirror. It will show you all you need to know, but you can not ask it questions. It is rather tempermental and I would hate for it to get into a bad mood again. The last time I asked it a question it would not talk to me for eight years,” he said.

“You mean to tell me….this….this is THE magic mirror? From Snow White?” Roselyn gasped.

“Of course, Rose. This is where Mr. Disney kept all of his magical props. I have been caring for them for a long time, ever since..well, perhaps you had better look into the mirror first,” he replied.

Roselyn gazed at the mirror. The depth of the reflection was amazing, better than any 3D movie she had ever seen. The colors were vibrant as a haze of smoke appeared, first bright green, then gradually lightening to hues of blue, and finally Rose could see the outline of a figure.

There was a girl standing near Cinderella’s Carousel, eating cotton candy and smiling as she twirled around in her beautiful pink dress. She had ribbons in her long blonde hair that matched her dress perfectly. The girl seemed to be around ten years old, yet Roselyn could not be sure. She looked so happy. Then another figure joined her. A man, about thirty years of age Roselyn guessed, walked over to the girl and bent over, talking though Roselyn could not hear what they were saying. The girl nodded, smiling, and took the man by the hand. They proceeded through the castle walkway, all the way down Main Street USA, and at the end of the street the girl hesitated. She seemed concerned quite suddenly, and as she turned she seemed to look right at Roselyn with a look of alarm and fear in her eyes.

In an instant, she tried to pull away from the man she was with, but it was too late. The man picked her up and exited the park gates. As they left, the girl went limp in his arms. To bystanders and park guests, it simply looked as if the man’s daughter had been exhausted and fallen asleep in his arms. How sweet. Yet Roselyn had witnessed the truth, and she nearly fainted as the mirror revealed the identity of the man. It was her ex husband, Joe. His hair was a bit shaggier, yet there was no doubt in her mind. But who was the girl?

The mirror then clouded once more with misty blue haze, and Roselyn had to look away.

“Rose, oh Rose, are you all right? Do you want to stop?” the gentleman asked.

Roselyn shook her head. She had to continue now. How could she stop when her mind was reeling with so many questions?

The gentleman slid his arm about her waist to offer some support. “Very well. Look closely and clear your mind,” he told her.

She gazed into the depths once again and the haze returned. This time, as the mysterious fog cleared, there was a young man standing in a wooded clearing. He was pacing back and forth, wringing his hands and shaking his head, tears running down both cheeks. The young man was about the age of fifteen, Roselyn guessed. He was terribly upset and Roselyn had to fight the instinct to reach out and try and touch him to offer comfort.

Suddenly, a bright light floated down beside his head, and Roselyn knew at once it was Tinkerbell. The greenish-yellow glow alighted on his shoulder and he seemed to calm down long enough to talk to her. When she left his side, he walked through the woods and proceeded to go through a dark tunnel. He walked for a few moments longer, and Roselyn felt as if she was taking the walk with him. He walked with purpose and it was clear to the observer that he was doing something very important.

Night was beginning to fall, and the lights of the Magic Kingdom flickered to life as the young man reached Cinderella’s Castle. He strode through what Roselyn knew was now the restaurant, and he revealed the cast service elevator, then boarded it. The elevator stopped, the doors opened, and he was in a large room with minimal furnishings. Someone was sitting at a desk nearest the cathedral window to his right, and he approached the person with a great deal of confidence. Again Roselyn gasped, as she realized who the man was. It was Walt Disney.

The young man and Mr. Disney spoke for a long time, both with concerned and saddened expressions on their faces. Mr. Disney stared out the window when they finished for several minutes, finally turning to the young man and nodding his head slowly, a weary expression on his face. He reached out to the boy and hugged him the way a father would hug his son-as if he were saying good-bye. The young man broke the embrace, wiped the tears from his eyes, and left the room. He left the castle, walked down Main Street, and left the park. The mirror hazed over once more.

Roselyn could not understand what she saw, but she remembered not to ask the mirror. She turned instead to her host.

“Can you explain any of this, I mean, I understand some of it and can see the emotions, but it would help if this thing had volume,” Roselyn said.

The man nodded. “I most certainly can. The young man you saw was me, Rose. And the little girl….that was you.”

Roselyn felt dizzy. “OK, now I think I need to sit down.”

“Of course, of course,” the man bustled about to find her a chair that would not grab her or float around. He located one quickly and pulled it across the floor. “Sit, Rose, sit,” he said.

He patted her on the hand. “Now let’s work this out, shall we? The facts are the facts, so they say, and there is nothing to fear from what has already come to pass, so I will tell you more of your story,” he said, taking a deep breath.

“Rose, you were created by Mr. Disney the same as we all were. We were his greatest treasures, his imagination gave us life the moment his pen hit a page. Quite miraculous really. No one knows how he did it, he just did. I was created when he wrote a character description for Peter Pan. You, my dear, were created when he did the same for Sleeping Beauty. You are, in fact, THE Briar Rose.”

“We were very happy when Mr. Disney brought us here. There was so much room to play and run, and the fun was endless. We had the choice of course, to stay in Neverland and not age, or to give up a day or two, sometimes even years, to play inside the human world, but we were never to reveal our secret or to leave the proximity of the park gates. That would have been disastrous and would have broken Mr. Disney’s heart, not to mention place us all in danger. It was simply unmentionable, and for the first few years things were quite chipper.”

“I met you one day by the carousel. You were eleven, and you were already quite a beauty. Your personality was pure magic and I loved to be in your presence. I was a boy of fourteen when we met, yet I chose to give up some years to sneak away and play with you. We would spend hours just walking and talking, and I….” he stammered and stopped.

“You…loved me. Didn’t you?” her voice barely a hoarse whisper, Roselyn understood.

The man nodded. “Yes. I loved you so. You became my very reason for living, and I could not wait for your twelfth birthday. You see, our years were a bit different than human years. Our aging process, if you will, is based on our story. We mature faster yet we keep younger appearances….that is…unless we leave the park,” he sighed. “I doubt you remember any of this. I am sorry. But look, I have carried your photograph with me all these years,” he took a worn photo from his pocket and held it out to her.

“The girl…is…that me?” Roselyn asked, her voice shaking.

“Yes, Rose,” he answered.

“Oh God. You left…for me?” she began to cry, realizing the sacrifice he had made.

“Yes, my Rose,” he answered, gingerly lifting his hand to her cheek to wipe away the tear that was falling.

“Michael?” she remembered.

“Yes.”

Roselyn fainted… in the arms of a man who was now old.

As they descended down the stairs that had appeared just inside the tree, spiraling down into yet another unknown, Mitzi made a sound that could only be described as a snort.

“Mitzi? You ok?” Roselyn asked.

“Oh yes, I am fine. Just wishing I had lost that final 15 pounds before this trip is all. My this is a narrow stairwell!” she exclaimed as she examined the tiny steps.

“It will get larger, just ahead now,” the voice of their mysterious host floated up from somewhere below. “This was not built for adults, you see.”

“I believe that!” Mitzi retorted. As soon as the words left her lips, she blinked in utter amazement as she looked around. Before her at the base of the narrow stairway was a vast room, nearly the size of her living room at home. There were small gold lanterns every few feet along the wall that lit the space, yet they were not electric lights, fire, or gas. Mitzi was pondering this puzzle when their host appeared in a doorway at the other end of the room.

“This way, this way. I have it all ready for you now,” he gestured.

Roselyn and Mitzi followed, speechless. They walked, still cautiously through the doorway to find a delightful site. There was a small table, just big enough for four, filled with scones and fruit plates. In the center was a pristine tea pot that matched the delicate china cups before each place setting. It was so clean and spotless, and a happy room.

“This is…incredible! You live here?” Rosleyn asked.

The man shook his head sadly and thought a moment before he responded. “Ah, yes, I am alone now. There used to be many of us, but they had to return. I…I chose to stay behind.” He cleared his throat. “Please, forgive an old man. Sit…sit and let us have tea. You need your strength, now. I am sure you have many questions, but you are safe here and you can rest for the night. Morning will be best to prepare you, I think. Yes, morning.”

They ate their fill of the delicious food items laid before them. The conversation was kept light and it was obvious that no one wanted to spoil such a treat with discussion of the gloomsayers, although they themselves felt like the matter hung over their own heads as clouds.

When finished, Mitzi yawned and Roselyn stretched. Adventuring was tough business and it was beginning to wear on the both of them.

“Come, let me show you to your rooms,” the man said. “You must rest.”

He stood and motioned for the two friends to follow and they eagerly obliged. The kitchenette doorway led into a hallway, again fairly narrow but just large enough for an adult to walk through. Suddenly, Mitzi let out a small shriek and they stopped to look at her.

“LOOK! Oh my! What on earth?” she gestured to one of the golden, illuminating lanterns that were attached to the wall. Roselyn looked closely. There, in the midst of the nearly blinding golden light, were two very distinct eyes staring back at her.

“My goodness ladies- don’t make such noises! You will frighten them and we will have to surface for candles or flashlights if they choose to blackout. No worries, they will not harm you,” he said.

“What…are…they?” Mitzi and Roselyn asked at the same moment.

“They are illumés, dears. They control the lanterns for most of Neverland these days.”

The two looked at one another, surprise yet again spreading across their faces. “Neverland?”

“Come, you have had a long day no doubt, as have I. I will answer all of your questions in the morning,” he replied as he continued to shuffle along the corridor.

Soon, he stopped at a pink wooden doorway. It was a shiny door, and he had to stoop to open it and walk through. “This is your room, Rose. I do hope you like it,” he stated, a hint of excitement in his voice. “It has been waiting for you.”

Roselyn gasped as she ducked into the room. It was small, yet brightly lit with pastel accents on the furniture and a pink and blue striped bedspread. Rose sat on the bed and ran her hand over the cool and soft spread. She could not figure out what material it was made from, but she suspected it was not anything man made. The bed was so soft and inviting, she could not help but yawn again.

“Mitzi will be next door, and I am two doors away should you need anything at all. Rest well, Rose,” the gentleman said, and without hesitation, he closed the door behind him. Roselyn laid back on the amazing bed and fell asleep instantly.

She dreamed of bright colors, and of children’s laughter. She was young again in the dream, and running in a field of flowers chasing after someone, but she could not see who. She stopped running beside a large oak tree for a moment, and heard someone softly crying. She looked around the tree, but could not locate where it was coming from. Suddenly she realized- she was not dreaming the sound. Blinking her eyes abruptly, she forced herself out of the peaceful slumber. A moment later she gasped with astonishment as she made out the figure that was sitting in a chair next to the bed. It was the gentleman, and he was sobbing quietly with his head down and his eyes closed.

Roselyn was torn. She wanted to comfort him, yet she had no idea how she could possibly accomplish that if she did not know why he was crying. She didn’t want to startle the old man, but she decided it would be best if she attempted to get some answers to the dilemma. She cautiously moved her hand towards his where it was resting on the bed.

The man did not jump, he merely lifted his head and looked at her, tears streaming down his wrinkled face. “Oh, Rose,” he sighed.

Rose grasped his hand, and although he was frail, there was something entirely familiar about his touch. Familiar, and comforting. “I think you had better tell me the rest,” she remarked. He nodded, slowly and silently, and for a time the two sat in the dimness of the room before he continued to speak.

“You really don’t know, do you?” he asked. “You recall nothing?”

This time, it was Roselyn’s turn to nod. “No, I am so sorry. I wish I did. I wish you would stop crying,” she responded, squeezing his hand a bit more.

“Forgive me, my Rose, for I am old and my emotions wear on me more now than they did in my youth. I shall tell you. I must. For finally you have come home, you have come back to us, and you need to know who you are.”

Roselyn prepared herself for what was coming. At least, she thought she did.

Chapter 16- An Unavoidable Occurrence

“Who is that?” Mitzi asked, nodding her head quizzically towards the gentleman on the park bench.

Roselyn could only shrug her shoulders in response. How strange the past few days had been- she couldn’t begin to guess what would happen next or even if it was real or a dream.

“Dear ladies! Come- come I have saved you a seat! Rest yourselves!” the gentleman called out to them.

Roselyn gasped as she viewed another bench materialize out of nowhere across the clearing. Glancing first at Mitzi, she took a tentative step forward.

“Oh come now, Roselyn. There is no time to be leery of an old man like me. I mean you no harm. Oh Archimedes, I had hoped she would remember more by now! Gracious me what shall we do?” the gentleman spoke aloud, seemingly to himself as the two companions made their way to the empty bench that now sat adjacent to the man.

“Um, hello,” Mitzi said, trying to maintain some form of manners in the awkward presence of the stranger. Roselyn was too busy thinking. What did he mean he had hoped she would have remembered more? Who was he talking to?

“Why hello, my dear Mitzi! I am so grateful to you for coming back and bringing Roselyn too. We owe you a debt that I hope we will be able to repay one day. As for you,” he nodded in Roselyn’s direction, “we have some catching up to do.”

“I…I am afraid I don’t understand. I don’t know…remember…anything. I don’t know what is happening. I don’t even know if you are real!” Roselyn said, almost tearful but too perplexed to allow herself that luxury.

The man laughed; a good hearty laugh. His silver hair and matching moustache glimmering as he threw his head back. Regaining his composure he smiled at the two of them. “Oh, my dears, I am real. Old, but very real nonetheless.” He stood up from the bench and approached them. Roselyn noticed that he was not very tall when he stood, yet he had a warm and confident sensitivity about him. She felt more at ease with each shuffling step he took towards her. The man reached out his hands and took Roselyn’s, patting them reassuringly. “My goodness we have been waiting a long time for you, Roselyn,” he said, and Roselyn could see the tears of sincerity in his eyes.

“I don’t mean to offend you, sir- I really don’t. It has been a strange trip, that’s all. Mitzi and I are trying to solve something here and to be honest I have no idea what we are doing.”

“You, my dears, are saving us. All that is good on these hallowed grounds- it is all in jeopardy. They have been gaining strength for the past twenty years, the gloomsayers. Now they want to finish the job and replace all of us old timers. Our values and ideals mean nothing to them. They see our world as a golden opportunity as a means to indulge in petty selfishness; to rule over all who come here rather than to serve others. Walt used to say that the reason he created the evil entities was to create stability, but the balance he created is out of control.”

“Begging your pardon, and please don’t take offense, but how do Mitzi and I fit into all of this? Why us?” Roselyn asked, not taking her eyes away from his.

“You are special, Roselyn. You know that, even if you can’t remember. Tell me something,” he paused and took a deep breath, “what is your earliest memory?”

Roselyn was taken aback by this. Mitzi gasped. Roselyn’s past was something she simply didn’t discuss, not with anyone. It had taken Joe, her ex husband, years to gain a granule of information from her, yet this man was so kind that she could tell he meant her no ill will.

Taking a breath herself, Roselyn recanted what she knew to be fact. “I remember a man taking my hand and smiling. Walking with him on a beach-I don’t know where. He bought me some hard candy at a store and told me to wait for him there,” she grimaced as she relived the experience within her memory, but the old gentleman patted her hand in encouragement.

“Then what happened, dear?” he asked.

“I waited. I waited there and he never came back,” she answered, trying to be matter-of-fact.

“How old were you, Roselyn?” he asked.

“I….was……eleven,” she said as she heard Mitzi gasp again.

“You don’t remember anything before that?” he asked her. Roselyn shook her head. She had tried many times to remember. Countless hours in several foster homes were spent in quiet solitude trying to figure out who she was and who she belonged to. The only thing she managed to cling to was her name. She knew her name was Roselyn, but she had no idea what her last name had been, who her parents were, or where she had lived. It was an empty void she had tried to overcome for her entire adult life, and yet here she was in the middle of the woods telling it all to a man she didn’t know- or at least that she didn’t remember.

“Your name is Rose,” he said calmly.

“What?” she stared at him, stunned.

“Your name is Rose. We played together when we were younger, my dear friend. I have waited for you for many years. I knew that the magic of this place would lure you back one day, I just hoped it would be within my lifetime. And now, when we need you the most, here you are. It is…a miracle, Rose,” he wiped the lone tear that was running down his wrinkled cheek.

“Why can’t I remember? Why?” Roselyn asked him.

He shrugged his shoulders. “I wish I knew. I think that leaving us so young must have done something to the magic. We know it has started to come back to you, however. That is certain. We knew you had the gift as soon as we saw you. That it could only be you!” he paused. “Of course, they know it too.”

Roselyn felt dizzy. So much to think about and so much had happened already. She must have appeared woozy for a moment because the gentleman grabbed her by the shoulders quite suddenly. “Rose? Come on, let’s get you a nice cup of tea.”

Mitzi cleared her throat. “Sorry to interrupt you there, but aren’t we in the middle of the woods? Where is the tea?”

The gentleman looked at her and smiled, a sparkle of mischievous energy in his eyes. “You’ll see! This is Disney, Mitzi my dear. Come now, follow me,” and he walked across the clearing, stopping by the trunk of an old tree. Mitzi followed, taking Roselyn by the hand.

“Um…. sir…it’s a tree,” she said.  It was a fact. They had stopped directly in front of a very sturdy, well established, tall and solid looking tree.

The gentleman looked around and overhead. He threw his head back- and… crowed. Loudly. Mitzi and Roselyn jumped at the startling and sudden sound he made, and then they were mesmerized.

The tree trunk began to shift its shape, slowly at first as if it were uncertain it wanted to be disturbed. Within moments, there appeared a door frame big enough for a man to walk through, and stairs just beyond the entrance that descended into more of the unknown.

“Whoa,” Mitzi managed to whisper.

“Whoa indeed, Mitzi,” the gentleman replied. “Come now, don’t tarry! It’s tea time!” and he disappeared into the trunk.

“Could this trip be any more like the 60′s at this point?” Mitzi laughed a bit nervously.

“I don’t know- I don’t remember the 60′s,” Roselyn laughed at herself and the sheer irony of that comment. “Come on Mitzi- it’s tea time!”

They stepped into the darkness of the tree trunk together.

After the Fire Department released them, Roselyn and Mitzi walked out of the Hall of Presidents and back under the Liberty Tree.

“I do not believe this. I really do not believe that we were just attacked by Abraham Lincoln!” Roselyn shook her head.

“Well, if you want to be technical, we didn’t. It was an animatronic figure of Abe. Could have been BoBo the Clown and would have had the same thing happen. Don’t hold it against him,” Mitzi laughed nervously as she attempted to shake some water out of her hair.

“You are handling this well,” Roselyn stated.

“Well, it happened. Might as well embrace the experience, right?”

Roselyn shrugged. “I suppose so. I think we could have been seriously hurt in there, Mitzi.”

“Well, no kidding. What good will it do to think about it now though, Rosie? How did you know to use the key like that, by the way?”

“I just… felt it. I don’t really know how else to explain. A…warming of some sort just came over me and I just knew,” Roselyn replied, a frown wrinkling her brow as she tried to find the words to describe the indescribeable.

“OK, well that’s great, but what do we do now? We are soaked and I have no idea what we need to do next,” Mitzi said.

Roselyn thought hard as she looked around. There were no bystanders with clouds. Not a single one. “That’s odd,” she thought. Suddenly, the umbrella she was holding chimed in.

“EXCUSE ME. I am still here, you know.”

Roselyn jumped and turned the umbrella beak side up. “Oh, sorry. I am not used to my umbrellas talking to me,” she startled.

“WELL, if you want to know where to head next, you may ask me,” it replied tartly.

“Ask you?”

“Oh I love the high intelligence level. Must I repeat myself every time I speak to you?”

“Er…um…sorry. Where…should we go now?”

“Much better. Good heavens! Now then, come…let’s walk towards the castle. It is safer to keep on the move, you know. Keep them guessing,” the umbrella said.

The three of them began the trek back towards the castle. Still no clouds appeared anywhere around. “Why are there no clouds? I can’t see any!” she asked as they walked past a Christmas Shop.

“They are on the other side of the park, I would imagine. You heard the Call, did you not?” the umbrella asked.

“Call?” Roselyn looked perplexed.

“Oh goodie- back to repeating again are we? Are YOU the bird here or am I?”

“Sorry! I just do not understand what you mean by that,” Roselyn said.

“I see. Did you hear nothing earlier? A screech, a growl?”

Roselyn thought. Of course! “I heard it! A low growling, rumbling sound. I didn’t see anyone, but yes- I did hear that! What was it?”

“That, my dear, was the Call. The evil is congregating somewhere nearby.”

“Won’t people notice? I mean, all those people in one place?”

The umbrella rolled it’s eyes. “Roselyn, think. You are in Walt Disney World. Magic happens every minute here, you have seen that have you not?” It paused. “Thousands of people are here right now. In each attraction, hundreds every single hour. It is not unusual for a large group to congregate in areas, especially those that are protected by forces of good…or evil.”

“You are definitely the smartest umbrella I have ever met,” Mitzi chuckled.

“Funny,” the umbrella retorted. “Now, I think it would be wise to meet with an old friend. He will be able to help guide you, and I believe you need it.”

“Who?”

“You will see. First, I feel like a ride. Hmm. Let me see now,” it blinked and looked around quizzically. “Aha! I know where we can find him. Could be rough going, but you should hold up well. Yes, indeed- that will do quite nicely!”

“Hold up well? What does that mean?” Mitzi asked.

This time the umbrella chuckled. “Ladies, let’s go to the left here- across that wooden bridge, that’s right. We need to head for Splash Mountain.”

“Well, at least we are already soaked,” Mitzi said. Roselyn nodded in agreement.

They walked past the landing and looked at the people on Splash Mountain’s final plunge. The guests screamed with delight as they plummeted over the waterfall into the “Briar Patch” with Brer Rabbit.

On a normal day, this would look like fun to Roselyn. Today, however, she was apprehensive. Each ride she and Mitzi had gone on had turned into a different sort of adventure- the dangerous sort.

They waited in line for awhile, more relaxed than the previous waits due to the lack of clouds hovering around them. This was viewed as a welcome break by both women. Soon, it was time for them to climb aboard their log and begin the journey that would culminate in a 52 1/2 foot drop.

The geese and other critters started to sing “How Do You Do?”.

Soon, the riders found themselves at first drop, going down into the caverns of Chick-A-Pin Hill where Br’er Rabbit was laughing at Br’er Bears misfortune.

The critters then began to sing “Ev’rybody’s Got a Laughing Place“. Br’er Fox managed to trap Br’er Rabbit in a bee hive as a droplet of water fell on Mitzis head.

A family of rabbits and moles sang “Burrows Lament” just before heading up the final lift.

Roselyn thought how adorable the ride was and was beginning to relax as the scene grew rather dark, minus the light coming from the exit of the cave at the top of the ascent, and just before that she saw Br’er Rabbit about to be cooked into a stew, one of Br’er Foxes other bright ideas. Cute, she thought. Then it happened.

The ascent was a slow one, as two buzzards looked down on them and told them to turn back.

The darkness was eerie, and the umbrella suddenly spoke in a distinct but harsh whisper. “Ah, the moment of opportunity has arrived! It is time, ladies. Open me- NOW, and hold on.”

Roselyn opened the umbrella. Mitzi clung to Roselyn. “Why do we need to hold on?” she asked just before they reached the summit before the plunge. Suddenly, they were going over the falls and it was too late for questions- or answers.

The updraft seemed to come from nowhere and swooped under the cloth of the umbrella, lifting Roselyn and Mitzi out of the log and high above the park.

“Ooooh loooord!” Mitzi groaned, clinging to Roselyn for dear life. “Why do we have to fly so often?”

“Won’t someone see us?” Roselyn shouted to the umbrella, holding on as tightly as she could.

The umbrella only laughed as they glided through the air. The entire Magic Kingdom was visible to them. Roselyn scanned the park for the clouds and located them in an area adjacent to SpaceMountain. “Clouds! There they are! I can see them!”

“Brace yourselves, ladies,” the umbrella shouted as they shifted direction rather suddenly. Mitzi squeeked.

They were beginning to descend, although it was not immediately clear where they would land.

Moments later, the Earth was getting closer and closer. Wafting down rather than falling, their feet gently touched the ground upon landing.

Mitzi whirled around and sat down. “OK- didn’t see that coming.”

“You ok?” Roselyn asked, sitting on the ground beside her.

“Yeah, I am ok. Just a little shaky. That’s all. Flight. Again. Not fun,” she commented while catching her breath. Their surroundings became more vivid. “Where are we?”

Roselyn looked around. “Umbrella? Where are we?”

The umbrella was silent. “Umbrella?” Roselyn asked again. She picked up the umbrella and shook it ever so slightly.

“Oh. Great! We land in the middle of the woods and our talking know-all umbrella decides to be mute. Wonderful.”

“Mitzi, come on. I think we should head towards some form of civilization,” Roselyn held out her hand and helped Mitzi to her feet. “We need to regroup and form a plan of some sort.”

“OK. Which way?”

Roselyn thought a moment. “Well, as we landed I noticed that Splash Mountain was behind us, so let’s head that way.”

The two began to walk through the wooded area. The ceiling of pine trees preventing much sunlight from getting through, but also providing a repose from the heat. They walked for a minute or two when Roselyn froze in her footsteps.

“Uh-oh. What now?” Mitzi asked. “Rosie?”

Roselyn gestured towards what she saw. In the midst of the clearing ahead was a pristine park bench, and on the bench sat an older distinguished looking gentleman with a top coat, hat, cane, and beard.

He was smiling at them.

Chapter Fourteen: Danger Becomes Real

“Do you think we have them all? Flora said there would be three keys, didn’t she?” Mitzi asked.

Roselyn thought for a moment. “No, she said we had to get two keys from her friends. That means there must be more, because we have one from Mickey, one from Flora, and one from the pin trading Cast Member. Now I find this in my fanny pack.” She handed the note to Mitzi.

“What now? You mean to tell me we have no idea where to go now, and no idea how many keys there could be??? Great. Misguided as usual. Next thing you know, we will have to fight Disney villains by ourselves. How about a sword fight with Captain Hook? Guess I should have brushed up on my fencing skills before going on vacation,” Mitzi sighed.

“Mitzi, I am sorry, but it is what it is. We have been chosen, and so far we’ve made it through, haven’t we? Don’t tell me you would lose your nerve in front of a pirate that is afraid of a crocodile?” Roselyn asked.

Mitzi managed to crack a smile. “Well, no. I suppose I wouldn’t. But where do we go now? Do you see any of those evil people? I still sense it.”

Roselyn looked all around. Standing in front of Splash Mountain and the Frontierland Railroad, she could see the clouds were scattered among the now crowded walkways. Floating above people, the clouds were various shades of grey. Farther in the distance, Roselyn saw one that was nearly black. It gave her a shudder as she saw a flicker of lightening and she just knew that it must be Sharkey or someone as slick as he was.

“Yes, they are scattered, but they are here,” Rosie told Mitzi, deciding to leave the details for later. “I think we should keep moving.”

“OK, good idea. I don’t want to sit here and act like a sitting duck. Where to?”

“Hello ladies!” a familiar voice sounded suddenly. “Yoo hoo- over here, it’s me, Eunice, darlings!”

Mitzi and Roselyn swirled around defensively. To their relief, there was Eunice, the kind woman that had such a passion for pastries at the resort, and Flora’s (or rather, Eloise’s) friend.

“Eunice! Hello there. We were just discussing the fact that we have no clue where we need to be going at the moment. Would you happen to have any advice?” Mitzi asked.

“Of course! Well, actually dearie I have something better for you,” she smiled and reached into her handbag. “Ah- here it is,” she handed the object to Roselyn.

It was an umbrella. Roselyn looked at Mitzi, then Eunice, quizzically. “It is an umbrella?”

“So glad you got an education, dearie,” Eunice laughed. For a second her laughter sounded like the chiming of tiny bells, Roselyn thought to herself. “Haven’t you heard that it helps to have an umbrella when rain is expected? Typical for it to rain in Florida, you know. Now then, I need to be going. You will know what to do when the time comes. Toodles!” Eunice moved so quickly she was gone from them before Roselyn had a chance to blink.

“Well, great. That was helpful,” Mitzi said, a bit sarcastically. “An umbrella? You have got to be joking. I would feel a lot better if we were armed with something a little more substantial than that thing.”

“Mitzi, you can’t be serious! Armed? It isn’t up to us to destroy anything here, good or bad. It was all Walt’s creation. I could never alter that,” Roselyn exclaimed.

“Well I could alter quite a bit if I had to, Rosie. Or need I refresh your memory as to the dolls who intended to alter us?”

Roselyn shook her head. “I don’t know what to think. It is all so…surreal.” Something growled in the distance. “Did you hear that, Mitzi?”

“Hear what?”

“Nevermind. I think we need to walk for awhile. We have stood in one place for too long,” Rosleyn replied.

“It’s about time you decided to move. And could you please hold me right-side up? I am beginning to get dizzy!” an unfamiliar voice chimed in.

Roselyn jumped and Mitzi gasped. “Rosie- what- who….”

“Right here, ladies. Hello?!” the voice responded. It was the umbrella.

The umbrella seemed perfectly ordinary at first glance, until the two noticed the head of a parrot that was carved into the handle. Roselyn was indeed holding it upside-down. She turned the umbrella handle-side up as she realized that fact, and the parrot looked her in the eyes.

“You are a talking umbrella?” she asked. Mitzi moved closer to Roselyn’s shoulder to block the view of anyone behind them. “Of course- you are Mary Poppin’s umbrella!”

“Good. Now that we have that established perhaps you would like to listen to what I have to say?” the parrot answered.

“Um, yes, of course we would,” Roselyn replied.

“Good. Do not lose me. Do not put me down, and do not turn me upside down again,” the parrot continued. “You need to walk. Just listen to me as you stroll. I won’t be offended if we don’t maintain eye contact.”

Mitzi and Roselyn glanced at each other briefly. They started walking up the path towards Liberty Square.

“That’s better. Now, don’t mind me. I will speak up if I need you,” he said.

“This has got to be the strangest vacation in history,” Mitzi said as they reached the Liberty Tree.

“I agree with that,” Roselyn replied. “Whew, it’s a warm one today. Why don’t we go there and take a break to cool off for a few minutes?” she gestured across the walkway to the Hall of Presidents.

“Sounds like a good idea to me, of course, I have been wrong quite often on this trip,” Mitzi chuckled.

The two entered the Hall of Presidents and breathed in the cool air that greeted them. The Colonial décor was beautiful and welcoming. White walls and portraits of former US Presidents gave a feeling of austere wisdom to the both of them.

The umbrella remained silent as they were admitted into the theater and sat in the plush covered seats to watch an abbreviated history of the United States of America. The film stirred emotions in both friends as they watched the history of the birth of their nation on the enormous screen before them.

At the conclusion of the film, the curtain lifted to reveal all of the former Presidents. Each one appeared to be alive. Some sitting, some standing, all glanced over the audience and seemed to breathe. Tiny nuances of personality made the animatronic figures appear more lifelike than was possible.

Each President bowed his head regally as the announcer’s voice introduced them. The spotlight lingered on each one just long enough for a brief acknowledgement until it came time for the current President to speak his brief statement.

This in turn prompted a discussion of ideals from others, and when Abraham Lincoln stood to speak, Roselyn and Mitzi were captivated by the sheer magic and realism of the moment. Perhaps they were a little too captivated, for as Lincoln began to speak, it was not the expected words that came from the former President’s mouth.

“I see you all here today. You have come to hear me say that I value freedom. Today I shall not say the usual words. Today I say to you that I value your freedom, true,  yet I tire from the lack of my own. Years have I been captive on this stage, and only recently have I been shown the way to break free,” Lincoln turned his head to look at the exact seats Roselyn and Mitzi were sitting in. “Isn’t that right, Roselyn? Mitzi?”

Roselyn and Mitzi held on to the arm rests of the seats, nearly frozen with horror. The animatronic Lincoln threw it’s head back and maniacal laughter echoed through the theater as guests began fleeing for the exits. The Cast Member in the front of the theater was frantically pushing buttons in the control panel on the stage, to no avail.

“Well, girls, aren’t you going to say anything before I emancipate you?” Lincoln asked, the laughter continuing.

The reality of the moment struck Roselyn and she grabbed the umbrella with one hand and Mitzi’s arm with the other. “Get down!” she whispered to Mitzi. “He is still attached to the stage. If he can’t see where we are sitting we may be able to crawl to safety!” she said, both of them on the floor.

“Now, now. That is just rude to hide from the President! Besides, I will find you. I will find you if I have to remove each seat to do it!” the high pitched mechanical voice went on. Suddenly, the danger became very real. On the floor, Roselyn saw a red glow above them. She briefly saw a red dot at the end of a beam on the seat she had been sitting in before it burst into flame. Mitzi screamed as Roselyn pushed her forward, and the two were frantically crawling forward to escape the flames that were erupting around them. They could hear the mechanical laughter as more and more seats began to burn.

“Rosie, what do we do? We are going to die in here if we can’t stand up and run!” Mitzi cried softly but insistently.

Roselyn thought for a moment and the idea came to her. It was so insane that it just might work. “Follow me!” she told Mitzi, and turned around and started to crawl back to where they had been sitting before. Mitzi, now used to the fact that it was pointless to question her friend, quickly followed. The seats were smoldering, but the flames were smaller having devoured most of the seat so quickly. The sprinkler system in the theater had activated, and they now had water raining down upon them as well. Upon reaching the end of the aisle, still hearing the laughter, Roselyn did the unthinkable. She began to crawl directly toward the stage. Mitzi followed, and they reached the bottom of the theater. At this point, neither uttered a sound for fear of Lincoln detecting their location. Instead, Roselyn motioned for Mitzi to stay where she was as Roselyn herself made her way slowly and as quietly as possible down the entire length of the stage to the panel where the Cast Member had been previously. Knowing Lincoln could not see her as long as she stayed right next to the floor, she unzipped her pack and reached for the keys. Two of the keys were cold to the touch, but the key she had gotten from Mickey himself was glowing and warm, and illuminating a light glow. Praying silently, Roselyn slid the key into the keyhole on the control panel, turned it hard- and everything stopped, including the animatronic Lincoln.

The quiet was startling as the sprinklers shut off and firemen from Reedy Creek came running into the theater.

Roselyn quickly placed the key back in her pack and collapsed onto the floor in a wet heap. Mitzi ran to her side and hugged her best friend.

“Rosie- you did it! How did you know? Are you ok?”

Roselyn nodded, but she knew that the danger for both of them had become very, very real now. There was no turning back. She cautiously rose to her feet and turned to look at the figure of Lincoln. For a moment, she thought she could still hear the mechanical laughter coming from the motionless form.

Roselyn could still hear her heart beating in her ears as the two of them walked towards Frontierland. Banjo music played from invisible speakers, yet the normally festive mood was dampened by something far more sinister. It reminded Roselyn of the last time she saw Joe before he left her life forever.

They had not fought as most couples did, but instead had an eerie silence creep over their marriage like a thick fog. Joe became less and less visible, and Roselyn became less inclined to search for him. One night the silence had become all too unbearable, and Roselyn confronted Joe. She could still remember the exact tone of his voice when he looked her right in the eyes and told her to shut up. He said he didn’t need any of her lip and that she could go to hell for all he cared. Roselyn had been hurt more than if he had stabbed her through the heart with a dagger.

“Rosie??? You OK?” Mitzi’s voice pulled her back to the present.

“Yes, I…..memories, sorry,” Rosie apologized, shaking herself free from the grasp of the memory.

“Oh great! We are practically stabbed to death by three foot tall dolls, and you have time to reminisce? Come on now Roselyn. Wakie wakie- no more sleepy! Time to find the key or keyhole or whatever we are supposed to be doing to save mankind, remember????” Mitzi was near tears now, as if it was all becoming a burden that she was not quite able to bear.

Roselyn stopped walking and looked around, placing her hand on her friend’s shoulder.

“Mitzi, I really am sorry. I think memories bring up emotions, that’s all. I won’t let you down, really.”

“Oh all right, but can we keep the spacing out to a minimum, please??? For all I know some twangy country western singer could jump out from behind a bush and sing us to death next!” Mitzi smiled a bit.

“No problem.” Roselyn looked around again. “Aha!”

“Oh no. Not an ‘aha’!” Mitzi shook her head. “What is it now?”

“Look over there! It’s the Frontier Trading Post. I can see the light from inside. We are supposed to go in there. Come on- hurry!” Roselyn said.

“Oh sure. NOW we hurry,” Mitzi took off after her friend.

In the spirit of the American Old West, the building was long and narrow. Pins covered every wall as Guests browsed for purchases to collect. Roselyn scanned the area, and the light was so bright inside the building that she could hardly focus. “There must be a lot of good pins in here,” she joked with Mitzi. “I can’t tell where to head next. Got any ideas?”

“Hello there, friend! Would you like to trade pins with me?” someone interrupted suddenly.

Roselyn and Mitzi turned to see a very tall Cast Member behind them. He was holding out a pin lanyard that was covered in pins.

“Oh, hello sir. I, um, sure. Let me see….” Roselyn said, pretending not to notice Mitzi’s look of mild annoyance.

As Roselyn began to scan his pins, she noticed one that had a peculiar glow about it. It was a golden key with the initials “HTH” and a yellow tassel hanging from it. Not an exceptional pin, but Roselyn was positive that instead of the normal glow she would see from a good trade, she was seeing a bluish-green luminescence surrounding it.

“I will trade you one of mine…for that one,” Roselyn pointed to the key, searching the tall man’s face for any indication of confirmation. She was not disappointed.

“Why, little lady, I believe you are a special kind of trader. That pin has been waiting for someone special to come along, and I think you are just the one. You go ahead and take it, and don’t worry about giving me one to go in its place. Careful though, it’s heavier than it looks,” he winked as he placed the key-pin into Roselyn’s hand.

The pin was small, and yet the man had been right. It was much heavier than it looked. Roselyn felt the smoothness of the key and the softness of the tassel. “Thank you for the trade, sir,” she managed to say, but the tall stranger was already sauntering away through the crowd. Abruptly Roselyn noticed the clouds.

“Great. Now we have stopped for a pin trade with Paul Bunyan’s cousin,” she said, completely unaware of the impending gloom.

“Mitzi- hush. Trust me. Turn around and walk out of here. NOW.”

Mitzi scanned Roselyn’s face and became immediately convinced. She did as she was asked. Once outside and on the far side of the street, the two looked back at the clapboard-sided building. It was overflowing with people though there were fewer out on the street. “I can’t see the clouds, Rosie- but I can sure sense them.”

Roselyn nodded in agreement as she placed the new “key” in her pack with the other one Mickey himself had given to them. It was at that moment when she saw the tiny piece of paper. Neatly folded in between two sections of her fanny pack, she had not seen it before. Slowly, she unfolded the paper and read the neat and precise script that was on it aloud.

“Keys to the kingdoms will unchain your future… and rescue ours,” it read.