Wolf! Happily Ever After?

by Nancy Temple Rodrigue

  Lance’s eyebrows shot up as he leaned forward again. “Yeah, that’s a little different for Wolf,” he muttered, and indicated for Wals to go on with his explanation.

  “Yeah, at first I thought he must be kidding, but, well, Wolf isn’t actually known for having a keen sense of humor…and I really knew he wasn’t joking. Anyway, he told me Nimue had gotten to him.” Wals’ pacing had taken him to the far end of the break room, but he turned to face Lance before he continued. “I think he said something about being in some kind of a trance or something. I’m not sure. It’s all sort of a blur…. But, he made it very clear that she wanted the pendant, Lance, and she knew I had it both times she encountered us. She even sent a gang of thugs to waylay Rose and me the one night we finally got to spend some time together.” Wals broke off and grimaced as he rubbed the scar on his arm again. He would tell Lance about that another time. “They got the diamond, but Wolf told me later that he took off after them and apparently got it back and hid it somewhere. That’s when it all started to go downhill.” Wals dropped heavily into a chair and impatiently waited until a fellow cast member on a break got something out of the vending machine, nodded hello and left again. “I’m sure now that Nimue put some kind of spell over Wolf. It seemed like he really had to wrestle with himself to keep from tearing me apart. He had to put up an internal fight just so he could send me back here for help. Even then, he…he actually leaped at me right when I was going into the whirlpool.” He stopped and ran a shaky hand over his eyes. “The last thing I heard before it all went black was his jaws snapping shut.”

  Lance sat back in his chair, his mouth slightly open. “Wow,” he exclaimed, tapping his foot in his agitation. “That definitely isn’t like Wolf. So that’s why you’re alone. Rose is still there, back in her own castle, right? With her family as she should be?” To each question he received a simple nod from Wals. “And the Evil Fairy is really from decades….”

  “Centuries,” Wals automatically corrected.

  “Centuries in the past. And when you left, Wolf was under her control. You said he asked for help?” Lance held out his hands in a futile gesture. “What help can we possibly provide for the kind of trouble or spell or whatever it is he’s under? I have no idea what I can do to help him. And how did he expect you to rescue him? How are you even supposed to get back there? I assume you know where the entrance to the portal is, but we don’t know how to open it. Only Wolf can do that….”

  Wals just continued to nod his head. He began to feel like one of those bobble-head Mickeys that were sold in the Emporium, just a little ways away on the other side of Main Street. These were the same questions that constantly ran through his head, and he had no idea on how to answer any of them. “Wolf just told me to get you to open his locker and to use something in it…I think he said it was a recorder…to go back and get Mato, his brother. Wolf was in pretty bad shape, but I think he knew exactly what he was saying. I just don’t understand how it will work, either.”

  Leaning back in his chair, Lance frowned as he tried to piece all this together. “Okay, I do understand the ‘open his locker’ part. But, I don’t get the rest. What recorder? Could you tell me again exactly how he said it?”

  Understanding Lance’s confusion and deep concern for his missing partner, Wals again walked him through that last, mystifying encounter with Wolf. When he finished, Wals looked at the security guard and shook his head. “The way I understand it is that I am supposed to use something in Wolf’s locker to open a portal—it sounds like I’ll have to use it at least three times—to go back in time to Tom Sawyer’s Island and get his brother, open it again to bring him back here, and then take Mato through the Castle portal to where Wolf is,” as he ticked them off with his fingers.

  Lance let out a low whistle. “Yeah, that’s how I see it, too.” It was Lance’s turn to run a hand through his hair, pushing his white security hat off-kilter. “Unbelievable. Wow, what do you think? Do you think you can do it?”

  “I have to, Lance. There’s no way I can leave Wolf back there like that. I saw that it was going against every grain in his body to act the way he did. I have to help him. And, if I have to go through that nightmare three more times and bring a Lakota brave with me, I’m going to do it! That’s all there is to it!” Determined, Wals pounded his fist on the tabletop.

  The two men sat silently for a couple of minutes, each with their own troubled thoughts on their missing friend. When Wals started to speak again, it was as if he was picking up the threads of a previous line of thought. “It’s a good thing I already have a history with Wolf’s brother. Mato and I traveled together to what was left of the mining town, Rainbow Ridge, to bring the doctor back to camp with us. But, with his limited English and my very limited Lakota…..” He broke off as he slowly shook his head side to side. He didn’t even seem to be talking to Lance any more, just voicing the many thoughts that were spinning through his mind. “Even if I do make it back there in one piece, I don’t know how I can convince Mato to come with me. How is he going to understand what I want, or what danger Wolf is in?”

  Lance just nodded as Wals continued. “I want to go with you.” The decision came out of the blue and Lance’s words surprised both of them.

  With a worried look on his face that was etched so deep it seemed to be normal now, Wals just silently stared at him.

  But, thinking back over what he had just declared, Lance knew he meant it and added, “I want to help my partner. I have to do something, Wals.”

  A feeling of relief washed over Wals that he wasn’t in it alone, and he really did appreciate the offer. “Thanks, Lance, but I don’t think you should. You’re a family man now, with another one on the way. You…you don’t know what it’s like. It isn’t safe—in either time period I have to go to. Besides,” he suddenly grinned, “you look more like the real Prince Phillip than I do. You might end up having to fight a duel for Rose—with real swords, I might add!” as he rubbed his damaged arm again.

  Lance gave a half-grimace. “Yeah, I don’t see that going over very well with my wife.”

  Wals went over to the other man and slapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks for the offer, though. I know Wolf would appreciate it, too. Can you open his locker now? I’d like to see what the heck it is that I’m supposed to find and work with. Maybe after that we can think about what I have to do and make some definite plans.”

  Being one of the Guardians of Walt with access to literally every part of Disneyland, Lance was able to use his master key to open the missing security guard’s locker. As the gray metal door swung open, both men just stood there, silently staring at the contents.

  “How can a man who has worked here for over fifty years have so little in his locker?”

  Wals slowly shook his head in disbelief. “I’ve been here for only about six years and I need a shovel to get to the back of mine.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Lance laughed. At the sharp look he received, he held up his hands. “Hey, Wolf told me. He said he had to go through your locker to bring back something to jog the memory you lost on Tom Sawyer’s Island. He mentioned he had lots of choices.”

  The nametag Wolf had chosen had done the trick and had proven to be a touchstone for Wals to help keep his tenuous grasp on his real identity. Remembering the confusion, his hand went up to stroke an oval tag that should have been attached to his shirt. Not finding it, he made a mental note to retrieve it before the day was over. Now, just as importantly, he needed to find something in this almost-empty locker that would likewise help their friend and co-worker.

  “What’s his apartment like?” Wals asked out of the blue. “Is it like this? Or does he live in a house? I’ve never gone over.”

  Lance indicated the sparse locker with his chin. “About like this. Wolf doesn’t seem to feel the need to collect.”

  “Well, unless I can somehow use one of the uniforms hanging here, we’d better see what else we can find. You’re taller. You take the upper shel
f and see if there’s any kind of recorder up there.”

  Lance counted off the things he went through. “Comb, one extra nametag, pen, flashlight batteries, and a rock. What are you finding?”

  “Did you say rock? Umm, shoes and socks,” came the muffled answer. “Unless there’s a secret door….”

  “Do you see any initials, like W E D?” Lance gave a secret, unseen smile.

  “No, let me check over here. Am I supposed to?”

  “No, just asking. Keep looking. There’s nothing of use here on top.”

  “Well, there’s nothing down here either. Wait a minute. I knocked over one of his shoes.” Wals stood up with a highly polished black shoe in his hand. “This was in the back corner and felt heavier than the rest of them when I moved it. Look what I found inside.” He held up a small tape recorder.

  Lance took it from him as a smile lit his face. “So, let’s see what words of wisdom our mutual friend thought to leave us.” He handed it back to Wals. “You do the honors.”

  With a nod and a glance around to make sure that they were still alone, Wals hit the Play button. After a few seconds of static-filled silence, a lone howl played over the speaker. Another one, only slightly different, sounded next.

  The two men looked at each other. “Wasn’t expecting that. Do you think that will call the portal? Is that how he does it? I’ve never heard him do it.”

  Wals nodded and sounded far away. “Yeah, that sounded like it usually does. Only, the last time? When he sent me back? It…it sounded like his heart was broken and bleeding.”

  Lance was silent for a few moments. When he spoke again, his voice was quiet. “If he was going through what you said he was going through, then it probably was.”

  Nodding again, Wals slid the little recorder into the pocket of his jeans. He had gratefully taken a shower and hastily patched up his arm in the men’s locker room. After changing clothes, he was again in his normal street clothes. “There’s only one way to find out if this will work. I’ll have to use it on the Frontierland River and see what happens.”

  Lance looked him over. “Well, even though you look better than you did when you got here, you still look exhausted. You should get that arm looked at and you need to rest.”

  With a stubborn, resolute shake his head, Wals was firm. “Wolf wouldn’t rest if I needed help. I’m going tonight. We’ll need to make sure I have enough time for this thing to work, if it does work. Do you have any idea when the workers will be clear of the River?”

  “Don’t worry about that. Kimberly will shut it all down for you. Go rest!” Lance urged.

  Wals stared at him for a minute. He was beginning to see more clearly how it had all worked for Wolf, how they always seemed to have an empty part of the Park in which to do what they needed to do. There was more of a connection here between Lance and Wolf than just friendship and partners. Looking down at his clothes, he sighed. He had just felt clean again, human again. “Last time I went back to Wolf’s time, I was working on the canoes and hadn’t changed out of my costume. It seemed to be accepted back then just fine. I’ll need another canoe costume…and I need to remember to bring this nametag with me.”

  Lance took the walkie-talkie off of his belt. “Anything else?”

  “Some quick lessons in Lakota would be helpful,” he only half-kidded. “Mato didn’t know much English when I was there last.”

  Giving a quick laugh, Lance smiled. “You should take my son Peter. Uncle Wolf was teaching him quite a bit. Really pissed off my mother! Which, of course, was a bonus all in itself.”

  “How old is Peter?”

  “Six, going on twenty-three.”

  “Again, I don’t think it would go over too well with your wife.”

  Lance sighed. “Probably not. Even though Peter would love it. He’s always begging Wolf to take him on an ‘adventure,’ as he calls them.”

  “I’ll leave that between you and Wolf,” Wals was smart enough to recognize. “Tonight around ten, then?”

  Lance checked his watch and nodded. “I know you won’t sleep before you go, but at least get something to eat first. I’d offer to take you to the house until you’re ready to leave, but we don’t have enough time.”

  When Wals headed off to the Costume Department, Lance made a couple of calls. He knew Wals would neither rest nor eat before he tried to open the mysterious portal. His own stomach knotted with worry, Lance’s last call was to his wife Kimberly to apprise her of the latest situation. He wisely didn’t mention the fact that he wanted to go along with Wals to help and that he had actually offered to do so.

  Standing alongside a bobbing canoe, Kimberly and Lance watched as Wals untied the small boat and pulled it to the end of the wooden dock. They were at the far end of the Hungry Bear Restaurant in Critter Country, on the lower level near two canoes that always waited behind a locked gate. These were smaller canoes than the ones used by guests on the Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes. Those larger, thirty-five-foot-long fiberglass crafts held a total of twenty people and required the guests to paddle the canoe themselves as the only means of propulsion. The canoe that Wals was taking was reserved for personnel for any emergency or need that might come up along the River.

  It was quiet now in that frontier-themed part of Disneyland. The nine o’clock showing of Fantasmic! was already over, so the rafts and ships that were used in the show had already gone past their location and were now docked until the next day started anew. Tom Sawyer’s Island had closed at dusk as usual. The Canoe ride hadn’t run that day at all. Kimberly had to close the popular Splash Mountain because the exit of the ride came out above their location, higher up in Critter Country at the furthest western point in the Park where guests could walk. The steam train was also shut down for approximately another half hour. The one section of the River Wals needed would be visible to any alert passenger when the train puffed past that part of Frontierland just after it left the New Orleans Station.

  “You have everything you need?” Lance watched as Wals tossed another paddle—hopefully for Mato to use—into the canoe.

  “I have the recorder. There isn’t much else.” His words were brusque and betrayed his nerves.

  Kimberly, who had been quiet as the preparations were made, spoke up. “What if the recorder gets wet on the way back? How will you use it later?”

  Both men turned to stare open-mouthed at her. They hadn’t thought of practical things like that. At their silence, she held up a second recorder. “Maybe we should make a back-up. Just in case?”

  Lance gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “That’s why you make the big bucks, sweetheart. That’s a good idea. Toss me the recorder, Wals. I can do that easily enough.”

  As he pushed the button, the wolf cry could easily be heard. Even before he could push the Record button on the second machine, the water in the River started to change.

  “Lance! Look!” Intrigued, Kimberly pointed at the agitated water. “It’s…it’s working!”

  The fog start to creep over the far trees and the wind began to pick up. Wals jumped into the small canoe and held out his hand. “Throw it back! Lance, hurry! I’ve got to get out there! It’s…it’s coming too fast.”

  Lance began to run toward the end of the dock before the recording was finished. With a careful toss, he sent the original player over to Wals.

  Jamming it in his pants pocket, Wals aimed the canoe toward the center of the River. He knew the drill. He had to line up the little boat with the center of the swirling waters that were getting more and more disturbed. He could hear Lance yell something out to him, but couldn’t hear it over the wind that now blasted across the water and the distant thunder that got closer and closer. Head down, he dug the paddle in with all his might and closed his eyes as the all-too-familiar, terrifying blackness opened up in front of him.

  Back on the dock, Lance and Kimberly huddled together, drenched by the waves flying over the usually placid dock.

  “Well, we know the r
ecording worked.” He smiled gamely as another wave crashed over them. “You should have stayed back, honey. You’re soaked!” To be heard, Lance had to basically yell into her ear.

  “No,” she shouted back. “I wanted to see this. My father told me all about the time Wolf went back to take Doctor Houser to safety. He and Walt watched the lights of the storm from inside Walt’s apartment. From what he said, it must have looked just like this!”

  Lance had known her father, The Blond Haired-Man, only briefly before he died at the hands of Daniel Crain. He kept forgetting the long history the family had with Walt and his Hidden Mickey quests. The second quest Lance had gone on had begun with that man’s daughter as his helper and had ended with them falling in love. Her father had seen something special in the troubled Lance. He had known Lance could be the next Guardian to work alongside his daughter and Wolf to protect the legacy Walt left behind.

  Giving her a small smile as they were assaulted by the wind and water, he told her, “I keep forgetting Wolf is that old.”

  Whatever his wife would have answered him was cut off. He saw her eyes widen and his head whipped around to the River in time to see the canoe—and Wals—completely swallowed by the whirlpool. One moment he was there and the next moment he was simply gone.

  Lightening flashed all around the twisting vortex and a blinding array of pink sparkles surrounded the dark opening.