While he stood there lost in his thoughts, a tour guide, dressed in her trademark plaid outfit, walked her group toward the Castle. As they passed his location, they listened to her story about the Sleeping Beauty. At the sound of her pleasant voice, he remembered to turn his head away, the brim of his fedora tugged a little lower on his forehead to help hide his identity. There was so much going on in his mind right then that he didn’t want to be recognized or disturbed. Under normal circumstances, he would love to meet the guests and sign a few autographs. But, not today. These were not normal circumstances for Walt.
Many days had passed since he had regained consciousness, but the images of the fever-induced dream were still strong with Walt. No, not the odd chamber he had seen himself in below Pirates. He shook his head with a dismissing smile at that unwelcome imagery. No, he was recalling the glimpses he had gotten of his Disneyland in what apparently was to be the future. There were different rides, some rides had been removed and some that been changed. And he had the impression that there may have been another park where the parking lot was now situated. Wish I had seen more of that, he mused to himself. Hmm, maybe I can catch another fever….
With a chuckle at that nonsense, he made a couple more notations in the notebook still in his hand. When he closed the cover and was ready to slip it back into his pocket, he found himself staring at the black leather. His fingers slowly traced an invisible pattern over the soft front. If he had been asked at that moment what he was doing, he wouldn’t have been able to explain. Then it suddenly hit him. This was my diary in the dream, he recalled with a sharp intake of breath.
“Is everything all right, Walt?” A low, deep voice seemed to have materialized out of thin air next to him.
Startled by the unexpected sound, Walt fumbled. Eyes wide, he saw, as if in slow motion, as his hands suddenly lost their grip and the little book arced upward and then began to freefall. A dark hand instantly shot out and caught the diary before it had a chance to land in the water below. “Thanks.” Walt was impressed by the quick reflexes. “I’d be lost without that little book.”
The diary was handed back to its owner. “Glad I was here. Is there anything you need, Walt?”
“No, no, I’m good. Thanks, Wolf.” Walt tried to keep from staring into the deep blue eyes of the security guard. “Is everything all right in the Park?”
As Wolf turned his head toward Main Street, eyes constantly moving, his silver-tipped black hair brushed the collar of his uniform. He was the only man in the Park allowed to have his hair that long. For Wolf, people—even Walt—made exceptions. “All’s quiet today. No problems to report.”
Walt gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder. “Glad to hear it.” His mind was about to drift off again. Conscious of the man who quietly waited next to him, Walt suddenly had a request for him. “Say, Wolf, walk with me over to Tomorrowland.”
With a silent nod, Wolf complied, slightly curious to see what was wanted of him.
After they walked a ways in silence, Walt came to a stop in front of the eighty-foot-tall red and white rocketship called the Moonliner. It stood at the entrance to the Rocket to the Moon ride. Staring up at it, Walt shook his head, disgusted, and for some unknown reason mumbled, “Pizza.”
“You hungry, boss?”
He had momentarily forgotten the security guard was next to him as parts of the dream played back in his mind. “No.” He managed to give a covering, nervous laugh. “Just thinking…about something.” His eyes fell on the nearby Flying Saucers ride. Held up by a cushion of air, the futuristic-looking saucers were a variation of the bumper cars idea and were just then being pushed back to the landing area by the long sweep arm. The attraction had a history of being on-again-off-again. But Walt wasn’t thinking about the temperamental ride. The memory of the tall, white spires of something called Space Mountain overlapped the out-in-the-open Saucers that just happened to be working that day. “Hmm, a roller coaster inside a dark ride…. Is our future of 1985 wrong?”
Not sure if the question was for him or just random thoughts as his boss considered something different for his Park, Wolf didn’t know what to say. “Planning something new?”
“Always,” Walt murmured, almost too low to hear for anyone but Wolf. He glanced up at the well-known face of the guard. “You’ve been here for what? Forever, Wolf?”
The serious demeanor cracked into a rare smile. “Yeah, something like that, Walt.”
“Let me ask you something. You go to the premieres of the full-length animated films, don’t you?”
Wolf gave a one-shoulder shrug. “Yeah, I guess. Most of them.” Not much of a one for falsehoods, he had to admit the truth. “Well, okay, some. Umm, no.”
Walt didn’t seem to hear him. “Do you think we should do a follow-up to some of our stories, like Sleeping Beauty, for instance?”
That wasn’t what the security guard would have guessed he would be asked. “Gosh, I don’t know, Walt. You know how all those stories end. They all lived happily ever after and all that.”
Walt glanced over at the beautiful castle he had built and slowly shook his head side to side. “Did they? Did they really?” he murmured quietly, his hand unconsciously feeling the leather book deep in his pocket.
With a far-away look in his troubled eyes, the boss turned to head over to New Orleans Square to check on the progress of the finishing work. Before he took two steps, he realized the security guard was still following him. Stopping in his tracks, he dismissed Wolf, adding sincerely, “Thanks again for my notebook.”
Wolf just smiled when Walt walked off, his head down as he wrote something else in the little book he had pulled out of his sweater’s stretched-out pocket. The guard’s sapphire blue eyes narrowed. “Don’t worry, Walt.” He watched until his boss passed through the fort entrance of Frontierland and out of his sight. “You won’t lose that diary. It’s too important.”
The security guard walked back through Tomorrowland, and turned right before he got to the wide walkway that led into the Castle. He stopped next to the greenery and fountain in front of the Snow White Grotto. Hand in his pocket, Wolf fingered a metal-encircled item. After a quick glance around to see that he was indeed alone, he withdrew the object and looked down at it. The sun, brilliant on this warm autumn day, shone on the three circles of gold that formed a perfect Hidden Mickey and caught the faceted face of the red heart. A burst of red sparkles shone on everything around Wolf, moving this way and that as the heart stirred in his open palm. As a knowing grin slowly played across his face, a chuckle sounded deep in his throat. The pendant slowly slid back into the dark depths of his pocket and out of sight.
-THE END-
The story continues with a new generation of clue solvers, in...
WHAT'S MORE EXCITING THAN A FAMILY DAY AT DISNEYLAND?
Ditching their family, Peter Brentwood and his younger brother stumble upon a letter from the Master Storyteller himself, Walt Disney. Following a clue in the letter they are immediately caught up in what they thought was an innocently fun treasure hunt.
SOMEONE ELSE DISCOVERS THEIR HUNT FOR HIDDEN TREASURE
The quest takes a serious turn when someone in a trusted position begins tracking their every move, hungering for the treasure for himself.
WILL LONG-HELD SECRETS BE FORCIBLY REVEALED?
The secrets Lance and Kimberly Brentwood have closely guarded could rip their family apart if compromised. At stake is something they hold very dear: Walt's Legacy.
WATCH AS THIS YOUNGER GENERATION OF TREASURE HUNTERS GRAPPLE WITH AN IMPOSING AND FEARSOME MENACE
Wolf, their friend and protector steps in, but is it too little, too late? Uncover secrets of Disneyland and the Disney Studios in Burbank as we watch the drama unfold.
YOU WILL NEVER LOOK AT DISNEYLAND THE SAME AGAIN!
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About the Author
Nancy Temple Rodrigue
Nancy lives in the small town of Lompoc, California.
Her work shows her admiration and respect for the man who started it all–Walt Disney. Her love of all things Disney was shown in the first four Hidden Mickey and the Hidden Mickey Adventures series of novels. The Hidden Mickey Adventures series features even more action-adventure Mystery starring Wolf and the next generation of clue-solvers, starting with Hidden Mickey Adventures 1: Peter and the Wolf. This series was written for all her readers to enjoy–Adults, Teens & Tweens (9 to 90).
See your favorite Disney Parks in a whole new way with Nancy’s Hidden Mickey Quests series. Designed to be played inside the Parks, these games and quests take readers on a new, exciting journey.
Nancy actively holds book signing and speaking events. Visit blog.hiddenmickeybook.com to follow the author’s blog and learn the locations and dates of her book signing events.
Wolf! Happily Ever After? Page 30
