HIDDEN MICKEY ADVENTURES 5

by Nancy Temple Rodrigue

Walt could see them in his office and, in the next second, they were simply gone. “Amazing. But I do miss all the fireworks and thunder Wolf used to create. Still, I guess it’s better than having to explain why my carpet was all wet.”

  Hand on the doorknob to the outer office, Walt paused. He glanced back at where Wolf and Omah had been a moment before. A sly smile on his face, his hand dipped into his coat’s interior pocket. A bright brochure that read Disneyland Paris was pulled partway out before returning to the covering darkness.

  Disney California Adventure

  ”One of my favorite colors was Aurora’s Golden Yellow hair. Just don’t break the glass.”

  “I know the clue, Peter. Gosh, you’ve told me, like, a million times!”

  Peter glanced over at Alex as they walked under the Monorail’s bridge in Disney California Adventure. He was beginning to second-guess his decision to ask Alex for his help with the clue he had found buried on Tom Sawyer Island.

  Earlier that morning, even though Peter had dreaded it, the boys had gone through the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough. After Peter had practically sprinted past the dioramas, his heart pounding at the reminder of what he had been put through last year, they had seen nothing. Once he realized he was safe and being silly, they entered the Castle again to do a more thorough search for a possible solution. To Peter, it was the most logical place to see Aurora. Where else would she be behind glass? Walt knew he had a key that would get him into any room, so there would be no need to ruin the display.

  After thinking it all through, the animated dioramas didn’t hold the answer Peter needed. There was no need to enter and search the locked rooms that held the displays.

  After staring at the bronze statue of Sleeping Beauty and Prince Phillip next to the Walkthrough’s entry, Peter tried to think of any other place in Disneyland where he might find Aurora. Other than the face character—like his mom had been—who posed for pictures and signed autograph books, he came up empty.

  To placate his reluctant partner, Peter had suggested going over to Disneyland’s sister park across the Esplanade. Now that they were headed to the Tower of Terror, Peter had expected Alex’s attitude to improve. It hadn’t. “Why are you biting my head off, Alex? We’re going to do something you want to do.” When they reached the middle of Buena Vista Street, Peter, as was his custom, patted the bronzed head of Mickey as they passed the Storyteller Statue of Walt and his partner. Designed to match the year 1923 when Walt first arrived in California, this bronzed Walt appeared much younger than how he looked in the Partner’s Statue in the Disneyland Hub.

  As they turned to the left to enter Hollywood Land, a Red Car Trolley sounded its bell to signal its approach. Moving off the tracks, Alex abruptly stopped in front of the Disney Junior auditorium. Arms folded, he didn’t look pleased at the prospect of going on one of his favorite rides. Instead, he looked miserable. “I know where we’re going, Peter. You don’t have to remind me. I…” Lips pressed together, he looked back toward the towering Carthay Circle Restaurant. His head slowly shook side to side as if he didn’t want to put something into words.

  “What’s wrong? Would you rather go do something else? What?”

  “I…” Alex tried to start again. His brown eyes shot back to Peter. “It just doesn’t feel right.”

  Peter had no idea what he was talking—or not talking—about. “I don’t get it. What doesn’t feel right? I know this,” indicating all of California Adventure with a sweep of his hand, “has nothing to do with the clue. I’m just trying to make you happy.”

  Anger flared up in Alex’s eyes. Anger…and something else. “You don’t understand, Peter. I don’t deserve to be happy!”

  Flummoxed, Peter could only stare at him.

  Alex balled his hands into fists and, not knowing what to do with them, roughly shoved them into his pockets. The anger faded as quickly as it came. He looked miserable. “I don’t deserve to have fun. Not when…not when Catie is still hurt. It isn’t right.”

  Peter suddenly understood his friend and actually shared his feelings. He struggled with the same guilt, but, being fourteen, didn’t know how to solve Alex’s dilemma. So, he did the next best thing.

  “Hey! Why’d you punch me in the arm? That hurt!”

  Peter, a silly grin on his face, shrugged. “I don’t know. Seemed like the thing to do.” A bit of red began to tinge his cheeks. “I do know how you feel, Alex. But, I think Catie would want us to keep working on the clues. Then we go and tell her everything we do.”

  Still rubbing his arm, Alex slowly nodded. “Mom said the same thing. She says we’re doing it for Catie now. I…I just miss her.”

  “Me, too.”

  Wary, Alex took a step away. “Just don’t hug me or anything, okay, Peter?”

  That earned a laugh and broke the mood. “Okay. I promise. Maybe, if you’re good, we can go on Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train.”

  Alex groaned at the thought of the slow-moving ride. “I’m not going to Bug’s Land.”

  “Golden Zephyr?”

  “Hey, just because you’re two years older than I am doesn’t mean I’m a baby.”

  They both heard Peter’s stomach growl. “How about some lunch? We’re already at Award Wieners.”

  “We just ate breakfast at Carnation.”

  “I’m hungry again.”

  “Peter, you’re always hungry.”

  As the boys devoured their hot dogs and sodas, Peter’s mind went back to the clue. “What if the clue doesn’t have anything to do with Disneyland? What if it points somewhere else?”

  Half-listening, intent on his fries, Alex shrugged. “Where else would you find Aurora?”

  “I don’t know. In the research I’ve been doing for days now, I found pictures of her from the Studio in Burbank. But they were just animation cels.”

  Alex finished off his soda and eyed Peter’s. “You going to finish that?” Once handed over, the remainder was noisily slurped down. A small smile turned up Alex’s lips after he let out a loud burp. Sometimes it was nice not being there with his mom. “So what if it is an animation cel? Wouldn’t they be on display and behind glass?”

  “But why would Walt just mention the color of her hair? All of the cels would have the same hair color on them.”

  Alex’s interest was waning. “How much time do we have before our FastPass expires? We need to get going.” He could see Peter’s mind was not on being dropped from the top of the Tower to the basement. “Maybe it’s the paint they used to color her hair. I don’t know. Let’s go.” The food baskets were dumped into a nearby trashcan. Alex hung onto the soda to get the last of the cola-flavored ice as it melted. He stopped when he realized Peter hadn’t moved. “What?”

  Peter’s mouth hung slightly open. “But…that can’t be it.”

  “What?”

  Peter turned to face his friend, his eyes not quite in focus. “I looked into the window of the Ink and Paint Department when I was at the Studio a year ago. That can’t be it. All the paints were in tall plastic bottles.”

  “Were they always in plastic?” Two small white tickets were held up in front of Peter’s face. “Look. We only have thirty minutes before they expire. We need to get moving.”

  “It’s only two minutes around the corner, Alex, and you know it. We have time to ride Monsters, Inc. first.”

  “No. After the Tower, we’ll get passes for Radiator Springs, and then go on Screamin’. The Wait Time app says there’s only a twenty minute wait.”

  “How would I find that out?”

  Glad Peter was at least moving in the right direction, Alex didn’t think before he replied. “Find out what?”

  “If the paint was always kept in plastic.”

  “Oh. I thought you were talking about the app. Why don’t you ask the animator?” Alex let out a groan when Peter stopped in his tracks.

  “What animator?”

  Again not considering the consequences, with a tilt of his chin Alex pointed
across the street. “The one inside Off the Page. Catie goes in there EVERY TIME we walk past it.” Exasperated, he flung his arms out to the side when Peter took off in the wrong direction. “Where are you going?”

  “It’ll just take a minute. I want to check it out.”

  “FastPass, Peter. Hey! Man.” With the sigh of a martyr, he had no choice but to follow.

  Inside the gift shop were numerous art books all about Disney, plus specialized souvenirs and collectibles. But the area that attracted Peter’s attention was a small, roped-off section that held a brightly-decorated animator’s desk and lamp. There was a thin binder nearby that showed the pictures the artist would be able to draw for the guests.

  Busy at work on a drawing of Stitch, the animator, Russ, didn’t see the two boys as Peter thumbed through the binder. His head shot up when a voice suddenly asked him a question.

  “Can you draw Aurora for us? It’s not for us… I mean, it’s for a friend.”

  Russ glanced up at Peter and Alex and smiled. “Sure. Did you see a pose you especially liked?”

  Irritated, Alex left it up to Peter to carry on the conversation. He kept looking at his watch to figure how long they could stand there and still get to the Tower of Terror in time.

  “Um, no, any is fine. It’ll be in color, right?”

  “Yes, I can do that, too. It will take a bit longer.” He glanced over when the brown-haired boy groaned. “Is that all right?”

  Alex turned red when he saw Russ was staring at him. “Yeah, I guess. It’s for my sister. She’s…sick.”

  Peter saw his opportunity. “Are there certain colors you have to use, or can you use any color, like any yellow, like, for her hair?”

  Eyes back on his new drawing, Russ shook his head. “No, we have specific colors. They have to match what have always been used.”

  Peter felt his heartrate speed up. He pointed below the drawing table. “Are those the paints you use? Those plastic bottles?”

  Russ kept at his work. “Uh huh. I bring in certain colors to match the pictures you saw in the binder. When I have different pictures to draw, I bring in other colors.”

  “From the Studio?”

  Russ wondered about the serious look on the boy’s face. “Yes, in Burbank.”

  Peter had to lick his dry lips. “Have the bottles of paint always been plastic?”

  Odd question. They usually want to know how much money I make. “For as long as I’ve worked for the Studio, yes.”

  Peter felt his face fall. “Oh. I thought, umm, they might have been, you know, glass or something.”

  Intent on some close-up work on Aurora’s face, Russ grunted. “Oh, that was decades ago. There’s still some of the old-time stuff on display in the Paint Room.”

  Distracted by Alex’s tugging on his arm and waving the FastPasses, Peter asked if they could pick up the drawing later in the day.

  There was a slight hesitation before the animator answered. “Sure. Just go pay at the register now and hang on to your receipt. Did you want this personalized to your friend?”

  “Yes. To Catie. With a C. Thank you for all your help.”

  Russ watched as the boys headed for the register. He had figured they would dart out the door and not pay. As an ‘I’m-sorry-for-doubting-you,’ he decided to add some of the woodland creatures to the scene for free.

  Receipt crammed into his pocket, Peter ran after Alex, making it to the Tower with minutes to spare. As they entered the dusty, dim Hotel lobby, Peter smiled to himself.

  He now knew where Walt wanted him to go.

  Fullerton Hospital

  “Uncle Wolf! You’re back from…wherever it was you went. Hi, Omah.” Peter and Lance entered Catie’s hospital room. With Adam, Beth, and Alex already there, too, it was pretty crowded. The nursing staff, ever hopeful that all the noise would help the cute little girl, looked the other way and ignored the three visitor rule.

  Wolf nodded hello to his security partner. “Hey, Lance. Peter. Omah and I just came by to say hello to Catie.” The small smile on his lips didn’t mask the worry in his eyes when he saw that there had been no change since his last visit.

  Omah, still unsure of the reception she would get from the Michaels family, stayed in the background and let her husband do the talking. It greatly pleased her when Peter came over for a hug.

  “Where are Kimberly and the boys?” Beth looked over from the chair next to Catie’s bed.

  “Andrew said he wasn’t feeling well. Probably practicing being sick before school starts next week.”

  At the mention of school, Peter and Alex groaned. “How come it starts so early? It’s only August. It’s not fair.”

  “So, you’re what now? A sophomore in college?” Wolf lightly punched Peter.

  “Yeah, almost. Freshman in high school, but, same thing.” Peter looked proud of himself that he was starting high school this year.

  “How are you coming along with the Hidden Mickey quest, Peter?”

  Lance and Peter looked surprised that Wolf mentioned it in front of Adam and Beth. The Michaels didn’t know Wolf had brought the quest directly from Walt. Lance backed up a step behind Adam and subtly signaled for Wolf to change the subject. He was ignored.

  “Umm, it’s coming along. Alex here helped me with the last clue. He figured out that it was the Ink and Paint Department at the Studio.”

  “I did? I mean, yeah, I did. Peter figured out the rest of it.”

  “Good work, guys.” Wolf turned back to Peter. “So, do you know what to do next?”

  Peter raised a shoulder in a shrug. “Not yet. Dad and I wanted to talk it over with Uncle Adam.”

  Holding Catie’s inert hand, Adam’s head shot up. “Me? Why did you want to talk it over with me?” A spark of interest appeared inside the anguished expression that had become his norm.

  “Well, Peter needs a way to get into Ink and Paint. That department is even more off-limits to the public than the whole Studio is. We were going to brainstorm some ideas.”

  Staring at Lance, Adam knew he didn’t need his help in planning anything. Lance was known for being extremely clever. “Really?” The one word sounded rather dry.

  Wolf edged to the back of the room to stand with Omah, grinning as he settled back to watch the show.

  As he normally did, Lance ignored Adam’s obvious disbelief. “Yeah. Even though I, or Wolf for that matter, can get him onto the Studio, he still needs a way to get into that room. Thought maybe you might have some ideas to help.”

  “Since when did you need my help to plan anything? Remember San Francisco?”

  “Which part?”

  Adam tilted his head. “Dinner at Ghirardelli Square. Geesh, what do you mean which part?”

  Peter didn’t catch the sarcasm that tinged Adam’s reply. “What happened in San Francisco?”

  “We had to break into a warehouse and rappel from the roof.”

  Before either of the boys could start hurling questions at them, Adam took over the story. “Yeah, Mr. Master Planner here signed us up for mountain climbing lessons ahead of time. They gave me the most antiquated machinery they could find. Man, I still remember how bad my legs burned for days afterwards.”

  Lance leaned back against the doorframe, his eyes downcast to hide the amusement in them. “Well, it worked, didn’t it? We got in and out just fine.”

  “Oh, just fine, was it?” Adam suddenly became more animated as he jerked his thumb at his former quest partner. “You hear that, Beth? ‘We got out just fine.’”

  “Hey, don’t look at me. That was before I joined you two misfits.”

  Adam didn’t seem to hear her as he continued with the tale. “Lance here says it was just fine. I had to use the frog rig. Do you have any idea how difficult that is?”

  Alex wasn’t sure if his dad was upset or amused. He merely shook his head no.

  “So here we are in the middle of the night in a darkened warehouse. Suddenly we hear sirens that are getting closer an
d closer. We had what we needed, so we ran back to the ropes to get back up to the roof.” Adam pauses to glare at his friend. “I start struggling with the frog rig—which, by the way—is much harder going up. Anyway, the sirens are almost deafening. I’m struggling and Mr. Helpful here,” again indicating Lance, “pulls out an automatic lifter and zips up to the three-story-high roof in seconds. He disappears through the roof and is gone while I expected at any minute to have the police throw the lights on and catch me hanging halfway up in the air!”

  “Hey, just because you were too cheap to buy…”

  Mouth open, Adam swung around. “Too cheap? They cost $8000! And, by the way, you didn’t buy it either. You borrowed it from Hans.”

  “Who was Hans? I don’t remember that name.” It was obvious Beth was highly entertained by the interchange.

  “He was our climbing instructor. Nice guy. Couldn’t figure out why Adam was always upside down in the rigging.”

  Adam let out a derisive snort. “And Mr. Smooth here made it look so easy. Found out later he had trained for two days before I ever got there. He actually told me he could do it better because of superior breeding!”

  Peter saw a break in the action and jumped in. “So I get to rappel into the Paint Room? Cool!”

  All five adults in the room answered in unison, “No!”

  Peter had to take a step backward. “Gosh. I was just kidding. Sorta.”

  Beth, relieved to see some life come back into Adam, sent a small smile of thanks over to Lance. “I’m sure we’ll all come up with something, Peter. Something far less dangerous.”

  Adam, deep in thought, didn’t see her secret smile. When he suddenly snapped his fingers, all eyes turned to him. “Lance, what about Kansas City?”

  “You want to go back to Kansas City?”

  “No.” The word was drawn out into two syllables as Adam held back from strangling his former quest partner. It would be justifiable homicide. I’d probably get off with a warning. “I don’t want to go back. I was thinking of what you made us do at Walt’s first animation studio—the garage.”

  Lance knew what he meant. He had been leading Adam to that memory all along. But, it still didn’t hurt to tweak him a little more. “Oh, that’s right. The beam in the roof.”