With a heavy sigh Peter turned from the bed to head for the door. He planned to meet his parents downstairs in the cafeteria and then leave from there. His thoughts on tomorrow and having the Guardian certificate framed, it was so faint he almost missed it.
“Peter?”
Spinning on his heels, his face was engulfed by a huge grin. “Catie! You’re awake!”
Disneyland – 2042
Big Red, the Mark XII Monorail, silently glided through the Esplanade of the Disneyland Resort. Hovering electromagnetically a foot above the rail, it had just come from its fourth stop at the Disneyland Hotel and headed for the Tomorrowland Station. After picking up new passengers at the California Adventure Station and at the Paradise Pier Hotel, all the seats in the six cars were taken. Some of the new arrivals would head to the newly-opened apartments in the Sleeping Beauty Castle Towers; others were eager to continue their adventures within the Park. A ten-year old boy sitting in the co-pilot seat pushed the button for the air horn and energetically waved to the people on the moving walkways below.
The remodeled, larger Sleeping Beauty Castle with its furnished towers wasn’t the only place Park visitors could spend the night. After much popular demand, the Swiss Family Treehouse had returned to Adventureland. The three original huts were back in refurnished glory. The largest, most popular hut—the Main Bedroom that had belonged to Mother and Father in the 1960 film Swiss Family Robinson—wascomplete with its own lavatory. The ‘tortoise-shell’ sink’s running water was seemingly supplied by the large, turning waterwheel made out of realistic-looking bamboo. Most guests loved the special tasseled pull-rope that hung over the opulent king-sized bed. Just like in the movie, guests pulled on the rope and the thatched ceiling opened on hidden levers. Lying in bed, in their own secluded privacy, the occupants could watch the 9:30 fireworks show with the music piped through hidden speakers.
In the movie, the two smaller huts had been the boys’ rooms. Now, less opulent than the Main Bedroom, they were more fun for visitors. The lower hut had a private waterfall slide that ended up in the pool below. Guarded over by Ellie the baby elephant, she would playfully squirt each rider as they curved along the bottom portion of the slide.
The uppermost hut had the best view. High above the Park, guests sat on their own private wooden deck to watch the nighttime show of Fantasmic! or the interactive water show in California Adventure. The fireworks seemed to be so close that they could almost reach out to touch them.
One of the newer attractions that was visible from the upper hut was the Mine Train through Nature’s Wonderland. Overlapping the Big Thunder rollercoaster that boasted a new 360-degree loop, guests could once again travel through the balancing rocks and colorful Rainbow Caverns in the backmost portion of Frontierland. At one point in the ride, the Big Thunder train looked as if it was going to crash right into the slower-moving Mine Train. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, the Big Thunder train would screech out of a hidden cavern and race toward the other train. Then, at the last minute, Old Unfaithful Geyser would erupt and the Big Thunder cars would veer sharply away, narrowly avoiding disaster. Careening around the Bubbling Pots of Mud, the train would vanish down a steep incline, its passengers screaming in delight as they narrowly missed being crushed by an avalanche of rocks. The Mine Train would continue on its more sedate journey through Bear Country, Elk Meadow, and under the misty water of Cascade Peaks. Once back at Rainbow Ridge and its interactive displays of the Old West, kids of all ages could replicate gunfights and watch a spectacular stunt show in the street just in front of the popular attraction.
Back on Main Street, a line had formed for the Main Street Cinema. As original cartoons of Mickey Mouse played on the old-fashioned flat-screen televisions, guests could enter private, red-curtained booths that lined the walls—much like the old-time telephone booths—that comfortably accommodated a family of four. Each guest was given a special mouse-eared Virtual Reality headset to fit over their eyes and plug into their ears. With the push of a button on a pop-up menu, they would be ‘transported’ into any attraction in Disneyland’s history that they wanted to relive. Older guests especially loved to visit the Disneyland of their childhood. Instantly seated in an Atomobile, they relived their personal Adventure through Inner Space, or climbed into a Skyway Cab for a roundtrip flight over Fantasyland, ending back at the Swiss chalet nestled up and behind the Storybook Land Canal Boats. The Mike Fink Keelboats came alive for them once again, with Beth Roberts as their holographic pilot. As they listened to her humorous spiel, they could turn their head in any direction and see Tom Sawyer Island as it was way back in 1996. Or they could go further back in time when the surrounding trees didn’t hide Fort Wilderness and the Native American shows were held in the nearby Village. The Country Bear Jamboree or the Carousel of Progress, the original Sleeping Beauty Walk-Through or the Submarine Voyage, America Sings or the Lion King Parade; they were all there in vivid virtual clarity.
The Jungle Cruise now offered two tracks for its passengers. One track provided entertainment from a skipper as he took them through underground caverns of Middle Asia before emerging back into the bright light and onto the rivers of Africa and South America.
The second track let the guests skipper their own boat. Bringing along as many guests as they wanted, the entertainment was theirs to provide. Those who always felt ‘they could do it better’ now had the opportunity to do so. Riding along the original guide rail set in 1955 and timed so the boats never ran side-by-side, each track was immersed in the Jungle all their own.
Lance guided his granddaughter through the bricked arch of the entry tunnel, holding her hand, feeling her squeeze his hand tighter as she emerged onto Main Street. He smiled as he heard her sharp intake of breath as the grand panorama opened up before her wide green eyes. The Castle, the shops, the people, all signified something fantastic to the little five-year-old.
They walked into the Town Square, toward the tall, shiny flagpole that stood among beautifully manicured flowers. The two stopped and gazed down the street. The trolley car was slowly moving toward the pink and white Castle, the clop-clop-clop of the Belgium horse’s hooves easily heard over the sounds of the crowd. The muted honk of the Omnibus drew her excited attention as it started on its own electric journey down Main Street. A small group of guests took pictures of the E.P. Ripley steam train as it waited at the Train Station for its next load of guests, sounding its whistle in hello. The sounds were as plentiful as the sights and smells.
Smiling to himself, Lance looked down at his granddaughter, enjoying the emotional memory of the first time he had seen Disneyland. As they stood there, other memories of Disneyland came flooding back. Memories of good times with friends, exciting adventures, and romantic moments with a certain green-eyed, blonde beauty. He looked toward the Fire House and the apartment in the upper story. The light was still burning bright in the window. He let the memories wash through him. Had it really been forty years? he asked himself with a shake of his head in wonderment. It seemed like just yesterday.
An excited tug on his arm brought him out of his memories. “Well, what do you think, Lilly?” Lance glanced down at the wide-eyed, blonde little girl. Having just moved back from a three-year sabbatical in Paris with Peter and Catie, this was Lilly’s first time visiting Disneyland.
“It’s a dream!” Her answer was breathless, her eyes not moving from the tall, golden spires of the Castle in the distance.
Lance smiled and looked over to his right. There were a few inquisitive guests reading the bronze plaque imbedded in the base of the flagpole.
Kneeling down to her level, Lance gave Lilly a kiss. “Stay here with Grandma, Lilly.” He transferred the small hand to his wife Kimberly’s grasp. “I’ll be right back.” Expecting this, she just nodded as he walked off toward the flagpole.
“Where’s Papa going!? I wanna go with Papa!” Not wanting to miss anything, Lilly began to get worried.
Looking down at the little ha
nd that was placed in her own, Kimberly’s heart suddenly began to pound as her mouth formed an ‘O’. A memory, a vision rushed back into her mind, one that she experienced forty years ago not far away from where they stood. She had forgotten about the vision that was given to her by the red diamond heart. Lance had never been told about it; it was too personal at the time she had received it. ‘How you get there is up to you’, had been written on the note from Walt. Her relationship with Lance had been too new, too fresh then. How could she casually throw into the conversation, “Oh, by the way, I just saw myself holding the hand of a beautiful blonde-headed little girl. She looked around five or six years old and she was our granddaughter. So, where would you like to go for dinner?” No, she buried the vision deep inside her heart, safe to take out and cherish whenever she wanted to see it again. But, time and reality came—as they always did—and she eventually forgot about it as her life with Lance started. She had found her reality with him was quite wonderful and very real. Now, forty years later, holding Lilly’s hand, the vision returned. Because she and Lance had had three boys, until now, the vision had remained deeply buried with nothing to prick at the memory. Now, she looked down at the little hand in hers and the beautiful, concerned face that peered up into her own. The amazement on Kimberly’s face faded into a loving smile at her granddaughter. This was the lovely child she had seen. Her future had come true.
“Thank you, Walt.”
“Grandma?” Not understanding her, Lilly pulled on Kimberly’s hand and pointed at Lance. “He’s getting away!”
“It’s okay, honey. Papa has something he needs to do.” Kimberly tried to soothe the girl and looked for a diversion. “Let’s go say hi to Mickey at the Opera House.”
Following her Grandmother’s pointing finger, Lilly bounced up and down. “Is that the real Mickey!?”
With a laugh, Kimberly led her over toward the ornate white building. “Well, let’s go ask him.”
Lance, honoring his long-standing tradition, approached the flagpole to pay his respects. The other guests had moved on and a lone man stood there now, looking down at the raised letters. After giving the older man a mere glance, Lance’s head suddenly shot back to his face, his heart pounding in his ears. No. It can’t be. How come we weren’t told? Unanswerable questions bounced back and forth in his mind as he took a step back, his eyes still glued on the man.
Unaware of the scrutiny, the man’s fingers moved over the bronze words, reading as he went. Noticing a red button just above the plaque, he pushed it and jumped back, startled. A three-dimensional Walt Disney appeared in front of the flagpole. “To all who come to this happy place, welcome…” Disney’s familiar voice boomed out as he recited the Opening Day Speech.
The older man leaned toward the transparent, but still somehow solid figure as the speech continued. He poked a finger through the apparition and began to chuckle to himself.
Wondering if he should get her, Lance looked back toward his wife and Lilly, easily finding their shining heads in the crowd surrounding Mickey. For a moment he became diverted and smiled as he thought about all the ‘first times’ Lilly would have today. The Matterhorn, the Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan, It’s a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean. Lance grinned at some of his memories—especially of Pirates.
When he heard the words of the Opening Day Speech again, Lance turned back to the older man who had activated it. Walking all the way around the shimmering image, the man seemed impressed and amused at the same time.
Knowing he had to find out for sure, Lance took a step forward. As he did, he then noticed Wolf and Omah standing off to the side, an empty blue scooter between them. Intent on the older man, Lance hadn’t been aware of anyone else around him.
Seeing the look of confusion on his friend’s face, Wolf came up to him. “I see you brought Lilly for her first visit.”
Lance wasn’t going to let Wolf off with normal, everyday conversation. “No, no you don’t.” He waved a hand at the man who was now talking with Omah and gesturing at the Train Station. “How is that possible? Did you know about it? Why weren’t the rest of the Guardians told?”
Wolf tilted his head to the side as if he couldn’t understand Lance’s concern. “What is it you think happened that you weren’t told about?”
Lance lifted his hand to again gesture at the man with Omah. When the man turned at that moment, Lance didn’t want to be seen pointing. So, instead, he ran his fingers through his hair and turned away.
“Smooth.” Wolf seemed vastly amused at Lance’s discomfiture.
Several people approached the hologram, forcing Lance to lower his voice to a hiss. “You know what I found under Pirates in 2002… Why are you smiling?”
“That wasn’t what you thought.” Before Lance could question him, Wolf motioned for Omah. “Could you both come over? There’s someone I want him to meet.”
The older man pushed his beat-up Fedora off his forehead, his eyes twinkling. “Who’s this, Wolf?”
“Peter’s father, Lance Brentwood.”
“Well, well, pleased to finally meet you. I’m Walt. You have a fine son.”
Mouth dry, Lance’s hand was shaky as he extended it to meet Walt’s. Once he could tear his eyes off Walt’s face, he turned back to Wolf. “Doesn’t this prove that it was what I thought?”
“What are we talking about?”
Wolf turned back to Walt. “Underneath Pirates.”
A knowing grin swept over Walt’s face. “So, are you the one who found the bells and whistles I planted? Pretty ingenious, if I do say so for myself.”
“Planted? I don’t understand.”
Walt glanced back at Omah. “He’s pretty white. Maybe he needs that scooter more than I do.”
“Just give him a minute, Walt. He’s usually sharper than this.”
Lance shot an irritated glance at her. “Then perhaps you can explain all this to me. If I didn’t find Walt...him…uh, you know what I mean…all those years ago, exactly what did I find?”
“What you found in that hidden cavern was, basically, a diversion.”
Eyes shining, Walt took over for Omah. “You see, Lance, I know my time is shorter than I would like. I set up that elaborate Hidden Mickey quest with your father-in-law so I could be remembered, so my legacy would be preserved.” He paused when Lance nodded that he understood that part. “The ones who followed me to care for that legacy had to be dedicated, like Wolf and Omah here. There were many layers to my quests. I understand the two friends who worked with you didn’t find that secondary cavern, right? Only you carried on. Only you persisted. That cavern was just another step to test you. It would lead you to my right-hand-man and you would then be taken under his wing. What you saw inside that contraption wasn’t me. That kind of end isn’t my intention.”
“But it looked just like you.”
Walt chuckled. “Have you ridden the Haunted Mansion?”
The question, in the middle of such poignant revelations, startled Lance. “Of course, but…”
“Did you see that singing bust at the end, the one that fell over?”
Lance merely nodded, not knowing what to say. The Mansion wasn’t finished in Walt’s time. It opened several years after his death.
“Even though I’m still going round and round with my Imagineers over the Mansion, some things we’ve discussed and agreed on. That’s one of them. Only that singing head isn’t mine. It looks a little like me, but it is really someone else. When the time comes, a copy of that head will be used in that chamber you’ll find…did find.” Flustered, he turned to Wolf with a laugh. “Gosh, it’s hard to talk about something that hasn’t happened to me yet, but you all have gone through.” His eyes narrowed. “Even though you two refuse to tell me what year this is.”
“Still not going to tell you, Walt.”
With a good-natured snort, Walt shook his head. “Fine. Be stubborn.”
Understanding was finally dawning on Lance. “Then, you’re here because
of Wolf and Omah?” His hand shot through his gray hair again as he turned to Wolf. “Wow, I didn’t know you could go forward in time.”
“We didn’t, either, until we started experimenting.” Omah linked her arm through Wolf’s. “Which we did before we brought Walt along.”
“I blackmailed them!” Walt seemed quite pleased with himself. “Took them long enough to fulfill their promise, but,” as he appreciatively looked around, “they did a bang-up job of it. I can’t wait to see the rest of it.”
When Walt wandered back to the hologram, Lance turned to his friends. Aware of his own age and grayed appearance, his eyes strayed to their unlined faces and dark hair. “This is turning out to be quite a day, and it hasn’t even started yet. Can Kimberly, Lily, and I hang out with you? How many people get to go to Disneyland with Walt?”
“Just as long as you don’t tell him what year it is. Oh, and make sure he doesn’t grab any brochures. We think he sneaked one past us at Disneyland Paris.”
Lance nodded his agreement. Now that the shock had worn off, he studied Walt with a more critical eye. “He looks pretty tired. When is it, in his time, that is?”
A look of grief came and went in Wolf’s eyes. “Pretty close to the end. It took us a while to perfect this forward movement in time. It’s the end of October.”
“Oh gosh.” Just a few weeks later in 1966 Walt would go to the hospital to have his lungs X-rayed. That was when the tumor would be discovered.
“Yeah.”
Lance squared his shoulders. “Then we’ll just have to make sure this is a special day for him. We’ll show him that it was all worth it.” When the Opening Day Speech was activated again, Lance walked over to Walt’s position. “So, what do you think?”
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