HIDDEN MICKEY ADVENTURES 3

by Nancy Temple Rodrigue

  Adam interrupted any further discussion of the brochure. “All that is fine and good, but it looks to me as if our problem with the kids continuing this treasure hunt has just solved itself.”

  “What do you mean, honey?”

  Adam looked at Beth as if he couldn’t understand how she could not see this. “This ship no longer exists. Whatever Walt had in mind is now gone. The hunt has now ended. Too early for the kids sake, but it is effectively over.” Expecting agreement from all the adults in the room, he had to frown when Lance, Kimberly and Wolf put their heads together in an obviously private discussion. “Something you’d like to share with the class, guys?”

  Margaret had taken the brochure from Beth and was fondly reminiscing about one of the more beautiful spots in Fantasyland. “We used to enjoy having lunch there. The tuna salad was served in these little pirate ship bowls. We’d take our food over this wooden bridge and sit under awnings that looked like sails from the ship.” She set the folded paper in her lap and smiled as she continued. “The tables were shaped like barrels, if I recall correctly. Do you remember any of that, Adam? You were young. I might have some pictures in one of our albums.”

  Adam pulled his mind from the kid’s coming disappointment. “Kinda. Didn’t we have to walk up this long wooden plank or walkway or something to get inside? There were stairs everywhere. I always wanted to climb the mast and check out the crow’s nest.”

  “The lights inside and around Skull Rock always made that area look so lovely at night.” Margaret gave a small sigh at the necessity of progress. “We were sorry when the ship was torn down. Some of the rides were moved around after that. Dumbo is in that spot now and the Tea Cups were moved over by Alice in Wonderland.”

  Adam used part of her last remark to bring the discussion back to the treasure hunt. “That’s right. It was torn down. Other than some piece or other being put into the Peter Pan ride, it’s gone. So, we need to break the news to the kids.” He could see a small look of relief on Beth’s face when she realized that Peter and Catie would no longer be in danger from Omah. But he could also tell that she was disappointed by this obvious end of their adventure. “So, how do we tell the kids?” Again he was stopped by the looks exchanged among the Brentwoods and Wolf. “What? I don’t see any other outcome here. Do you?”

  Lance took a deep breath and looked one more time at Wolf. He received a cautious nod from the security guard. “Hmmm. Well, yes, there is another option. It’s one we didn’t think we’d have to use.”

  “The Pirate Ship is gone, Lance. Unless you or Wolf know where the pieces were buried or stashed or….”

  “There is another way. Can I see the brochure, please?” Lance took the ad and went into discussion with Wolf again. Lance pointed at one part of the ship but Wolf didn’t seem to agree.

  Wolf’s finger stabbed lower and a slight smile crossed his lips. “Knowing Walt, I would think it would be here. That’s the closest accessible spot to her fingers.”

  Adam shook his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I’ll get back to your ‘knowing Walt’ comment in a moment. But, you’re still discussing this as if it will happen. The. Ship. Is. Torn. Down.”

  “Yes, Adam, we know that.” Wolf spoke up and seemed to be choosing his words carefully. “Now, in our time, yes, the ship is gone. It’s been gone for a couple of decades now. And, no, the part of the ship I’m leaning toward isn’t what was used inside Peter Pan.”

  Thoroughly confused, Adam, Beth, and Margaret could only silently stare at Wolf. They could tell he was leading up to something, but had no idea what it might possibly be. There seemed to be a split in the room, a division, with Lance, Kimberly and Wolf on one side and Adam, Beth, and Margaret on the other. Only, Adam, Beth, and Margaret had no idea why there even was a division.

  Wolf cleared his throat and looked uncomfortable. “It is possible to go back and retrieve the next clue that was hidden on the Pirate Ship.”

  Adam tried again. Keeping his voice calm, he sounded as if he was talking to someone very dense. “Yes, Wolf, we know we can go back to the Park. We were just there—and there is no Pirate Ship in Fantasyland.”

  “No, that’s not what I am saying. I mean we can go back to Disneyland when the Pirate Ship was still there and get the clue that I think is hidden somewhere in that crow’s nest.”

  Adam looked at the serious look on Wolf’s face and saw it mirrored on Lance’s and Kimberly’s. Expecting them to drop the joke at any moment, he got a wide smile on his face. “Oh, I didn’t know you had a Delorean in your garage. I thought you drove a Mustang! Or, are you really Mr. Peabody and have a Way Back Machine stashed somewhere?” He laughed and turned to Beth to see her reaction to his witty remark.

  However, Beth wasn’t looking at Adam and she wasn’t smiling along with him. Her eyes were wide, the same look that was on Margaret’s face. Both women stared at Wolf. “You aren’t kidding, are you, Wolf?”

  At his shake of the head, she continued. “We’ve known you a long time, Wolf. You’ve always been straight with us. This all sounds really weird, but you don’t joke around much, do you?” She didn’t wait for any reply. Some pieces to a long-standing puzzle in her mind had started to drop into place. Her heart began to pound in her chest and her mouth had gone dry. When she continued, her voice dropped to a whisper. “You look the same as you did the day we first met you. And, I’ve seen the picture of you with Kimberly’s father and Walt in Lance’s office. You look the same age then as you do now.”

  “What are you saying, Beth, dear?” Margaret had gone a little pale. She had known Wolf almost as long as she had known Adam’s best friend Lance. There had been little things she had noticed over the years, too, but never thought too much about them.

  Beth turned to her mother-in-law and patted her hand. “I actually don’t know what I’m getting to, but I think there is more to our Wolf than we know.” She faced their friend again. “Isn’t that right, Wolf?”

  Wolf came back from pacing the room. He was torn. It was vital that his secret remain hidden—as it had been for centuries. Only a select few knew about his strange ability: His family and village, Walt, Kimberly’s father, Lance, Kimberly, Wals, Peter, Dr. Houser, and a few trouble-makers that had to be taken elsewhere. To keep a secret safe, he knew it was best that the fewer who knew it the better. “Yes.” How much do I say? How far do I have to go to explain myself? “For many…years…I have had the…ability…to open portals to the past.” He received the expected raised eyebrows and mouths that opened and then closed again. But, they remained silent to hear him out. “It’s possible for me to open a portal to the past so we can retrieve the clue. I’ve done it before and it’s…well, it’s a little exhausting for me, but it is safe. Only….” Again he paused. This is the hard part. “I have to take someone with me to do the actual retrieving of the clue.”

  “Let’s just say that we,” Adam began, indicating himself, Beth and Margaret, “believe you and this is possible. If this is possible.” Adam ran a hand through his hair, a sign that he was confused and frustrated. “Why do you need someone else to go along? Couldn’t you just get it yourself and open this…portal, did you call it?...and come back?”

  If possible, Wolf looked even more uncomfortable. He would rather be anywhere else than having to explain to three people he cared about and could see they thought he was a little off in the head. “I’d rather not say. It’s something that could really be misunderstood.”

  “That’s an understatement.” All of them could hear Lance’s muttered comment.

  Adam immediately turned on his friend. “You know what he’s talking about? You’ve known about it for how many years and you never told me? After all we’ve been through together?”

  Lance held his hands up in front of him. “Hey, don’t shoot me.”

  Adam’s head tilted to the side and his eyes narrowed. “That is so not funny. How do you know so much about it?”

  “I’ve seen it. I’ve gon
e with him.”

  “What?” This time it was Kimberly who stepped into the conversation. “What are you talking about? I know what Wolf does, but what does it have to do with you?”

  “Oops.” Lance had forgotten Kimberly didn’t have any memory of his and Peter’s trip back with Wolf to fix the missing Haunted Mansion. They had arrived back in their own day an hour or so before Kimberly had known they were gone. It was as if they had never left in her eyes. “The point is that I’m fine and it does work. I don’t know how he does it, but it is his reality.”

  “You really can travel through time.” Margaret spoke up, her hand still tightly grasped in Beth’s. “To any time you want?”

  At Wolf’s brief nod, she slightly shook her head side to side, a small smile coming over her face. “To be able to see those who are no longer with us. Even for a brief moment. How wonderful.”

  “Mom, you actually believe this?” Adam sounded incredulous.

  Margaret stood and went over to where Wolf was standing. She looked deeply into his sapphire-blue eyes. “You’ve never lied to me, have you, Wolf?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  She gave a nod and looked back at her son. “Yes, Adam, I believe him. I don’t know why I do, but I do. There are a lot of things in this world we can’t understand. I, personally, can’t understand electricity. Where does it come from? I know it is generated, but you can’t see it. But, it is there and it does many wonderful things. Why can’t Wolf do what he says he can? There has to be a reason why he still looks so young.” She patted him on the shoulder. “I say let him do it and get the next clue for the children.” Looking around the room at those seated, she gave a broad smile. “I’d love to see the Park again as it looked in the 1960’s. It was such a wonderful, exciting decade. I hope you’ll tell me all about it when you get back.”

  “Mom….”

  “Now, Adam, don’t look at me as if I’m crazy. I believe Wolf.” She went back to the sofa and sat next to Beth. “I may be older than you, but I would like to think I have an open mind. Maybe you should, too.”

  Adam took a long moment to stare at the serene expression on his mother’s face. Some of her calmness wore off on him. After he took a deep breath, he turned to face Wolf again. “You said you needed someone to go with you. Why? Would you be recognized? You said you worked with Walt. Wouldn’t people be used to seeing you at Disneyland?” He immediately sensed that Wolf had hoped that part of the discussion would be passed over and forgotten.

  A quick glance at Lance got nothing but a slightly-raised shoulder. “Before I answer that, I need to stress something. What I am about to tell you, well, everything I have told you, cannot leave this room. It’s vital for my safety that you all agree.”

  Margaret made a move as if she was going to raise her hand for a question. It dropped back into her lap. “But, what about John? He should be home any minute. I’ve never kept a secret from him.”

  Wolf sighed. It was never easy. “You have to all agree not to tell anyone. I’m sorry, Margaret, but it’s necessary.”

  Margaret pressed her lips together and just nodded once.

  A direct look at Adam and Beth garnered their silent promise, as well. “Okay, thank you. Now, in answer to Adam’s latest question, I need someone who can actually go into the Park and climb the mast. And, no, I’m not recognized when I go back in time. Well, except by my family. They’re used to it.”

  “Used to what?” Like a dog with a bone, Adam just wouldn’t let go of it.

  “The fact that I turn into a wolf.” The words came out in a rush. There was no way to pad the fact or make it obtuse. It was what it was.

  “Is that how you got your name?” Still calm, Margaret looked fascinated.

  Grateful for her understanding and lack of hysterics, Wolf nodded. “You know I am Lakotan. My full name is Sumanitu Taka. It means wolf. My brother is Mato which means bear.”

  “I thought your name was Mani Wolford.”

  “Mani is taken from Sumanitu.”

  “So your real name is Wolf Wolford….”

  Wolf gave an irritated shake of his head. He had gone through this same conversation with Wals Davis years ago when he needed Wals assistance in the past. Maybe I should have gone to Wals for help instead of going through this again…. His answer was almost a growl. “Yes, it is. Can we get back to the point?

  “Is your brother really a bear, then?”

  “No! Mato is not a bear!”

  “So, you’re a werewolf.”

  “No, Adam, I am not a werewolf!” Wolf had to stop for a minute and he rubbed a hand over his face. “Look, my mother was attacked when she was pregnant with me by a weird, talking wolf. My father tracked it down after she died and killed it. He wears the wolf’s skin as a remembrance to my mother.”

  “Your father runs around town in a wolf skin?” This was getting more and more bizarre to Adam.

  “He doesn’t live in town, Adam. He…he only is alive back in time. I go back and visit when I can.”

  Margaret turned to Beth and grinned. “That sounds just like the Shaman in the Friendly Village on the Frontierland River.” Their smiles froze when Wolf didn’t deny the claim. “Oh, my. This is bigger than I thought.”

  Lance could see he needed to step in and help Wolf or they would be here all day. From the rambunctious sounds coming from the kitchen, he knew the boys and Catie had had just about all the alone time they needed. “Now that we have this all straight in our minds….” He held up a hand to stop the flood of comments that was sure to come. “Now we can get down to business and give Wolf a moment’s peace. He is what he is and you all know his qualities. Such as they are…” he added in a loud undertone. “We just have to decide who will go with him to get the next clue. I volunteer myself as I have already been through it. We can just pop into Disneyland, I’ll climb the mast you think it is hidden in, and we’ll be home before anyone is the wiser.”

  Before anyone could say yes, no, or maybe, Wolf looked at Kimberly—who obviously wasn’t pleased with Lance’s words. Even though Lance said he had gone with Wolf, she had no memory of it and, so she was still somewhat frightened at this strange ability of Wolf’s. She won’t like this suggestion, either. “Kimberly, I was thinking that you and Peter should go with me, not Lance.” Seeing that she was just about to negate that idea, he held up a hand. “Hear me out, please. Here is why I think you should go. I can’t just pop into Disneyland as Lance suggested. Portals are…iffy. I could come out in the middle of Main Street. And, since I will be a wolf, I don’t see that going over very well.”

  Lance jumped in before Kimberly could. “So, if you aren’t going straight to Disneyland, where will you go?”

  Wolf turned his eyes on his friend. “To your house.”

  “What will that accomplish? You’ll be with us.”

  Wolf gave a slight shake of his head. “You’re not thinking of the past. It’ll be the same house, only….”

  “My father will be there. Walt’s right-hand man.” Kimberly had gone pale. “Daddy. Will he know me?” Her voice quivered with excitement and emotion.

  Wolf could see the hope written all over her face. He hated to dash her desire. “Well, if we come out when I think we will, you won’t be born yet. Your father might not even be married. You realize I’m not sure of the exact date.”

  His caution didn’t register with Kimberly. “He’ll…he’ll get to meet his grandson.” Eyes brimming with tears, she turned to Lance. “I’ve always been sorry he never met any of the boys.”

  Lance came to put an arm around her. “I know, honey. This will be a wonderful chance for you and Peter. It’s a little scary at first, but you’ll never regret it.”

  She leaned back to look straight into his eyes. “You’re sure Peter will be all right? I’ve never allowed this before, you know that.”

  “It’ll be fine. I promise. Just do everything Wolf tells you to do. And don’t freak out when you see him as a wolf. He hates that.”


  Adam had to break in here. “So, you all really believe Wolf and agree to this?” He looked to his wife for support, but she and Margaret were wiping tears from the corners of their eyes.

  Kimberly walked over to Wolf and took his arm into hers. “Yes, I believe him. My father told me about it years and years ago. I’ve seen what happens when a portal opens, but I’ve never seen the end result.” She gave Wolf’s arm an excited shake. “I’m going to see my father again!”

  Fullerton — 1966

  The blonde-haired man was irritated when his doorbell kept ringing and ringing. Engrossed in his special project, he had a little black book, hand-written notes from Walt and papers and Disneyland memorabilia all over his dining table. He had hoped whoever was at the door would just go away when he didn’t answer.

  That wasn’t the case when the door knocker was put to vigorous use.

  “Fine. I’m coming! Don’t break it down.”

  The door was flung open to reveal a beautiful blonde woman and a young boy who was obviously her son. There was an air of familiarity about them that he couldn’t quite place. He had never seen them before, but they didn’t seem like strangers. But, what took him back was the genuine look of joy that was on both of their faces. “Yes?” He didn’t know what else to say when they just stood there and stared at him. The woman had even teared up for some reason. “Can I help you?”

  Kimberly, overcome by emotion, didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t planned this part out too well. ‘Daddy’ wouldn’t have been appropriate at this point because he wasn’t even married to her mother yet.

  Peter, after seeing his mother was unable to speak, did what Wolf told them to do. “Wolf brought us to you for help.”

  At the familiar name, the man relaxed. Now he had a common ground. He glanced at the lovely woman as she wiped the tears that streamed down her face. “I hope you aren’t in too much trouble. Is Wolf with you? I’d like to talk to him, too.”