HIDDEN MICKEY ADVENTURES 3

by Nancy Temple Rodrigue

  “Walt?”

  “Hey, you could at least try to guess.”

  “Who else could you possibly be that excited over?”

  Once inside, Wolf sat heavily on a stool at the kitchen counter. “Do you have anything to drink?”

  “Soda? Water? Scotch? Juicy box?”

  “Juicy box?” Wolf had to smile. It looked like it hurt his face. “Actually, that sounds pretty good right now.”

  His head in the fridge, Lance called back, “Mango Fruitilicious or Berry Wonderful?”

  “Surprise me. Kimberly, do you mind if I stay here tonight? I don’t feel like driving home.”

  She sprang from the chair she had taken. “Of course. I’ll get one of the guest rooms ready.”

  Wolf grabbed her arm and pulled her back to her chair. “No, don’t bother with all that. The sofa in the den is plenty comfortable.”

  “But…”

  The discussion ended when Wolf stalked from the room. Within moments they heard the door to the den slam shut.

  “I guess that’s settled. You ready for bed?”

  Kimberly looked at the clock on the wall. It was nearing one-thirty in the morning. “My word, I never stay up this late…. Say, honey, what day is this?”

  “It’s still Sunday. Well, technically, I guess it would be Monday. You’ve only been gone for the day.”

  “Monday? That’s odd. It was Saturday when we were in Disneyland with Dad. And in the Spring.”

  “That’s how it works sometimes.” Lance wrapped an arm around her waist. “I missed you and Peter.”

  “What about Michael and Andrew?”

  “Oh, I didn’t miss them at all.”

  She gave a light laugh and hit him in the arm. “How did you explain where Peter and I went? You didn’t tell them about Wolf, did you?”

  “Naw, they’re too young for that. I told them you went to the mall.”

  “That they would believe. Wait until I tell you about Walt!”

  “Tomorrow, honey, tomorrow. You need to sleep.”

  Kimberly tried to stifle a yawn. “But I’m not sleepy.”

  “Tell that to your pillow.”

  “You’re really bossy, you know. My dad tried to warn me about you.”

  Lance smiled as they climbed the stairs. “Yeah, I know.”

  Alone in his room, too excited to sleep, Peter went to his closet and pushed aside a mass of dirty clothes on his closet shelf. A small metal box, well-worn and dented, was taken down and carefully carried to his bed. The lid squeaked as it was slowly lifted.

  Over the years the box had been filled with treasures Peter had to hide from the eager, grabbing hands of his younger brothers. The top layers consisted of favorite marbles, a folded first-edition comic book, baseball cards, and a variety of keys that he would be hard-pressed to answer what locks they opened. To the casual observer, there was nothing to see of great value. To them. To Peter, though, the box—and each item inside—held a special meaning.

  With a specific goal in mind, he pushed aside the memories of his younger years and paused when his eyes fell on the next layer of trinkets. Here were the memories of the treasure hunts from Walt Disney. There was the Gold Pass to Disneyland, the key that opened the mermaid, and hand-written notes from Walt, but he knew one very special item was missing—the Key to Disneyland. His mom had made sure to hide it again after his trip into the Haunted Mansion. Well, he had found it once already….

  That’s not what I’m looking for. Getting back to his original plan, Peter moved aside the paper items. On the very bottom of the box were the two items he had wanted to see again. He wasn’t sure why he wanted to see them, but there was something that kept nagging at him in the back of his mind. In all the excitement of their return from the past, these two things seem to have been forgotten by everyone else.

  Flashback — Galway, Ireland — 1948

  “Where are we going, Walt? Is there another press conference?” Lillian looked around at the quaint shops and businesses that lined Quay Street. It didn’t look like the usual places they went for the public announcements.

  Walt tucked her arm deeper into his as they walked along the sidewalk. “No, no, this is something different. I think I’ve talked about The Little People enough for one day. I’m still going to change the title, though. It just doesn’t seem…enough.”

  “Do any of your relatives live around here? We’ve had so many wonderful visits so far.”

  He gave her hand a pat as he searched for Thomas Dillon’s store. “No, I’m looking for Number 1 Quay Street. It should be coming up pretty quick.”

  “I’m sure you’ll tell me when you’re ready.” Lillian gave him a fond smile. She never knew where she would end up with Walt. Figuring it was probably a men’s hat store, her eyes roamed the storefronts to see where she might like to go next.

  “Here we are.”

  A bell tinkled over the door as they entered. Lillian was surprised to find herself in an elegant jewelry store. Walt tugged her arm and led her deeper inside.

  “Ah, Mr. Disney. And Mrs. Disney. Right on time. What a pleasure. I’m the owner, Thomas Dillon. Now, how can I help you?”

  Lillian shot a glance at Walt. He had a broad smile on his face. “Hello, Thomas. Yes, I’d like to see those rings I’ve heard so much about.”

  “Why don’t we come back to our special guest room? You’ll be much more comfortable than standing at the counter. I’ll ring for tea.”

  “Rings, Walt? What kind of rings?”

  Thomas set a velvet-covered tray of bejeweled claddagh rings on the table in front of the Disney’s. “You just take your time. I’ll leave you two to discuss the rings.”

  As the owner of the store that had welcomed Hollywood’s most elite celebrities left, Lillian leaned toward the display. “Oh, Walt, they’re lovely! It’s so…perfect after we’ve spent so much time finding your Irish relatives! Oh, look at this one! What a lovely emerald.”

  “How about this one? There are diamonds circling the heart.”

  Lillian made her selection. “I would like this one. What about you?”

  He slipped the ring onto the ring finger of her right hand. “Perfect fit! How about that? I like this one. Why don’t you sit here and relax and enjoy your tea. I’ll go see Thomas and take care of business.”

  Lillian held her right hand out in front of her to admire the ring. “Thank you, Walt. This means a lot!”

  He smiled as he went out front to talk to the owner. Once their business was concluded, his choice was slipped onto his right hand. And a small parcel with two more rings was slipped into the pocket of his jacket.

  Fullerton

  Peter reached out a finger and traced the two hands that held the heart on the larger of the claddagh rings—the man’s ring. He didn’t know why it made him inwardly happy that the rings had been forgotten by everyone else. He just knew he wanted to keep them to himself and private. Something deep inside told him there would be a time in his future when these rings would be important to him and…. He paused in his thought and frowned. The smaller ring was a woman’s ring.

  “Gosh, I’m only thirteen. Why am I even thinking about that?” He shook his head as if to chastise himself, but the thought didn’t leave his mind. “Well, whatever. They’re safe.”

  With a glance at his closed bedroom door, he hurriedly replaced everything and put the box away. The rings were once again safely buried in the dark.

  Early in the afternoon,alone in the War Room, Kimberly checked the holographic map of the Disney World to see if anything happened or may have been altered while she was in the past. She could see no differences in the flashing lights that indicated future finds for Walt’s treasure hunts. The small hunt Peter and Catie were on had never been programmed into the system. She realized now that it had been a trial test for Walt to see how it would go and if he would do another.

  The wall of monitors that relayed information from the Parks went through their rotations as
she stared at them with unseeing eyes. Over and over, though, she found her mind had returned to their trip through time. With the realization that she needed to quit daydreaming and get some work done, she went to one of the filing cabinets to retrieve a file that now needed to be updated.

  As she pulled the manila file folder from its slot, she noticed a large, unfamiliar envelope. She had been in and out of that particular cabinet for decades but had never seen it before. Wondering if Peter or Lance had hidden something, curiosity got the better of her and she pulled it out. Addressed to ‘My Future Daughter,’ Kimberly felt her heart rate speed up when she recognized the handwriting and the date on the upper edge—Saturday, May 28, 1966. It was from her father.

  Eagerly she tore open the flap and upended the envelope. A yellow paper bag, some money and a letter fluttered to the desktop. With a curious frown, she looked over the two twenties. It was modern money, not something that had been put away for over fifty years. Then it hit her. “Peter’s money! Dad swapped that with him.”

  “My darling daughter-to-be,

  As I sit here in my War Room I try to imagine you sitting in this same place, holding this paper in your hands. I can see your beautiful face so clearly in my mind. Is that ugly floor lamp still in the corner? Hopefully you have made some needed changes to the sad décor in this important room!

  It seems impossible that you were just here moments ago, you and Peter and the wolf. You, who haven’t even been born yet. Why, I haven’t even proposed to your mother! Perhaps I need to get busy with that. She’s been waiting for me for a while now….

  Yet, impossible as it seems, I know you were here. The small bits of physical evidence—that paper bag from Peter and that odd-colored money of yours—are what remained behind. And I wanted you to have them to remember me and our special time together.

  Will I remember this adventure and talk to you about it when you are old enough? Will I go over it with Wolf as we continue to work together with Walt? How can I not remember this?

  I don’t know. It is all so…so bizarre.

  Even though we just met, I wanted to tell you how proud I am of you. Yes, that does sound odd, doesn’t it? But, you, of all people, will understand what I mean. Peter is such a fine boy. I will enjoy meeting him, too.”

  Kimberly dropped the letter onto the desktop and sighed. “Oh, Daddy, I wish that would have happened. I just couldn’t tell you.”

  “You seem to be a wonderful mother. My heart swells with pride.

  I won’t keep you longer. With three boys you must be busy. I was glad, too, to know you are following in my footsteps. If you find this letter, then it really is true.

  What a joy I have to look forward to. Thank you, and Wolf, for allowing this to happen. I know the thing Wolf does is horrifying. It took all I had not to snatch you and Peter away from that…that terrible portal. But, I also had to trust you and Wolf. I hope it was all worth it for you. It sure was for me!

  Thank you again, and remember your dear old dad!”

  “Hey, Peter, I have a surprise for you.”

  Still tired from too little sleep and a rough day at school, Peter didn’t burst with anticipation at his mom’s words. “Yeah? What is it?”

  “You could at least act a little interested.”

  “I’m interested, Mommy!” Seated next to his brother, Andrew perked up as he ate his after-school snack. “I like surprises.”

  Kimberly gave her youngest a hug and slipped him a cookie. “Sorry, sweetie. This is something Peter, uh, left behind and was found.”

  Thinking of lost socks or something else uninteresting, Andrew grabbed his cookie and headed out the back door.

  Now Peter’s interest was piqued. “What did you find? My skateboard?”

  “You lost your skateboard! The new one we just got you?”

  “Oops, uh, yeah. Didn’t I tell you about that?”

  “Don’t try that charming smile on me, mister. We’ll discuss that later.” Now angry, Kimberly thrust out something to her son. The moment was spoiled. “Here.”

  The joy of the discovery that it was money was overshadowed by the lecture he knew would come when his dad got home. “Forty dollars? When did I lose forty dollars?”

  “Now that I think about it, that might just pay for your skateboard. That’s the money you exchanged with your grandfather at Disneyland. Remember? He kept it all those years and put it somewhere where I would find it. Now, hand it over.”

  Peter knew not to grumble. Out loud. He watched the money disappear back into his mother’s pocket. “Well, that was nice of him. Even though I don’t get to keep it.”

  The emotion of the letter overtook the anger and Kimberly’s eyes teared up. “He also said what a fine boy you were and how proud he was of us. Wasn’t that nice?”

  “Mom…you’re not going to cry again, are you?”

  Boys. “No, I’m not going to cry again.” In public. She knew it was time to switch topics. “Did you make arrangements with Catie to open the next clue?”

  Peter nodded. “She says her parents would like to come over tonight so we can all do it together. If we need to go to Disneyland again, maybe we can go after we figure it out.”

  “I think Beth was working Pirates today. Maybe she, Lance and Wolf worked that out already.”

  “Do you think there will be more clues after this one, Mom?”

  She had to shrug. “I don’t know, honey. But I do know that we need to get all this sorted out before Grandma Margaret’s three days are up—and that’s almost here.”

  Peter looked at the rest of his snack and pushed it away. The threat of Omah that hung over their heads was enough to make him lose his never-ending appetite. “I...I hope everything will be all right.” He paused and looked miserable as he chewed on his bottom lip. All his words spilled out in a rush. “I feel like it’s my fault for all of this! If I hadn’t found the mermaid, none of this would have happened. I…I don’t want Grandma Margaret to get hurt.”

  “Oh, honey.” Kimberly hadn’t known Peter felt so strongly about the danger. She moved closer and enfolded him in her arms. “We’ll just have to make sure you and Margaret and Catie are all fine. You have a lot of wonderful people looking out for you. You believe that, don’t you?”

  He snuggled into the hug and let his mother’s warmth seep into him. They were both momentarily taken back to a time not so long ago when all of Peter’s problems could be solved within his mother’s arms. “Yeah. Wolf will take care of her!”

  “Wolf is pretty awesome, all right. What time did you say they would be here?”

  “I think they said around five.”

  The warm, fuzzy moment abruptly exploded. Kimberly jerked back and looked at the clock. “Five! You never said it was for dinner! That’s in an hour!”

  “Oh. Was that important?”

  Ah, the oblivion of youth. Kimberly just shook her head and mentally counted to ten. Could he be even more like his father? Was that even possible? “So, what do you want? Pepperoni or sausage pizza?”

  The talk at dinner revolved around Kimberly and Peter’s trip. Peter had a good time passing out the souvenirs he had bought—items that, under normal circumstances, would have been worn out or dog-eared after all those years.

  Beth set down the small round ceramic plate Peter had chosen for her. The elaborate Castle and the Matterhorn were in shades of white and gold set against the pale pink background of the plate. There was even an attached pink ribbon so it could be hung on the wall. “Peter, that’s just lovely. Thank you.”

  He smiled with pleasure at her words. Everyone seemed to be happy with what he had chosen for them. Adam, the avid historian, loved the 1966 wall map of the Park and eyed Catie’s unused ticket book with its admission ticket still attached. They knew Margaret would appreciate the ornate brass telephone dialer. Peter explained it was a replacement for the golden can opener Alex ruined when the first capsule had been opened. Michael received a small winding Mickey Mouse watch
—so different from the battery-operated ones currently sold. Andrew was off in the corner drawing with the tall, four-colored pencil that had a rubber Pluto head on top. Alex was looking for a place to try out his Native American tomahawk from the Trading Post in Frontierland. When he saw Aunt Kimberly watching him like a hawk, he decided to put it back into the bag and try again later. Catie loved her small plastic snow globe filled with silver glitter. Inside, Donald Duck skippered a Jungle Cruise boat that tottered back and forth as she moved it. A brown monkey swung above the boat’s roof.

  “Hey! That’s my old security badge! How did you…oh, never mind.”

  Lance ignored Wolf’s glare as he pinned onto his shirt the badge his father-in-law had swiped for him. He patted it once it was in place and saw that all eyes were on him. “Well, that leaves just one thing to do. We need to open the capsule that was obtained at risk of life and limb. Peter, since you faced the danger like a man, I think you should open it.”

  There was a spontaneous round of applause as Peter got to his feet and took a bow. His green eyes sparkled as he eyed the gray plastic held out to him. “Yes, sir. Alex, can I borrow your tomahawk?”

  “No!”

  Peter gave a laugh. “Just kidding. I already loosened the cap.”

  He shot a glance at his dad when he heard “Excuse me?”

  “Well, I knew we were going to do this and I didn’t want to hold everyone up.”

  “Always thinking of others, son. So, what’s in it?”

  Peter gave a grin as he easily pulled the end cap off. “I didn’t open it, Dad. I’m not selfish, you know.” His smile faded when the expected accolades of his integrity did not immediately come forth. “Well, I’m not. Fine.” He gave a big sigh and upended the capsule. A large brass key fell out.

  “Careful, Peter! That might be fragile.” Adam dove for the key as it slid across the coffee table. “Oh, its solid brass. Never mind. I think it scratched your table, Kimberly. Wow, look at that design! The bow looks like it has a Hidden Mickey carved out of the brass.” He ran his fingers down the elaborate shank. “This looks like a one-of-a-kind piece of work. The key ward—or, you might call them teeth—have a lot of carving and cuts.” He held it up for them to see. “There’s only one lock this key will fit. I have a feeling that’s where this clue will lead…. There is a clue in there, isn’t there, Peter?”