“Oh yeah-yeah-yeah,” the doorman said. “That’s right. I’ve seen the watches in that jewelry store. They have some pretty cool stuff for younger folks.”
“They do?” Charlie’s dad was still was not convinced. “But I don’t remember you wearing a watch that day.”
Charlie’s eyes grew large, his mind searching for an answer. “Uhhh, that’s because I had it in the bag the store gave me,” the boy nervously replied, hoping his answer would work.
“You know, now that I think about it, we probably did get it there, Ed,” Mrs. Z said with a chuckle. We’ve been to so many stores, it’s hard to keep track.”
“Charlie joined his mother and the doorman in a good laugh to relieve the tension. “Yeah, Dad, don’t you remember?”
“Not really. ”
“You don’t pay much attention when we’re shopping anyway, Ed,” his wife added. “And chances are you were probably distracted by something else when we were in the store.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. Forget I even mentioned it,” Charlie’s father replied, which made everyone, including the doorman, laugh even more.
“Well, you folks have a wonderful day. Looks like the sun is beginning to peek through the clouds,” the doorman said, pointing out the window towards the sky.
“What do ya know. This truly is a magical place,” Mrs. Z declared.
Charlie was off the hook. He put on a big smile for the doorman, yet still, he could not stop thinking about the whereabouts of their good friend, Ben Glimmer.
The cast member pushed open the door and the Zastawits family headed out towards Epcot. Charlie was the last to exit, and as he did, the doorman stopped him. “That was a close one, don’t you think? Make sure you ride Spaceship Earth today,” he said with a wink and the tip of his hat.
Caught off guard by the remark, Charlie’s eyes opened wide, then returned to normal. Excited by the doorman’s comment, the young boy picked up his stride and led the way to the International Gateway—the rear entrance into Epcot.
The Zastawits family were well into their morning. They had made their way from the back entrance of Epcot, through the west side of World Showcase, and all the way to the Land Pavilion, which included a thrilling experience on Soarin’. Lunchtime was nearing and most guests had set their sites on a place to eat.
Eager to ride Spaceship Earth, Charlie came up with a brilliant suggestion. “Hey Dad, we should ride while others eat. I bet the line on Spaceship Earth would be short right now?”
“You know Charlie, that’s not a bad idea. What do you think, Susie?”
“Works for me. What about you, Michael. Can you wait a little while longer for lunch?”
Charlie had told Michael earlier what the doorman had said. So, he was quick to oblige. “Yes, mom. I can wait.”
“Done. Spaceship Earth, here we come,” their dad said.
“The Dark Thorns have informed me that the outsider and his sidekicks will be returning to the realm of the watchmaker today, and that they will be doing so using a dream dot in Spaceship Earth.”
“I can send Duke and Grim back to follow ‘em, foxy,” Fibs replied. “Should be pretty easy.”
“Yes, I would think so, but lately it seems like the easiest of things have been rather difficult to carry out,” the silver fox replied.
“Not this time. When they transport, my boys will be right behind ‘em. And when they touch down in WONDER, they’ll have a big surprise wait’n for ‘em. This time, we, get, the watch,” Fibs said with a snarl, as he held up a clenched fist.
“You just make sure they get here,” Mr. Jollysnaps said. “We’ll handle the rest.”
“Why you over-shined golden boy,” what makes you think you can handle the outsider and his gang any better than we can?”
“Do you have a plan once they arrive in WONDER?” the fox calmly asked.
“No.”
“Well, there you have it. Let’s just stick to what we’re good at for now, shall we. You send your men to track ‘em, and we’ll work on the watch once they get here.”
“Ohhhhp!” Fibs’ face turned bright red and sweat began to poor over his forehead and cheeks—trying to control his temper. “All right then,” he said while exhaling. Duke, Grim.”
“Yes, Captain?” they replied.
“Transport to Epcot and go hang out by the ball. When the outsider and his brother show up, follow ‘em onto the attraction and hitch a ride back here to Deep WONDER. Got it?”
“No worries, Captain. We’ll stick with ‘em like bees on honey,” Duke said, as both spies set their brushed steel wristband devices for Epcot’s Future World. “See ya soon Captain.” SHWOOP! They were gone.
The line was minimal, only a short ten minute wait. Charlie and Michael held a quiet conversation, discussing their plan of attack once on the attraction.
“I’m not sure exactly what’s going to happen once we’re on the ride, but judging by the experiences we’ve had here so far, I’d say anything is possible.”
“You’re not kidding,” Michael replied.
“Since nobody really gave us specific directions, I guess we just keep our eyes open and be ready for whatever happens?”
“I guess so, Charlie.”
A younger, married couple with no children were right behind the boys and overheard their conversation.
“Oh dear, so is this a scary ride?” the wife asked in a heavy English accent. “This is our first time here.”
“Yeah, and from what you were saying, it sounds like it might be a tad bit scary,” the husband added. “Is it a rollercoaster with loops that turn you upside-down?”
The boys looked at each other and giggled. “No, not at all, Charlie replied. “It’s a slow moving dark ride. Kind of like the Haunted Mansion.”
“Ohhhh. Right-right-right. Like the Mansion you say,” the husband replied. “We were just in the Magic Kingdom yesterday. What a jolly good time that was. Well darling, looks like we have nothing to worry about then. Thank you, gents.”
“No problem,” Charlie said, as they approached the loading area.
“Looks like it’s your turn to board,” the young, English lady said with a smile.
“Yes, good luck, mates. We’ll see you on the other side,” her husband added, giving the boys a thumbs up.
The boys looked back and returned the gesture, then spun around to face forward—each looking at one another with raised brows.
“What kind of conversation was that?” Michael asked.
“Uh, I don’t know,” his brother replied. “But it’s time to get ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“Whatever,” Charlie said, as they began their journey through Spaceship Earth.
Their ride vehicle had just passed the halfway point and was approaching the newspaper boy, who was standing on the street corner shouting out for sales. To the boys, it was a memorable part of the attraction, simply because the paper boy was similar in age. To the paper boy’s left was a box on which newspapers were stacked, and just ahead of him, a black light post. As the boys continued to study the scene, a bit of unexpected magic popped into view.
Appearing out of thin air, and wrapped around the light post, was a black fury creature who’s eyes glowed green in the darkness. as it stared at the boys. Next came a big grin of white teeth. It spun quickly around the post several times, then looked at the boys again. It became much clearer who it was.
“Look at your watch, Charlie,” the creature, cloaked by shadow, said.
Everything around them slowed to a snails pace and became blurry, just as it had the year before on the Jungle Cruise attraction.
The watch began to vibrate, Charlie glanced down. To his surprise, the small, green dots surrounding the watch face were fully lit. “C’mon Michael, it’s time to go! He grabbed his brother’s arm and somehow managed to leap out of the ride vehicle towards the center of the light post. Instantly, they were surrounded by a sphere-like mass of swirling g
reen lights. The boys made contact with the post. SHOOP! They were gone.
Right behind them, the young English couple did the same—morphing into their true identities.
“There they go Grimsly, now’s our chance!” Duke shouted, as the Thorn spies activated their wristbands and leaped towards the dream dot, following the outsider and his brother. SHOOP!
And right behind the Thorn spies, from high atop the street light, the furry black creature spun round and round the pole, before shooting like a meteor into the swirling lights.“Lookout boys, they’re coming!”
THOOP! The dream dot closed and everything returned to normal.
Mr. and Mrs. Zastawits, who had been sharing the same ride vehicle with their boys, were oblivious to what had happened. Their children were headed into another dimension, with trouble following close behind.
SHOOP! The boys were back in the fully animated world of Deep WONDER. But where? And why had they turned into toys?
“Michael, you look like an overgrown, wooden soldier.”
“Well, at least I’m not a giant, overstuffed blue bear, like you, Michael fired back with his clickity jaw.
“Huh? A blue what?” Charlie said. He looked down at his fluffy paws.
“Ha-ha-ha! See, I told ya. What? Why does my jaw keep clicking?”
“Looks to me like you’re all cracked up, Michael,” Charlie roared and snorted in laughter. Indeed he was right. Michael was a life-sized nutcracker, with the largest set of teeth he had ever seen.
“Oh, real funny, Mr. Cuddly Bear.”
“Now-now, boys. No need to argue. Midnight made sure you were both transformed into toys on your journey here.”
The boys, so caught up in themselves, had not in the least bit bothered to stop and take in the environment around them.
An elderly lady in a wheel chair rolled in closer to greet them. Her hair was white as snow, her eyes—which sat behind a lowered set of glasses, a sparkling hazel. And her kind smile, warm as the sun.
“Transformed?” Michael asked.
“Yes, so that you fit in,” the kind, old lady replied. She spread out her arms, inviting the boys to look around.
“Toys,” Michael said with his giant, wooden jaw agape.
“Lots of toys,” Charlie added, while slowly turning to take in the room.
There were dolls, spinning tops, building blocks, horses, trains, trucks and cars. Jack in the box’s, stuffed animals, balls, planes, yo-yo’s, pogo sticks and more. Shelves upon shelves of any toy imaginable surrounded the boys on every wall of the room.
“So who are all these toys for?” Charlie asked.
“It’s just a little collection of mine. Something I do to keep myself busy.”
“By the looks of it, I’d say you’ve been collecting for a long-long time,” Michael said.
“Yes, heh-heh-heh, you could say that,” she replied.
THUMP!-THUMP!-THUMP!
Someone was at the door.
Startled by the unexpected knocking, the kind old lady quickly rolled around in her chair—instructing the boys where to hide.
“You, blue bear, jump into that pile of plushes over in the corner. And you, soldier boy, go stand in line with the other nutcrackers over by the window.
The boys were quick to respond, as the elderly lady rolled her way to the door in her beautifully carved wooden wheel chair. Slowly, she opened the door, blocking the view of who stood before her.
“Ohhhhhh, why it’s you. Are you OK? You look like you need some rest. Please, come in and join us.”
I wonder who it is?, Charlie thought to himself. He laid motionless amongst the other plush animals.
“It’s alright, boys. You can come out now,” the kind lady said.
As she rolled back towards the center of the room, the mysterious guest following her in was revealed. It was their good friend, Midnight. It looked as though he had been through a frantic experience. His hair was ruffled and gnarly, with tiny twigs, shrubbery peddles and dirt mixed in. His breath was short and his large green eyes, tired.
“Midnight, are you alright? What happened?” Charlie asked.
“Thorn spies…two of em…followed you through the…the…dream dot.”
“Thorn spies?” Charlie said with a quizzical look. “We didn’t see any Thorns on Spaceship Earth before we transported here?”
“They…were right…behind…you.”
Charlie and Michael turned and looked at each other. Neither one knew how to react.
“Remember? The couple behind you?”
“Behind us?” Michael said.
“The only one behind us were the people from England,” Charlie added.
“It was…a…disguise,” Midnight said, gathering his breath.
“You have to always be watching for those pesky Thorn spies,” the kind old lady added. “They can pop up any place, any time, looking like anybody or anything.” She sat a bowl of water in front of the cat.
Midnight took a hearty drink, exhaled, then addressed the boys. “I guess I should introduce you to our friend here. Charlie. Michael. This is Angelina, keeper of lost toys. Angelina, this is Charlie—the chosen outsider Raphael told you about earlier. And this is Michael, his brother, and a valuable contributor to our cause.
“It’s nice to meet you Charlie and Michael.”
“Nice to meet you as well,” the boys replied.
“So how did you know there were two Thorns behind us?” Charlie asked the cat.
“I was there keeping an eye on the two of you, to make sure everything went according to plan. That’s when I saw them. But by then, it was too late for me to do anything. So I followed them into the dream dot and managed to cause quite a distraction. Enough so, that we ended up in an entirely different realm of Deep WONDER.”
“Wow, really?” Michael said.
“And where was that?” Charlie added.
“You know, I’m not quite sure…but wherever it was, it’s a long ways from here, which should give us plenty of time to complete our tasks for today.”
“Which is?” Michael asked.
“To find and rescue Ben.”
“Ben! You know where he is?” Charlie asked.
“Hold on there, lad. I said we have to find him first.
“Oh. Yeah. Right. Sorry. Go on.
“So, what I need the two of you to do, is to sit tight and visit with Angelina, while I venture out and pinpoint Ben’s location.”
“You just want us to sit here and pretend to be toys?” Michael replied sarcastically.
“Well…yes. That was the reason we had you brought into Deep WONDER as toys.”
“But I thought we could change into whatever we wanted in Deep WONDER?” Charlie asked.
“Yeah, so if we wanted, we could change back to ourselves right now,” Michael added.
“Yes…I guess that’s true, Midnight said. But if you do, it will increase the risk of the Dark Thorns tracking you down. They have the ability to look into all realms of WONDER, and Deep WONDER using dark magic. How, I’m not exactly sure. But there have been instances in the past where it was the only way they could have possibly found out what we were doing, or where we were going.”
“Like when they sent the Yeti after us last year in the simulated world of the Animal Kingdom?” Charlie asked.
“Precisely,” Midnight replied.
“Ohhhh, right,” Michael said.
“So now you see why it is important you remain toys and stay with me for now,” Angelina said. “We need to keep you hidden away from the dark forces for as long as we can.
“We understand now,” Charlie said.
“Besides, I have a good idea where they’re keeping Ben, thanks to the watchmaker’s advice,” the cat said. “So I should be back shortly.”
“And then what?” Michael asked.
“And then, you and your brother get to come with me to rescue him,” Midnight said, as he jumped onto the ledge of an open window, smiling.
; “I can’t wait,” Michael said.
“Yeah, see ya soon, Midnight,” Charlie added.
“Indeed you shall.” The cat winked, then leaped off the window ledge—out of sight.
Hours passed. Charlie, Michael and Angelina had enjoyed a thorough conversation, learning many interesting things about one another, while waiting for Midnight’s return.
There was a knock at the door.
Just as before, the old lady sent the boys to their respective hiding positions. When Angelina opened the front door, before her stood the sliver fox and Mr. Jollysnaps, posing as sellers of potions.
“Hello there, young lady. Is your mother home?” the fox said with a flirtatious grin.
The elderly lady’s blue eyes grew large, then receded quickly behind her glasses. I know what they’re up to and they’re not going to get away with it, she thought to herself. Angelina giggled and said out loud, “Why no, I don’t think you will find anyone here who is older than the one who stands before you.”
The fox let out a thunderous laugh. “But of course, you must be the lady of the house. My friend and I are here to make your life easier.”
“Easier?” she replied
“Yes, easier. The briefcase I carry in my hands contains a remedy for allllll your aches and pains. Guaranteed to make you feel at least thirty years younger.”
“Is that so? Sounds amazing,” Angelina replied, thinking to herself, what a liar this silly fox is.
“One sip will have you up and out of that wheelchair, dancing around like a young school girl. Ask my assistant here, he has seen it happen right before his very own eyes.”
“He’s right me lady. My own mother was bedridden, barely able to feed herself. But after she took a spoonful of our magic potion, she practically jumped out of bed and started doing cartwheels around the bedroom,” Mr Jollysnaps replied.
“Why, that’s the most incredible story I have ever heard,” Angelina said, not believing a single word they had told her.
“If you let us in ma’am, we’d be more than happy to give you a free taste,” the silver fox insisted.
The elderly lady played along to humor the fox, and to buy herself time—hoping that Midnight would soon return so they could end the silly game of lies the fox and coachman were playing.
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