The Watchmaker's Gift

by Charles Zitta

  “Ohhh, heh-heh, now I remember,” Michael replied. “Do you think it will really work?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe?” Charlie answered with a shrug.

  Everyone in the cell looked at each other, then mutually agreed they should try.

  “Well then, what are you waiting for, young lad,” the cat said, “go ahead and see if it works.”

  Charlie nodded, then held up the icicle. He called out her name, “Neve”.

  The snow fairy’s name echoed around the holding cell, over and over. A burst of bright light expanded outward from the magic icicle, speckled with sparkling silver dust. It continued to grow larger and larger, until the entire room was filled by the light— now so bright, that everyone in the cell had to shield their eyes.

  As the lights retreated, there—hovering before them, with flakes of snow gently cascading down from her gown, was the snow fairy.

  “I am still trying to figure out what could have happened to Charlie and the others,” Frank said to his Patron friend, as he nervously paced the floor of his apartment—his hands clinching and pulling his long, frazzled grey hair. “If everything had gone to plan, they should have reached the current hiding place of the Kingdom Crystal by now, and we…we should have heard back from them.” He paused, then turned around. “You, you know what needs to be done, right?”

  “Without question, Frank,” the Patron replied.

  “Very well then, be swift and true. Fear is not an option,” the eccentric Imagineer said with a noble expression, pointing upwards, then towards his friend. He touched the light charm around his neck with his free hand. A bright stream of light out shot from his index finger, and into the chest of his brave friend—sending him to another realm of WONDER.”

  “Duke, Grim, quit cowering behind those horses, and get over here to keep an eye on this safe,” Captain Fibs yelled. “These cowboys ain’t gonna shoot ya, ya yellow livered ninnies.”

  “But Captain, those two burly cowboys guarding the safe don’t look like they wants to give it up.”

  “Come off it lads, those western fellas is just a couple-a ride prop cowboys. In other words, no way they’re packing real heat.”

  “No disrespect, Captain, but they are shoot’n every and anyone who tries to get near that safe,” Duke replied, as he and Grim continued to hide behind two horses nearby. “I mean, just take a look at the bodies they’ve piled up near the river bank.”

  The captain rolled his eyes. “They’re props lads, props,” he said, as his face began to turn red with anger while standing out in the open— not phased by the gunfire the cowboys were dealing out.

  “Well, if you two fellas can’t handle it, I’m pretty certain me three mates here can,” Captain Plank said, as he and three of his Thorns walked out from behind the Miner’s Bank Building and up to where the safe sat on its side.

  “What? Why…what are ya doing here, Plank?” Fibs questioned, caught off guard by the sudden appearance of Plank and his men. “Me and my boys here got everything under control.”

  “Really? Cause to me the only thing your boys seem to have under control is them two horses they’re hiding behind. And even then, I’m not so sure that’d be the case,” Plank replied.

  His mates broke into a hysterical fit of laughter.

  “Oh, really?” Fibs spat back in defense of Duke and Grim. “Boys, why don’t you show these Magic Kingdom fellas how we do things over in Epcot,” the sweaty, out-of-shape, captain squawked, motioning for his men to move towards the safe.

  Still petrified by the gunfire, Duke and Grim refused to budge.

  “Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Why, I can see you’ve got yourself a set of really brave lads there, ol’ Fibsy,” Plank said, bent over with laughter. “Alright, Martin, Robert, Joe; take control of that safe, would ya.”

  The three men paused and stared at their captain, unsure what to think.

  “On the double, or ya be swimming with the sharks tonight.”

  “Yes, Cap’n, right away. We…we’re on it, sir,” Joe replied.

  Plank’s men scurried over, grabbed hold of the two armed cowboys, wrestled their pistols away from them, then tossed them into the river against their will—which carried the cowboys down stream and out of sight.

  Captain Plank let out a hearty burst of laughter. “Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! There, ya see. Now that’s how ya get things done around here.”

  Captain Fibs shook his head in disgust, then gave his cowardly sidekicks an evil glare—embarrassed by their lack of courage.

  “Neve? You, you heard me?” Charlie said with a gleam in his eye.

  “Well of course I did. You seem surprised.”

  “I, I mean we…we weren’t sure if the icicle would work or not.”

  The snow fairy chuckled. “Have you forgotten where you are?”

  “Oh, heh-heh, I guess…I guess you’re right. I should have given it a little more thought before speaking,” the boy replied, embarrassed by his previous comments.

  “I’ll say,” Featherwink said, smirking and rolling his eyes at the boy.

  “Very well then, everyone gather close together, come-come, we haven’t much time. They could return at any moment,” Neve added, looking back towards the cell door.

  Charlie, Michael, Midnight and Featherwink huddled together.

  “OK, we’re ready,” the cat replied.

  Neve raised her arms, holding the crystal wand with the left hand, she recited:

  “Make them tiny so they shall be, hidden from those they wish not see.”

  The boys, cat and frog were instantly shrunk down to the size of fleas.

  The snow fairy continued on, her raised arms now swirling about…

  “Carry our friends where they shall go, winter winds stir and blow!”

  Neve cast her wand hand towards the microscopic Patrons, sending a blast of never-ending snow flakes, which engulfed Charlie and the others, lifting them up into the air, and swirling them about. There was a burst of light, followed by twinkling silver dust. They were gone.

  The fairy swung her arms upwards, creating a funnel-like snow storm that surrounded her. Neve became one with the storm of glittering light and snow, which shrunk smaller and smaller, continuing to spin rapidly. FFFFIP! It vanished—taking the snow fairy with it.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Tiny as fleas, Charlie, Michael, Midnight and Featherwink easily snuck by Plank, Fibs and their crew, then managed to transport into the safe where the 2nd Kingdom Crystal was rumored to be—thanks to Midnight’s magical powers.

  The inside looked nothing like a safe at all, but rather, an endless expanse of rolling, golden terrain in the form of coins, on which golden cacti and shrubs grew. Centered amongst the hills, and quite some distance away, was a massive rock structure, similar to what can be seen in an American desert, except that is was made entirely of gold. Partially carved into the mass of rock was a herd of wild galloping horses, that rose up, and out of, the enormous, rocky formation.

  “This is no safe, this is no safe at all,” Featherwink claimed.

  “I think you’re right about that one froggy,” Midnight said. “I’ve heard of this place before. Something Frank mentioned to me quite some time ago. But I never believed it actually existed. Not even in WONDER.”

  “So? What exactly is this place?” Charlie asked, as he and the others continued to turn in all directions—their mouths agape.

  “They call it the Desert of the Golden Safe,” Midnight replied. “And I think it’s pretty obvious to see why.”

  “I’ll say,” Michael said.

  “Legend has it, that anybody who has heard of it, and tries to find it, can’t, because they are always looking for a golden safe. Including myself. But, as you saw before we transported inside, the exterior looks like an ordinary, run-of-the-mill safe. And as far as I know, from what Frank has told me, nobody had ever set eyes upon this place, except for those who dreamt it up back when Walt Disney World was in its infancy.”

&nb
sp; Charlie looked at his feline friend, scanned the area one more time, then pulled out his phone to review the rhyme Frank had recited to Midnight and Featherwink. “Well, one thing is certain, this is definitely the golden marker referred to in the rhyme, so it looks like we’re on the right track.”

  Catching everyone off guard, just over the horizon past the giant rock formation, a burst of light, and a sudden BOOM, took them by surprise. Everyone snapped to attention.

  Something small, moving quickly through the air, emerged from the light burst and rapidly approached, leaving behind a glittery trail. The mysterious flying object, banked hard left, then circled around them multiple times—so quickly, that no one in the group could make out who or what it was.

  On the third pass around, the supersonic anomaly shot upwards, before looping and heading back down at a ridiculous speed, straight towards Charlie and the others, who were now covering their heads and ducking for protection.

  Then…silence.

  “Ahhhh, I’ve always enjoyed making an entrance like that,” a familiar voice said. “It brings back so many good memories.”

  Charlie, recognizing the voice instantly, pulled his hands away from his eyes. “Alexios!”

  Hovering just above where Charlie and the others stood was their wise, old owl friend— defender of the Kingdom Crystals, Alexios.

  “Hello there young squire, I told you I would be back,” the owl said.

  “I guess you were right,” said Michael. “It’s good to see you again.”

  “And you as well, Michael,” the owl said with a wink, as he gracefully landed on a nearby rock.

  “Frank? Did Frank send you?” Midnight asked.

  “Yes he did.”

  “So how is he? It’s been, what day is it?” Charlie asked.

  “It is now day seven of your vacation,” Midnight said.

  “Day seven?” Michael blurted out. “So we missed all of day six?”

  “Yes, I’m afraid so, young man.

  “So we’ve been here at Walt Disney World, going on our seventh day, and have barely seen Frank at all. Plus we’ve missed all of day six?” Charlie said, with his hands on his forehead, pulling back his hair.

  “Time moves quickly when you’re dealing with Dark Thorns, shadow villains, and trying to rescue friends,” Featherwink replied.

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Charlie replied. “So our parents are doing well? And, and what about Frank? When will we see him again?”

  “Patients, my boy, patients. Frank has been very busy over the past several days. He has been trying to prepare for whatever dangers FOTO and their evil army may throw at us, as our quest for the second crystal continues,” the owl said.

  “Precisely,” Midnight added. “You see boys, now that FOTO has brought shadow villains into the mix, the tasks at hand have become much more difficult, and dangerous, to carry out.”

  “Which means more preparation time for us. This…you see, young man, is why Frank has been so busy since you arrived,” Alexios added.

  “I see,” Charle said. “And what about our parents?”

  “Your parents are doing splendidly. They were placed under a memory knot spell immediately after you last saw them, and have no idea you’ve been gone.”

  “So they’re still enjoying themselves in the parks?” Michael asked.

  “The parks, and anywhere else they have been on property, since yesterday when you last saw them.”

  “That’s good to hear,” Charlie said, relieved by the owl’s words.

  “Um…hey there, young fellow, I think it might be time to start paying attention to your watch. What do you think?” Featherwink said, landing on Charlie’s shoulder and pointing to the Object of Magic—which had lit up like a Christmas tree and was spinning out of control.

  “I’ll say,” Michael said.

  “It looks like we’re in the right place,” Midnight added, “so where do we start?”

  A sudden burst of laughter rang out from above. Not a threatening laugh, but rather, one of friendship.

  Everyone turned to see who it was. They were surprised by what happened next.

  A large mound of the rolling desert surface, made of glistening, gold coins, began to rise upwards towards the clear blue sky—the only thing not gold in the desert. It rose higher and higher, growing in scale some eighty to one hundred feet higher than the miniature Patron crew. The enormous mound of golden coins began to morph, changing into a giant, silhouetted figure—unfamiliar at first, but then, as the figure was refined, it became clear to Charlie and the others who it was. Frank Wellington.

  “Well, hello there everyone, so glad to see you finally made it to this special place,” Frank said, his avatar of golden coins spread its arms and looked around. “So you’re probably wondering why I’m popping in at a time like this?”

  “Yes, I was just about to ask, Frank, what are you doing here?” Charlie asked.

  “As you know, from last year’s experience, finding a Kingdom Crystal can be quite challenging. Which is why I sent Alexios to help you again.”

  “Yes, we were happy to see him again,” Charlie replied.

  “Just as I was to see you,” the owl replied.

  Frank continued. “Yes-yes-yes. Now, as I was saying, finding a crystal can be quite challenging, which is why, not only did I send my trusted friend to help you, but I too needed to speak to you, so I could pass along a little bit of Patron wisdom, you could say.”

  “So Frank, how is it you are able to make appearances such as this inside WONDER?” Charlie asked.

  “For now, let’s just say it’s connected to my dreams.”

  “Your dreams? Interesting.”

  “Yes, I’ll explain later, Charlie, when we have more time. But for now, we need to set you on course to find the crystal, before it moves.”

  “Right, Frank. Just tell us what we need to do, and we can take it from there,” Charlie said with a look of determination.

  “Very well then, where was I? Oh yes, yes of course,”Frank said, scratching his head. He turned to the large rock formation with the carved horses and pointed. “So by now I’m sure you and the others have taken notice of the large rock formation over there?”

  “Oh, yes. Absolutely, it’s amazing.”

  “Well I’m glad you like it, Charlie, cause that is where you and the others need to go.”

  “Is the Kingdom Crystal inside there?”

  “Yes, you could say that. But to get in, you will need to find the hidden entrance.”

  “How do we do that?”

  “You ask Alexios to show you, of course.”

  “Now I see why you sent him to help us,” Michael said.

  “Yes, Michael, since Alexios is the guardian of the crystals, he is always aware of where they are hidden, and, for the most part, how to get to them.”

  The young boy looked at the owl, who winked to confirm Frank’s statement.

  “Now then, as I said, our friend Alexios, for the most part, knows how to get the crystals. But there are a few additional details that he is not aware of, which, you will also need to know. Details, that only a Patron Council member, such as myself, can tell you.”

  “We’re ready to listen, right everyone?” Charlie said, spreading out his arms to include the others standing around him.

  Michael, Midnight, Featherwink and Alexios all agreed.

  “Splendid,” Frank replied. “Now then, once you pass through the secret entrance, you will be required to climb an intricate, maze-like stairway. Make sure you stay on course.”

  “How do we do that?”

  “Simple, Charlie. Just keep a close eye on the watch and listen to what it tells you.”

  “And how will I know when it is trying to tell me something?”

  “Oh, heh-heh-heh, you’ll know. Believe me, you’ll know.

  Charlie nodded to confirm he understood.

  “Once, or I should say, if, you reach the top of the stairway, there will be two
magical horse-like creatures waiting for you. You and your brother will have to choose between the horses. And once you do, mount them and pull on the reigns. The horses will do the rest.”

  “So let me get this straight, there are horses inside that giant rock thing, and we have to climb some crazy staircase to find them—then we jump on the horses, and they’ll take us to the crystal?” Yeah, that makes perfect sense,” Michael said sarcastically.

  “Hush, Michael,” his brother said with a stern look. “Frank, so the horses will guide us to the crystal?”

  “That’s quite alright, my boy. I can see why your brother has his doubts. If I were in his shoes, I probably would too.”

  Michael looked at his brother and smirked.

  “Yes, Charlie, you could say the horses will lead you to the crystal, but, it won’t be as simple as you may think.”

  The chosen outsider gave his giant friend a look of bafflement. “Terrific, I guess…we’ll…be…on our way? Come on everyone,” he motioned for the others to follow him towards the giant rock formation.

  “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Frank asked.

  “Um, not that I can think of,” the boy replied.

  “Ahh-hmmm-hmmm-hmmmmm,” Alexios cleared his throat to gain everyone’s attention, then he took flight, hovering above Charlie and the others. “It seems you have already forgotten who the leader is?”

  “Oh. Oh, that’s right, I’m so sorry,” Charlie said. “Please, lead the way Alexios.”

  “I’m right behind you,” Featherwink said, as he leaped off Charlie’s shoulder and took off into the air.

  “Very well then, gentlemen, good luck. I will see you real soon,” Frank’s avatar, made of golden coins, disbanded and fell to the ground.

  “Follow me lads, there’s work to do,” the owl said, while taking off towards the magnificent rock formation.

  “Well this is gett’n pretty bloom’n boring if you ask me,” Captain Fibs said to Plank. Questioning Elontra’s decision to have them stay and guard the safe.

  She has never been wrong, and if I were you, Fibsy, I wouldn’t be doubting her word,” Plank replied. “Besides, she might be listening in on us right this very minute,” he whispered, while cautiously looking around.