by Jeff Dixon
Al followed Hawk’s gaze. “Knowing you and knowing your inability to listen to me, take my advice, or do anything except get in my way…I realized you were going to be trying to figure out who did this tonight just like the professionals would be doing. So, I said this was OK.” He tilted his head up toward the track where Hawk was now staring.
A slight smile broke across the face of the CCA, momentarily cutting through the gloom of grief, as he gazed up at the gleaming red locomotive puffing clouds of steam at the Main Street Station. One of his favorite things was riding the steam trains. Hawk realized even before he read the name on the side that he was looking at the number one engine of the Walt Disney World Resort. This ten-wheeled locomotive was named in honor of Walt himself. The Walter E. Disney was waiting at the station, red wheels poised to begin the mile-and-a-half journey around the Magic Kingdom. The train at this time of the night should be in the Walt Disney World roundhouse facility, which is a place few have seen, designed after a bygone era in railway history. In the early hours of the morning, the train should not be sitting on the track ready for passengers to board.
Hawk’s smile faded as quickly as it had come. “Said what was OK?”
“Go find out.” Al pointed toward the train.
Hawk stepped away from his friend and guardian and entered the tunnel. He walked through it until he reached the opening on the right that took him underneath the station and toward the steps that led up to where the train was waiting.
Trains were an essential part of the fabric and fiber of the Magic Kingdom. Walt, who had developed a love of trains at an early age, had insisted that a train surround the theme park. In California, he had built a half-mile scale model railway in his backyard, which he called the Carolwood Pacific Railroad. At Disneyland, his earliest plan included a train. When the designers started creating Walt Disney World, Walt insisted this train station be located near the entrance to the park.
Scaling the steps easily, Hawk stepped into the train station, then out the door to the loading platform. He looked to the engine and saw the engineer waving at him to join him. Hawk recognized the face instantly; it was the old Imagineer, George Colmes.
The pale-skinned, elderly genius stood proudly in the engine of the steam train. Wearing a pair of denim overalls with a red handkerchief tied around his neck, this living image out of a history book motioned for Grayson to climb aboard. Standing in each of the cars was a member of the Disney Security department, eyes searching the surroundings, and each nodded as Hawk made eye contact on his way to the front of the train. Arriving at the engine, he gripped the rail and hoisted himself up the steps to stand next to George at the controls. Suddenly the old man embraced him with two frail arms, pulling him in tightly, lightly patting him on the back. Hawk had not expected the hug, and after an awkward delay he returned the embrace.
“I’m sorry about Farren,” George said with misty eyes. “You were very special to him. He loved you like a son.”
“I know.” Hawk lowered his gaze as his eyes moistened. “I love him too. I’m sorry for you as well. I know you were longtime friends, the last of Walt’s original Imagineers. That made your connection very special. I wish you had more time to get reacquainted.”
It had been Hawk and his new role at the Disney Company that had been responsible for the two Imagineers’ reconnecting. Farren had been entrusted by Walt to select Hawk to carry on the legacy of the company and protect it. George had been entrusted by Walt to make sure that Hawk had the secrets Walt had chosen to pass along as part of that legacy. Both men were part of an elaborate plan created by Walt and Roy Disney to secure the future of the world they had worked so hard to create. Three Imagineers had been selected and each given a piece of a complex puzzle. Each Imagineer had been given a task, something he was to share when the timing was right. They had all worked independently of one another; Hawk had not yet met the third Imagineer and sometimes doubted he ever would.
George Colmes had emerged and made sure Hawk got the piece of the puzzle he was guarding. It had been a book, a journal in which Walt himself had chronicled his thoughts, ideas, and hopes for his Progress City. The pages contained details of what Walt had planned, the difficulties he anticipated, how he would tackle them, and how he would create and shape the future. The pages also contained ideas about projects, leadership, and his dreams to continue what he had started. The handwritten book was priceless. Hawk had read this journal over and over again. It was from these pages that the initial concept of the Walt Disney’s Adventure—the theme park he had announced earlier in the evening before the world shattered around him—had come from.
“We had a good number of years, and it was a great run.” George shoved the lever, opening the throttle, and the train jolted into movement. Hawk reached out to grab the side of the cabin to steady himself. “All aboard,” George muttered softly.
The Walter E. Disney chugged out of the station and began the mile-and-a-half loop around the Magic Kingdom. The monorail station on the left drifted past as the train clacked into the foliage and snaked its way into Adventureland. Colmes kept his eyes focused on the controls, slightly adjusting the throttle, making sure all was working properly. The gentle movement of the train on the tracks rocked them back and forth.
Hawk waited. He had learned that, much like Farren Rales, George Colmes was a man who knew how to unpack a story, and there was always a story to be told. He had known from the moment he’d seen George standing as the engineer on this train that he wasn’t there just to offer condolences. He had come to tell Hawk something, and even the train was a part of the story.
“You already know how much Walt Disney loved trains,” Colmes said, while continuing to look straight ahead. “He had such a passion for railroading. As a matter of fact, when he was first talking about building Disneyland, he described it by saying, ‘I just want it to look like nothing else in the world. And it should be surrounded by a train.’ For Walt, part of the fun of Disneyland was that it was a giant play set he could run his trains around.”
“Do you think about Walt a lot?” Hawk patted the Imagineer on the back.
“Yep, I miss him, I miss Roy, and now Farren,” George shook his head with a sad smile. “Time keeps moving on, just like this old train…but eventually it catches up with the passengers, and they just aren’t here anymore.”
When the theme park was open, the train made continuous loops around the park, with stops at the Frontierland Station and the Fantasyland Station. As they rolled toward the Frontierland Station, George adjusted the throttle and the train maintained its speed. Tonight, the park was closed and the train could run without stopping to pick up or drop off guests. The only official passenger for this ride was Hawk, who sensed his waiting for the Imagineer to speak his mind was about to come to an end.
“Were you with him when he died?” George turned to look at him.
“No, I didn’t see him after they took him out of the car.”
“Did he say anything to you?”
“About?”
“Seriously?” The old man cleared his throat as he rechecked the control of the train. “We don’t really have to play this silly game where you act like you don’t know what I am talking about. My boy, you are the keeper of the key, the keeper of the legacy, the keeper of the dream, and you have to figure out what to do with it. Farren and I have done our part, so when I ask you if he said anything, don’t act like you don’t know what I am talking about.”
“You’re right.” Hawk nodded. “Farren told me I don’t know what I’ve got.”
“Anything else?”
The silence hung between them. Hawk studied the Imagineer’s face, trying to read what he was thinking. Indeed, there had been another piece of instruction Farren had given him, but he wasn’t sure George had the information he needed to understand it.
Hawk decided not to share the rest. “Nothing else. Why?”
“Because Farren is right, you don’t know what you�
�ve got.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Seven Days Ago
Night
So why don’t you tell me just what I’ve got?” Hawk crossed his arms as he leaned back against the cabin of the train engine.
“I have no idea.” George chuckled. “You have to figure that one out on your own.”
“How can you not know?”
“How could I know?”
“OK,” Hawk sighed. “I’m not playing word games with you, George. How can you not know what I have?”
“Because.” George furrowed his brow. “I was not the one who gave it to you.”
Hawk tilted his head, allowing what George had just said to sink in and process. As the train completed the loop around the Magic Kingdom, the Imagineer again made a minor adjustment to the controls, and the steam locomotive churned through the Main Street Station to begin another circle around the park.
“You already know how Walt and Roy’s plan was supposed to work. When they chose us as two of the three Imagineers, we were working for the separate company Walt had started for all the creative development projects he was doing. It was called WED—Walt used his initials to name the company. Later it was changed to Imag-ineering.” George was speaking slowly; he seemed to be double thinking each sentence before he said it out loud. “Each of the three of us was given a puzzle piece to give to the one person chosen to receive the key to the kingdom. That’s you.”
“Yes.” Hawk smiled. “I know that part of the story.”
“It was Farren’s job to decide who that person was and when to give them the key. If you were smart enough to know what to do with the key, and you were,”—the Imagineer tilted his head toward Hawk—“then the other two were supposed to make sure you were given the puzzle pieces. Walt and Roy wanted to protect us and their plan, so we never knew what the other person had to give you. We were told only to make sure we did everything we could to protect what we had and make sure the keeper of the key would always be able to find it. That’s why Farren and I used secrets and clues that a normal person would never figure out to make sure you were successful. So the only thing I know you have is Walt’s journal. That was my part of the puzzle.”
“So am I going to have to wait for the third Imagineer to tell me?”
“I don’t think so. Not if Farren said you don’t know what you have.” George paused, allowing Hawk to catch the emphasis. “If you already have it, then you don’t need someone else to give it to you.”
“So I have to figure out what I’ve got.”
“Exactly.” George Colmes grinned. “From what I’ve seen, you’re pretty good at solving mysteries.” Instantly the grin evaporated. “But this mystery has cost Farren his life. Someone has tried to kill you in the belief that what you have is much more valuable than just running an entertainment empire.”
Hawk recalled the words of the dark-haired assailant from the hospital earlier in the evening. You have preached your last sermon, done your last press conference, taken your last picture, and solved your last mystery. Your usefulness to us is over. We’re done waiting on you to help us. He knew George was right, Hawk had to figure out what he had…even though he had no idea what it might be. He replayed the words from earlier in the evening, and as he wandered back from being lost in thought, he noticed Colmes watching him.
“Hawk, I know you have no idea yet what Farren was trying to tell you. I don’t either. I wish I could help you more.” George adjusted the throttle and the train slowed its pace. The sound of the steam engine become the soundtrack for the finale of the Imagineer’s story. “Don’t ever fall into the trap of believing Walt Disney was only an entertainer. He was a studio executive and entrepreneur for certain. But he was far more than that. He was a dreamer, a visionary, and an innovator. If there was a new technology, Walt was the first to figure out how we might use it and leverage it. If there was a new idea, Walt wanted to know how it came about and what the future of it might become. After all, this is the man who wanted to build the city of tomorrow.”
George paused, closed his eyes in thought, then reopened them. “Walt Disney wanted to shape and mold the future. He didn’t just want to change the world, he wanted to help create tomorrow so people could experience a better life. Great thinkers, scientists, economists, politicians, and artists all wanted to know Walt. He was never just an entertainer. His legacy is greater than that…and you are the keeper and protector of that legacy.”
“I’ll do my best to protect it, George.” Hawk set his jaw. “I promise.”
“I know you will, Hawk.” George reached over and grabbed Hawk at the elbow and gave it a reassuring squeeze. His grip was solid for a man who looked so frail. “That is why Farren chose you. I knew that from the first time I met you.” The Imag-ineer released his hold on the CCA’s arm. “Are you wondering why I met you on this train?”
The change of subject caught Hawk off guard. The shifting gears in his brain took him back to the moment he had first seen George this evening. He had wondered why George was waiting for him on a train.
“I figured it was for dramatic effect,” Hawk said.
“I certainly am not above stooping to such effects to be sure. But there is a better reason than that.” George leaned against the control panel. “There are two reasons actually. The first is simple. We can talk up here, and there’s no way anyone can hear us. When privacy is essential, sometimes solutions can be found creatively. What better than the noise of a steam train?” George stretched out his arms for effect, pleased with himself.
“The other reason?”
“I want to help you.”
“But you just said you don’t know what I have either.”
“True.” Colmes adjusted his slight frame and checked the gauges on the control panel before repositioning himself against it. “But I do want to help you if I can.”
“I could use the help, it appears.”
“Are you familiar with the old Mining Train attraction at Disneyland?”
“Sure,” Hawk ran a hand through his hair. “That was the old ride through Rainbow Ridge. If I remember, when it first opened, it was one of two attractions in the theme park where the operators gave a live spiel.”
“Yes.” George nodded approvingly. “You do know your Disney trivia. The other attraction was…?”
“The Jungle Cruise.”
“Exactly. As a result, the cast members who worked the Mine Train and the Jungle Cruise were the elite attraction operators. The Mine Train was expanded and reopened in 1960. The original green trains were replaced with yellow trains. The original green train operators decided to band together since they were there before the expansion and before new ‘miners’ were hired to drive the trains. They began wearing red handkerchiefs around their necks. Like the ones worn by engineers on the Disneyland Railroad.”
“And like the one you are wearing now?” Hawk pointed toward the bandana tied around the Imagineer’s neck.
“Just like this one.” George touched it, almost reverently, before continuing. “Cast members have always liked to push the envelope and skirt the rules if they can. That hasn’t changed through the years. Supervisors were quick to point out that the red handkerchiefs were not part of the approved costumed items for cast members to wear on the attraction. So they were told to take them off.”
“Somehow, I think there’s more to the story,” Hawk interrupted. “They didn’t quit wearing them, did they?”
“No, they didn’t. The miners relocated the red cloth to the left rear pocket of their Levi’s. They would tuck it in and let it partially protrude over the edge of the pocket so others could see it. It was a red badge of status. Eventually, even some of the old-time management began to invite others to carry the red handkerchief for superior onstage performance and guest interaction. In 1964, an official certificate of membership in the Order of the Red Handkerchief was created and given out to the members. A secret society where membership could be achieved only by excellenc
e was started.”
“I’ve never heard that story before,” Hawk admitted.
The world and history of Walt Disney were so deep and rich, he believed there was always something new to discover. Which is exactly what George had challenged him with earlier as he told him to remember who Walt really was.
“It has been a lot of years since the last train pulled out of the mining town of Rainbow Ridge. The Mine Train of old is long gone. But members of the Order of the Red Handkerchief included Disney legends, and Walt himself was a member. The reason I am telling you this is because I have something to give you.”
George reached into the pocket of his overalls and pulled out a folded red handkerchief and presented it to Hawk, who grasped it reverently. As he tried to take it, George held fast to the other end of the cloth.
“Dr. Grayson Hawkes, it is my pleasure to make you a member of the Order of the Red Handkerchief. The times have changed, the membership has changed, and right now this is all I can do to help you.”
George released the cloth and motioned for Hawk to put it in the back pocket of his pants. They both stood there as the motion of the engine jostled them back and forth. George turned back to the controls as the train neared the Frontierland Station. Hawk had lost count of how many loops they had made around the Magic Kingdom.
“Hawk, if you get in a tight spot…a jam…or find yourself in danger, pull that red handkerchief out and let it be seen over the top of your pocket. It will alert the Order that you are in some kind of trouble, and they will respond.”
“Seriously?” Hawk raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “The Order of the Red Handkerchief is going to help me if I get in trouble?”
“If they can.” George winked. “After all you have seen and found…is that really so hard to believe? An old Order that Walt himself was a part of still exists and might be helpful to you today. It seems very reasonable to me.” George laughed.
