Hidden Mickey Adventures 1
Page 20
“I want to go with you.” At the obvious negative reaction his statement was about to unleash, Peter held up a hand to stop them. “Wait a second. I know you don’t want me near him again, but it’s my right! He held me at knifepoint. He threatened my family and my friends. I deserve to see wherever it is that Wolf is taking him.” His mouth set in a firm line, he steadily looked at each adult in the room as if daring them to argue his point.
“I agree.” Wolf broke the silence that followed Peter’s outburst.
Expecting his parents to immediately oppose, Peter was amazed to see them silently consider it. He wisely kept silent and let them work it out. He had already had his say.
With a brief nod, a white-faced Kimberly gave her husband the go-ahead. “Fine, but I’m going with you.” Lance addressed himself to Wolf. “He shouldn’t see that alone.”
Accepting Lance’s stipulation, Wolf glanced out the window. “The Park closes at ten tonight. Be at the dock at eleven. Kimberly? You’ll call to shut down the River?”
She nodded. “I’ll shut it down until one in the morning. That should give you enough time.”
Peter had no idea what they were talking about. Why were they even discussing Disneyland? Todd was probably still unconscious in that hidden room, but wouldn’t they just dump him into Wolf’s car? What dock did he mean? “River? What river?”
“Frontierland River.” Headed out of the room, Wolf answer was brief. Within moments they heard the front door slam and he was gone.
“What? Are we going to get a private showing of Fantasmic! or something? I don’t understand.”
Kimberly put a hand on his shoulder before she went upstairs to the War Room. “That’s all you’re going to be told right now. You’ll see the rest at eleven.”
“You aren’t going?”
His mother shook her head. “No, Michael and Andrew are far too young. I don’t want them there. I don’t want you there, either.” Her warm palm cupped on his cheek. “But you’re probably right. You need to see what’s going to happen.”
Knowing he wasn’t going to get any more answers, Peter just watched as she walked up the stairs.
There were four people at the Frontierland River late that night. Father and son, so alike, stood close together at the edge of the silent canoe dock. The large canoes used by the guests during the day were securely roped to the wooden dock. A small utility canoe that was usually stored at the far end of the Hungry Bear Restaurant bobbed next to them in the greenish water of the Frontierland River. In that canoe, lying unconscious on his side was the ex-security guard Todd Raven. Holding a paddle and sitting on the back seat was Wolf. He had removed his uniform’s shirt, hat and shoes, setting them on the edge of the dock as if he hadn’t wanted them to get wet. Illuminated by the bright moonlight, there was an odd white patch of hair glowing in the dark mat that covered his broad chest.
Amazed, Peter silently watched Wolf tilt his head back and let out a loud, lingering wolf howl. The sound echoed over the water and then slowly faded as it drifted over the tall pine trees of the Island. It was so eerily life-like that the hairs on his arms stood straight up and his heart began to pound in his chest. Peter could only stand silent and watch as Wolf pushed away from the canoe dock and slowly paddled out to the middle of the river. Eyes fixed on the far bend, Wolf’s powerful arms seemed to be conserving their strength as his strokes were shallow, almost ineffective.
Breaking out of his trance-like state, Peter was about to call out and ask Wolf where he was taking Todd when an unexpected wind suddenly pushed rain drops into his face. Looking past the barely-moving canoe, he could see a thick fog inch its way over the river, thin fingers of gray moving this way and that above the water.
His dad grabbed his arm when a freak bolt of lightning came out of the fog and hit the river to send up a geyser of water. About to yell a warning to Wolf, Peter saw their friend dig deeper with the paddle and head straight for the fog. “What’s he doing, Dad? He has to turn back.”
“Just watch.” Lance had to yell over the force of the wind blowing steadily down the river. Tightening his grip on his son, they backed away from the edge of the dock.
Another lightning strike hit the water directly in front of the canoe, sending up a pink geyser of sparkles that swirled around and around. Seemingly unperturbed by the violence going on around him, Wolf angled the canoe to hit the lights dead center and, inexplicably, paddled even faster.
“Wolf!” Frantic, Peter cried out as the tip of the canoe hit the edge of the swirling vortex and started to turn in the tide.
“He’s all right.” Lance tried to calm Peter as they took another step backward, but his words were blown away in the violent wind.
His eyes wide, Peter drew in a sharp breath as a realization hit him. “I saw this before. I was about six years old.” He swirled on Lance. “I saw this before! He...he said he was going home.”
His dad could only nod when there was another explosion on the river.
With a sudden jerk, Peter wretched his arm away from his father’s grasp and ran toward the end of the dock.
Caught off-guard by the suddenness of the action, Lance frozen in place as he watched Peter dive out into the water. Eyes wide with terror, Lance saw one last bolt of lightning churn the angry water and he jumped in after his son.
But he was too late. The river in front of him was empty. Todd, Peter and the wolf had already disappeared from view.
—THE END—
The story continues with...
THINGS SEEM FAMILIAR—BUT SOMETHING IS HORRIBLY WRONG
Alone and scared, Peter Brentwood finds himself in the distant past and in front of a hauntingly-familiar mansion.
PETER’S VISIT TAKES A DEADLY TURN
As Peter gets to know the inhabitants of this mansion, people aren’t as he thought they should be. The man he thought was an innocent victim is now an adversary. Is there more to the story than he ever imagined?
CAN WOLF AND LANCE RESCUE PETER IN TIME?
Stairways to nowhere and hidden passageways, lit only by candles, might lead Lance to his son. Can he trust the one who might not be as she seems? Is the Disney legend just a story—or is it the truth?
ONE FALSE STEP ALTERS THE DISNEYLAND WE ALL KNOW
On their return, the three travelers find they are the only ones who realize something has gone wrong at Disneyland. It is up to them to protect Walt Disney’s legacy.
CAN THEY FIND OUT WHAT’S WRONG—AND CORRECT IT?
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Nancy Temple Rodrigue
Nancy lives in the small town of Lompoc, California.
Her works show her admiration and respect for the man who started it all–Walt Disney.
Nancy shares her love of All Things Disney through the four Hidden Mickey novels about Walt Disney and Disneyland, and now in this new Hidden Mickey Adventures series. This series includes game and quest books that readers can play inside the Disney parks, as well as action-adventure mystery novels starring Wolf and the next generation of clue-solvers you will come to love, just as you have with Adam, Lance, Beth, and Kimberly.
She found at many signing events that younger readers wanted
to read the original Hidden Mickey novels, but they were not quite up to the reading level needed. Starting with Hidden Mickey Adventures 1: Peter and the Wolf, Nancy wanted everyone to enjoy them, so she penned them to include her younger audience (9 and up)–as well as the young at heart.
Nancy actively holds book signing and speaking events where she loves talking to people who enjoy her works. Visit blog.hiddenmickeybook.com to learn the locations and dates of her book signing events.