“Well, back when I traveled that barbaric way, yes, now that you mention it.” She placed her hands over his. “I tried to attack Kiaayo a couple of times. The more I traveled that way, the worse the aftereffects became.” She paused, her fingertips mindlessly rubbing his. “Do you think that was the start for us to turn bad?”
“I can only guess yes. I only came out of the rage because of Mato and his persistence. He kept telling me he was my brother and he loved me. Not that he would admit that now.”
Omah chuckled. “I never had a brother. Only Kiaayo. It was the same with me. Maybe we were able to fight off the tendency enough that it, I don’t know, went away?”
Wolf only shook his head. When he realized his hands were still on her shoulders, he slowly eased them away.
“What do you think we should do, Wolf?”
“I think I need to talk to my father again. See what he thinks. It was his wife, my mother. He never remarried. What about you?”
Her eyes suddenly filled with tears. “I missed so much without a mother. Kiaayo would talk about her to help me feel connected, but it wasn’t the same. I never knew her. Oh, I’d go back in time to see her, but it wasn’t the same. She wasn’t Mom then. And I was just some stranger with red hair.” She swiped at the tears that ran freely down her cheeks.
Wolf put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side. As she sniffled, he could only hug her. “I think we need to talk to Walt, too.”
“Walt? Why? I already did that. He told me my quest never mattered.”
He gave her a companionable squeeze. “Maybe he didn’t mean it the way you heard it. It wouldn’t hurt to try again. I’ll go with you this time.”
Omah didn’t answer as she snuggled deeper into his side. It felt good to be hugged and comforted. She didn’t want to talk to Walt again. That hadn’t ended so well the last time. There was something else in her heart that she felt she needed to do. And, if it was successful, then this would be the last time she would feel Wolf’s arms around her. The thought saddened her, but her resolve kicked in. Perhaps they were wrong about the outcome. Perhaps….
“Wolf, you go talk to your father. Thanks for understanding.”
Wolf had an uneasy feeling when she moved away from him. As he reluctantly rose, she smiled up at him, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. Her eyes were filled with sadness and, also, a determination he hadn’t seen before. For what he didn’t know. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. I’m fine. Go see your father.”
Her words were spoken too brightly. He frowned, but had nothing else to go by. “Okay. I’ll see you a little later. If you get tired, there’s a sleeping pallet for you in the family tent.”
“Yes. That sounds wonderful. Thanks.”
Wolf slowly turned away and went in search of the Shaman. Halfway across the quiet compound, he had to stop. The uneasy feeling still pushed at his mind. Unable to shake it off, he looked back toward the River.
Omah was gone.
Disneyland
Like a general leading his troops, Peter stood in front of his friends, feet wide apart, hands clasped behind his back. Adam, Beth, Catie, and Alex formed a loose semi-circle as they received their instructions for the night. As impressive as Peter looked, his stance belied his actual feelings. Nerves, combined with excitement, threatened to make his hands shake and knees wobble. By holding his hands out of sight, he could hide the shivers that went up and down his arms. Now was the chance to do something he had always wanted to do—spend the night in the empty Park. However, he knew it was never completely empty. Once the guests were gone, the crews got to work cleaning and repairing. There was a nightly ritual that was going on below them and he would have to lead his small band of adventurers through and around it so they didn’t get caught. Aunt Beth might have her cast member I.D. with her, but there would still be the questions of why they were all there and where they had been hiding. No, it would not help Aunt Beth’s career if they were caught.
“Okay, then.” Peter had to stop for a moment when he heard his voice crack. Alex snickered at him, but the rest pretended not to hear. “Okay. I think we’ve agreed that Uncle Adam will go with me to the roof. Just to make sure I don’t fall, right?” He shot a glance at Uncle Adam to make it clear that he, Peter, would be the one going up the intriguing ladder built into the side of the wall. Uncle Adam looked way too fascinated by this clue search, so Peter wanted to be sure they were on the same page.
Amused at the intense, meaningful stare Peter was giving him, Adam just nodded solemnly. Lance would love seeing this. “Yes, that’s right. Just for backup in case you need it.”
The stare continued a minute longer as Peter tried to determine if he meant it or not. Uncle Adam had the oddest gleam in his eyes. “Okay, um, thanks.” Peter turned to his other minions for the night. “Aunt Beth, you and Alex will cover the area around the Tiki Room and Jungle Cruise to make sure no one comes from that direction. Catie, you’ll be up in the Treehouse to watch the entry from New Orleans Square and Frontierland.” He put a hand up to shade his eyes when the beam from Alex’s flashlight hit him square in the face. “Right, Alex, you and Aunt Beth have flashlights to signal Catie if someone comes and she will use our walkie-talkie to alert Uncle Adam.”
“Honey, put that out. We know it works.” Using the diversion to hide her smile as she turned to her son, Beth wondered if Peter was going to make them drop and give him ten push-ups before they set out. Kimberly would love seeing this. “I think that sounds like a great plan, Peter. I know I can’t talk you out of going up that ladder, but, please be careful!”
The room seemed overly dark when Alex’s flashlight clicked off. All he could see of Aunt Beth was a dancing white dot. “I will. It’s already 2 a.m. Do you think we’ve waited long enough?”
As the only cast member present, Beth mentally went over the maintenance schedule she had seen posted backstage. The only major work being done that month was in ToonTown, the opposite side of the Park from where they were. Only general cleaning and touch-up painting had been scheduled for that night. She shook her head. “The Park didn’t close until midnight. It usually takes at least an hour to herd the stragglers to the exit and close the shops. I don’t think there’s been quite enough time. Catie dear, peek out the window and see if Main Street is clear. Alex, put out that flashlight. We might need it later.”
As excited as the rest of the group, Catie eagerly pushed aside the lacy curtains just enough to see. “Oh, wow! Look at the size of those hoses! No wonder the street is always so clean.”
“I want to see!” Alex nudged in beside her as they watched the nightly ritual of cleaning Main Street take place.
Adam joined them at the window and grunted as he watched. “Hmm, we’re going to leave behind footprints with all that water. We’ll have to wait until it dries.”
Beth knew what she was about to say wasn’t going to go over very well, but, as a mom, she had to try. “How about if we all take a nap until, say 4:30 or 5. It might do us some good to have some rest.” It would sure do me a world of good. Haven’t done an all-nighter since Adam and I hid out under Pirates.
“Nap!?” The three kids sounded insulted.
“Fine. Never mind. We’ll just wait.” She gave a small shrug when Adam flashed her a ‘nice try’ look.
“Okay, I think it’s time. I haven’t seen anyone go down Main Street in quite a while. You all ready?” Peter tried his best to sound calm, but excitement oozed from every pore. If he could have run around the room whooping without looking like a complete idiot, he would have.
Adam led the way down the ladder of the apartment and opened the door onto Main Street. Going to the edge of the entryway, he slowly eased his head out so he could look in both directions. The work lights had been turned off in their area. There was a glow that could be seen behind the Castle that was probably the workers in ToonTown. Whispering, he told the others to come on out.
“What’s that n
oise?” Alex walked away from the dark edge of the buildings and looked toward the Castle.
“Get back here!” Beth pulled her son back into the deeper shadows. “That’s the Wishing Well. It’s always playing. When we came in early to practice for the canoe races, we could hear I’m Wishing everywhere in the Park!”
They were all dressed in the dark hats and jackets Adam and Beth had brought in his backpack. For Adam, it had brought back the memory of the time he had jumped from the steam train in the tunnel, curled into a ball on the ground, and hoped no one looked back. Dressed in black back then, he had blended perfectly into the darkness. Now he hoped the dark colors would help just in case someone came along.
Peter took the front position and led them to the edge of the Photo Shop. Now they had to cross Main Street to get to the Refreshment Corner. “I don’t see or hear anything. Let’s go.”
As one black mass, they quickly moved across the street and headed for the bridge into Adventureland. Just past the Tiki Room, by the Dole Whip stand, they paused once more. Peter hugged the wall of tiki masks until he could see into the side entrance to Frontierland as well as the exit of the Jungle Cruise. At his wave, the rest joined him.
“Okay, Aunt Beth, you and Alex stay around here. We’ll go through the shops instead of out on the street. See you later.”
He was surprised when Beth pulled him into a hug. “You be careful now.”
“I will.” Embarrassed, yet reassured by her gesture, Peter motioned for Catie and Adam to follow him. Unnecessarily crouched low like a ninja, he wove a zigzag pattern through the silent shops as Adam and Catie walked along behind him, matching grins on their faces.
Once they reached the black metal gate that lead to the roof of the Bazaar, Adam did one last sweeping glance before taking Catie to the steps of Tarzan’s Treehouse. A trash can had been pulled in front of the stairs to indicate the attraction was closed. After he pulled the can away to give her just enough room, he asked her one last time, “You sure you’re okay all by yourself, honey? I could get Mom to sit with you up there.” Even in the darkness he could see her brown eyes were wide. He needed to make sure it wasn’t from fear.
Catie went in for a hug. “I’m okay, Dad. This is exciting! I’m a little scared, but I have the safest spot. I’ll call you on the walkie-talkie if I need you.”
“I have to get back. I think I heard the metal gate squeak.” Restraining his fierce desire to protect his little girl, Adam watched her mount the steps until she was out of sight. Seems like just yesterday we brought the twins home from the hospital. The trash can was then pushed back into place. When he returned to the stairs next to the Bengal Barbecue, just as he thought, Peter had already opened the metal gate and was busy exploring the rooftop. “Hey, you were supposed to wait for me. Oh, wow, look at all the details in the walls up here. Did you see this tribute window to Harper?”
Peter wasn’t paying any attention to the walls. He had found a doorway behind the Adventure Outpost sign that had probably been used by the actors in the stunt show. “Wonder where this goes?”
Still feeling the need to whisper, Adam ran a hand over the carved door as he spoke. “Well, probably to a dressing room like the ones near the Golden Horseshoe. There are probably stairs behind these buildings that go down to the break area that the Jungle Cruise skippers use. Beth told me,” he added when Peter turned to question his knowledge of what was behind the scenes—or backstage as it was called by staff. “I’ll point out the windows of the Frontierland dressing rooms next time we’re over there. The entry is that huge stockade gate next to the Stage Door Café.”
Peter turned from the door to put a hand on the first rung stuck into the side of the pink tower. There were seven posts in all. He didn’t think he would have any trouble since they weren’t spaced too far apart. Intent on what he needed to do, he jumped when Adam spoke again.
“You ready? Sorry.” Adam was glad to see that Peter was a little nervous. That hopefully meant he might be more careful. “Before you start, let me check over the top of the sign to make sure no one’s around.” The main walkway through Adventureland was dark and quiet. A quick glance toward the Treehouse showed him how far away he was from his daughter. It was further than he had thought. He wouldn’t be able to see any movement and would have to rely on the walkie-talkie. Looking across at the Jungle Cruise, he saw a movement in the shadows and hoped it was Alex. “All clear, Peter.”
Peter put a hand on the second rung and began his slow, careful climb.
Catie had crouched down on the suspension bridge that led from the entry stairway to the main part of the Treehouse. As if her head was on a swivel, she kept in constant motion trying to watch all directions at the same time. The two-way radio ready at hand, she had already watched a security guard go through the queue area of the Pirates attraction. Then, when he turned away to go deeper into New Orleans Square, she let out a sigh of relief. Intent on watching for a flashlight warning coming from the Jungle Cruise, she was startled to hear the scrape of the trashcan that blocked the entrance to her hiding place. Her dad wasn’t supposed to come back until Peter had gotten the next clue. It was way too soon for that.
A flashlight beam suddenly lit the inside of the tree trunk staircase and began to swing back and forth as someone came toward her position. It couldn’t be Alex; he was supposed to be with their mom at the other end of Adventureland.
Heart pounding, Catie sprung from her spot to sprint to the first level of the treehouse. Usually she took her time in this hut to look over the figure of Jane as she sketched the nearby Tarzan. On the other side of the walkway was a ship’s wheel inside a dark-paned window and various nautical knickknacks that supposedly had come from the shipwreck that stranded the baby Tarzan.
Throwing herself against the wall, Catie ignored all the fascinating items and peered back at the wooden walkway. The flashlight beam was making a lazy side-to-side sweep as the guard got closer to her position. Trying not to make any noise, the scared girl hurried up the next flight of stairs.
The next building was a hut that used to hold the master bedroom for the Swiss Family Robinson, the former occupants of the treehouse. Now the mother gorilla tenderly held the baby Tarzan as they watched scenes from his life play over a screen in the back. Catie realized she needed to hurry across the next exposed observation platform. From there was a wonderful view into Frontierland, all the way to the dock that held the Mark Twain. As she rounded the bamboo-covered windows that shielded the touching scene from the guests, ready to run up to the next level where the leopard Sabor screamed at the guests, she suddenly remembered something Uncle Lance had told them. He and Kimberly had to hide out in the Treehouse a long time ago and he had mentioned a hidden latch that opened the window. With one last, desperate look to see how close the security guard was, Catie reached inside the bamboo poles to frantically try and find that latch.
To Catie, the releasing click of the latch seemed to be super loud, but she couldn’t think about anything except to get that window to swing upward. Through the loose slats below her, she could see the beam of light coming up the next flight of stairs toward her location. Scrambling through the now-open window, she had to jump to reach the panel to close it as quietly as possible. Pressed as closely as possible to the outer wall, curled into a dark ball, she tried to hold her breath as the footsteps of the guard could now be clearly heard. Try as she might, she couldn’t keep her eyes closed. She had to look at the slowly swinging light as it got closer and closer.
All of a sudden the mother gorilla behind her was brightly lit and the grinning baby could be easily seen. The light beam then swung over the other artifacts in the room as the guard, apparently a fan of the movie, chuckled in appreciation.
Taking his time, the guard finally moved higher into the treehouse, enjoying the tableaus as well as the star-filled sky over quiet Frontierland. Afraid to move or breathe, Catie waited where she was, feeling a little safer from detection but still an
xious. What if her mom had signaled that someone was coming? What if her walkie-talkie went off right then and alerted the guard? What if the guard went into Adventureland and saw Peter climbing the wall? Peter had to have gotten to the top by now and was probably trying to get back down.
All these thoughts rushed through the poor girl’s mind as she kept trying to determine the location of the security guard. Why couldn’t it have been Uncle Wolf? He would have helped her and not made her so afraid. Where was Uncle Wolf anyway? He had been gone a long time. No one had seen him since he leaped out of the apartment window.
Catie jumped when the leopard high above her head screamed out into the night. That could only mean one thing: The guard was now down in the laboratory section on the ground floor. The leopard only screamed when someone pulled on the rope down there. When she heard the clanging of pots and pans, she knew her guess was right. The guard was playing with the kitchen items that had been set up for kids to make music just like the gorillas did in the movie. With a sigh of relief, she stood from her cramped position to stretch out her legs. Easily finding the release, she opened the window and climbed back out onto the wooden walkway. Leaving the security of the small hut, she peered over the edge and tried to see through the dense foliage. It was too thick. Easing onto the observation platform, she slunk down to peer over the edge. She could see the guard as he left Adventureland and took the sloping path down toward Frontierland. His whistling tune was easily heard in the silence of the night. Soon he was out of sight around the River Belle Terrace. On shaky legs, she made her way back down to her original position.
Peter carefully placed his feet on rung after rung. It felt odd not to have some kind of safety bar next to him as he climbed up hand over hand. A quick glance down at Uncle Adam showed him hovering as if to catch him when he fell. I won’t fall. I’m Indy! With a quivering laugh that probably amused Uncle Adam, he reached the top of the wall.
HIDDEN MICKEY ADVENTURES 4 Page 13
