With one hand firmly grasped on the ragged stucco edging, he felt a surge of security and safety. “I made it!” Both feet now on the last rung, he peered over the edge. All he could see was a flat, square roof. Not a gray capsule anywhere to be seen. “I guess he’s not going to make it easy for me.” To pull himself over, Peter put his arm over the edge to get a better grip. It was then that his hand felt cool, familiar plastic. “I found it!” He clamped his free hand over his mouth. He hadn’t meant to say it out loud. The answering “Shhh,” from below showed it was louder than even he thought. “Sorry.”
“Get down here then!” Adam was getting anxious as Peter stood on the topmost rung of the posts sticking out from the wall. None of the posts had even quivered when Peter put his weight on them, but the contractor in him didn’t trust anything he hadn’t built himself. “Toss it down.”
Peter then remembered he had to actually pick it up. Expecting it to be at least nailed into place, the huge, unnecessary jerk he applied almost toppled him off his precarious perch. “It wasn’t even fastened down.” Looking down through his feet, he could see Uncle Adam still hovering, so he dropped the capsule in his general direction. Easing his foot to the rung below, Peter slowly made it back to the deck over the Outpost.
Relieved, Adam pulled him into a bear hug. “You did it! I’m so proud of you. You all right?” He could see that Peter had an odd look on his face and became worried.
The boy broke into a wide grin. “That was so awesome! I could see over some of the roofs in Frontierland. There’s some kind of scaffolding and ladders back there. You want to go see?” The nerves and adrenaline were making Peter almost giddy.
Adam put a hand on the boy’s arm to calm him. “I’ll take your word for it. Let’s go get Catie and the others. We need to get out of sight.”
Catie, having seen them move along the edges of the Bengal Barbecue, was now waiting at the bottom of the treehouse stairs. Adam was caught by surprise when she flew into his arms to hug him like she’d never let go. He could feel her heart pounding against his chest. “You okay, honey? We’re all right. Peter did great.”
Still too shaken by her close call, she gave him a quivering smile and just nodded. Her adventure would have to wait for the telling. This was Peter’s time. “Let’s go get Mom.”
Safely back in the hidden apartment on Main Street, the five of them jumped around and released all their pent-up nerves. Peter waved the grey capsule in the air like a victory flag and gave a hushed war whoop. Disneyland would open in just a couple of hours and they all knew the leads, the cast members who were in charge of their departments, would soon be making their early rounds. Once the Park was open and enough people had streamed down Main Street, Peter and his crew could make their getaway.
Peter proceeded to tell Alex and Catie how dangerous his climb had been. They all attributed Catie’s pale face to his exaggerated story and being overly tired.
After Peter was finished, Alex asked what everyone else wondered. “So, are you going to open it or what? Or do we have to wait until we get home?”
“Oh.” Peter had only been thinking of finding the capsule, not what would come after. “That’s a good idea. Do you want to open this one, Alex?”
Even though he only had a minor role in the activities, Alex jumped at the opportunity to open it. But, try as he might, the sealed cap on the end would not budge. He handed it to his dad. “It seems like it’s glued on or something. You try it. You keep telling us you’re all muscles.”
Adam, after getting the go-ahead from Peter, took hold of the container. Even with all his muscles, he couldn’t get it open either. “Wow, this one is really tight. None of the others were this bad.” He handed it back to Peter. “I guess we’ll have to wait after all. I might have to use a vise and slip joint pliers to get it open at home.”
Disappointed, Peter just gave a slight nod. Fiddling with the cap to see what they had meant, he was surprised when it easily came off into his hands. “Thought you said it was tight. Look, I got it open.”
“Adam must have loosened it up. You know, like a pickle jar.” Beth gave her husband a knowing grin to help ease any damage to his ego this might have caused.
“Nope. It wouldn’t budge for me. Peter must be really strong.” Adam let the look Peter gave him slide over. It was odd that he couldn’t do it, but, as long as it was open, that was all that mattered.
“What’s in it?” Alex didn’t care who had muscles or not. He was just hoping the next clue would give him more time in the Park to actually go on some rides. He hadn’t been on the roller coaster in Disney California Adventure in a while.
As Peter upended the capsule, Adam turned to Beth. “I should call Lance and let him know everything went well.”
“Adam, it’s only five in the morning.”
He gave her a wide, impish grin. “I know. I owe him. Apparently you haven’t had an itinerary duct taped to your bare chest.”
As he punched in Lance’s cellphone number, Beth just shook her head. “Boys.”
When the ringing phone went straight to voicemail, Adam hung up and called again. He grinned when Lance finally picked up, his voice heavy with sleep.
“This had better be good.”
Adam let his voice go frantic. “Lance! Oh, no! You…you’d better get over here! It’s Peter!”
“That is so cruel, Adam.” Beth glared at him, arms folded across her chest.
Lance practically shouted into the phone, “What happened to Peter? Where are you? I’m getting…. Ouch!”
“Lance?” Kimberly’s sleepy voice could be heard in the background. “What are you doing on the floor? What about Peter?”
“I tripped…. Never mind! Adam, what happened?”
“You sound all out of breath, buddy.”
“Skip that. What happened?” Lance seemed to be getting confused. Adam could hear the bed squeak as he sat back down. “Talk to me, Adam!”
“I wanted to tell you Peter found the capsule.”
There was dead silence on the other end. Adam knew Lance was staring at the phone. “And…..?”
“Wow, you can sure put a lot of sarcasm into one word.”
“And the hysterical tone in your voice is now suspiciously missing. You woke me up on a Saturday morning at 5 a.m. to tell me Peter found the capsule? He’s all right?”
“Of course he’s all right. I’m here with him.”
Lance rubbed a hand over his face. “Grrr. So, what was in the capsule, now that I’m awake.”
“No clue. We’ll call you later. Bye.”
“Adam…..”
With a satisfied smirk on his face, Adam slipped his phone back in his pocket and ignored the vibration when it immediately rang again.
Beth stared at him. “That was mean.”
“I’ll give him an hour to fall asleep again, then I’ll call him back and apologize.”
“No, you won’t!”
“Oh, you don’t want me to apologize?” Adam mimicked Beth’s arm-folded stance as he bantered back at her.
Not amused, she ran a hand over her face. “I’m too tired for this. Peter, what did you find?”
Peter’s face was a mixture of disappointment and intrigue. “It’s just another clue. There’s nothing else in here. No little treasure or anything.”
Beth slumped wearily on the sofa. If the kids weren’t there, she would have dropped down and gone to sleep. “Well, there doesn’t always have to be a gift inside. Sometimes the end result is the treasure.”
“I guess.” Not wanting to appear greedy after all he had received so far, Peter turned his attention back to the paper in his hand. “Do you want me to read it?”
“You did well. You found the container. But, do you remember our deal? You must still bring me my heart’s desire. The second clue to my treasure is: A heart of greater value than life itself.
“Now you must go in search of the next container to get to your treasure. It is behind the sign of the
Admiral.
“Don’t break your neck.”
“I tell you, these clues are getting odder and odder. Can I see the paper, Peter?” Beth took the yellowed slip and felt it between her fingers, shaking her head as she did. “It feels right, sort of. The handwriting still looks a little off, though. I just can’t put my finger on what’s wrong, though.” Puzzled, she looked over at Adam. “Where’s there an Admiral in Disneyland?”
He gave a shrug. “Isn’t there a boat in ToonTown with Donald Duck? Is he an Admiral?”
“But, Uncle Adam, ToonTown wasn’t there in Walt’s time. Doesn’t it have to be earlier than that?”
“Yeah, you’re right, Peter. Wow, I’m too tired to think.” Adam ran a hand through his messy blond hair. “Should we go home, get some rest, and then you guys can do your research?”
Just as before, there was a steady chorus of “No!”
“I did bring my tablet.” Beth yawned from the sofa. She was sinking deeper and deeper into the cushions and didn’t seem to mind.
“Wasn’t there an Admiral’s Bar in the original Tomorrowland?”
“No, that was the Yacht Bar, honey. No, you need to plug it into the wall, Alex. There isn’t enough battery power left.”
Adam joined Beth on the sofa as the kids hovered over the tablet. She leaned into his chest and closed her eyes. Before the kids could ask “Who’s Admiral Fowler?” she was asleep.
Adam looked down at his wife, jealous of the rest she was getting. When the overly-tired kids began to argue over the pieces of history and trivia they were uncovering, he knew they had had enough. “Guys, I know you aren’t going to like this, but we all need to go home and get some sleep in our own beds.”
As expected, the response was less-than-favorable.
“I know you don’t want to, but that’s the way it is.” Adam knew he had to stand firm or they would be all over him at the least sign of wavering. “Once the Park opens, we’ll make our way to the car. If Peter or Catie finds the right answer to the clue, we can always come back.” At the sullen looks he was receiving, he gave a silent sigh. I must be getting old. I’d usually be able to handle an all-nighter. Hope Lance doesn’t find out about this. I’d never hear the end of it. “Gather up your stuff. Quietly! Let’s let Beth sleep as long as she can.”
Flashback — Disneyland — 1958
A satisfied expression on his face, Walt looked over the array of artifacts he had brought back from Europe. It had been an extensive, productive trip. On the same table, slightly apart from the relics pulled from sunken ships, was a lovely item he had gotten as a surprise for Lillian.
His eyes lost their sharp focus as he thought back on the trip. It hadn’t been easy to buy the strand of pearls without her knowledge, but he managed to pull it off. When she had wandered to a far corner of that little antique shop in Zermatt, Switzerland, Walt quickly paid the clerk for the pearls he had spotted when they first walked into the shop. Safely hidden in the deep, overflowing pocket of his jacket, he had smiled broadly when she came back to join him.
“What are you so happy about, Walt? Find something interesting?” Lillian fully expected to see a suit of armor or an antique piano with his name and California address on it. However, there didn’t appear to be anything in particular that had been set aside.
“Oh, nothing, really. Just happy to be here with you!” He took her by the arm, waved a cheery good-bye to the shop owner, and together they had strolled out into the bright summer day.
Fingers lightly resting on the pearls, cool to his touch, his memory of their driving tour through Europe was interrupted by the ring ring of the entry bell to his apartment. Knowing whom he had sent for, he called out, “Come on in, Blaine.”
“Hi, Boss. You have everything you wanted to show me?” Blaine had been deep into his work of sculpting the mermaids for the new Submarine Voyage set to open next year. His responsibilities also included over 14,000 beads, jewels, and treasures that would soon be placed all over the seabed floor in the sunken ruins and shipwreck section of the ride. Aware of his deadline, Blaine really didn’t want to be interrupted. But, knowing his boss as well as he did, he figured Walt probably had something new for him to do.
“How’s everything going?”
It seemed like a normal question a boss would ask an employee, but this was Walt Disney. He knew every facet of the work being done and its exact progress. Not only was work being done on the Submarine Voyage, but also the Matterhorn Mountain was being built, and the Alweg Monorail system was scheduled to open at the same time. This was going to be a tremendous expansion for Disneyland. Blaine gave Walt a half smile. “We’re all on point. Everyone’s on overtime, as expected.”
Walt’s eyes strayed back to the brass items spread out over the table as a big grin came over his face. “Did you see those two postcards I sent from Switzerland to the Model Department?”
Blaine had to laugh. “Yeah, everyone did. When the first one came, we weren’t sure if you were serious or not. When the second one arrived, we knew to get busy.”
“Well, we had an ugly Skyway tower on Holiday Hill to cover up and we all wanted a thrill ride anyway, so I thought it was the perfect solution. I was already in Zermatt to check on the progress of Third Man on the Mountain, and there it was.”
“It” had turned out to be the Matterhorn Mountain. Enraptured by the majestic peak, Walt found two postcards of the Matterhorn and mailed them to California. On the back were just two words: “Build this!”
“You like the design of the Monorail?”
When Walt changed the subject, Blaine realized he wouldn’t be getting back to work any time soon. He leaned his hip against the table and folded his arms over his chest. “Yeah, I like the wraparound windshield and the bubble for the driver to sit in. Sure a lot better than the way Bob described the first monorail he saw when you sent him to Germany.”
At the reminder, Walt started to laugh. “That was priceless! ‘An ugly loaf of bread with a slot in the bottom sitting on a stick.’ Glad he had background in car design.”
“Yeah, that and being a fan of Buck Rogers. The Mark 1 might have looked really different if he hadn’t.” After a subtle glance at his watch, Blaine pointed to the things on the littered table next to him. “Did you want me to work these things into the Submarine Voyage?”
Walt had seen his glance and hid his smile. He knew Blaine would stand there all day if he was asked to, but decided to let him off easily. “Yeah, I love these brass portholes and ship’s bells. I found an anchor, too, but the museum just wouldn’t sell it to me.” The expression on his face showed Walt was still annoyed at being told no. “I know everything you’re doing is made out of Duraflex, but I think it would be nice to have a few real artifacts on the seabed floor mixed in with your sculptures. Even if they tarnish, it will just make it all look more authentic. These old silverware pieces and plates could have come from the Captain’s Quarters.” His eyes got that dreamy, far-away look. As the finished product came into sharp focus in his mind, he was already working on how to improve it.
The ringing of his phone interrupted his thoughts. After finding out who was on the line, Walt halted the call and put his hand over the mouthpiece. With a nod of his chin toward the table, he dismissed the artist. “Take everything with you, Blaine. I’ll check on your progress in a couple of days. I’ve got to take this call.”
Blaine hesitated as his eyes landed on a beautiful strand of pearls. There would be pearls on the mermaids, of course, but these…these looked real. “Everything, boss?”
Walt had turned his back to resume his conversation. Slightly irritated at the interruption, he gave a slight glance over his shoulder. “Yeah, I said everything. You’ll have to see yourself out.”
With a shrug, Blaine gathered up all the items, leaving the table cleared. The door to the apartment shut with a low click behind him.
As soon as the call was finished, an upset Walt grabbed his hat, jammed it on his head, and
rushed out the door. It would be over a month before he was able to return to his little hide-away over the Fire Station.
The Great Northern Plains
Using his newly-acquired skill, a worried Wolf soundlessly appeared in the disorganized den of Omah. He had pictured her just the way she looked when the sun hit her brilliant red hair, the golden highlights gleaming in the light. His memory had been so sharp he felt he could have reached out and touched the silky strands.
The cave was empty. Shocked that his new method of travel didn’t work, Wolf wandered into the dark interior. The mess was still there, but there was an air of neglect. It felt as though she hadn’t been back in a long, long time.
Unable to figure out why Omah wasn’t there, Wolf eventually picked up a pile of pictures from the floor. As he thumbed through mementoes of her past, an uncommon feeling of loss swept over him. Not wanting to face the implications of what it might mean, he pushed the emotion to the back of his mind as one photo in particular caught his attention.
“That must be why I came here.” It was a picture of Omah in an open meadow, standing in the sun, her face turned up to the warmth. After another long look, he slipped the picture into a pocket in his deerskin pants, the only garment he was wearing. “Now what do I do? If this didn’t work, how do I find her?”
With a groan, Wolf knew he would have to talk to her tribe if he was going to find out what happened to Omah. Most of the tribe had only seen him as a huge black wolf. Her sister, though, had seen him as a man when she watched the cave. He would have to try and talk to Kiaayo. He just hoped she wasn’t armed with her spear this time.
As he approached the encampment, he was greeted by a chorus of barking dogs. Alerted that there was a stranger in the camp, he was quickly surrounded by both the snarling dogs and the braves. “Kiaayo.” He made his voice commanding and sure, as the son of the Shaman should.
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