Disney after Dark

Truth was, Fi

“Just a little tired. Probably just the game.”

She nodded, but studied him oddly. He felt one of his pant legs slip down. He bent over and stuffed it back up, without offering an explanation.

The doorbell rang.

Mrs. Whitman charged out of the kitchen. Fi

Amanda.

His mother lost the battle to keep a smile off her face. Heading back into the kitchen, she called out, “I’ll get cookies.”

“Hey, Fi

“Jez.”

“Yeah, I know.” Amanda gave Jez that same penetrating look she’d given her earlier at the sports complex. Jez just looked back at her and smiled.

“What kind do you like?” Fi

The two girls followed Mrs. Whitman.

“What kind do you have?” Jez asked.

Fi

The clock read 8:15.

“I’m beat!” Fi

He said, “I mean, I don’t feel so hot…Actually, I do feel—hot. Like a fever or something.”

“But you said you felt fine,” Jez corrected him.

He swiped his damp forehead with the sleeve of the bathrobe. “Hot,” he repeated. “Did you need something, Amanda?” he asked.

“No. I was just in the neighborhood. Thought I’d stop by.”

In the neighborhood? Fi

Jez asked, “Will I see you at the car wash?”

Amanda said earnestly, “Absolutely!” as if Jez had intended this for her.

“Night, then!” Fi

Amanda scrunched her face and snarled secretly at him. She did not want to be abandoned.

His mother said, “Fi

Amanda saw his panicked expression; then she looked at the clock. She understood. “It’s okay, we can do it another time,” she said. She pulled Jez toward the hallway.

The girls said good-bye. Fi

After the door shut, his mother asked, “Is it true you’re not feeling well?”

“Must be why I’m so tired,” Fi

“Well, get to bed and we’ll see how you feel in the morning.”

Music to his ears.

16

The Cinderela Castle shone in the night sky. For all the make-believe in this place, everything seemed so real that Fi

Had Fi

A damp evening chill stung the air. It felt like rain was coming. Fi

The ride had two references to the sun. One, in its theme song: There is just one moon

And one golden sun

Two: the ride’s Central American section included a blazing Mayan sun, the biggest sun in the Magic Kingdom.

So Fi

“I told you he’d make it.”

“Sorry I’m late. Trouble at home,” Fi

As they stepped inside, the ride seemed to wake up. The familiar song started playing, a tune that they all knew by heart.

“It’s after closing, so why did the music suddenly start?” he asked.

Philby answered, “Don’t worry about it.”

Maybeck warned the others that it could be a trap. “Stuff like this doesn’t just happen. ”

Fi

Charlene said, “Wayne told me the rides and attractions are left on at night. Let’s just get it over with.”

“But the lights are off,” Fi

Indeed, the farther they moved down the ramp, the darker it grew. Only some emergency floodlights and exit signs were glowing. They provided enough light to see by, but just barely.

They all climbed into a boat, Fi

“That song drives me nuts,” Charlene said. “The way it gets stuck in my head.”

“That song is why we’re here,” Philby reminded her. “It repeats the word sun over and over, and this is one of the original rides.”

The boat started moving. As it rounded a bend into the first scene, the music grew louder.

Fi

“Do we even know what we’re looking for?” Charlene whined.

“A Fastpass back to our normal lives,” Maybeck snorted.

Charlene said, “It’s creepy in here. Real creepy.”

Willa pointed. “Hey! Did that doll move?” she asked.

Maybeck said, “They’re all moving, girl. They’re singing.”

“No, I mean— moving. As in walking. ”

Maybeck laughed. The others followed—even Willa, who was glad for the chance to release the tension they were all feeling.

Their boat passed under the arch and into the next scene.

Behind them, when the DHIs were no longer looking, one of the British dolls leaned forward and snapped its glued feet off the deck of the display. It took a long stride forward. Four others did the same—two from France, two from Switzerland—their mouths moving along with the song lyrics as their feet broke free.

Looking for clues, Willa and Philby called out the various European countries represented by the dolls.

“It’s cold tonight,” Charlene complained. She crossed her arms.

Fi

Philby said, “Think in terms of the fable. It’s originally an ancient Chinese story, so we should focus on Asia, the ride’s next scene.”

“There!” Willa said, pointing. “I just saw a German move!

Now Fi

The others turned to look. The boat rocked as they moved.

Charlene screamed. Maybeck said a word he wasn’t supposed to say. Philby plunged his hand into the dark water and shouted, “Paddle!”