Disney after Dark

“I don’t get it,” Charlene said.

“As I recall, Walt’s exact words to Wayne were: ‘I have plans for this place that should put things into perspective.'”

Fi

movies are some of the coolest things in the parks. I think Walt mentioned it to Wayne for a reason, and Wayne and the others never picked up on it. Perspective; 3-D. You have to wear special glasses. That’s why Maybeck and the girls are returning to It’s a Small World tonight.”

“What?” Charlene said.

“We missed the clue,” Fi

Philby asked, “You think the glasses are the answer?”

“Philby and I are going to take the next clue—clouds—while you guys are at It’s a Small World checking out the Mayan sun, this time with glasses.”

“Isn’t going back there a little risky?” Charlene asked nervously.

Maybeck said, “It’s the last place they’ll look. Lightning doesn’t strike twice, and al that.”

A coil of wind swirled outside of the teepee, tossing up dust. It quieted the group. They waited a minute or more to feel a chil or see Maleficent, but there was nothing.

Charlene asked, “What do you suppose happens to us back home in bed if we get busted on this side?”

Silence.

“I think my parents are suspicious,” Willa a

“Mine are, too,” Fi

“My mom’s al uptight,” Charlene confessed.

“Going to bed at eight doesn’t help things,” Maybeck said. “My aunt thinks I’ve total y lost it.”

Fi

Philby explained, “There are clouds in so many rides. Pooh. Peter Pan. But the ride with the most clouds, and the biggest clouds, is Splash Mountain. That’s where Fi

“Start what?” Charlene asked.

“When we’re inside the attractions,” Philby a

“Listen up,” Fi

Maybeck asked, “What if it takes al of us at the same time? What if we’re wrong about needing to be close to it?”

“Then we’ll find out the hard way,” Philby said.

“We should get going,” Maybeck said anxiously.

“What’s the matter?” Charlene asked Maybeck. “You got a hot date?”

Maybeck smirked. “Not with you I don’t.”

The four others booed him. Maybeck went right on gri

19

Fi

Fi

“Do we have a choice?”

They slogged their way through the first part of the ride, around some turns, and soon encountered a rubber conveyor incline that proved a tough climb. It grew darker the deeper they went into the ride. Aside from his cold, wet legs, Fi

They climbed through a second tu

Philby said softly, “I think we ought to float.”

“What?”

“Float,” he repeated. Philby lowered himself fully into the water and leaned back. The water current quickly carried him away from Fi

Reluctantly, Fi

Both boys maintained their balance and direction by keeping one hand on the steel rail meant to guide the ride’s boats.

“I’ve taken this ride a zillion times,” Philby said, “but this is pretty cool.”

Fi

Then they entered a dark scene, a cavelike space filled with Audio-Animatronic figures. The characters, turned off for the night, all stood frozen in midgesture.

“Kinda creepy,” Fi

Philby dove forward, splashing them both, and grabbed hold of Fi

“You can’t do that!” Philby warned him. “If we climb out, we’ll trip the alarm.”

“What alarm?” Fi

“They use infrared sensors to detect anyone who tries to get out of a log car during the ride.”

“But the ride’s shut down.”

“But is the infrared shut down?” Philby asked. “I doubt it. Besides, there are thirty-six hidden cameras along the ride. If we climb out, we’ll be photographed.”

“It’s pitch-black!”

“But we’re not,” he said, indicating his own glow. “We’ll be photographed, trust me. And if we’re photographed, we’re identified and busted,” Philby said.

“How do you know any of this stuff?”

“Can you spell Google?”

“And you waited until now to tell me this?” Fi

“I wasn’t going to write you a report,” Philby snapped back irritably.

Fi

“If I remember right, we’re going into a small —drop,” Philby a

Both boys rushed down the drop. Fi

He bobbed to the surface. “Did you hear that?”

“The ride’s turned on,” Philby declared, his voice unsteady. “That means the log cars are moving.”

Fi

Another drop.

The water tried to swallow them. Both boys remained on their backs, arms extended to stay afloat. At the bottom, Fi

“I don’t like this!” he said.

As they neared the tu

The robot characters were moving; giant creatures with long noses and big bugged-out eyes rocked and danced. One threw a fishing line at the water.

Fi

“Not yet!” Philby a

The two boys swam and bounced and bumped their way along the water route. They passed fake green hills and low-hanging tree branches, and a six-foot-tall rabbit holding a paintbrush.

These things looked devilish to Fi

“The ride takes a total of eleven minutes to complete,” Philby said. “If we’re halfway along—

and I bet we are—then the first log car shouldn’t arrive for another six minutes. By that time, we’ll only have a couple minutes to go.”