Disney at Dawn

“Sometimes?” Philby said sarcastically.

“They paid us well,” Maybeck reminded them, “and we got Gold Fastpasses for our families. We’ve got nothing to complain about.”

“And they’re having a parade to celebrate our DHIs returning to the Kingdom,” Fi

“Who here doesn’t miss the way it used to be? Before they patched the source code?” Maybeck met eyes with each of them.

Fi

None of them knew if Wayne could, or would, undo it, allowing them to return to the Magic Kingdom as nighttime holograms. But all of them secretly hoped he would.

“Here we go!” said Fi

Their float jerked and climbed up the sloping asphalt just behind another float carrying Aladdin and Jasmine. With all the floats strung out in a line, the kids had lost sight of their matching holograms out in front, leading the way.

The music swelled, and a man’s voice dramatically a

“Keep your smiles on,” said Maybeck, “and hang on tight.”

But at that moment, all five kids lost their balance and stumbled into each other. Jasmine and Aladdin also slipped off their pillows as their float accelerated to close a sudden gap that had appeared in the parade line.

It took Fi

“What’s with that?” said Maybeck. “Broken down?”

“No,” said Philby. “It’s empty.”

He was right: the float’s platform lacked a character or Cast Member. It was just an empty wooden rectangle. Below it, the Cast Members responsible for preparing the floats scurried around frantically, hurrying to get the empty float out of the way and to fill the void created by its absence.

“What happened?” Fi

The man didn’t answer immediately. But his face gave away his concern. “He was right there a minute ago,” he mumbled, nearly drowned out by the music. “I swear he was!”

“Who?” called Fi

He and the others had long since learned to take nothing for granted. Not when there were Overtakers in the Park, who wanted to gain control of the Magic Kingdom. There were no accidents here: everything happened for a reason, even if the other Cast Members didn’t recognize it.

“That float should have Chernabog on it!” said Philby shouting to be heard above the music. “Only he’s not there.” He turned and looked back at the empty float as they passed fully through the gate and into the Park. Fi

“Who’s Chernabog?” grumbled Maybeck.

Philby answered, “Only the most powerful villain Walt Disney ever created.”

Fi

2

FINN FELT THE QUICKENING BREEZE of the lightning storm bearing down on the Park. He hoped the weather would hold off at least until the parade finished. It was an evening parade with fireworks to follow. He didn’t want it canceled. It wasn’t every day he was asked to ride a float in Disney World.

He kept checking the sky as the line of floats reached a view of Tom Sawyer Island. He noted that the water looked oddly green and mysterious. His four friends waved and smiled at the crowds—big crowds. All but Maybeck, who nodded with his whole body but never actually waved, his head bopping and moving to the parade music.

As their float moved through Frontierland, Fi

“Amanda!” Fi

The other kids hurried over and waved enthusiastically at both girls.

Amanda and Jez waved back, glad to have been spotted. Amanda gave Fi

“Where did they come from?” Charlene asked. Even now Fi

“What the heck are they doing here?” Philby called out. He didn’t mean the sisters.

Two big monkeys were moving in the bushes, swinging and keeping perfect pace with…was it possible?… the float. Their float.

“Since when are there monkeys in the Magic Kingdom?” Maybeck said.

“Are they wild?” Charlene asked, having noticed them as well.

Fi

“There aren’t any primates in the wild in northern Florida,” Philby said, ever the expert. Philby was a walking encyclopedia—he knew everything, and what he didn’t know he knew how to research. His red hair and rock-climbing, thrill-seeking mind-set played against the geek he really was. A favorite of the girls at school, he wanted nothing to do with them. He spent his weekends with a climbing wall and a laptop.

The parade turned just then, making a graceful arc past the Hall of Presidents. The crowds thickened. Amanda’s efforts to keep up with the DHI float failed. She and Jez stopped, caught in a bottleneck of Park guests. Fi

Growing smaller now and being absorbed by the crowd, Amanda pointed to Cinderella Castle. Then sharply up. Fi