Disney at Dawn

She’d gotten a good look at the thing flying. She hadn’t mentioned what she’d seen to the others, because who would have believed it?

But she knew what she’d seen—whom she’d seen—and the chill was replaced with a spasm of terror.

Maleficent had escaped. Jez had been turned into a DHI.

To think that those two events were some kind of freak coincidence and unrelated was just plain wrong.

10

IT SOUNDED LIKE DOZENS of footsteps were hurrying up the spiral staircase as Fi

“Are you all right?”

She looked terrified. “Who…what… was that?”

Philby said, “Fi

The approaching footsteps were noticeably closer. They were either security guards or Overtakers. Either way spelled disaster for the boys.

“Who’s coming?” the Tinker Bell woman asked.

“We don’t know.”

“I’m not sticking around to find out,” she said.

The boys looked paralyzed.

She said, “Harnesses,” pointing to the wall. “They’re rescue harnesses, in case I get stuck out there.” She hesitated only a second before grabbing one. “Put them on!”

She helped both boys into the harnesses and double-checked them for safety. “Have you ever ridden a zip line?”

Fi

Philby said, “In camp once.”

“Same thing,” she said. “I’m going to go first.” She clipped a pulley to the guy wire. “That way I can catch you two as you arrive on the other end. Ready?”

Whoever was coming up the spiral stairs was moving fast.

“See you down there,” she said. With that, she jumped.

Fi

“I am not going out that window,” Fi

“Listen,” Philby said, “we have two choices: we can get busted and blamed for everything that just happened, or we can go out that window.”

“You’re insane.”

The sounds coming up the stairs grew even louder.

Philby grunted and pushed Fi

“I don’t think so.”

“Those guys are going to be here in about two seconds.”

“What if it doesn’t support us?

“This is Disney. The thing will probably support a tank.”

“What if Tinker Bell doesn’t catch us?”

“My advice? Don’t look down.”

Philby tested the pulley and pushed Fi

Fi

He was…flying. It was, for an instant, the coolest thing he’d ever done. He was zooming down the wire, high above the grass and the water, headed for the lights of Tomorrowland.

The whine of the pulley rose to a high-pitched whir. Philby was behind him now. Down, down, down they raced. Then the wire leveled off, and their speed decreased. They were headed above a set of rooftops. Fi

Tinker Bell caught them at the far end, in front of a set of pads. She unhooked the pulleys and helped them both out of the harnesses.

Fi

“Nice timing,” Fi

“It was incredibly stupid!” Philby agreed. He looked at Fi

Tinker Bell led them down a very steep metal staircase and into an alley. A moment later, she’d showed them how to reenter the Park. They hurried toward the Hub.

“FINN!” He heard his name shouted from far away. It took him a moment to see in the glow of a few emergency lights what Philby saw first: two figures up near the castle. Girls.

“It’s Willa and Charlene,” Fi

“How can you be sure?” Philby said, squinting.

“Trust me. It’s them.”

The boys ran toward the girls, circled carefully, and hid on the other side of a stone wall, waiting. They squatted down and caught their breath.

Fi

“They’re looking for us,” he told Philby. “Might be Overtakers. Might just be Disney Security.”

“We’ll get across the Hub and catch up to the girls. We’re just two kids now among all the others.”

It was true: the rain had stopped and the crowds had returned. An a

Fi

The two boys crossed the busy Hub outside of the castle. As they reached its center a number of lights came back on, and the look and feel of the castle was restored. Some firemen were packing up.

And there, looking down on them from the castle plaza, were Charlene and Willa.

The girls looked terrified.

11

AT TWO MINUTES BEFORE MIDNIGHT, as Fi

I’m from the firehouse.

Fi

WAYNE? Fi

W…A…Y…N…E…?

you always were the clever one. my name was supposed to be blocked, but separating the letters! brilliant!

Fi

Fi

it’s magical, what is it?

He anxiously awaited the answer. This question, he felt, would determine if it was in fact Wayne.

uncle wait’s pen

Fi

An unusual feeling overcame Fi

Where to start?

A Disney old-timer and former Imagineer, Wayne knew more about Disney World than any living person. He had once counted Walt Disney himself as a personal friend. A legend in Disney circles, his name often appeared on blogs.

He was responsible for Fi

we’re not safe here. do you have video abilities?

yes.

then go onto the web site: www.dgamer.com/vmk. it’s a secure link. but before you do that, you’ll need to write something something down.

Fi

to the public, yes. the site had to be closed for security reasons. write this down. at the sign-on, use the username: imagineer1. your password is our uncle’s full name spelled backward with no dashes or spaces.