The Disneyland Quest

by Matt Ainsworth

By Matt Ainsworth

  Prologue

  Carlton Pegg sat in a comfortable leather chair just outside an office on the 19th floor of the Team Disney Building in Anaheim, California. He took another glance at his watch. It was almost 2:30 in the afternoon and he had been looking forward to the upcoming meeting with his boss, Jay Ravitz, the Interim President of the Disneyland Resort.

  “Can I get you anything to drink?” Mr. Ravitz's secretary asked.

  “No, thank you,” Mr. Pegg answered with a smile.

  It had been almost a year since Carlton Pegg had proposed the idea of the Disneyland Quest to the Disney board. The Disneyland Quest was a treasure hunt across Disneyland and Mr. Pegg had become a minor celebrity after the success of the Quest and the publicity that had followed. News stories were run on the "man behind the Quest" and he was still surprised how often he was recognized outside of the office. In the past, he would spend his weekends and many evenings at Disneyland and go completely unnoticed, even by Disney employees. But after newspapers, podcasts, blogs, and message boards had spread the story, the guests of the theme park would constantly stop him. His newfound popularity did not bother him, as he was happy to shake hands, pose for pictures, and wait for them to ask the exact same question he had heard hundreds of times over the past year.

  “So, when's the next Quest, Mr. Pegg?”

  “The Disneyland Quest was a once in a lifetime event,” he would answer with a smile. “There are no plans for another Quest. I'm sorry.”

  But that was a lie. For the past several months, Mr. Pegg had been secretly planning a second Quest, this time at Disney California Adventure, The original Disneyland Quest paid homage to the history of the park, which unfortunately, the younger California Adventure simply didn't have. But with unique attractions, shops, and restaurants at his disposal, Mr. Pegg was confident that the Disney California Adventure Quest, or DCA Quest, would be just as successful as the first.

  Telling the excited guests the bad news that there would be no new Quest usually brought the conversation to a halt. They would shake hands and say their goodbyes, and a few moments later Mr. Pegg would find himself meeting another group of park guests, eager to ask him the same question.

  Mr. Pegg also had been asked the same question around the Disneyland corporate offices and he gave them the same answer. The only person he had confided in was his former assistant, who just happened to be the acting president of the Disneyland Resort. Mr. Pegg checked his watch again when he heard the phone on the secretary's desk buzz.

  “Send him in.”

  “Mr. Ravitz will see you now,” the secretary said to Mr. Pegg.

  Mr. Pegg stood and adjusted his bow tie.

  “Wish me luck,” he said smiling. The secretary returned the smile and Mr. Pegg entered the office.

  After the sudden passing of the previous Disneyland Resort President, Jay Ravitz was quickly named Interim President. This surprised most within the company, as many people had expected Mr. Pegg to be given the position. Mr. Pegg had the most experience of the five senior vice presidents and after the success of the Disneyland Quest, his promotion seemed inevitable. But Mr. Pegg supported the hiring and never once complained.

  Mr. Ravitz was originally hired as Mr. Pegg's assistant and he quickly showed that he was capable of much more. He learned a lot from Mr. Pegg and constantly looked to him for guidance. He quickly rose through the company's ranks and with the support and a strong recommendation from Mr. Pegg, he was promoted to Vice President of Public Relations after only three years with the company. He continued to impress the Board of Directors and was now the youngest person in the history of the Walt Disney Company to be named president.

  “Mr. Pegg, welcome!” Mr. Ravitz said with a smile on his face. He motioned for Mr. Pegg to sit down in front of his desk.

  “Please, sir,” Mr. Pegg said. “Call me Carlton.”

  “You were Mr. Pegg when I met you and that's the way it'll stay. And what have I told you about calling me sir? You shouldn't be calling the guy that used to get you coffee and pick up your dry cleaning 'sir,' should you?”

  “You do when they are your boss, sir,” Mr. Pegg answered with a grin.

  “It should've been you and everyone knows it,” Mr. Ravitz said. “I feel like I'm just keeping the seat warm for you. The board will come to their senses in no time, I'm sure.”

  “You’re 30 years younger than me, sir. That is going to be your chair for a long, long time. They don't want some old-timer running things. This is your show now, so you better enjoy it.”

  Mr. Ravitz smiled at his former boss and felt lucky that Mr. Pegg was on his side. He offered Mr. Pegg a bottle of water and opened one for himself.

  “So, how is your little project coming along?” Mr. Ravitz asked.

  They were the only two people who knew about the upcoming Quest, and Mr. Ravitz had been anticipating being able to announce it to the board. Mr. Pegg smiled and looked out of the window behind Mr. Ravitz's desk before he finally looked up at his boss.

  “It's done.”

  Mr. Ravitz choked on his water.

  “Done? Like done, done?”

  “Completely done,” Mr. Pegg answered. “The DCA Quest is ready.”

  Mr. Ravitz excitedly reached over to his phone.

  “Nancy, I need you to tell the board we need to see them first thing tomorrow morning. Make sure everyone is there and tell them it is good news.” He turned his attention back to Mr. Pegg and continued. “So this is really done? And you want to do the same grand prize you did last year?”

  “Actually, no,” Mr. Pegg answered. “The money part of the prize isn't a problem, that's for sure.”

  Mr. Pegg was extremely wealthy. Before joining the Walt Disney Company, he had made millions of dollars in successful real estate deals throughout Southern California. The real estate job, which made him a multi-millionaire, left Mr. Pegg with an empty feeling. He had more money than he would ever need and no family to share it with, so he decided to do something that would be more fulfilling. He gave up the real estate job and applied to his favorite place in the world: Disneyland.

  He had loved Disneyland since he visited it on opening day in 1955, when he was seven years old, and couldn't think of a better place to work. His first job with the company was cleaning tables at the Golden Horseshoe and he had continued to work his way up the company ladder for the past 35 years.

  “I know the money isn't a problem,” Mr. Ravitz said. “You don't want to do the lifetime passes again?”

  “I was thinking of something different from the company.”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “What about if we send the winners and their family on a world wide victory tour? We send them to Disney World for a week, then to our resort in Hawaii for a week. Next, they are off to Hong Kong, Shang Hei, and Paris for a week each. Then finish it off with a Disney Cruise.”

  “Wow, Pegg,” Mr. Ravitz said, letting out a long breath. “You’re thinking big with this one. I guess all we can do is propose it and let the board make up their mind. Now are you going to pull any surprises like you did last year?”

  “What do you mean?” Mr. Pegg asked.

  “I mean going back and giving each of those kids their own $250,000 check. We all thought you had lost your mind when we heard about that one!”

  “It occurred to me that there were three winners of the Quest, and each winner deserved the grand prize. And believe me, those three kids definitely deserved every penny for what they had to go through.”

  “Ok, ok. You better get back to your office and prepare for tomorrow morning. I need you to impress the board tomorrow like you did last year!”

  The two men shook hands and Mr. Pegg returned to his office, excited about the upcoming presentation to the Disney Board of Directors.

  The next morning, Mr. Pegg pitched his idea of the DCA Quest to the board. They unanimously approved Mr. Pegg's
victory tour prize and gave him a standing ovation. He thanked them and went around the room shaking each board member's hand. The boardroom slowly emptied, until only Mr. Ravitz and Mr. Pegg remained.

  “I think that went well,” Mr. Ravitz said happily.

  “They did seem rather excited,” Mr. Pegg answered. He paused and looked at his boss. “You have a strange look on your face though. What's on your mind?”

  “Your last Quest was a huge success, wouldn't you agree?”

  “Yes, sir.” Mr. Pegg was unsure where the conversation was headed.

  “And that was with no promotion at all. No advertisements, no advanced notice to the media, nothing. The only people who got to participate were the people already at the park.”

  “Yes, sir. What are you saying?”

  “I'm saying that this time it's going to have to be different. We have to let the world know this is happening. California Adventure has always been an afterthought in this company. Even after over $1 billion in renovations, people will always look at it like Disneyland's little brother. This Quest is a chance to put California Adventure on the map. It is our chance to make it the reason people come to Anaheim.”

  Mr. Pegg had never heard his boss talk like that before. He thought Mr. Ravitz sounded a lot like himself and he respected his boss' passion.

  “Sir, the Quest is planned on my end and I'll leave the promotion up to you. You know I’ll go along with anything you decide.”

  “This is going to be the biggest thing in the history of any Disney theme park,” Mr. Ravitz said. “And it's all thanks to you. You know, it really should be you up in the president's office.”

  “The board made their decision,” Mr. Pegg said. “I support them, and I support you.”

  “That really means a lot to me,” Mr. Ravitz said.

  Mr. Pegg shook his boss' hand and left the boardroom. Mr. Ravitz smiled as he gave Mr. Pegg a friendly wave goodbye. When the door shut, Mr. Ravitz’s smile vanished and he quickly grabbed his cell phone from his pocket. His evil smirk intensified as he tapped the top name in his contacts list and typed a short text message:

  “It’s time.”