The Key To the Kingdom

by Dixon, Jeff

  “Rales called you?” Jonathan asked with surprise.

  “Uh-huh, when we were waiting downstairs for you to get checked in. Just as the call came in my battery died. I saw the number and picked it up and had nothing.”

  While they talked Hawk punched back up his missed calls list and once again read the name Farren Rales. He held it out for all to see.

  “We just heard him say he wouldn’t contact you,” Juliette reminded everyone.

  “Maybe something changed,” Shep offered.

  “Perhaps he decided to do something different after he made the film,” Jonathan added.

  “Or maybe it wasn’t Farren Rales calling at all,” Juliette said. “It could be that someone has his phone.”

  “Who would have his phone?” Hawk asked. “And how would someone have gotten it?”

  Jonathan jumped in. “It could be someone who found it somewhere, could be the police, could be anyone.”

  “Or it could be Farren Rales,” Shep insisted. “You won’t know until you call back.”

  The three staff members looked toward their pastor, waiting for him to decide what to do next. He looked from one to the next and finally looked back to his phone. Pressing the green phone emblem, Hawk dialed Farren’s cell phone number. Anxiously they studied Hawk’s face as he listened to the receiver. The phone rang four times and then sent him into Rale’s voice mailbox. Hawk hung up without leaving a message. He snapped the cell closed and pushed it back into his pocket.

  “No answer.” he informed them.

  Hawk stalked across the floor and glanced out the window toward Bay Lake, the massive manmade body of water that stretched out along the resort. Silence smothered the room as his mind raced across the possibilities of what they should do next. He had already told the group his next stop was back at the Magic Kingdom, but now he was attempting to develop some tactic to strengthen his searching ability. Seconds became minutes before he finally turned back to face the team.

  “What are your schedules for the day?”

  This couldn’t be the first thing they expected their pastor to say. Still they quickly responded with their plans for the rest of the afternoon.

  “I’m supposed to meet Tim in an hour,” Juliette began.

  “I have to finish up my stuff to be ready for band rehearsal later tonight,” Jonathan said. “I can call everyone and cancel if I need to.”

  “I had some running around to get done, but I can do it later.” Shep was the last to reply.

  Hawk listened and allowed the last bit of the sketchy strategy to formulate. Turning his attention to Shep, he began to unfold his plan.

  “Do you have your laptop?”

  “Sure, it’s out in the car!” Shep eagerly stood up.

  “Go get it,” Hawk instructed. “You’re going to get to spend the day here, if you don’t mind, at a luxury resort. That way I have Internet access through you if I need it.”

  “Do you want me to cancel rehearsal tonight?” Jonathan inquired.

  “No, go ahead and do what you need to get done. Both of you have some pressing things.” He nodded toward Juliette and Jonathan.

  “Tim mentioned this morning that we might come out to one of the parks tonight for dinner, and the kids are at my sister’s,” Juliette said. “Maybe we can get out to the Magic Kingdom and see if we can help.”

  “You think Tim would be up for it?” Hawk asked, already knowing the answer.

  Tim Keaton, Juliette’s husband, had been a Disney animator who had been forced to form a graphic arts company when Disney shut down the Florida animation department. Hawk had instantly liked Tim and they had become the closest of friends.

  “I think Tim would leave work right now if I told him what was going on.” Juliette smirked. “Is it okay if I tell him what you told us?”

  “No problem. Maybe he will have some helpful insight.” Hawk trusted Tim and his judgment. He wouldn’t mind if Tim got involved in his search with him. “If you come out here tonight, give me a call.”

  “I’ll think about it.” Juliette feigned disinterest. She quickly hugged her friends and moved toward Hawk last. Gripping both his shoulders and pulling him close, she whispered in his ear, “Be very careful!”

  “I will,” Hawk said.

  “I mean it.” Juliette stared at him sternly. “This is big. I don’t know what it is or what you’re looking for, but it is big. I mean, Walt Disney himself sent you a message. That sounds crazy! This is so big. Remember that, Hawk.”

  He nodded understanding. She turned and was gone. Shep moved out of the room behind her to accompany her to the elevators. She would jump on board a monorail and head back to the Grand Floridian to get her car. Shep would hike across the paved parking lot to fish his laptop out of the messy ocean of junk in his trunk.

  “You sure you don’t want me to cancel?” Jonathan asked, alone in the room with Hawk.

  “No, meeting with the worship team is more important.”

  “We can survive without the practice.”

  “Call me later. Come back after practice if you can.” Hawk knew Jonathan badly wanted to stay and help. “After all, this room is on your dime. You can visit anytime you want.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  * * *

  Day Six

  Afternoon

  AFTER HELPING SHEP set up their command center, Hawk left the Contemporary Resort for the Magic Kingdom entrance. Shep, the church’s technology expert, could find things online more efficiently and effectively than the rest of the staff combined. Armed with high-speed Internet access and awaiting Hawk’s call, his job was to cyber-seek any background information that Hawk might need on the next leg of his journey.

  At the main gate he exchanged greetings with the cast member and slid his annual pass into the slot on the turnstile. The pass was whisked into the mechanism and he placed his index finger on the sensor. These sensors had created an outcry from many organizations when they were introduced in the Disney theme parks. Privacy issues were called into question by groups concerned that using your fingerprints as verification to enter a theme park was too personal and too private. Hawk, like other guests, didn’t think too much about the new system as it was introduced. Suddenly, the cast member moved forward and punched a few keys on the turnstile mechanism. A puzzled look came over her face.

  “Everything OK?” he asked.

  “Fine,” she responded. “I’m going to need you to reinsert your pass and place your finger back on the sensor.”

  Hawk complied. Waiting with his index finger pressed against the blue glass bubble, he watched as his pass emerged on the other side of the mechanism. The electronic readout greeted him with a wish to have a nice day, and reclaiming his pass, he moved through the turnstile.

  “Sometimes the sensor has trouble reading your print. Sorry for the inconvenience,” the young woman apologized.

  “Not a problem at all.”

  Stepping beyond the entrance gate, he casually strolled toward the floral garden below the train station.

  The next clue you need is a square. Not just the square but what the square contains. The most obvious square to Hawk was Town Square that began the journey down Main Street USA. That square was just on the other side of the train station through the tunnels. He had to figure out what in the square he needed and what the square contained, if solving the clue could be that simple. He allowed his gaze to drift up the pristine landscaping until it rested on the train that was currently loading passengers above him at the station. The one short whistle blasted by the train was the alert that let everyone know the train would be leaving the station shortly.

  The Walt Disney World Railroad travels on a mile-and-a-half loop encircling the Magic Kingdom. Statistically the railroad was one of the busiest in the country, transporting over 1.5 million passengers each year. The steam engine hit the whistle as it pulled away from the station. Hawk felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. Seeing the caller display information, he q
uickly answered.

  “Hello, Shep.”

  “What is that noise?” Shep asked loudly.

  “The train is leaving the station,” Hawk informed him. “Hold on a second, it’ll be gone and we can hear better.”

  In a matter of seconds the train disappeared around the corner toward Adventureland, taking its noise with it.

  “I’m glad you’re near the train station,” Shep said.

  “Why?”

  “Well, boss, I’ve been thinking about what Rales said to you on the DVD. He said your next clue was a square. I think that might be the Town Square.”

  “I was thinking the same thing, but is it that simple?”

  “I don’t know if it’s going to be simple, because he also said you had to find what the square contained.”

  “I’m with you, so what are you thinking?”

  “Are you in Town Square?”

  “Not yet,” Hawk told him. “I haven’t gone through the tunnels. I’m standing just below the train station.”

  “Don’t move!” Shep yelled.

  “Okay.”

  “Look up at the station.”

  Hawk looked up and studied the train station. “What am I looking for?”

  “What does it say in the window at the top of the train station?”

  Hawk’s eyes focused momentarily on the sign that read Magic Kingdom, Elevation 108 Feet. Just above that sign there was a Railroad Office window surrounded by red bricks. The lettering on the window read Keeping Dreams On Track . . . Walter E. Disney, Chief Engineer. Hawk read what he saw aloud to Shep.

  “Rales said, “You hold the key to keep his dreams on track,’” Shep reminded him. “I think he was talking about the railroad station. It’s in the square. That has to be it.”

  Hawk had seen this window many times before. Yet he had not remembered it when he heard Rales say almost exactly the same thing on the DVD. After Shep had drawn his attention to it he realized that it made perfect sense. He was looking for the train station.

  “Perfect! Whatever I’m looking for is in the train station.”

  “So now you just have to figure out what you’re looking for,” Shep said cheerfully. “So get moving and let me know how I can keep you on track.”

  Hawk groaned. “You already are. I’ll call you when I find something.”

  Hawk moved into the tunnels below the train station. Instead of going straight through he veered off toward the center of the lower level of the station. This area had been used for a number of things through the years, including housing lockers for storage and for checking out strollers. As this lower level opened onto Main Street USA, there were displays and posters featuring information about Walt’s fascination with trains, along with information about the Walt Disney World Railroad. Two wide, curving stairwells ascended to a large landing area that overlooked Town Square. Reaching the top of the stairway, Hawk emerged from the staircase and stepped across the landing heading toward the entrance of the train station. He entered the cavernous room and stepped to the center to look for a clue.

  “Ha-ha!”

  Unclipping Pal Mickey from his side, he firmly pressed the belly of his stuffed companion and held the toy to his ear.

  “Hey, pal, if we’re going to stay on track, finding the square is our ticket. When you see me you know you’ve got it!”

  Hawk squinted as he slowly turned inside the station. Town Square wasn’t the square he was looking for. He had to find something square. There were a number of square-shaped items in the station, but none of them caught his attention in a spectacular way. He moved to the edge of the room and slowly walked along the line of the walls. Nothing out of the ordinary gave him reason to pause. Avoiding people moving about the station he stopped, allowing them to pass. A train whistle signaled the arrival of another train full of passengers. Punctuated by a billowing hiss of steam, the train came to a halt. An energetic buzz of activity as people surged to get aboard distracted Hawk from his search for a moment. Realizing he didn’t really know what to look for he decided to step back out onto the landing outside of the station.

  He walked through the doors and once again saw the spectacular view down Main Street USA toward Cinderella Castle. Moving toward the rail at the edge of the landing he looked at the castle in the distance and mentally broke apart the most recent clue.

  If we are going to stay on track . . . He didn’t know whether that meant he needed to get on the train or staying on track was a generic staying on course. The next part of the clue also puzzled him: finding the square is our ticket. He and Shep had both concluded that the square and what was inside it had meant Town Square and the Train Station. Then the clue that his little tour guide had added unraveled that neatly woven thread of thought. Firmly gripping the rail he leaned against it and looked around Town Square at the steady flow of people across the red sidewalks and paved pathways.

  Main Street USA is representative of the hometown people “remember” but most people never really knew. Created to capture the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, the street reflects an era in history where electricity began to replace gas lamps. It is a piece of Americana that oozes hope for a bright and exciting future. The castle marks the far end of Main Street, beckoning guests to move forward. The Train Station anchors the street and serves as the depot transporting you to lands waiting to be explored inside this Magic Kingdom. Some historians speculate that it was actually Walt Disney’s love for trains that inspired his design and vision for his original theme park. An avid train enthusiast, Walt had needed a hobby outside of the studio, and trains became not only a distraction but a passion. This distraction in some ways had helped Walt himself to keep his dreams on track.

  Now Hawk faced the challenge to keep his quest to solve the mystery on track. Turning his back to the castle and resting against the rail he looked back toward the entrance to the Train Station. If we are going to stay on track, finding the square is our ticket. Then he saw it. Tilting his head in doubt he wondered if the obvious might be the answer. He was staring across the patio at the ticket booth of the Train Station. If you needed a ticket, there was no better place to get it than in a ticket booth. He briskly covered the distance between the rail and the ticket booth and peered inside.

  The interior of the ticket office was classic Disney design. Attention to detail made this look like a working ticket booth where customers would purchase tickets for destinations across the rail lines. Everything appeared period correct. Charts, maps, ledgers, papers, stamps, and items arranged neatly on shelves. On the left-hand side of the office was a three-tiered wire basket holding the railroad paperwork. Above the wire shelves were two wooden shelves attached to the wall. The lower shelf supported two stamps for inking documents, and above that was another shelf holding an old electric fan and a box. Hawk moved to the far side to peer through the glass, trying to find an angle with less reflection. Studying the shelf he saw a dark metal box. Not square, actually more rectangular, but the closest thing to a square in the ticket office. The box was aged to fit in with the decor of the ticket booth, but he wondered if what he was looking for might be inside it. Eyes dancing around the interior of the ticket office, he sought a way into the small room. The door at the rear of the booth was narrow and definitely the only way in or out.

  The problem, of course, would be getting inside. Reentering the Train Station, he moved to the back of the booth and easily found the door that would grant him entrance. The door was locked, but if it was the correct door, he was confident his kingdom key would open it. Placing his hand on the doorknob he turned it just to see if it might be open. The knob turned but the door did not budge. The lock itself was placed higher up on the door.

  “Can I help you?”

  Hawk flinched.

  “Uh . . . no.” He turned to see who had spoken.

  A cast member dressed as a conductor stood in the middle of the train station looking toward him. Obviously he had seen Hawk looking around over the pa
st few minutes and had watched as he tried to open the door to the ticket booth.

  “I’m just exploring,” Hawk admitted. “I’m fascinated with the detail in every area of the park. Is there any way that I can look closer inside?”

  “I’m sorry, I can’t let you into the ticket office. Not allowed, you understand.”

  “Of course, I was just noticing some of the stuff inside and wanted to take a better peek.”

  “It is quite interesting,” the conductor smiled. “This railroad station would have been a favorite for Walt Disney if he had ever seen this park completed. Trains were a favorite pastime of his—” A train whistle drew his attention away. On cue there was another surge of people moving into the station as the next train steamed in ready to exchange another load of passengers.

  “I wish I could show you more, but your train has arrived.” The conductor, whose enthusiasm for his role impressed Hawk, hurried back to help reload the arriving train.

  Hawk guessed that in the movement of people he would have his best chance to enter the ticket office. The moment the conductor disappeared back through the doorway into the loading area, Hawk found the kingdom key in his pocket and pressed it into the lock. A slight turn to the right moved the bolt on the lock. In one motion Hawk swung open the door and stepped inside the booth, then closed the door behind him.

  As people crested the stairs to make their way into the Train Station, some glanced toward the man standing very awkwardly inside the ticket office, surrounded by windows. He decided the quicker he could get out of this booth the better and was hoping to escape before the train left the station. If not, he would be far too easy to catch and he knew there was no way to explain why he was inside or how he had gotten there. Snatching the old metal box off the top shelf, he opened it to see its contents.

  The metal lid hinged back, and resting inside was a shining silver box. Each side of the box measured four inches. Emblazoned on the cover of this silver box was the smiling figure of Mickey Mouse. The next clue you need is a square. It was Pal Mickey who had added to Rales’s information. Hey, pal, if we are going to stay on track, finding the square is our ticket. When you see me you know you’ve got it!