by Dixon, Jeff
“Ha-ha!”
Pal Mickey alerted him that there was a new message waiting. Placing a knee on the ground Hawk steadied himself as he freed the stuffed animal from his waist. Kiran moved in close so she could hear the message. He pressed the midsection of the stuffed animal.
“You’re terrific, Hawk; I just knew you could find it! Now you know where to go. I know you can do it . . . I know you can do it . . . I know you can . . .”
They looked at each other, bewildered. Looking back toward the stuffed Mickey Hawk squeezed it again to replay the message.
“You’re terrific, Hawk; I just knew you could find it! Now you know where to go. I know you can do it . . . I know you can do it . . . I know you can . . .”
“Is it broken or stuck?” Kiran asked.
“I don’t know, it kind of sounded like it.” He shook his head. “But he said the same thing both times.”
“Do you know where to go now?”
“Actually, I just might.”
“So this isn’t what we’re looking for?”
“Yes it is, but we have to find it to find something else,” Hawk explained. “That’s the way the clues have been working.”
“Where are we going now?”
“I have seen a crate like this before,” Hawk said.
She swept her arm in a wide arc. “This whole area is decorated with crates.”
“No, I mean I have seen a crate exactly like this one.” He cocked his head. “At least I think I have.”
“So now you know where to go?” Kiran prodded. “Just like Mickey said, right?”
“Let’s find out.” Hawk rose to his feet and led her through the exit ramp and navigated a course through the people around them. Approaching Splash Mountain he veered left along another path that gave guests a chance to watch the floating log rafts wind out of the water ride. The path ended on the main walkway in Frontierland. Beyond the railway another boat full of wet, laughing guests moved toward the end of the ride.
There was a wooden walkway that snaked along the Rivers of America, providing a magnificent view of Tom Sawyer’s Island. Guests could take a leisurely stroll along this panoramic pathway that allowed them an escape from the crowds. It mirrored the street cutting through Frontierland, providing a bit of privacy from the pedestrian traffic.
“Look.” Hawk pointed with one hand, grabbing Kiran by the arm with the other.
Reginald Cambridge was staring at them, heading their way. Hawk, now pulling her, quickened his pace across the wooden boardwalk along the waterway.
“Where did he come from?” Kiran asked, continuing to look back.
“I don’t know, he just showed up.”
“He’s coming after us.”
Hawk broke into a trot and Kiran sped up to keep pace. Again she turned back. Hawk increased their trot into a jog and then closer to a run. Moving along the pathway they passed a small wooden shack. Planting his right foot and cutting left he grabbed Kiran and pulled her with him. The sudden shift in direction threw her off balance and she stumbled, crashing into him. He caught her firmly in his arms and pulled her around the corner of the wooden outpost. They came to rest with their backs pressed against the wall of the shack now between them and the walkway. Catching their breath, neither said a word. Hawk scuttled along the back wall of the shack to peer around the corner, then ducked back. Cambridge passed the shack a few seconds later. The maneuver had bought them a few minutes. Crawling back toward Kiran, he sat back against the shack next to her. Leaning against this wall they could look out across the Rivers of America toward Tom Sawyer’s Island. He was surprised to find her grinning at him.
“That was close.” She laughed softly. “Is the coast clear?”
“For now.” So far Reginald had been like a hound that had Hawk’s scent. He didn’t suppose they’d shake him for long.
“Hopefully he thinks we got off the path and raced into Fantasyland.”
“We’ll see.”
“Now what?”
“We look.”
“Where?”
“Right here.” He pointed over his shoulder using his thumb.
Kiran twisted her head back toward the shack they were leaning against. Her puzzled look begged for an explanation.
“Did you see the crate sitting on the front side?” he prompted.
“No, I didn’t see much of anything since I was falling when we got here.”
Hawk grinned, remembering their abrupt but enjoyable arrival at their hiding place. “Well, if you had taken the time to notice the surroundings, you would have seen a crate marked Ft. Dixon Depot. It’s identical to the one at Big Thunder Mountain.”
“So this is it?”
“I think so.” He crawled to the corner to once again peer back around it. “I’m about to find out.”
He slid along the side and then the front of the shack.
The rustic structure perched on a dock along the water. Other than being a themed prop it served no function that Hawk was aware of. Looking in the window he saw what might best be described as a storage shed lined with wooden shelves. The Imagineers paid attention to detail here just like everywhere else within the parks. The shelves were lined with jars, cans, and boxes that looked extremely old and fit perfectly into the decor. On the left of the window was a door. Hawk clutched the doorknob and turned it. It gave but the door remained in place. Just above the white knob was a lock. Reaching down into his pocket he found the kingdom key once again. Each time he had used it he was always surprised that it worked. This time he hoped it would work again; if it didn’t, he’d be right back where he started.
The key slid into the lock and by the click Hawk knew that once again he’d interpreted the clue correctly. With the application of slight pressure the key turned left and the door unlocked. Pushing it open quickly he slid inside and pushed the door shut by pressing his back against it. He looked up and saw Kiran peering at him through the back window. She had a look of amazement and anticipation on her face. A slight movement of her head indicated her desire for him to start looking. The shelf was cluttered with the various storage containers. Hawk slid them around looking for something that he was not sure of. Finally he moved a can and behind it was another old-fashioned can held shut by a twist-on lid.
I know you can do it . . . I know you can do it . . . I know you can.
Mickey had said can three times. Although it seemed simple, it also made sense. The last piece of the clue was can. Hawk twisted the lid off the jar and tipped it over his palm. A chunk of metal landed in his hand. A fragment of light from a streetlamp glinted off it. Holding it up he surveyed the shining piece of silver metal. It measured nearly an inch wide and four inches long. The thin rectangle had something engraved into it. He tilted it for a better look.
“The way to get started is to stop talking and begin doing.”
Hawk recognized it as a popular quote from Walt Disney, although he had no idea why it was significant. It was the only thing on the small metal bar. Flipping it over he read the quote again. As had happened time and again on this search he had found the unexpected. A light tap on the window startled him, when he looked up he saw Kiran, eyes wide in wonder. Waiting to inspect his discovery, she waved her hand, reminding him he needed to get out of the shack. Glancing out the front window to see if the wooden hiding place might be drawing unwanted attention, he saw none. Satisfied, he pulled back the door to exit the shack.
“Ha-ha!”
Halting immediately, he closed the door. It clicked shut once again. Slowly rotating toward the rear window Hawk saw a confused look wander across Kiran’s face. Nodding toward her, he removed Pal Mickey from his waist and raised it toward his ear. Staring out the window at her he clenched his hand tightly across the stuffed midsection awaiting the next message.
“Gee, pal, you’re doin’ swell! Maybe you should go to a place where we can always check to remember the day we lost Mr. Disney.”
As an automatic high-tech tour gu
ide Pal Mickey had kept him on track. Wondering how long it had taken Farren Rales to prepare this hunt that he’d sent Hawk on, he took another peek out the front window of the shack, concluded the coast was clear, then swiftly opened the door and exited the depot.
Seconds later he reemerged around the corner behind the shack.
“What did you find? What was the next clue? Where do we go next?” Kiran fired question after question, leaving no time for Hawk to answer.
Smiling while motioning for her to slow down, he showed her the silver bar. Seizing it anxiously, she devoured it with her eyes before raising her head.
“What is this?”
“I assume it’s a piece of the puzzle.”
“This is what we have been looking for?” She once again studied the shiny silver metal.
He reached into his jacket and produced the larger square box he’d found at the train station. “It goes inside this.”
The metallic surface of both the box emblazoned with Mickey Mouse and the bar were identical. Kiran’s eyes widened. Hawk opened the lid of the box and reverently laid the metal bar into the top space. The bar slid perfectly into place as though it had found its home.
“So you’re looking for three more pieces?” Hidden within the question was another question: what was it that they’d had actually found.
“I assume so.” He put the lid back on the box and returned it to his pocket. “And I assume when I find all the pieces, then it will make sense.”
Kiran cocked her head. He sensed she wanted to know where the box came from, but she did not ask—yet. Confident the question would come later he moved on.
“The latest clue said, ‘Maybe you should go to a place where we can always check to remember the day we lost Mr. Disney.’” He gave her a moment to think. “Does that mean anything to you?”
“A place to check to remember the day we lost Mr. Disney,” she mused. “You could go a lot of places to check when Walt Disney died.”
Hawk held up his finger. “That’s not what the clue said.”
“What did I miss?”
“It is a place we can always check to remember the day we lost Mr. Disney.” He thought aloud. “The always part of the clue is important, at least I think it is.”
“Okay, then how does it connect to the day we lost Mr. Disney?”
“Walt died on December 15, 1966.”
“How do you know that?”
“Farren Rales told our staff the story just a few days ago.” He paused, wondering why he hadn’t heard anything from Shep or Jonathan about Juliette.
“Did he tell you the date for a reason?” she asked. “Is it related to this clue?”
“I’m beginning to think that nothing Farren did or told me was by accident. After all, he’s an Imagineer—the details matter. They help tell the story, they drive the story, they enhance the story. If you miss the details, you miss an important part of the story.”
He shook his head from side to side, feeling like he was missing something.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I just wish I’d paid better attention and could remember everything he said. It would be helpful now, I think.”
“So what now?”
“Let’s take the clue apart. We know the date that Disney died, and always check has to tie into that somehow.”
Kiran nodded. “Always check . . . always check . . . always check.”
Suddenly Hawk reached out and grabbed her arm. The next instant the lights surrounding them began to fade. The evening parade was getting ready to come down the street, which would magically became a nonstop menagerie of twinkling lights synchronized to the musical soundtrack. People would stack up along the streets to watch the passing parades. Their hiding place would still be out of sight, yet they were now surrounded by masses of park visitors just a few feet away.
“We have to get out of here,” Hawk urgently told her.
“Do you know where?”
“I have an idea,” he grabbed her by the hand. “Let’s go!”
They moved around the edge of the shack and headed back down the wooden walkway, now dark as the lights were extinguished. Silently Hawk led Kiran as they dissected the thick layers of people emerging from the crowd. A cast member waved them toward a pedestrian crossing and in mere moments they had crossed the street and rushed deeper into the mystery.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
* * *
Day Six
Night
THE CLANKING OF CRASHING SWORDS greeted them as they rounded the corner to Caribbean Plaza. Hawk dodged a backpedaling pirate but slammed into another, stumbling into the middle of a street show near the Pirates of the Caribbean. The Pirates attraction was not originally part of Walt Disney World. The planners didn’t think guests in Florida would be interested in such an attraction due to the Caribbean’s proximity to the state. But when the theme park opened, people would wander in and ask how to find the Pirates of the Caribbean. The original Pirates attraction had been such a success in Disneyland, it was assumed that it had to be a part of the new theme park. Public opinion ruled, and after scrapping plans for another adventure attraction, a new version of the Pirates was opened a few years later.
Noticing the short wait time to get on the ride, Hawk maneuvered them through the main entrance into the winding tunnels of the attraction. These lines would carry guests to the loading area where they would climb aboard boats and make their way on a search for Captain Jack Sparrow, the legendary pirate captain of the Black Pearl, introduced with the release of the Walt Disney Pictures Pirates of the Caribbean films. These motion pictures rejuvenated the popularity of the classic attraction for a new generation of guests. Imagineers had updated the ride to include some of the popular icons created by the stars of the motion pictures. Most of the crowd now was on the streets enjoying the parade, allowing them to enter the attraction with no other people in sight.
“Hawk, why are we here?”
The building housing Pirates of the Caribbean was modeled after a Cuban fort from the seventeenth century. Moving through the building they reached an opening in the wall lined with bars. Looking through the bars allowed the guests a view into a dungeon where two pirate skeletons were seated facing each other at a table playing a game.
“Look.” Hawk stepped aside, allowing Kiran to look into the dungeon.
“Chess?” Kiran shrugged. “I’ve seen this scene hundreds of times. Why is this the clue?”
The pirates below had died sitting a table while playing chess, according to the story line. Now throughout time they remain just as they had been with nobody left alive to make the next move.
“The clue was always check,” Hawk explained excitedly. “I remember hearing about this on podcasts; I’ve read it in books and often wondered about it. The game is in perpetual check. The only available move for either pirate leads them into a never-ending series of moves that leaves them right back where they started. They played until they both died—and they still sit in the same place with the same series of moves available. Always check.”
“Incredible.” Kiran studied the board, but soon returned her gaze to Hawk. “But what does this have to do with the day we lost Walt Disney?”
“We know the day Walt passed away, December 15.” He thought. “What day did the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction open?”
“I don’t know.” Kiran fished her cell phone from her pocket. “But I can find out.”
She pressed a key and they waited for the call to connect.
“I barely get a signal in here,” she said, frowning. “We have an information line that can look up anything. Sometimes it might be because a guest asks a question, it might be for a staff meeting where someone is trying to get some—”
Hawk stepped closer, trying to hear both ends of the conversation. Kiran allowed him to place his head next to hers as they both listened to the man who answered the phone.
“Marquel, this is Kiran, I have a quick question for
you. Please tell me when the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction opened.”
As Hawk strained to listen he thought he heard the response, but wasn’t quite sure. He stepped back a stride to look at Kiran, and the look on her face confirmed what he had guessed.
“Thanks, Marquel.” Her mouth was opened in amazement as she ended the call. “The Pirates opened December 15, 1973.”
“The day we lost Mr. Disney. ‘We can always check to remember the day we lost Mr. Disney.’”
“How did you know?” She looked impressed.
“I guessed on the date,” he said. “So I was hoping we had to get here. We found the place and what we’re supposed to remember, but beyond that the clue didn’t say anything else.”
“Is there something we’re missing on the chess board?”
“I don’t think so; it’s a series of moves that always repeats.”
“Could that be the clue, something that always repeats?”
“Not sure.”
After staring at the pirate skeletons for a few more minutes and running through the chess moves in his mind, Hawk hadn’t come up with any new ideas. He motioned for Karin to move forward. The line descended gradually toward the loading area, where they found a small crowd waiting to climb aboard the passenger boats. Standing in line awaiting their turn Hawk felt the vibration on his hip.
“Ha-ha!”
Nonchalantly he once again released the stuffed mouse from his hip and held it between Kiran and himself. They listened closely.
“Hey, Hawk! Ha-ha, I sure am glad we’re here together. There are lots of pirates hiding around here. Keep me close, won’t you, pal? If you listen you can’t hear them here, but they get bigger other places. Gosh, if you follow the trail to the letter, you can find it, by George!”
A cast member now stood before them, waiting to usher them aboard the waiting boat. Hawk pondered the newest clue as they took their seat. Sliding to the middle of the row they sat side by side, the only people on their row.
“Did you get all of that?” Kiran wanted to know.
“I heard it. I haven’t figured it out, if that’s what you mean.”