He could always read Beth like a book. As she silently sat there, stunned, he could see every emotion play across her expressive face. Happiness. Surprise. Jealousy. Disappointment. Curiosity. And back to happiness. “Oh my god, Lance! That’s wonderful! Who is she? Anyone I know?” The shock and jealousy held her glued to the chair.
“Do you know Kimberly Waldron? She usually works as one of the princesses.”
Beth’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “Kimberly? Yes, I know of her. She’s gorgeous, Lance. Wow. You’re getting married. That’s wonderful.”
Lance smiled at the expression on her pretty face. “You looked stunned. Not happy for me.”
Beth tried to control the look on her face. She should have known better. She wasn’t nicknamed Captain Obvious for no reason. “Of course I am happy for you! My word, but it’s you, Lance…. Well, you know what I mean.… All those girls…. And now you’re getting married? Wow, I’m really messing this up, aren’t I?” She looked sheepish as she again tried to get a rein on the words that kept tumbling out of her mouth.
Lance’s eyes softened as he thought of his intended. “She’s really wonderful, Beth. I’d love for you two to meet. I know you’d be friends.…” He broke off when he saw a small spark of the jealousy flit across her face again. Lance took the two steps over to her chair and picked up her hands. His voice had a softness to it that was reserved for only her. “You know I’ll always love you, Beth, as my very best friend. We’ve always had a special connection, but it never went beyond that…try as I might,” he teased and was rewarded with a knowing smile from Beth. “You know you only had eyes—serious eyes—for Adam. Okay? I want you to be happy for me.”
Beth let him pull her out of the chair. Her arms again went around his waist. “Of course I’m happy for you. But, you know me. You’re My Lance. I don’t like sharing.”
He looked into her upturned face. “You’re still seeing Adam, aren’t you?”
Her smile became warm as she thought about Adam and their relationship. She knew Adam was the only man she had ever truly wanted. She also knew Lance was aware of this and that made their easy flirtation and banter fun. “Yes, we’re doing well. He has some big secret project he’s working on that he won’t tell me about. He’ll come around…eventually,” she added with a sigh. “So, can I come to the wedding? When is it? Where are you going on your honeymoon? When can I meet Kimberly?”
He held up his hands against the barrage of questions that he knew would be endless. “Hey, you and I both need to get back to work. We’ll have you over some evening to talk. How does that sound?”
She gave him one last squeeze. “That sounds great. So, at least tell me when the wedding is.”
“Saturday.”
“Which Saturday?”
“This Saturday.”
“Lance, that’s only four days from now.”
He smiled at the look on her face. “Yeah, I know. I wanted to give everyone plenty of time.”
“’Plenty of time’,” she slowly repeated, shaking her head. “Only you, Slick, only you could get away with that. You have asked the bride already, right?”
Lance pretended to be pondering her question. “The bride? Yeah, I think I mentioned something to her.… It’ll be one o’clock at the gazebo on the Hotel grounds. Wear something pretty.”
“I always wear something pretty! Say, are you registered anywhere? Do you need anything?” Knowing his reduced financial straits, she turned red.
Thinking of the mansion, the trust fund from Walt, and especially the lovely bride herself, Lance just smiled. “I have everything I need. We’re good. I just want you there.”
“I’ll be there.” She glanced at the monitors as a bright flash illuminated one of them. “Uh oh, I have another flasher in the Bar Scene.” As he turned to go, Beth called him back. “Lance? Thanks for coming. No matter what ever happens, you’ll always be My Lance, you know.”
His eyes got a little misty. “I love you, too, Beth.”
Outlined in twinkling white lights and trailing greenery, the Disneyland Hotel’s ornate white gazebo stood alone on a lush section of grass. The stone walkway that led to the romantic setting was lined with white chairs and colorful flower arrangements. Friends of the bride and groom—mostly fellow cast members—filled the chairs and stood quietly in the background as the simple ceremony concluded.
The bride and groom had walked together arm-in-arm up to the gazebo where the justice of the peace waited. Dressed in a column-style ivory gown, its pearl-studded bodice shimmering in the bright sunlight, the bride carried a single white long-stemmed rose. The groom, elegant in a black, vested suit, had been unable to take his eyes off his beautiful bride. Their first kiss as husband and wife continued until some laughs and whistles came from the on-lookers. As they turned to walk back down the aisle, all the Security force stood at attention and held out their Mag lights in a high salute as the couple walked underneath, pelted with rose petals from the rest of the guests.
There was a reception area set up under white canopies a few steps away. As they sliced into the red-heart-encrusted wedding cake, Wolf called out for Lance to “leave some for the rest of us.”
When glasses were raised in tribute to the couple, Lance glanced over his champagne flute. His glass stopped halfway to his lips. Adam stood in the back of the crowd next to Beth, watching him. Next to them were John and Margaret Michaels, Adam’s parents and practically second parents to Lance. Lance raised his glass to them as a silent thank you, smiling. Neither frowning or smiling, Adam gave him a single nod in acknowledgment. Then, turning to his father, he and John headed to the Lost Bar across from the pool.
The first step, Lance told himself. With a happy smile, he turned back to his bride.
This day was now officially perfect.
Kimberly marveled how quickly their two-week Caribbean cruise sped by. It had been a wonderful adventure full of palm trees and sandy beaches. Their honeymoon was all that Kimberly anticipated and more. When they arrived back at the mansion, Wolf greeted them at the door.
“All’s well.” That was his entire report of the two weeks they were gone on their honeymoon.
Satisfied, Kimberly started to take some of her luggage upstairs. Lance, however, was surprised to see his Security partner both at the Mansion and in some way connected to his new responsibilities.
“I don’t understand.” He watched Wolf pick up a small overnight bag and head for the door.
In her happiness over the past month, Kimberly had forgotten Lance wasn’t up to speed on all the developments that had happened over the years and that she took for granted. Wolf and his role in all of it was one now-glaring omission. Setting down her luggage, she called Wolf back from the door and asked if they could talk a few minutes in the library.
With a nod, Wolf placed his bag near the door and followed them, content to let her take the lead in this.
Sitting close to Lance on the leather sofa, she was happy to take his hand, always touching. Still in the relaxed mood the cruise had set for them, she hoped to keep this information session with Lance on a good level. She wasn’t sure how much he really knew about his partner.
“First, Wolf, thank you for watching the house and the activities for us while we were gone. We appreciate it very much.” Still silent, he gave a brief nod. “Lance, you should know that Wolf worked with my father for many years and has proven to be invaluable. Now he’ll be working with you and me as we continue my father’s work.”
A piece of the puzzle clicked into place and Lance suddenly pointed at Wolf. “You are the second Guardian Walt wrote about?”
Kimberly continued in the explanation. “Yes, he’s also a Guardian. His role has been very special to us and greatly appreciated. You probably remember, when you were first brought here, the question arose as to what would become of you if things didn’t work out. As you yourself stated, you already knew too much. Well, that’s where Wolf’s position would have come in. It
’s his sometimes unenviable job of having to protect what was put in place—by means known only to himself, my father….” Not sure how far she should go, she paused, and looked to Wolf for confirmation to continue. He gave a glance at Lance’s serious face and nodded for her to proceed. “…and Walt. Wolf is indeed the other Guardian mentioned in the journal we found upstairs on Main Street.”
When she became silent, Lance realized he needed to say something. But, he was stunned. How was this possible? How could Wolf know Walt? As far as he knew, he and Wolf were the same age. Weren’t they? How could Walt have written about Wolf forty years ago? “I…,” he broke off and shook his head, looking at his friend.
Wolf had the same stoic look on his face he usually wore. “Walt was a wonderful man,” he stated quietly. “You would’ve enjoyed knowing him.”
“I don’t understand how that’s possible. You should be an old man.” Becoming paranoid, he turned on Kimberly. “And you? Did you know Walt, too?”
“No, no.” She quickly placed a calming hand on his arm. “I’m just like you. Wolf, even though I really don’t understand it all myself, has a unique ability. He’s able to, shall we say, move differently than we do.”
“Move? That doesn’t make sense. None of this does.” Lance threw himself back against the sofa as he ran a hand through his hair.
When Wolf remained silent, Kimberly again took over. “I certainly don’t understand the physics of it, the science. He shouldn’t be able to travel like he does, but he just does.”
“When you had that showdown with Daniel on the Island, I never did understand how you both got off the Island. The raft and the canoe were still there. I thought you must’ve swum for some odd reason. You didn’t kill him, did you, and hide the body?” Lance had a small smile on his face as he said this, but he really wasn’t kidding.
Wolf knew not to be insulted by his friend. “No, I don’t remove threats by killing them.”
“At the time, you told me you convinced Crain to move far away, that he would never be back to bother us.” Lance paused, not sure if he wanted to ask. “Just where exactly is ‘far away’?”
Wolf looked at Lance with a solemn stare. “Not so much ‘where’, but ‘when’ is a better description of what happened to Crain.” Wolf thought he saw a flicker of understanding within the disbelief that Lance couldn’t hide. “His future,” Wolf paused, “is…how should I put this?” He rubbed his chin as he thought. “His future is now in…a very distant past.”
Lance simply shook his head. His foundation that was grounded in reality wouldn’t grasp the concept that Wolf tried to explain. His eyes narrowed as he tried to work it all out in his churning mind. “Wolf, I need to know—what exactly did you do to Daniel Crain? Where is he?”
2042
Big Red, the Mark XII Monorail, glided silently past the entry to the Magic Kingdom. Hovering electromagnetically a foot above the rail, it had just come from its fourth stop at the Disneyland Hotel and was headed for the Tomorrowland Station. After picking up new passengers at the California Adventure Station and at the Paradise Pier Hotel, all the seats in the six cars were taken. Some new arrivals would head to the newly-opened suites in the Sleeping Beauty Castle Towers; others would be eager to continue their adventures within the Park. Tim, a ten-year old boy sitting in the co-pilot seat, pushed the horn button and energetically waved to the people on the moving walkways below.
The remodeled, larger Sleeping Beauty Castle with its furnished towers wasn’t the only place where Park visitors could spend the night. After much popular demand, the Swiss Family Treehouse had returned to Adventureland. The three original huts were back in refurnished glory. The largest, most popular hut, the Main Bedroom that had belonged to Mother and Father in the 1960 film Swiss Family Robinson, was complete with its own lavatory with a ‘tortoise-shell’ sink and running water that was seemingly supplied by the large, turning waterwheel made out of realistic-looking bamboo. What most guests loved was the special tasseled pull-rope that hung over the opulent king-sized bed. Just like in the movie, guests could pull on the rope and have the thatched ceiling open on hidden levers. Lying in bed, in their own secluded privacy, the occupants could watch the nighttime fireworks show with the music piped into hidden speakers.
The two smaller huts had been the boys’ rooms in the movie. While they were designed to be less opulent than the Main Bedroom, they were considered more fun for the guests. The lower hut had a private waterfall slide that ended up in the pool below, guarded over by Ellie, the baby elephant, that would playfully squirt each rider as they curved along the bottom portion of the slide.
The uppermost hut had the best view. High above the Park, guests could sit on their own private wooden deck to watch the nighttime show Fantasmic! or even the interactive water show over in California Adventure. The fireworks would seem so close they could almost reach out to touch them.
One of the newer attractions that was visible from the upper hut was the Mine Train through Nature’s Wonderland. Overlapping the Big Thunder rollercoaster that boasted a new 360-degree loop, guests could once again travel through the balancing rocks and colorful Rainbow Caverns in the backmost portion of Frontierland. At one point in the ride, the Big Thunder train would look as if it was going to crash right into the slower moving Mine Train. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, the Big Thunder train would screech out of a hidden cavern and race toward the other train. Then, at the last minute, Old Unfaithful Geyser would erupt and the Big Thunder cars would veer sharply away, narrowly avoiding disaster. Careening around the Bubbling Pots of Mud, the train would vanish down a steep incline, its passengers screaming in delight as they narrowly missed being crushed by an avalanche of rocks. The Mine Train would continue on its more sedate journey through Bear Country, Elk Meadow, and under the mist-water of Cascade Peaks, to return once more to Rainbow Ridge and its interactive displays of the Old West. Here kids of all ages could replicate panning for gold, ride Pack Mules, or see a stunt show spectacular in the street just in front of the popular attraction.
Back on Main Street, a line had formed for the popular Main Street Cinema. As original cartoons of Mickey Mouse played on the old-fashioned flat-screen televisions, guests could enter private booths that lined the walls—much like the old-time telephone booths, but ones that could comfortably accommodate a family of four. Each guest was given a special mouse-eared Virtual Reality headset that fit over their eyes and plugged into their ears. They would have a menu pop up on the screen in front of them. With the push of a button, they would be ‘transported’ into any attraction of Disneyland’s history that they wanted to relive. Older guests especially loved to visit the Disneyland of their own childhood. They would be instantly seated in an Atomobile for their personal Adventure through Inner Space, or they would climb into a Skyway Cab for a roundtrip flight over Fantasyland, ending back at the Swiss chalet nestled up and behind the Storybook Land Canal Boats. The Mike Fink Keelboats would come alive for them once again, with a holographic Beth Roberts as their lively pilot. As they listened to her humorous spiel, they could turn their head in any direction and see Tom Sawyer Island as it was way back in 1996 or even further back when the surrounding trees didn’t hide the fort and Native American shows could be seen in the nearby Village. The Country Bear Jamboree or the Carousel of Progress, the original Sleeping Beauty Walk-Through or the Submarine Voyage, America Sings or the Lion King Parade; they were all there in vivid virtual clarity.
The Jungle Cruise now offered two tracks for its passengers. Guests could take one track and be entertained by the skipper as he or she took them through the underground caverns and rivers of Middle Asia before emerging back into the bright light to continue onto the rivers of Africa and South America.
The second track let the guests skipper their own boat. Able to bring along as many guests as they wanted, the entertainment was theirs to provide. Those who always felt ‘they could do it better’ now had the opportunity to do so. Riding along
the original guide rail set in place in 1955 and timed so the boats never ran side-by-side, each track was immersed in a Jungle all their own. Considering the happy faces of the returning guests, each side was extremely popular.
Lance guided his granddaughter through the bricked arch of the entry tunnel, holding her hand, feeling her squeeze his hand tighter as she emerged onto Main Street. He smiled as he heard her sharp intake of breath as the grand view opened before her wide green eyes. The Castle, the shops, the people, all signified something fantastic to the little five-year-old.
They walked to the Town Square, toward the tall, shiny flagpole that proudly stood on its foundation among beautifully manicured flowers. The two stopped and gazed down the street. The trolley car was in motion as it moved slowly toward the pink and white Castle, the clop-clop-clop of the Belgium horse’s hooves easily heard over the sounds of the crowd. The muted honk of the double-decker Omnibus drew her excited attention as it started on its own electric journey down Main Street. Above them, a small group of guests were taking pictures of the E.P. Ripley steam train as it waited at the Depot for its next load of guests, sounding its whistle in hello. The sounds around them were as plentiful as the sights and smells.
Lance looked down at his granddaughter and smiled to himself. Seeing her wide-eyed awe, he couldn’t help but compare this to the emotional memory of the first time he had seen Disneyland. Then, while they stood there, other memories of Disneyland came flooding back. Memories of good times with friends, exciting adventures, and romantic moments with a certain blond, green-eyed beauty. He looked toward the Fire House and the apartment in the upper story. The light was still burning bright in the window. He let the memories wash through him, delighted with each and every one. Has it really been forty years? He gave a disbelieving shake of his head. It seemed like just yesterday.
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