THE KEEPERS COULDN’T CONTAIN themselves. “Wayne? Alive?” “He’s our age!” “Can’t be our Wayne!” They collected around the shifting DHI as it was transferred to a collapsible ambulance bed.

The Keepers, aware of the omnipresence of magic in the parks, secretly knew that this Wayne was somehow the same Wayne Kresky who had created their DHIs. The man, in boy form, responsible for the Kingdom Keepers.

“What…about…them?” Willa asked, pointing to the empty carousel, which was noticeably slowing. The momentary high of celebration collapsed. The emptiness of the carousel fell heavily upon them.

“You mean us?” came a boy’s voice. A familiar voice. Helped on one side by Amanda, and on the other by a young Dillard Cole, Finn Whitman limped as he struggled to walk on his own. “Somebody might have thought to look on the other side, you know.”

“I tried to hold on, but we flew off,” Amanda said.

Looking confused, Dillard added, “All of us.”

Arms swung up onto shoulders as the circle closed, tightening its grip around the three surprise arrivals. Words were spoken. Tears were shed. Hugs were shared, even though part hologram. A sense of everything having purpose overcame the group. Years of effort. Tears of joy.

In spite of their limited memory their words included “safe,” “all over,” “finally.” They had started when younger than Dillard. They were older now. More experienced. More damaged in some ways, more themselves at the same time.

“Head to the Hub, we’ll return you,” Joe said. They walked through the castle drawbridge together; they were not letting go of one another anytime soon. Laughter jumped out from the group. The professing of love, the kind of deep love that took years to form, lifetimes to find. Finn tussled Dillard’s cropped hair.

“You’re here! You’re really here!” Then Finn looked up…right at the Partners statue. Something in him vaguely remembered that statue not being there the last time he’d stood in the Hub. Not that it made any sense.

“We’re back!” Maybeck said euphorically. “We…are…back!” He started jumping up and down. The others joined him. A group of kids, unseen by anyone.

Dancing in the dark.