Flashback — Disneyland 1962

“I can never stand still. I must explore and experiment. I’m never satisfied with my work. I resent the limitations of my own imagination.” It was early in the morning, hours before Disneyland opened for the day. Walt could see a thin layer of coastal mist swirling around the flagpole in the Town Square as a sweeper hurried through the same area to make sure everything was clean and ready for the day. Turning from the window of his apartment, he looked over the men who stood waiting for the daily walk-through of the Park. They were a good group of men, ones who had been with him for years and had shown themselves capable of taking his ideas and dreams and turning them into reality. “You all know how involved the company’s been with the New York World’s Fair coming up in two years. Well, that’s all well and good, but Disneyland can’t suffer while our minds are elsewhere.”

As one they nodded in agreement. “Walt, you still planning on bringing the rides you’re building for the Fair back to Disneyland?”

Their boss turned to shuffle through some drawings on the table before he answered. “Yeah, they’ll fit in nicely. The Lincoln show will be talked about for years to come—once we get all the bugs worked out. Ah, here it is.” A rendering of New Orleans Square was pulled out of the pile. He pointed to the back of the quaint streets and plant-hung balconies. “How’s the work going on putting the train station in Frontierland on the other side of the track and moving the route away from the Rivers of America?”

“Good, Walt. There’ll be plenty of room for your Haunted House. The footbridge that separates Frontierland from New Orleans Square will be removed. The water will be have to be piped and the area paved over.”

“Great.” Walt let the drawing drop back to the table and rubbed his hands together. He always looked forward to this part of the day. “Let’s go do the walkthrough. I want to see the progress in Adventureland, too.”

The men again nodded as they made sure their notepads and pens were ready at hand. If Walt made any comment or observation along the way, it was a cue for them to get busy and fix/repair/enhance/move/replace whatever it was that had just been subtly pointed out to them. Usually he would just say, “Well, let’s go a little farther with this,” or “Let’s change it to something like this.” Sometimes the cue would just be a slow shake of his head as he stood and glared at something.

Their route took them by the turn-of-the-century restaurant Red Wagon Inn on Main Street, There was a beautiful pepper tree that had been planted next to the building. The day before, as they walked by that same tree, Walt had made a passing comment that it seemed a little too close to the curb. Today Walt just smiled to himself as they went by. During the night, the ten-ton tree had been moved back a few feet.

The group rounded the corner and paused at the Tahitian Terrace. Made to look like it just came from the South Seas, it was a marvel in thatch and bamboo. The hardwood floors led inside to a large African coral tree under which the guests would enjoy watching the fire walkers and hula girls while they ate their dinners.

Walt led the way inside, arms folded over his chest as he surveyed the progress. “I’m glad we changed out the tree.”

“Well, Walt, you said the real one we had brought in wasn’t big enough.”

“If it was going to hold all the sound and lighting equipment, it wasn’t. Glad you got it cut in half and raised to the proper height. And, this tree,” as he patted the trunk, “will always be in bloom!” Hands on his hips, Walt then walked over to the right side of the restaurant, nodding hello to the workers who made room for him. Satisfied for the moment, he went back to his group. “That’s a good view into the Jungle Cruise. It’ll give the guests something to watch when the shows aren’t on.”

Glad to hear his work on the imitation coral tree passed inspection, Bill patted his stomach. “I’m looking forward to trying those teriyaki steaks and the raisin ice cream.”

Walt looked over his shoulder at the landscaper and grinned. “Now you’ve made me hungry! Let’s go back to the Red Wagon Inn for a bite. I’m buying!”

Disneyland — Current Day

As Peter and Catie walked down Main Street, enjoying an extra day off from school, Catie paused to look into the window of the Crystal Arts shop. There was a faceted crystal horse with its flying mane in the center of the display. Surrounded by colored gemstones, all lit by hidden spotlights, it sparkled and gleamed, sending out a myriad of rainbows. Catie was quite taken by the piece and stared at it every time she passed the window. “Isn’t it beautiful, Peter? I just love horses.”

Peter, however, wasn’t paying attention to where they were or what she was seeing. “Horse?” He looked around for the horse pulling the streetcar. “What horse? Oh, that. Yeah, pretty.”

Catie gave a slight “hmmph” and turned back to the crystal. “You didn’t even look at it. What’s wrong? You’ve been looking over your shoulder ever since we got here.” A feeling of dread pricked at her stomach. “Are you looking for someone in particular?” She sincerely hoped Lisa didn’t plan on joining them again. After the disaster the first time—even though Peter assured her the girl hadn’t meant it—Catie wasn’t keen on repeating the experience.

Distracted, Peter ran a hand over the back of his neck as he frowned. “No, I’m not looking for anyone exactly. It…it just feels like we’re being watched or something. Like if I turned around, someone would be right behind me.”

“Peter, it’s a Friday. There are thousands of people in the Park. There’s always someone behind you.”

Not wanting to worry her, Peter just smiled and agreed. He felt somehow responsible for her bad treatment a week ago and wanted her to enjoy the new treasure hunt. Perhaps he was just being paranoid. Yet, before, their movements had been followed by Omah. That had been a real experience and something he didn’t want to go through again. With one last glance, he turned his attention to the window. The huge spun glass Sleeping Beauty Castle with golden turrets in the back was what caught his eye. “Wanna get a corndog?”

“Peter, it’s only nine in the morning.”

“I’m hungry.”

“You’re always hungry!”

With one last mutter of ‘starve to death,’ they headed for Central Plaza to say hello to the Partner’s Statue of Walt and Mickey.

“I think starving to death will be the least of your worries, boy. If you take any longer to get started on this fool’s errand I’ve set up, you’ll have to deal with my goons. Given the right incentive, they can be quite, how shall we say, creative.” The woman broke off into an eerie, cracking laugh. Mindless of the parents who pulled their children away from her, she majestically strode down Main Street as she kept Peter and Catie always in view.

Sitting in the shade of a jacaranda tree in the Hub, a small bronze statue of Chip and Dale kept watch over Peter and Catie. Heads close together, they examined the Park map they had grabbed at the entry ticket booth. Even though they both knew Disneyland inside and out, it was still helpful to have something printed in their hands.

“I still think we should’ve gone to Disney World.” Peter was doggedly determined that his idea of going to the World Showcase in Florida was correct. Not wanting to admit he might be wrong, he felt today was a waste of time—clue-wise, of course. He would never turn down an opportunity to go to Disneyland.

“That does sound like fun.” She looked up from the map to give him a sly grin. “Guess what I heard? Mom and Dad were talking when they thought Alex and I couldn’t hear. All of us might be going next summer!”

Peter’s head shot up at the news. “To Walt Disney World? Really? Oh, wow! That’ll be great. But, what if I’m right and we don’t find the answer to the clue here in Disneyland? That’s a long time to wait.” Already planning ahead, he figured he might be able to convince them to go during the winter break in three months.

Catie was glad to see his expression change. He hadn’t been his usual cheerful self. “Well, all our parents seemed to think we needed to come here. You know that’s why they let us come again today. Mom says that if we need to stay overnight, she’ll come and stay with us in the apartment. She kinda sounded excited about it for some reason.” Catie turned back to the map and then remembered something else. “Oh, and don’t let on that you know we’re going to Florida. It’s supposed to be a surprise.”

Peter gave a private laugh. Oh, he’d let them know, all right—not that he would tell Catie at this point. “Then I won’t say anything to Michael. He can’t keep a secret. What are you pointing at?”

Her finger rested on the upper part of the map, indicating a very familiar-looking white structure. News delivered, she wanted to get back to the clue. “The only thing I can think of that sounds like Morocco is inside It’s a Small World.”

As expected, Peter let out a loud groan and dropped his head on the top of the bench. “No! We rode it like a million times last time. I don’t want to ride it again. It has to be somewhere else.”

“Last time we rode it we had to look for mermaids. This time we have to look for something with a carved face that’s pink. I think it’s in there.”

Arms crossed over his chest, Peter had to challenge her. “Okay, then, which room?”

“Either the Africa section or the Mexico one. The buildings in there were really different from all the others.”

His face fell at her ready answer. “Oh. You’ve thought this one out.”

Now it was her turn. “Haven’t you? Where do you think we need to go?”

“Umm.” Peter hadn’t really figured it out at all. He just hoped to wander around the Park, ride a few rides, and hope they might stumble across something that looked right. And when that didn’t happen, as he knew it wouldn’t, he would let them all know that his brilliant idea about Florida had been correct. While stalling, his glance fell on nearby Tomorrowland. More exactly, it fell on the walls near the Star Tours and the Buzz Lightyear buildings. “Well, what about those?”

“Those what? What are you pointing at?”

“Come on.” Springing up from the bench, Peter dodged through the families taking pictures of the statue. They had to wait for the Omnibus to park before rushing across the street to the entrance to Tomorrowland.

A crush of guests was coming and going around the Astro Orbitor situated in the middle of the entry. Rising high like a cosmic kinetic sculpture, the rocket jets were being loaded for a whirling adventure high above the heads of the onlookers.

Off to the side, Peter paused in the shade of the PeopleMover track near the busy entrance to Star Tours. The building used to hold the Adventure Thru Inner Space where guests were ‘shrunk’ as they explored the wonders of water and molecules. Even though the multi-tiered fountain outside had been removed years ago, the silver, curved outer wall with its futuristic design still remained. “What about that?”

Catie looked at the two small trees in front of them and the manicured hedges that formed geometrical patterns. “What about what? The trees?”

“No! The wall. There’s another one just like it over by Buzz. It looks all carved and stuff.”

The look he received was one of ‘have you lost your mind?’ “You’re kidding, right?”

In an attempt to redeem himself for his impetuous suggestion, Peter waved an arm at the wall. “It could be right. It has designs all over it and I could easily break my neck if I fell from it!”

The dubious look on her face didn’t alter. “First, this is supposed to be the future. Not Morocco. That’s the idea of Tomorrowland. Second, it’s obviously not pink.” She stopped to walk further back under the PeopleMover track, toward the restrooms hidden between Star Tours and the neighboring Plaza Inn restaurant. When she came back, she had one more to add to her list. “And, third, it’s just a thin wall. There can’t be anything up on top.”

“It could be pink if those lights hidden in the trees were pink.”

Catie just tilted her head to the side as she silently stared at him.

“Fine.” Peter let out a huge sigh. “It’s not this wall. Let’s go ride It’s a Small World.” The name of the ride seemed to stick in his throat.

Catie looked dejected. “I really thought those walls were pink. They didn’t look right at all.”

After his stupid suggestion earlier, Peter held back from the ‘I told you so’ on the tip of his tongue. “Well, it was a good try, Catie. We’ll just have to come up with something else. Want to ride the bobsleds?”

“What does that have to do with the clue?”

“Ummmm…..”

As they walked past the Storybook Land Canal Boats, Catie gave him a exasperated sigh. “I’m beginning to think you don’t have any real answer to the riddle. Or, that you even want to be here.” She left out the ‘with me’ part.’

Depending on his answer, he knew she would be quite capable of calling her mom to come pick them up to go home. Not wanting the day to end badly again, he rushed to assure her—even if it meant admitting she was partially right. “Well, um, I don’t exactly know the answer. I still think it’s in Florida, so I didn’t plan out today very well.”

“Very well?”

“Okay, fine, at all. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be here. In the small chance I’m wrong, we still might come across the real answer.”

Catie had to smile at his self-assuredness. For years she had heard her mom and dad talk about Peter’s father, Lance, and his almost cocky knowledge that he was usually, irritatingly, right. Sometimes you just had to put up with stuff like that from best friends.

“Excuse me.” A tall woman dress in deep purple pushed through them. “Sorry, didn’t see you. Come along, my dear, let’s go to Adventureland. I hear there are some interesting buildings there.”

Peter and Catie looked at each other and shrugged. There had been plenty of room to go around them. As they wondered who the rude woman had been talking to, they resumed their interrupted conversation.

Catie, pacified that their day would continue, pulled out the map again. “What about Adventureland? I never really looked at the outside of the shops across from the Jungle Cruise.”

“Wasn’t there an Indiana Jones stunt show or something in that area a few years ago? I remember seeing him come out on the roofs and crack his whip.”

“I never got to see that. Sounds like fun. Want to check it out?”

In the shade near the Tea Cups, the woman rolled her eyes as the two kids walked past her position. “By the Sacred Gemstones of Merlin, this is taking forever. Maybe I misjudged the boy’s intelligence. At least the girl took the hint.” She let out an exasperated huff of air. “I was just about to take his hand and walk him over there myself. Maybe if I stand in front of the building and point at it.” Still muttering to herself, her fingers circled the green gemstone at her neck. She fell into step behind Peter and Catie just as they headed through the archway of the Castle. “Should have turned him into a rat. But, then, he couldn’t willingly hand me my treasure. Meddling fairies. Should have turned them into toads when I had the chance.”

She glanced at the Castle rising above her head. “Pink. How disgusting. Why are so many things in here pink? Hmmph. This would make a fine pile of rubble.” Green light snaked out from her pendant and the walls around her shuddered. With a sneering laugh, she dropped her hand and the grating noise stopped as the walls settled back into place. “Later,” she promised.

“Want to ride the Jungle Cruise?”

“No.”

“How about a chicken kabob at the Bengal Barbecue?”

“Peter!”

“Fine. We’ll look at the buildings. If you’re right, at least there are some stairs to use.”

“What are you talking about?”

Peter gave one last, longing look at the menu of the Bengal Barbecue. There was a tantalizing spicy aroma coming from the small outdoor restaurant. He pointed back at the buildings they had unseeingly walked by as they argued. “Right after that big arch on the Bazaar, there’s a little arch. Then, these stairs. That must’ve been what Indiana Jones used for the show.”

“They do sell Indy stuff in the Outpost….” Catie broke off as her eyes scanned the pink tower next to the Indiana Jones Adventure Outpost. Peter yelped when she suddenly hit him in the arm. “Are we stupid or what?”

Not sure if or how he was supposed to answer that, he turned away from examining the dark posts that went up the side of one of the buildings. They sort of looked like a loosely-formed ladder. “What was that punch that for?”

“What did the clue say about windows?”

“It said that two windows would be barred. Hey! Look up there! Just like those!”

Catie grinned when she saw he knew where she was headed. “And the front of the building looks just like a carved pink face to me!”

Now energized, Peter again looked up at the side wall as he thought. “I could probably get up that ladder…. It goes all the way to the top.”

Not yet sure they were correct, Catie put a hand on his arm to keep him from heading back to the stairs. “Don’t you think we should find out what’s inside first? It might just be empty space over the store, or storage of some kind. You might not have to go up from the outside.” Catie didn’t think the posts sticking out of the wall looked too safe. There were only four that she could see and they had a rope tied near the outer edges for support. Since she had never seen the Indy show, she didn’t know if that part of the building had been used or not.

With a shrug at her suggestion, Peter headed inside the store, glancing longingly at the Indy hats piled near the door. Looking at the different cast members at work, he picked one who had been to the Security Guard and Princess party at their house earlier that summer. They waited until she was done with a customer.

“Oh, hi, Peter! How are your mom and dad?” Patty gave him a warm smile and turned to the girl. “Who’s this?”

“This is Catie Michaels.”

“Michaels? Beth’s girl? I remember you from the party. Your mom working today?”

“No, she has the long weekend off.”

Peter wanted to get down to business. Since both his and Catie’s parents were so well known around the Park, the chitchat could go on and on. “Patty, I have a question for you. That pink building right next door? What’s in it?”

The cast member looked slightly confused and answered him in an overly kind, slow voice. “It’s just part of the shop, Peter. You can see it right through there,” as she pointed to her left.

Peter grew a little red around the ears. “No, I don’t mean that. I mean what’s up above the store, behind those two windows?”

“I’ll be right with you, ma’am. I have to get back to work, Peter. That part of the building just hides the vents from the kitchens. Say hi to your folks for me!” With that information, she returned to the cash register and didn’t give the kids a second thought.

Back outside, Peter and Catie looked up at the wall again. “Vents. Why did it have to be vents?”

“What did you say, Peter?”

He gave her a grin. “Nothing. Just kidding around. Well, if the inside is off limits, then I’ll have to go up on the outside. That’s probably why it says not to break my neck.” Peter didn’t seem at all dismayed by the dire warning. In fact, he looked quite eager to get started.

Catie, though, still didn’t look convinced. “I don’t think our moms are going to be too happy about this. Maybe my dad can help. He did say that he and Uncle Lance had to go up the side of a building in San Francisco to follow one of their clues.”

“But they didn’t have a handy ladder built into the side of the wall.”

“That doesn’t look very safe. I think we need to tell them what we found. If something happened to you, well….” She let the rest of her sentence drop off. Even Peter had to admit that didn’t look like the best way to get up to the roof. “Is it all right if I call Mom and Dad? I don’t want to get into trouble later for not asking.”

Peter had already gone back to check out the stairs leading to the area behind the façade of the Bazaar. That area, from what he could tell, looked pretty flat and accessible. And it led right to the place he needed to go. Which, unfortunately, wasn’t flat and accessible. “Yeah, I guess. My dad’s gone for the day with Michael and Andrew. All Mom said was ‘Spa Day.’ Maybe Alex will want to come and help.”

Catie had her own opinion of her twin’s willingness to help with a clue, but kept silent. If it meant Alex could get on some of the rides, he might come along. “We’ll see.”

“Well, there’s no way we can get up there in broad daylight.” Adam and Alex, much like the way Peter had done, had looked at the access to the roof from every angle available to them. Excited about the prospect of finding another clue hidden on the roof, Adam had to remind himself that this was Peter’s and Catie’s clue search. Turning to his wife, he could see skepticism on her face. “What do you think, Beth?”

“Are you sure there isn’t a way to get up there from inside?”

Peter was quick to again tell them what Patty had said. “I think the only way up there is that ladder.”

“Your mom is going to kill us.” Meant to be private, Beth didn’t realize her mutter had been heard by all.

“I wasn’t planning on telling her.”

Beth looked over at the eager boy—and her equally eager husband. “You really think that it’s safe, Adam?”

“Only one way to tell. We’ll have to wait for dark and go up there to check it out.”

Peter shook his head. ‘When Fantasmic! is over, they funnel everyone through here. There are always people around.”

Adam looked at Beth with a silent question. At her slight nod, he tried to hide how much he really wanted this. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to spend the night in the apartment you found. I haven’t gotten to see it yet. Would that be all right with you guys?”

“Yes, yes, yes!”

“Well, if you’re sure….” Adam let them jump around him for a moment more. “All right, I’ll give Lance a call and give him the head’s up. Beth and I, um, took the precaution of bringing along a few things we might need in the apartment. They’re in my backpack. You know, toothbrushes and the like.”

Peter, Catie, and Alex didn’t care if he brought homework or an anvil in his backpack. They were going to spend the night in Disneyland hidden away in a secret apartment! Then they would have to keep out of sight of the cleaning and maintenance crews who worked at night. It could be their ultimate game of cat and mouse.

While the kids were busy planning their daring adventure, Adam and Beth continued with the boring pre-plans. “We might wait until the fireworks start to get inside the door of the apartment. Kimberly told me that’s what she and Lance did and it worked really well.”

“That’s a good idea. Oh, do you have the key to get inside, Peter.”

“What? Oh, yeah, I always have it with me. Uhm, don’t tell Mom….”

Adam rubbed his hands together. “Okay, then. We’re set until tonight. You guys want to go home, grab some dinner, and come back right before the Park closes?”

That broke them out of their planning mode.

“Home? I don’t want to go home!”

“What if we get stuck in traffic? We might not make it back in time!”

“I thought we were going to ride something.”

Smiling, Adam held up a hand to stop the protests. “Just kidding! We’ll stay.”

That earned a chorus of “Yea!”

“But,” as he watched their faces fall with the dreaded word, “Beth and I missed lunch when we hurried over here. You guys hungry?”

“Peter’s always hungry.”

“I could eat a horse.”

“I could eat a buffalo.”

“Water buffalo?”

“Eww.”

Adam threw Beth a look. Maybe teasing them wasn’t such a good idea. “Okay, I get it. You’re all hungry. Where do you want to eat?”

“Blue Bayou.”

“Pizza Port.”

“Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue.”

“Rancho del Zocalo.”

“Club 33.”

Amused, Adam glanced over at his wife at her submission. “Nice try, Beth. I think we’d need advance reservations for the Club. And, Peter, you voted twice.”

“Worth a shot.” Beth gave a good natured shrug. There would be another time.

With a desire to keep it democratic and fend off possible arguments, Adam had a question. “Okay, who got to choose where we ate last time? That’s person’s suggestion will be taken away.”

“You did, Dad.”

“Oh, that’s right. Rats. I was going to suggest the Blue Bayou.”

Catie raised her hand. “That was my choice.”

“You all agreed with Catie? Blue Bayou it is.”

“Hey.” The boys felt they weren’t given a real say in the matter, but, since they loved eating on the water and watching the Pirate’s boats going by, they didn’t raise any more of a fuss.

As the group headed over the bridge that curved above the line for Pirates of the Caribbean and into New Orleans Square, there was a long, disgusted sigh. “Oh, my stars! How many people does it take to find a clue? Apparently five. Maybe I should have just plunked the next clue down in front of them and said it fell off the roof. Maybe I should just poison their food and get it over with. I’ll find what I want another way. There’s always that girl Lisa. No, that wouldn’t work. She doesn’t have any idea about my treasure. These humans are infuriating. How do any of them ever survive?” Knowing where Peter and Catie were now headed and when they would be back, the woman raised her arms to make a dramatic exit. Suddenly remembering she was surrounded by more of those sniveling humans, she glanced around. There was a flight of stairs leading up into a tree. “Oh, whatever. If it was good enough for Merlin, it’s good enough for me.” As soon as she stormed up the steps, there was a blinding flash of green near the overhead extension bridge.

And she was gone.