Once Upon a Time at Disney

This was written as an entry to a Challenge posted on Facebook by the Sanctuary Writing Group. The prompt was to write a fairytale so I figured that there is no better setting than Walt Disney World for a fairytale.

I was excited as always to go to Disney. I’m the biggest kid around when it comes to that kind of stuff. The day was beautiful and not too hot so I knew that we’d have a really fun time. The park had just opened and we rushed in to get to the rides that usually have long waits.

Space Mountain was everyone’s first choice but mine, of course. I don’t do Space Mountain. I don’t like roller coasters or any of the really fast rides but that’s okay. I had a plan in mind to make the day go smoother. Fast pass is the way to go so that you don’t have to waste time standing in line so I collected everyone’s park ticket and headed off to get fast passes while they took a couple of turns on Space Mountain.

We had decided that I should get fast passes for Pirates of the Caribbean and we’d work our way back around there by lunch time. So off I went to Adventureland to Pirates. Along the way I enjoyed the scenery, the flowers were in full bloom and there was magic in the air. Hey, it’s Magic Kingdom so you gotta have magic, right?

I finally made my way through Tomorrowland and over to the circle in front of the castle. I knew I should pick up my pace but I had to stop to watch the show on the stage at the castle for a couple of minutes. The witch from Snow White was busy casting a spell on Mickey and the crew and I stood laughing as she muttered some gibberish and waved her magic wand. Funny thing though as she waved the wand, she looked straight at me and gave me the most evil smile imaginable. “What a good performer,” I said to myself as I walked off in the direction of Adventureland.

It was starting to get crowded over in Adventureland and as I walked by Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Ride, the camel spit on me as usual. “Damn camel!” Why couldn’t I ever remember to walk on the other side of that ride? By the time I reached Pirates I had gotten over being annoyed and my glasses were dry again. Approaching the Fast Pass machines, I noticed that I was the only one there getting passes. I put the park tickets in one at a time and the machine spit out the first fast pass but didn’t give me the park ticket back. I looked around for assistance but still didn’t see anyone so I walked into the area where you enter the ride. Funny that there was no one around anywhere but I knew that there would be attendants where they load you into the boats so I kept walking through the cave like walkways. There’s a spot where you can stop and look down into the dungeons to see the prisoners captured by the pirates.

I could hear talking up ahead so I thought that I would find someone to assist me. As I turned the corner, I saw several “pirates” who were really dressed up realistically. I walked up and asked if someone could help me. Immediately, I had a bad feeling. The group of pirates that I assumed were cast members grabbed me and shoved me down on the floor. I screamed for them to stop but they laughed and began asking me for my jewelry and money. My first thought was that this was some sort of skit that they were performing but I soon dismissed this idea as one of the pirates grabbed my necklace roughly from my neck and started reaching for my rings. Slapping him away, I tried to stand so that I could run but there were too many of them. I slipped and hit my head on the concrete floor and that was the last thing I remembered.

When I awoke, I was in one of the jail cells with the other prisoners that now were human instead of animated as before. They were all watching me when I sat up and I was as afraid of them as I had been of the pirates. An elderly man reached over to give me his hand so I could stand and gave me a toothless grin. I tried to smile back and thanked him for helping me. My first question was, “where are we and who put us here?” The prisoners all started to talk at once but I gathered that a pirate named Black Beard had held them all here for many years after attacking their ship and stealing the gold that they were carrying.

I was speechless. How could this be? This is Magic Kingdom and everything here is pretend and fantasy. There was no such thing as pirates and yet, I found myself in a jail cell in a dirty, smelly dungeon with men who were so skinny they looked like skeletons and their beards were almost as long as their hair. Maybe I was dreaming so I pinched myself and it hurt but I was still in the jail cell.

Looking around for a way out I spotted a dog with a key and I laughed until I started to cry. This dog is part of the props as you ride through the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. He couldn’t possibly be real so this had to be a dream but why couldn’t I wake up? All of sudden, I felt cold and had goosebumps and noticed that everyone was looking at the window from the level above where I had stood looking down so many times waiting for the ride to begin. I looked up and saw the witch from the castle. She was laughing and pointing at me. This was starting to get even weirder. She said something that I couldn’t understand and rushed off.

What had I gotten myself into? Why did the witch do this to me? Then I remembered that my family would be looking for me. By now they were off Space Mountain and wondering where I’d gotten off to. My cell phone was in my purse which the pirates had apparently taken so I couldn’t call them. All I could do was hope that they would come looking for me and walk back into the ride as I had.

Then I heard the pirates laughing and singing and knew that they were coming back. I had to get out of this place. I got one of the prisoners to let me stand on his shoulders while I climbed up to the upper level and starting shaking the bars. Surprisingly they were loose and I managed to get one pulled out. I started to climb through and lost my footing and tumbled backwards and after that everything was black.

The next thing that I remember is being picked up and carried but I didn’t see who was carrying me. I tried to open my eyes but I had no control over my eyelids so my efforts were wasted. Then I felt myself being placed on the ground carefully and through the tiny slits of my eyes, I saw and now you’ll laugh but it’s true, I saw Mickey Mouse and he was the one who had carried me to safety.

I tried to speak but I couldn’t and I don’t know how long I lay there before someone shouted, “Help, there’s a woman who needs medical assistance.” My first thought was good and I hope while they are helping her that they notice me but of course, I was the woman that the Good Samaritan was speaking of.

Then things happened fast. People came from everywhere and they called for medical transport and they took me to their first aid station. I tried to tell them that I needed to contact my family. The paramedics thought that I had a concussion when I told them that there were men being held prisoners in a dungeon jail cell at the Pirates of the Caribbean. They looked very worried and said I needed to be taken to the hospital.

Finally, my family came and I told them what had happened. Of course they didn’t believe me either and thought it was because of my fall. Apparently, the passer by had found me at the bottom of one of the tree houses at Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. They speculated that I had fallen and hit my head. No one could explain why I was there. My patience was exhausted trying to tell them that I didn’t fall from the tree house but instead was taken prisoner by a band of pirates and thrown into the dungeon and that the witch from Snow White was involved.

Well, obviously, no one believed me then and no one believes me now but I can assure you that it happened just as I told you and the next time I go to Magic Kingdom, I’m going to prove it.

And….Oh is our time up? Do I have to come back next week? Okay, Doctor, I’ll come back but this just a waste of your time and mine. I’m not crazy. There really is something going on at Magic Kingdom and they’re all involved. Even Mickey, I know he tried to help me but he knows about this. You wait, I’ll find proof.