park.”
“The attractions,” Willa said. “Walt knew they would stay behind long after he was gone.”
Philby said, “Rides dealing with sun, clouds, wind, and stone.”
“We’re working on which attractions have to do with each clue,” Willa said.
Finn pointed out, “But Walt died before the park was ever open, didn’t he? So he wouldn’t have known what attractions would end up getting built. Not all of them, anyway. Maybe we’re supposed to try to solve this in Disneyland, not here.”
Willa said, “But he had dozens of loyal people working for him. His brother. His nephew. He could have passed his wishes along to any one of them.”
Philby added, “And Wayne worked here, in Disney World. Walt told the fable to Wayne, and no one else.”
“That we know of,” Willa reminded.
“The answers are here,” Philby said convincingly. “We just have to put it all together.”
Finn asked Maybeck if he’d found out anything about the DHI servers. Any clue as to why they all fainted at the same time. “Was Wayne right about that?”
“You remember we had to sign those releases before they started turning us into DHIs?”
Maybeck replied. “Some of these imaging techniques have never been tried before. That’s what makes it look so cool, right? It’s, like, totally new stuff. The DHI servers clearly control our holograms, but why they could affect us as humans is really weird. In crossing back over we must take something of our DHIs with us. We don’t see it, we don’t feel it, but it’s there. That might explain how messing with the servers made us feel faint. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m not real keen on someone else controlling me. I’m not loving that idea. I think the time will come when we’d rather have control of the servers ourselves. So that’s what I’m working on.”
Murmurs rippled through the group. No one objected to the idea of gaining self-control.
“The Fall Games are tomorrow,” Charlene said. “Is everyone here going?”
They realized they would all be there, participating in various sports.
“That gives us a chance to meet again,” Finn said. “Let’s meet by the snack bar before any of the sports get going.”
“Psst!” Maybeck’s arm appeared briefly as he reached across the doorway and pulled Charlene’s knee back inside. In the shadow her leg became invisible.
Finn then heard what Maybeck had heard: the sound of footsteps, the crunching of gravel.
Nearby. Security guards? At the same time, he felt a sudden draft, like when he stepped into an air-conditioned room. He shivered.
“I feel you…” It was a woman’s hoarse whisper, raspy and dry, as if she had sand in her throat. Gooseflesh rippled up Finn’s arms and down his spine. He was freezing now. “You don’t belong here. Go away.”
The sound of footsteps moved slowly away from their teepee, and continued on to the next.
Finn held his breath. The sound stopped, and then headed back toward them.
Inside the teepee came a soft shuffling sound as the invisible Maybeck and Charlene moved farther away from the door.
“I feel you,” came that awful voice again. “You can’t hide from me.”
It wasn’t just any woman’s voice. Finn had heard that voice before. But how was that possible?
The footfalls circled the teepee and came around front again. Two legs appeared, with black stockings that ended at low-heeled, shiny black shoes. An invisible Willa reached over and found Finn’s hand and clutched it tightly. Hers was warm and clammy.
The black-stockinged legs bent as a hand appeared in the teepee’s doorway.
A green hand. The hand emerged from the end of a long black sleeve. Green as a lizard, the knuckles bent and bumpy, the nails as long as claws. Charlene gasped aloud. Too loud.
The air grew colder still. The woman bent over fully and peered into the dark teepee. She wore a robelike black dress with jagged purple fringe and a purple stripe running up the
“The attractions,” Willa said. “Walt knew they would stay behind long after he was gone.”
Philby said, “Rides dealing with sun, clouds, wind, and stone.”
“We’re working on which attractions have to do with each clue,” Willa said.
Finn pointed out, “But Walt died before the park was ever open, didn’t he? So he wouldn’t have known what attractions would end up getting built. Not all of them, anyway. Maybe we’re supposed to try to solve this in Disneyland, not here.”
Willa said, “But he had dozens of loyal people working for him. His brother. His nephew. He could have passed his wishes along to any one of them.”
Philby added, “And Wayne worked here, in Disney World. Walt told the fable to Wayne, and no one else.”
“That we know of,” Willa reminded.
“The answers are here,” Philby said convincingly. “We just have to put it all together.”
Finn asked Maybeck if he’d found out anything about the DHI servers. Any clue as to why they all fainted at the same time. “Was Wayne right about that?”
“You remember we had to sign those releases before they started turning us into DHIs?”
Maybeck replied. “Some of these imaging techniques have never been tried before. That’s what makes it look so cool, right? It’s, like, totally new stuff. The DHI servers clearly control our holograms, but why they could affect us as humans is really weird. In crossing back over we must take something of our DHIs with us. We don’t see it, we don’t feel it, but it’s there. That might explain how messing with the servers made us feel faint. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m not real keen on someone else controlling me. I’m not loving that idea. I think the time will come when we’d rather have control of the servers ourselves. So that’s what I’m working on.”
Murmurs rippled through the group. No one objected to the idea of gaining self-control.
“The Fall Games are tomorrow,” Charlene said. “Is everyone here going?”
They realized they would all be there, participating in various sports.
“That gives us a chance to meet again,” Finn said. “Let’s meet by the snack bar before any of the sports get going.”
“Psst!” Maybeck’s arm appeared briefly as he reached across the doorway and pulled Charlene’s knee back inside. In the shadow her leg became invisible.
Finn then heard what Maybeck had heard: the sound of footsteps, the crunching of gravel.
Nearby. Security guards? At the same time, he felt a sudden draft, like when he stepped into an air-conditioned room. He shivered.
“I feel you…” It was a woman’s hoarse whisper, raspy and dry, as if she had sand in her throat. Gooseflesh rippled up Finn’s arms and down his spine. He was freezing now. “You don’t belong here. Go away.”
The sound of footsteps moved slowly away from their teepee, and continued on to the next.
Finn held his breath. The sound stopped, and then headed back toward them.
Inside the teepee came a soft shuffling sound as the invisible Maybeck and Charlene moved farther away from the door.
“I feel you,” came that awful voice again. “You can’t hide from me.”
It wasn’t just any woman’s voice. Finn had heard that voice before. But how was that possible?
The footfalls circled the teepee and came around front again. Two legs appeared, with black stockings that ended at low-heeled, shiny black shoes. An invisible Willa reached over and found Finn’s hand and clutched it tightly. Hers was warm and clammy.
The black-stockinged legs bent as a hand appeared in the teepee’s doorway.
A green hand. The hand emerged from the end of a long black sleeve. Green as a lizard, the knuckles bent and bumpy, the nails as long as claws. Charlene gasped aloud. Too loud.
The air grew colder still. The woman bent over fully and peered into the dark teepee. She wore a robelike black dress with jagged purple fringe and a purple stripe running up the
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