shoulders. They struck me as Cast Members or security guards, but I couldn’t rule
out Overtakers.
Every kind of person might be in a Disney park at any given hour. People of all nationalities, faiths, and levels of income. Yet, somehow, I knew that these two were here looking for me. I
sincerely doubted they were Overtakers, but I didn’t fear Disney security guards a lot less.
Using a tomb as a screen, I moved away from them, advancing forward in line. All the while, I was thinking that the graveyard represented the end of “time,” that cremation jars,
carrying the ashes of the dead, might be “filled to overflowing.” Finn’s words haunted me in a place that didn’t need any help being creepy; the cemetery reminded me
viscerally of Finn’s and my efforts to avoid past pursuers.
I made myself unpopular by slipping around families and paired-up guests, excusing myself softly as I went. I didn’t need to look back when I heard the distant complaints. My pursuers had
lost sight of me and were hurrying, trying to fix the problem. As long as I kept my patience and didn’t anger those around me too much, I might achieve my goal—get locked in the
Stretching Room without them.
I entered the welcome room. So far, so good. Glancing back, I saw the top of the dark-haired woman’s head moving as rudely as I had, cutting the line by pushing her way forward.
The dark-haired head pushed closer. My right leg shook nervously, the way it sometimes did before math tests. Instinctively, I moved toward the doors, which I knew were about to open. As we were
admitted, I crossed the octagonal chamber to the panel that would lead to the Doom Buggies.
Our Cast Member host told us to stay away from the walls. The doors closed. I didn’t see the security woman. She hadn’t made it inside the Stretching Room.
For the first time in several long minutes, I felt myself relax. I enjoyed the voice of the ghost, the puns, and the storyline. But then I screamed the loudest as, in the midst of total
darkness, a booming, evil voice called out, “Of course, there’s always
my
way!”
The guests looked up. A few let out muffled screams.
The lights came on. Instructions were spoken. The wall panel slid open. The crowd surged forward.
The dark-haired woman stood mere feet away from me. She’d been in the room all along. She’d used the darkness and my distraction to sneak up on me. She reached out…
I shoved her back. Other guests complained “Cut it out!” “Stop it!”
My plan had been to take the “chicken door,” an emergency exit that allowed frightened guests to skip the Doom Buggies, but that door moved just slightly as I was about to push
through. It breathed open and closed, alerting me to another door on the same hallway that had just opened.
The gift-shop woman was inside.
Clearly, their plan was to grab me up in the privacy of the chicken door hallway, away from the prying eyes of curious guests. The dark-haired woman’s sole purpose was to scare me into
using the exit.
So I didn’t. My plan required bold action, luck, and perfect timing—
Which made me think of Finn’s message.
“Sorry,” I said, barging my way through the crowd, giving no thought to being polite. The line narrowed to single file and funneled into path lines that turned back on themselves. No
way I could get stuck in there.
A velvet rope chain blocked off the handicap access. As I jumped the chain, I tried something I’d never tried before. “I’m with the Kingdom Keepers! Don’t stop the
buggies!” I ran down the moving belt and slipped in unexpectedly on a mother and her son just as the bar was about to lower. I kept my legs over the bar, so I wouldn’t be trapped, and
held my breath, not yet saying so much as hello, expecting the ride to stop. Expecting to be caught.
The ride did not stop.
“Hi,” I said, addressing the mother. “Sorry!” To the boy I asked, “Have you ever heard of the Kingdom
out Overtakers.
Every kind of person might be in a Disney park at any given hour. People of all nationalities, faiths, and levels of income. Yet, somehow, I knew that these two were here looking for me. I
sincerely doubted they were Overtakers, but I didn’t fear Disney security guards a lot less.
Using a tomb as a screen, I moved away from them, advancing forward in line. All the while, I was thinking that the graveyard represented the end of “time,” that cremation jars,
carrying the ashes of the dead, might be “filled to overflowing.” Finn’s words haunted me in a place that didn’t need any help being creepy; the cemetery reminded me
viscerally of Finn’s and my efforts to avoid past pursuers.
I made myself unpopular by slipping around families and paired-up guests, excusing myself softly as I went. I didn’t need to look back when I heard the distant complaints. My pursuers had
lost sight of me and were hurrying, trying to fix the problem. As long as I kept my patience and didn’t anger those around me too much, I might achieve my goal—get locked in the
Stretching Room without them.
I entered the welcome room. So far, so good. Glancing back, I saw the top of the dark-haired woman’s head moving as rudely as I had, cutting the line by pushing her way forward.
The dark-haired head pushed closer. My right leg shook nervously, the way it sometimes did before math tests. Instinctively, I moved toward the doors, which I knew were about to open. As we were
admitted, I crossed the octagonal chamber to the panel that would lead to the Doom Buggies.
Our Cast Member host told us to stay away from the walls. The doors closed. I didn’t see the security woman. She hadn’t made it inside the Stretching Room.
For the first time in several long minutes, I felt myself relax. I enjoyed the voice of the ghost, the puns, and the storyline. But then I screamed the loudest as, in the midst of total
darkness, a booming, evil voice called out, “Of course, there’s always
my
way!”
The guests looked up. A few let out muffled screams.
The lights came on. Instructions were spoken. The wall panel slid open. The crowd surged forward.
The dark-haired woman stood mere feet away from me. She’d been in the room all along. She’d used the darkness and my distraction to sneak up on me. She reached out…
I shoved her back. Other guests complained “Cut it out!” “Stop it!”
My plan had been to take the “chicken door,” an emergency exit that allowed frightened guests to skip the Doom Buggies, but that door moved just slightly as I was about to push
through. It breathed open and closed, alerting me to another door on the same hallway that had just opened.
The gift-shop woman was inside.
Clearly, their plan was to grab me up in the privacy of the chicken door hallway, away from the prying eyes of curious guests. The dark-haired woman’s sole purpose was to scare me into
using the exit.
So I didn’t. My plan required bold action, luck, and perfect timing—
Which made me think of Finn’s message.
“Sorry,” I said, barging my way through the crowd, giving no thought to being polite. The line narrowed to single file and funneled into path lines that turned back on themselves. No
way I could get stuck in there.
A velvet rope chain blocked off the handicap access. As I jumped the chain, I tried something I’d never tried before. “I’m with the Kingdom Keepers! Don’t stop the
buggies!” I ran down the moving belt and slipped in unexpectedly on a mother and her son just as the bar was about to lower. I kept my legs over the bar, so I wouldn’t be trapped, and
held my breath, not yet saying so much as hello, expecting the ride to stop. Expecting to be caught.
The ride did not stop.
“Hi,” I said, addressing the mother. “Sorry!” To the boy I asked, “Have you ever heard of the Kingdom
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