Free The Return: Disney Lands by Ridley Pearson

prominent gap on theupper shelf. Still
in silence, he shifted his burning inquisitive gaze to Amanda.
    Bernie spoke. “We are pleased to see you taking advantage of the resources available here in Asher House.” Asher House was the proper name for the Tower. “How has your
experience been so far?”
    “Great,” Amanda said.
    “Terrific,” Jess added. “I am so honored to be here, to have this opportunity.”
    “We expect great things from both of you,” Toby said. “From all our students.” He pivoted. “Don’t we, Tim?” It was a pointed remark, the subtleties of
which Amanda couldn’t quite discern.
    Tim nodded sheepishly. “Of course.”
    “We will be watching you all…enthusiastically.” He delivered this while looking into Amanda’s eyes with an intensity she wanted to shy away from—and finally
did.

    “It’s going to be a great year,” Bernie said.
    “Enjoy your…reading.” Toby made a point of staring at the high shelf, and at the vacant slot left by the book that currently lay beneath Jess’s seat cushion.
    “Always,” Amanda said. It came out sounding like a confession.

I NVITED BY R ICH F LEMING , DisneyWorld’s Entertainment Operations Manager, to view IllumiNations as a group from the VIP dock near Epcot’s Mexico pavilion, the Keepers—minus Charlene, who’d remained in
Hollywood for work—assembled at eight forty-five p.m. by the rope that blocked entry to the VIP area.
    On all sides, the mob of park guests pressed close to the railings, each striving to get the best view of the spectacular.Some autograph seekers caught up to the Keepers, mostly kids. A few
diehard Disney adults thanked them for “preserving the dream,” “saving the parks,” “protecting us all.”
    Welcomed, and let through the barrier, the Keepers walked out onto the dock and formed a huddle ahead of the show’s start, which featured a combination of fire, water, lasers, fireworks,
and music.
    Unnoticed in themelee, Finn showed them the fountain pen drawn on his forearm. Philby pointed out that Finn was right-handed and could never have drawn the pen himself.
    “Which implies that you guys don’t trust me,” Finn said. “That you actually think I might do that. Wonderful feeling, by the way.”
    “So what happened, exactly?” Maybeck asked, ignoring him.
    Finn and Philby exchanged a look. Slowly,Philby said, “His memory was wiped.”
    “That’s convenient,” Maybeck said. He spoke under his breath, but loud enough that everyone could hear.
    “Shut up!” Willa came to Finn’s defense, surprising him. “Let’s listen. Okay?”
    “Of primary importance,” Philby said, “is the message itself: the pen. Obviously, we aren’t the only ones worried that without it being in One Man’s Dream, we neversave the park.”
    “Do you know how stupid that sounds?” Maybeck said.
    “‘It’s about time,’” Philby said. “Remember Wayne’s words.”
    “Time for what?” Maybeck said.
    “Well, that’s the thing. We thought he meant his watch, right? And he did. We found a bunch of clues on it. But you know how Wayne was. With him, there were levels to everything. So
we follow the clues. I cross over Finn.Finn ends up returning with a pen drawn on his arm—despite never leaving King Arthur Carrousel. So who drew it, and why doesn’t Finn
remember?”
    “And who cares?” Maybeck said sternly. “We’re moving on, right?”
    Willa nodded. But only Willa.
    “Wayne led us to the music box. The music box led to his message. His message led to Finn’s crossing over,” Philby said, recounting the eventslike a trial attorney.
“This was something planned carefully. Elaborately. Now the pen appears on Finn’s arm. Finn loses his memory. And that’s the point when we move on, Terry? Does that feel like
closure to you? If it does, fine. Move on. No one’s going to stop you or Willa or Charlene. But I can’t. Not yet.”
    Finn kept his head down, trying to hide his wonder. To