The Key To the Kingdom (7 page)

“Notice how Walt and his alter ego, Mickey Mouse, look down Main Street,” Kiran was saying as Hawk’s attention reconnected with the tour.

They were standing in front of the
Partners
statue situated in Central Plaza near Cinderella Castle. The statue featured a life-sized version of Walt Disney holding hands with Mickey. Disney’s right hand was extended as if sharing with Mickey a vision of what the future could hold. It was a powerful visual image of the man whose dreams had changed the world.

“Some people look at
Partners
and think that Walt is sharing his latest dream with Mickey. Others think he is pointing out some of the intricate
details of something they are looking at.” Kiran gazed up admiringly at the two figures. “Whatever they are talking about, this has become one of the most photographed places in the Magic Kingdom. If you would like I will give you a moment to take a few pictures.”

She stepped back out of the way as some of the group gathered their parties for a photograph. Kiran helped some of the guests take their pictures by acting as their photographer. After handing a camera back to its owner she stepped backward, her heel digging into Hawk’s foot.

“Oh, I am so sorry, Mr. Hawkes,” she apologized as she quickly turned toward him.

“No damage done,” he reassured her as a twinge of pain danced across his foot.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive,” he confirmed.

“Then let’s keep moving.” She smiled and moved away to herd up the group.

As she moved away, the pain subsided and Hawk caught a whiff of a pleasant scent. She not only looked good, she also smelled good, and she knew a truckload about Disney World. She was practically perfect, but what else would one expect inside the Magic Kingdom?

C
HAPTER
S
EVEN

Day Three Noon

T
HE
K
EYS TO THE
K
INGDOM TOUR
included lunch, and the group made their way to the Columbia Harbour House to eat. Nestled between the edge of Fantasyland and Liberty Square, it offered a variety of choices at reasonable theme park prices. Hawk allowed most of their party to order before him. By the time he carried his tray toward the upstairs dining area where they were eating, most of the others were heavily involved in consuming their meals. He found a table adjacent to the clump of tables their tour group had settled in. He loaded his soft drink with a straw and took a slug, unfolded a napkin, and prepared to eat.

“Mind if I join you?” Kiran stood next to him holding her own lunch tray.

“No, not at—” Hawk answered before completely swallowing and nearly strangled on his soft drink.

“Thanks,” she bubbled as she slid into the chair across from him. Setting her tray on the table, she fixed her gaze on him as if calculating what she was going to say next. “All right, Mr. Hawkes, I want to know why you are on this tour. I have a gnawing feeling that you already know most of the things I am saying.”

“Well . . . uh, I always wanted to take the tour and finally decided to do it.” There was a bit of truth in the statement. He had thought about taking the tour in the past. “I also heard the tour guides were excellent.” Hawk meant the remark to sound complimentary and smooth, but it landed with a silly, dorky thud on their lunch trays. If Kiran noticed she didn’t show it.

“You were a last-minute addition to our group. As a matter of fact the tour was already overbooked. We were thinking about dividing it into two separate tours. Our reservation specialist gave you a slot and made our decision for us.”

“Normally you don’t have to lead the tours, do you?”

“Not anymore. I used to years ago. Now I’m a manager in Guest Relations. So I suppose it’s your fault I’m a tour guide today.”

“Should I apologize?”

“No,” she quickly said. “They gave you a reservation instead of saying the tour was already full. But you could answer my question and tell me why you wanted to take the Keys to the Kingdom tour today.”

There was no way he could tell her why he was really there. On some level he didn’t really know himself. He paused perhaps longer than he should have.

“It’s complicated,” he offered.

“Is it now?” She waited to see if he was going to continue. When it became apparent that there was nothing more forthcoming, she lobbed another question toward him. “So, Mr. Hawkes, what do you do for a living?”

“I’m a pastor in Celebration,” he told her, relieved to be out of the uncomfortable territory her previous questioning had taken them into.

“A preacher?” Kiran studied him with raised brows. “Somehow you don’t strike me as a preacher.” Her cheeks colored. “Please don’t take that wrong. I didn’t mean it like it might have sounded.”

“No offense taken,” Hawk rescued her. He had heard it before. He didn’t look like the stereotypical preacher. Usually in need of a haircut and much more comfortable in denim jeans, he only wore a suit if he was forced to do so. “Please, call me Hawk. That’s what everyone calls me.”

“Okay, Hawk, tell me about being a preacher.”

Hawk began to tell Kiran about his passion for the church. They talked about how hard the church had to fight to carve a niche in the culture and how the church had lost some of its identity in the world. She asked probing questions about why Hawk had become a pastor and why he enjoyed it. The conversation focused for a short time on what made the Celebration Community Church so special. He asked her about her role at Walt Disney World. Kiran revealed that working for Disney was something she had always wanted to do. While in high school she had auditioned for a part in a Christmas parade and had gotten the job. Disney World was the only place she had ever worked. She had steadily advanced through the years and now had a bit of position and seniority with the company. Hawk assumed she also had a bit more authority and power than she was letting on. The dialogue volleyed back and forth across the table until their lunches were gone and the rest of the tour group was growing restless waiting. The touring troop began to file down the stairs as Kiran and Hawk were dumping the remains of their lunch in the trash receptacle.

“I really enjoyed chatting with you, Hawk. I’ll have to visit your church sometime.” Kiran paused as she waited for him to throw away his trash.

“I enjoyed it as well. Sorry I was the reason you had to spend your day leading a tour.”

“I’m not sorry at all.” She smiled and allowed her eyes to lock onto his for just a moment longer than he had anticipated.

Returning her smile, Hawk felt a moment of awkwardness over not knowing what to say. She walked away and headed down the stairs to continue the tour. Hawk shook his head slightly from side to side and followed in the same direction. When he joined the reassembled group outside the restaurant, he heard a voice come from over his shoulder.

“She is very pretty, son.”

Hawk looked back and saw the elderly gentleman who had congratulated him for being a trivia expert. The man winked, nodded, and then shuffled away to keep pace with the group as Kiran led them out into the street headed toward Frontierland. On their walk they paused in front of Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe. She pointed out that although this was a single store that specialized in Christmas items, it also was a great example of the amazing design that was poured into every corner of the Magic Kingdom.

“Notice that from the outside this looks like three distinct time-period-specific storefronts. But once you walk inside, if you look closely, you will see three very different shops that are tied together with a Christmas theme. The Imagineers created a backstory for each shop. The first is a Music Teacher’s Shop; if you look at the decorations, you will see a variety of instruments ready for the holiday celebration. The second shop is a Woodcarver’s Shop. It’s more rustic looking, as if the woodcarver is making toys for gifts.” Kiran pointed to the last shop. “The final shop is not a shop at all. Instead it’s like a home decorated for the holidays, warm and inviting for guests and family. The family is identified as the Kepple family. Now here is a question for you trivia buffs.” She paused to allow them to listen closely. “Why was the name Kepple chosen for this shop?”

Silence was the answer of choice for the tourists. A few couples whispered to each other, trying to figure out the reason for the name. Eventually a few of the tourists looked toward Hawk, who had proven to be an endless stream of trivia facts throughout the tour. Even Kiran looked toward him and cracked a grin as she watched him try to remember the answer. Momentarily he brought the silence to an end.

“I don’t know.” He shrugged.

“I’ll tell you what.” Kiran stepped forward. “If you do figure it out by the time the tour ends, I’ll have a collector’s pin to give you as a prize.”

The remainder of the tour flew by as Hawk watched and listened to Kiran talk about the way the Magic Kingdom had been built and the little-known details of the tunnels located below the park. The Utilidoor, she explained, had been Walt’s idea after watching the cast members in Disneyland walk through the park in costume one day. He was bothered by the fact that cast members broke the illusion and continuity of the various lands of the theme park by passing through them in clothing used in other lands. Seeing an astronaut walking the old west of Frontierland was simply unacceptable. The Florida creation was going to eliminate that problem. The solution was to build a series of tunnels that would allow the cast members to move beneath the streets of the Magic Kingdom. These tunnels, or utilidoors, formed an underworld city
connected by passageways that featured unmarked entrances and exits at various places into the Kingdom.

Nearly five hours later the group returned to City Hall, where they had begun. Kiran wrapped up the presentation. “I hope you have enjoyed our behind-the-scenes look at the Magic Kingdom. It is truly a magical place created by a dreamer that was one of a kind. If you haven’t had the chance, and you get the opportunity, you can find out more about the fascinating Walt Disney by visiting One Man’s Dream at the Disney Hollywood Studios. While you are there you can even see Walt’s office where he would sit behind his desk, meet with others, and read scripts. In the office you can also see some of the diagrams for various areas of the Walt Disney World Resort. No matter how much you learn there is always something else to discover about this amazing place. I hope you now feel like you have a few more keys to unlock the kingdom.”

Hawk replayed what she had just said as the group said their good-byes.
While you are there you can even see Walt’s office where he would sit behind his desk, meet with others, and read scripts. In the office you can also see some of the diagrams for various areas of the
Walt Disney World
Resort
. The words had a familiar ring to them and Hawk rewound his memory searching for something that Rales had said to him when they were at Gamble Place. Rales had spoken about Walt’s being changed after he saw the Seven Dwarfs’ Cottage.
He went back to the studio, sat behind his desk, and let the memories that this place created in him spark his imagination, his ability to really understand a story, and eventually how he would touch the world
. Rales had given Hawk the key.
If you will take this and do the same thing Walt did when he left this place . . . your imagination . . . your ability to understand a story . . . and how you touch the world . . . even your life will never be the same. And the stories you communicate will become timeless
.

Hawk was grasping for something that made sense and this was as close as anything he had come up with. In trying to help guide him in understanding the key to the kingdom, Rales had said to do what Walt had done. Walt went back to the studio and sat behind his desk. It was there that his imagination would spring to life, he would better understand a story, and how he would touch the world. Hawk could go to the Disney Studios and at least look at Walt’s desk. He had been certain that the key Rales had given him was just a sentimental gift from a friend. But now there was a relentless sense that there had to be a deeper meaning to the key. Now that Rales was unavailable to ask, he didn’t know what else to try.