"It's Kind Of Fun To Do The Impossible"

Walt Disney, the king of fantasy, the legend, the icon, the man of mysteries has been filling children's and adults' heads with stories of princes, princesses, monsters and evil witches for over a century. Till this day people from all over the world believe he was more than just a man, some swore he was a wizard. With his imagination and tales of great battles, magic and romance he changed the way modern man lived and thought. It’s been rumored that at certain times during the night his ghost can be seen wandering around his most profound creations, while carrying a little black book. Although no employee will either confirm or deny these allegations. It seemed that when the whole world was in black and white only he had the paintbrushes to splatter screaming color. The day Disney World was first opened to the public the whispers of magic being created behind the gates proved to be true. He was the first man to turn desire and imagination into something tangible for everyone to see. People of all ages came to witness the enchantment that was Walt Disney. He gave the world another chance to dream of the impossible, since things are happening everyday. He gave children the ultimate playground of wonder and awe. He let adults loosen their grip and believe again. He gave his fairytales a place to live and breathe forevermore. Although some people still don't believe Walt is dead, for some say true magic can never die.

The school bell rang and just like that my Mythology class was over; and so was my daydream. I got lost during my lesson plan with all the stories of magic and dangerous journeys. Most of the students I teach enjoy getting away from “reality” while others reject and laugh off every aspect of the tale. Before my students all ran out for the day, I reminded them that next week is when we dive into fairytales. It’s my favorite part of the year and to top it all off I won $20,000 on a scratch off, so I decided to take the whole class to the only place where magic and folklore come to life. You guessed it, Disney World! I’ve always been enticed by fantasy and even though I'm older now, I still believe that anything is possible. You could also say I'm a typical Pisces, enchanting and dreamy. Some of the other professors don't take me seriously though, all they see is long black hair, skin as white as snow and blood red lips. I’ve heard it all before, the quiet murmurs coming from they're dried uninspired lips. I don't care what they say, I have the taste of imagination on mine.

The next morning was drizzly with a fog so hazy I could've sworn we were in Twilight. It was the perfect day to read some fairytales. As we were getting into Sleeping Beauty, one of the pompous boys in the back said “This is such garbage Ms. White. How could anybody believe this load of crap”. I’m not sure what came over me but before I could catch my breath I looked into his eyes from across the room and said “Fairytales are ancient recounts of battles between good and evil, back when the world had both eyes open”. The room fell silent, I could feel a tingling sensation throughout my entire body. It felt as though my every nerve was being lit up by lightning. I ended class early. I told all the students to prepare for our trip the next day and that if they were late I might turn them into a pumpkin. I hate airplanes but stepping out into the sunshine and the smell of salty sea air makes it all worth it.

We’re officially in the happiest place on earth, Disney World, in all its shimmering glory. Needless to say my students were ecstatic to be here, as was I. We were greeted by Ariel, the most famous mermaid of all with her red hair and shiny tail colored with all the blues of the sea. She could've been a real mermaid for all I know. That's how good Disney is. Their attention to detail leaves no bounds. After stopping at the Under The Sea restaurant, we hopped on a tram to get to our next fairytale destination. At this point in the trip I decided to collect their term papers on how fairytales influence real life. Our stop was next so I quickly pilled up all the papers and put them into my bag. Walking to Cinderella's castle I noticed my bag feeling a bit heavier than normal. Taking a minute to stop, I looked in it and saw a little black notebook in between some of my students' work. I pulled out this mysterious worn out black leather book that had a golden crest on the top right corner. Forgetting where I was and what I was doing, something about the book compelled me to open it. As I started to read, every page was filled with fairytale attractions with different serial numbers attached to them. I didn't understand what exactly I was reading. I was so caught up in the book that I let the day pass me by. As I got to the last two pages it said “If lost return to Walt Disney”. I could barely catch my breath. Could this really belong to the legend himself? How did I even find this? Trying to make sense of it all I turned to the last page. It was a map of tunnels underneath the park. The instructions were clear. You must go alone at night. The last thing it said to do was to “fall down the rabbit hole”. I thought to myself, I might never get another chance to go on an adventure like this again. So, I did what any diehard believer would do. I waited until the veil of night to begin my quest.

The night started to dwindle down and the students returned to their rooms while the castles remained lit. I never broke into anywhere before, especially at night and all alone. It’s definitely not my best plan but my feet were already taking me to the entrance of Wonderland. Disney World sure looked different at night with no music or people around. Before I could change my mind and turn back I noticed a loose bar in the gates. I gave it a tug and there it was, my opening. After I crawled through the fence I took out the book for directions. It says “As you enter Wonderland take a left to find Snow Whites Castle. Make sure you don't take a right or the Big Bad Wolf will eat you tonight”. I made damn sure to take that left. As I came up to the side of the castle, I looked for an arched wooden door as the book instructed. After about 15 minutes of searching I was about to give up, until I felt a cool steel lock underneath the overgrown ivy. I pulled on the lock with all my might, and as the door creaked open, dust and soot filled my lungs. I coughed as quietly as I could and took a step in. The heavy door to the outside world closed shut behind me; there was no turning back now. Using my iPhone flashlight, I followed down the winding stairs. I was eventually met by four tunnels, each leading to a different destination. Deciding to go with my gut, I chose the second path on the right and straight on till morning. The darkness began to fade as the glow of something spectacular grew brighter and brighter. The closer I got the more my mind ran wild. What did I get myself into? As I finally made it to the end, I found myself in a gigantic medieval fortress. It looked as if it was straight out of Camelot. There was an expansive round table in the middle of the room, crests, tapestries, swords made with gold and jewels decorated the walls while candelabras gave light to the darkness. As my eyes searched around this unbelieve room I saw pedestals with familiar objects placed onto them. The first was an enchanting pumpkin, but the second item is what really caught me off guard. On an elegant plump pillow two glass slippers sparkled.

Have my eyes deceived me? Before I knew it a second later I was close enough to touch them. My curious hand reached out but before I could hold them, a voice broke through the silence. It said “I’d be careful, those are very, very old”. Almost breaking my neck, I saw a man with white silky hair and a manicured mustache wearing a fitted black suit draped with a vintage gold pocket watch. His voice was smooth and captivating, I felt as if I could trust him despite the obvious. He came closer into the light and said “It’s been a long time since I met someone like you”. Confused and taken back I straightened my stance and said, “are...are you Walt Disney?” Without dropping eye contact he chuckled at me “That's what my friends call me. I know this is probably a little strange for you but just hear me out. I actually am very much alive, for I am the Wizard. My ancestor was the powerful Merlin.” Trying to take all this craziness in I said “How is this possible? You're related to Merlin..the most powerful wizard of all time?” My head was spinning as if I was drunk. I continued rambling on, “Why am I here, why are you telling me this? What even is this place? To his apparent amusement he said “I know it's a lot to take in but you have nothing to fear. You see, I have been entrusted with these ancient artifacts from each fairytale, I keep them safe and they keep magic flowing. My park is a manifestation of each item. Keeping them safe keeps the next generation inspired and protected from evil. I know finding out magic is real is hard to accept but I have a feeling you can handle it”. Crossing my arms I turned to him “So your telling me that all of these artifacts are real? All the stories I know by heart really happened? Actually laughing out loud he said “You must have magic in your veins if my book found you”. “But I don't even know how the book came to me,” I remarked. Well he said, “The book can only be found by those who are descendants of fairy tales, Ms. White”.

After a few more conversations he proposed a deal, “If you give me back my book, I’ll let you borrow those little glass slippers; until midnight of course.” I shook his hand and gave him the book. Taking the slippers down from the pedestal he tells me “There's a ball tomorrow night, put these on and spin around. I promise it'll be the most magical night of your life. Oh and since your single I assure you, your prince will come”. I laughed, “Come on Walt how do you know my “prince” will come?” Never leaving my gaze he said “Because my dear, they always do”. Needless to say he was right. After I put on the slippers and spun around I was wearing an incredible sparkling gown as my carriage awaited. The ball was enchanting and everyone was dressed to the nines. Being true to his word, a charming prince caught my eye. We danced the night away and kissed under the stars. Sometimes fairy tales really do come true, especially in ways you’d never imagine. In the end they all lived happily ever after...until they received a gift basket full of shiny red apples.