I am on vacation for a week and so I thought I would do something a little different on A Goofy Idea. A few years back I wrote a children’s story for National Novel Writing Month. It follows three siblings as they solve puzzles at Walt Disney World. It is happy and clever, two words that I hope describe A Goofy Idea. So, for your reading enjoyment I am giving you the Epcot Puzzle in five parts. I hope you enjoy it and maybe you can share it with a kid you know. As always feel free to comment on my website. Happiness squared.

 

An Epcot Puzzle

by Jennifer Vandenberg

Part 4

“Grammy, can you read this for me?” Misty asked.

            “Sure, honey pie, but you can read.”

            “I’d like you to read it. I need to hear it again.”

            Grammy read it slowly and Misty nodded. “I think I know the answer. It fits all three parts.”   

            “How did you find it?” Grammy asked.

            “A Cast Member was talking to a guest. He said that an imagineer used his imagination to solve a problem and find the answer.” She pointed at the note. “That’s two of the clues. Plus, if Soarin’ is as good as it looks there will be lots of frowns turned upside down.

            Grammy looked at the note again. “It also says that you can find it with your feet on the ground. I guess that means you were meant to find the answer.”

            “I wish the ride would end. I want to tell Jim and Gus the answer.”

            Soon Gus, Jim, and the others came down the exit. Grammy asked them how the ride was.

            “It was awesome,” Jim said. “It was like being on a hang glider and flying over California.”

            “At one point you were on top of a snow-covered mountain and then you were at the ocean,” Gus gushed.

            “The aircraft carrier was the coolest,” Grandpa said.

            “I liked Disneyland at the end,” Mom said.

            “The fly fishing was neat, too,” Dad said.

            “But we didn’t find the answer to the note,” Jim said.

            Gus shook his head. “The show has no words.”

            “I found the answer,” Misty said.

            Everyone looked at her. “You did?” Jim asked.

            “Yep. I kept my feet on the ground and learned that imagination solved the problem of Soarin’ and helped the imagineers see the answer.”

            Jim read over the note. “She’s right. It answers all the clues.”

            “And once again it tells us where to go,” Gus said.

            “Good job,” Grandpa said. Everyone agreed.

            “So, where to next?” Dad asked.

            “Imagination!” Misty, Gus, and Jim replied. 

            They spun through the gift shop again and bought some postcards before heading to the next pavilion. Imagination! had cool water features outside. The leap frog drops appeared to hop from pad to pad. The waterfall ran uphill which Gus thought was rather ingenious.

Figment was standing by the door so they waited in line and got a picture of the kids with the crazy purple creature. Gus said he wanted to get a Figment item at the store.

            They finally went in but didn’t know what to do first. Jim thought that if they waited someone might hand them an envelope, but Dad nixed that idea.

            “That hasn’t happened before so it probably won’t happen now. Let’s just continue our day and let the envelopes come as they may.

            “Besides,” Mom said. “I want to go see Captain EO. I haven’t seen it since I was a teenager.”

            “You were a teenager?” Jim teased.

            Mom smiled. “You bet. And I went to Disneyland all the time. Captain EO was one of my favorite attractions.”

            “Well, let’s go see if Michael can still howl like he used to,” Grammy said. Everyone groaned.

            The Captain EO ride was in 3D which the kids loved. Misty especially liked the furry sidekick that flew into the audience. Leaving the auditorium they headed straight for Journey Into Imagination with Figment. Gus was excited to see Figment again.

            They were almost to the point where they could get on their buggies when the Cast Member who had asked them how many were in their party turned back to them and asked if one of them was Jim Basset. Jim said he was and she smiled and handed him an envelope. He thanked her, but didn’t have time to open it until they climbed into the cars; Misty and Gus in front, Jim and Grammy in back. The kids were so excited that they hardly watched the show. Instead they turned around and urged Jim to open the envelope. He pulled out the paper and read the ornate script. It was harder to read because it wasn’t in block letters and the buggy was swinging around.

            “Imagination brought you here, riding on a song. Find someone who shares that song, and the secret will be revealed.”

            “Well the song part shouldn’t be hard. We’ve been hearing it for the last ten minutes,” Gus said as the cars traveled through Figment’s imagination.

 

Which song holds the answer? Find our in part 5 of An Epcot Puzzle.