Heroes of Disney #1: Rise of the Firebird

Ch. 25: Just Around the Riverbend

It was late afternoon by the time Tiana declared that we must leave.

When Tiana made this declaration, Perry and I had been playing a game of twenty questions. I was trying to guess what Perry was thinking. So far I've used four questions. I found out that the object he was thinking of was a grrrrrgggggg, was shaped like a gggggrrrrggggg, was the color of ggggrrrrgggg and was gggggrrrrrggg when compared to the size of Tinker Bell. I had a feeling that the answer was a rose, but I figured I should ask a few more questions, just to be sure.

I stared at Tiana puzzlingly. "How? Buck's injured, and Hercules hasn't returned from scouting out the perimeter. I don't see how we're going to get out of here without help."

"GGGGGRRRRGGGG."

Tiana pointed toward the path that leads out of Heffalump Hallow. "A train, by the name of Casey Junior, travels on train tracks just by the Hundred Acre Woods. If we leave now, we can catch it."

I was confused. "Casey Junior is a circus train. For Dumbo's circus. What would it be doing near the Hundred Acre Woods?"

"Casey Junior has a routinal path that eventually comes near each realm, minus Atlantica." The frog princess explained. "It takes a while to get around everywhere, but at least once every couple of weeks it comes over here."

"How do you know that day is today?"

"I keep a copy of the travel schedule in my pack." She indicated a folded piece of paper in her hand. "Some of the acts in my restaurant tour all around the world, so they often use Casey Junior to get around, seeing as they have nothing faster. The train isn't JUST used to transport circus animals, you know."

"Ok then...how long till it gets here?"

Tiana looked at the paper she held in her hand. "We have two hours. So we'd better get a move on. Go find Hercules. I'll pack up. Perry could you go find Dodger? I think he's checking out one of those trash piles near the stone cottage."

"GGGGGRRRRGGGG." Perry complied, and got up in search of the New York Dog.

I got up and went in search of Hercules. It took a couple of minutes, but I eventually found him dawdling about a few yards north of the compound.

"Hey, Herk!" I called as I got closer. "We have to go. Tiana wants to catch Casey Junior."

He looked up at me from staring at the earthen ground. "Who?"

"A train. From Dumbo."

"Oh." He began looking at the ground again, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He looked pretty distracted.

I walked up to him and looked at the spot on the ground he was scrutinizing. There was nothing there except for a couple of leaves. And a couple of ants scurrying over a dead worm. It was kind of gross.

"Um, Herk? Why are you staring a dead worm?"

He shook his head. "I'm not staring. I'm just thinking."

"Oh."

A momentary awkward silence followed. "Penny for your thoughts?"

He glanced up at me, confused. "Penny? Pennies are useless. All American currency is. I use Drachmas." Then he began staring at the ground again.

That was unexpected. I was kind of insulted. "Dude, don't diss Abe Lincoln. Lincoln's a boss." I stared at him staring at ground. "Fine, drachma for your thoughts."