Dizgaia ~ The Dreamfinder's Daughter

Chapter 19 ~ Tomorrow's Child

Although the smile Captain EO gave her at the end of his song nearly made her swoon, Mia had the presence of mind – after much applauding and cheering – to ask of her father, "Is he... Captain EO, that is... Is he like you?"

"His magic is genuine and not simply a showman's trick," said Blair "In a way, I suppose Captain EO is very much like me."

"But nowhere near as powerful," spoke Agent Royo from behind them. "EO's magic doesn't even scratch the surface of what your father has done... and can do."

Mia turned her gaze to Blair in newfound admiration. "Wow. You're just... amazing!"

How any father could resist a daughter who smiled at him like that was beyond anyone's comprehension. Blair, normally a very humble man in spite of his talents, felt himself basking in the glow of his daughter's admiration. This girl could turn an otherwise humble man into a show-off in no time. However, he tried his best to keep a modest mindset.

"I thank you for the high praise, Agent Royo. But I do try not to let such things go to my head," he said, smiling at his daughter and directing her attention to the street below. EO's spaceship float had moved on and the parade was officially underway.

The parade began with a familiar synthesized musical score as a series of floats, automatons, and people on foot took the journey down Main Street, all of them decked out in multicolored lights which glowed brilliantly in the dark night. LED, neon, flickering bulbs, and a plethora of other light forms illuminated the streets as the electrical parade made its way through the town.

"Remember how I've mentioned that there are some things that the people of Dizgaia took from Earth?" said Blair. "Well, I'm sure you can tell, this concept is one of them."

"Like the electrical parade in Disney," Mia murmured, watching, mesmerized by the parade which, while reminiscent of the nighttime parade at Disney World, was far more expansive and magical. This one was exponentially greater, to almost impossible proportions, for this one possessed true magic combined with technology which could only be found in Dizgaia.

The parade rolled down Main Street's main street, showing off the wondrous displays created by the Imagineers of the Imagination Institute and the Main Street Celebration Committee. Beyond just the illuminated parade floats, Mia was able to pick out specific contributions from various Imagineers. The first was a parade float with a group of illuminated, color-changing Baymax units all waving to the crowd.

"Oh, cool! That must be Tadashi's!"

The Baymax units reminded Mia of Christmas lights and the way they were synchronized to run back and forth through a spectrum of colors.

Next, a minivan covered with solar panels drove slowly down the street with its back hatch open. A laser beam shot out from the back of the van, making the parade float behind it shrink down so small as to be unseen, and then grow to immense proportions, back and forth.

"Oh, look! Look! They're shrinking and growing! That must be that Wayne Sa-Sa... Uh, the guy from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids."

"Szalinski!" said Figment.

"Bless you."

There was even a fleet of tiny cars driven by little old men. They reminded Mia of the Shriners in parades on Earth, only these cars were making popping noises as they flew through the air, doing swirling maneuvers and aerial tricks.

"Ah. That would be Professor Brainard's Flubber at work," said Blair. "An ingenious creation, if I do say so myself."

Mia was fully stimulated by all the lights, sounds, colors, and scientific marvels put on display for her. "This is so cool!" she said.