Taking Fantasia : A Disney Fanfiction

Chapter 20: Mouse in the House

Chapter 20: Mouse in the House

"Um...um...Hiya Folks..."

Jim and Wendy exchanged glances.

"It's...it's a mouse."

It was a mouse. Perhaps his big, round ears came over Master Merlin's knee and perhaps his silky, pencil thin tail was an arms length itself, but Headmaster Mickey - the allusive Headmaster of Fantasia School for the Magically Skewed - was a mouse.

"We're screwed!" whispered Aladdin, to the amusement of Peter, Flynn, Lana, and Adella. "My god – it's a freaking mouse!"

"Shut up!" hissed Ariel. Leaning forward in her seat, she studied the headmaster as he wrung his hands together on stage. She felt bad for the little mouse. "He looks so scared. I wonder how long he's been hiding in the NorthTower."

Jim and Wendy were exchanging similar thoughts.

"Looks like he wants to bolt outta here." murmured Jim, watching the mouse like a hawk.

Someone to Wendy's left giggled softly. Turning, they saw a girl with huge green eyes and long blonde hair covering her mouth. "No sudden movements."

Wendy tried not to smile. "Rapunzel." she said, nudging the girl softly.

Rapunzel grinned, and nudged Wendy back.

"What's he doing now?" asked Tiana, crowding Jim as she leaned forward. "See that? What's that in his hands?"

Jim, Wendy, and Rapunzel shook their heads, incomprehensively.

"No idea – whoa."

"...what...what is that?"

But the headmaster had unfolded a long, pointed hat from his pocket. The hat was richly colored – blue with silver stars. Taking a deep breath, the headmaster turned the hat upside down, holding it by the brim.

The lights blew out like candles. Poof! The students screamed as micro-bursts of white light cracked inside the pointed hat.

Jim jumped as two little hands crawled over his lap.

"Michael?"

"I forgot teddy." Michael whimpered, climbing across Jim and onto Wendy. Sucking his thumb, Michael curled into Wendy's arms. "This is scary. I want to go home."

Wendy looked behind her. "Michael Dear, you're supposed to stay with your class. Mistress Minnie – "

"I want Daddy." Michael buried his head into Wendy's hoodie. A second explosion shook the auditorium. Lightning seemed to be wrestling Headmaster Mickey inside the hat. Students were cowering in their seats. Michael covered his ears. "I want to go home!"

A third explosion illuminated the auditorium with fractured light. Jim turned. He saw hundreds of terrified faces. He saw the professors, serious and calm. He saw magical beings, standing still as statues, fringed around the auditorium like guardians. He saw John Silver, his grim face painted in the red glow of his mechanical eye. Silver saw Jim. Then, the cyborg smiled. Very dangerously.

And then Jim stopped breathing.

He saw her. In the splinters of white light, Jim saw the girl. Like a whiplash, his mind snapped back to the Benbow and the two sea-blue eyes reflecting the glow of the cell-phone. Again, his mind snapped back to the instant before his back cracked against the edge of the pool. Two beautiful eyes, this time bathed in the firelight of destruction. And final memory: a girl, holding his breath above water, her eyes sparkling in starlight.

Out of mind and out of body, Jim stood.

Then, everything stopped.

Heasmaster Mickey was bent over the pointed hat. Smoke curled off his petite body, as if he'd absorbed every ounce of chaos and entropy.

Collectively, the professors and magical guardians advanced.

Headmaster Mickey held up a hand. His gloved fingers were shaking. Sweat dotted between his round ears.

Disregarding the headmaster's raised hand, a dog suddenly padded from offstage.

"Puppy." cooed the elementary students timidly as the dog licked the headmaster's cheek.

Smiling, Headmaster Mickey stroked his dog's goldenrod fur. "Good boy..." whispered the headmaster as the professors relaxed. "Good boy, Pluto....all righty..."

Wincing, Headmaster Mickey rose. He kept a hand on Pluto's head. His other hand still held the pointed hat upside down by the brim...like a bag. A magic bag.

"That's it..." Ariel breathed. She looked to at the bashful dwarf and tall Blue Fairy for verification. "That's the Magic Bag of Tricks!"

Lifting his face to the students, Headmaster Mickey smiled. Raising his arm, he gave the pointed hat a little shake. The students jumped: something clunked and jingled inside the hat.

"Looks like we're ready!" announced the headmaster, reaching into the hat.

Warily, the students watched as Mickey withdrew a story book. Jim squinted as Mickey and Master Merlin propped the book against the podium. The title read Once Upon A Time...

"The Magic Bag of Tricks picks the students...." explained Headmaster Mickey, more to himself than anyone else. Methodically, the headmaster licked his thumb and turned to the first page. His face lit into a grin. Pluto barked happily.

"All righty folks!" beamed Headmaster Mickey, holding out the Magic Bag of Tricks to the student audience. "Just come on up and reach inside the hat...er...bag! So, without further ado – and in no particular order – "

Headmaster Mickey double checked the book. "...Snow White? Snow White! Yes...don't be shy...come on up to start us off!"