Nothing Good Ever Lasts

Epilogue

10 years later

“Disneyland! Disneyland!” My daughter exclaimed excitingly as our cars pulled up into the cement parking structure. It was her first time coming here, so I was excited that I could enjoy the day with my whole family. We parked the cars right next to each other and climbed out, and breathed in the California air and listening to the happy music that was playing. I took my daughter’s hand as I waited for the rest of our group, which was very large compared to everyone else’s that was here. Aaron and Nicole came with their three sons, Calvin and Maldia had four wild kids that liked to run around and be hyper, and I came with Cylak, Nessa, Jaitus, who was eight and born about two months after Aaron married Nicole, and Marie, my other daughter who was six, and the most excited out of all of us. My parents were in Aaron’s car, and aunt and uncle were in Maldia and Calvin’s, which added up to three cars and twenty people, half of them being kids. I just stood and laughed as everyone was scampering around everywhere to get sunscreen on and the child leashes that Maldia made her kids wear, but I was only concerned about my family.

“Did everyone really have to come along?” Cylak asked as he held onto Marie and we waited for the entire group to catch up with us.

“Well, Aaron and I kind of share a birthday, so yeah.” I answered, gripping my son’s hand and kept him from running off. I saw the car doors slam so we started heading towards the trams.

“Can you all slow down please?” I heard Maldia’s voice behind me, and I turned my head and watch her and Calvin hanging onto the child leashes with all her children trying to run off in different directions. “Or at least try and help us?”

“Hey, we agreed we’d all be in charge of our own kids.” Aaron pointed out, having one hand on his seven year old and an arm around his three year old. “That was the rules.”

“Well I’m changing the rules.” Calvin muttered as he pulled on one of his leashes and brought his youngest daughter closer. “Or else someone’s getting lost.”

“I think that’s inevitable just because of how many people are here.” Cylak admitted, which I thought was true. There were ten kids and they ranged from three to eleven years old.

“Well, let’s just get this day started and complain about it later.” Aaron told us, and we slowed down as Maldia’s kids all walked forward. We rode the escalator down to the tram, and we were all getting odd stares just because of our group size. The tram ride was hell, considering the screaming excited kids that tried to jump out every five seconds, but when it stopped near Downtown Disney, they all tried to bolt, but we held them back.

“I’m starting to think this wasn’t such a good idea.” I admitted as Cylak wrapped his free arm around my shoulder.

“Relax, it will be fine.” He scoffed as I rolled my eyes and we approached the front gates to the happiest place on Earth.

The first thing I see is Main Street, followed by some Disney characters that liked to hang out in the same area. My family all pulled out their cameras as they posed for pictures with Mickey and Minnie, and the memories started coming back, slowly and surely. I realized how much time really flew, remembering how I was a kid and used to take pictures like this. Now I watched my three kids smiling and posing with the characters I know and love, and I knew I could never get the days back. I was thirty years old now, but I really wish I was still a kid.

“Where now?” I heard my Mom ask, and Aaron and I looked around as we stopped in the middle and glanced at all the park areas. I knew exactly where we were going, and I didn’t need a park map like the other people who were fumbling with it so much.

“Tomorrowland.” I answered confidently, and Aaron nodded. We made our way into Tomorrowland, stopping and waiting in lines as our kids whined on how long they had to wait. I laughed when the animations would come to life and they’d be so amazed they didn’t pay attention to anything else. They believed everything they saw, like it was Earth’s own kind of Magic. Everyone but the littler kids hit Star Tours and Space Mountain, but once we hit Autopia, I had to take an ibuprofen because of my daughter’s horrible driving skills, and so did everyone else with all the little kids driving the car. After that we were out of there in no time, going wherever we could.

The girls begged and pleaded to go to Fantasyland, so the guys stayed back in Tomorrowland just so the girls could enjoy the fairy tales I still believe in. We got pictures of every Disney Princess, and I couldn’t help but show the happy tears that would come to my eyes every once in a while. All the kids got in a picture with them, and I flashed back to when I did the same. We hit some of the rides, mostly the ones that the kids wanted to go on, but I felt like I was seven again, and I was glad I could at least spend it with my family. When we hit Small World, I wanted to cry when I saw how much it changed. Disneyland has changed so much, but I wasn’t around when it did.

We met up with the guys back in Tomorrowland, where they had just gotten of Star Tours. We crossed over to Adventureland, but we didn’t really hit any rides, just Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean because of the height limits and wait times. Nobody wanted to go on Haunted Mansion, which was weird, but I didn’t object. It wasn’t one of my favorites either. Going over to the Critter Country, Splash Mountain everyone loved, or at least who could go on it. We stopped for a quick snack at the Hungry Bear, but by this time it was already three in the afternoon, and I knew the kids were going to be crashed by five. We stopped by some more characters, got more pictures, and went on Thunder Mountain once, which they all loved. Our last ride was the Matterhorn, and after that we all hit the Birthday Party.

“To Calia and Aaron!” My Dad yelled, holding up a glass. My whole family cheered at our tables that were linked together, clinking glasses and eating the huge cake. We were there for about an hour, and I could tell it was getting late cause the kids started complaining that their feet hurt. I sighed as I looked at the sky, the sun moving farther and farther west. I tried to ignore it as we all exited and hit all the other rides everyone wanted to go on again.

So as five-thirty hit we were carrying half the kids to the stores where all the adults wanted to browse and see what Disneyland had to offer. I let Nessa drag me to wherever she wanted to go, mostly to the Princess shop, and I was proud she was living up to what she could become later. By six everyone who got here early started leaving, so I knew it was probably our time too. We all met outside and headed to the exit, where we let the kids get a picture with the fairy godmother who happened to be there. They were yawning and we were tired, so it was probably best if we left, either staying at a hotel for the night or just going back to whatever world we lived in. I stood across from the exit one last time, realizing it’d probably be my last time here. I watched the sun set halfway on the horizon, and I sighed as I realized this day was over. One of the best days of my life was over…

“You know, we can always come back.” Cylak told me as he stopped right next to me, holding Jaitus with one arm and Marie in the other, who had their heads on his shoulders. “You know, without all these people.” He pointed to everyone who wasn’t him and our kids.

“Yeah, I know.” I assured as the sun was getting slimmer and slimmer past the horizon. “But when I leave, I always think I’ll never come back.” I smiled, trying to not show my sadness, but it wasn’t working.

“We will.” He assured me as he chuckled at Maldia and Calvin whose kids were literally pulling them across the exit to the park. “The kids had a lot of fun, and I know they want to come back again.”

“Yeah, but…” I trailed off, watching the sun fade away and the sky turning darker on the opposite sides. “Nothing good ever lasts.” And I watched the sun disappear from the sky.

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So as one story finds it's end, a new one begins as we travel back in time to find ourselves right after Nicole and Aaron are married, and a certain world is now the focus… specifically a girl who belongs in it… But how was Calia to know that… it wasn't even her story… or even in that world… we will find ourselves next in a more deep-ended environment where legs are not needed and gills are… and we travel to the world that's outside of their realm, but yet still magically connected, where it's just a little more comfortable for fish… and all the other creatures that swim along with them. But who knows what's gonna happen then…