World of Disney - Chapter Seventeen (w/ Commentary Notes)

Chapter Seventeen: Realm Zone – 1967 (Post Re-Animation)

            Everything appeared hazy to Sean after the “re-animation” that he and Michelle went through, courtesy of Brandy’s invention. The process of moving between dimensions was no different from how it was done from Bunsen Honeydew’s version of the same machine. However, there were some side effects, such as disorientation – one thing he had not experienced from Bunsen’s machine. It took some time before things eventually started to come into focus and, before he saw it clearly, he realized that he was surrounded by lush trees. Unfortunately, these were not regular forest trees…they were jungle trees.

(Authorial Note: Miscalculations in destinations is a running joke most often found in sci-fi stories that center on time travel, particularly Doctor Who. Livingston enjoyed it so much that he made it part of this story, mainly to play with the readers' hopes or expectations of a resolve to the main conflict.)

            “Are you alright, lil’ brother?”

            Michelle walked right up to him as he was lying on the ground, his head still slightly spinning. “Yeah…I’m fine.” She tried to help him back to his feet, but he protested, feeling it was not such a good idea in his current state. Instead, he just sat up and took slow, concentrated breaths.

            “Are you two all right there?”

            Sean heard Brandy’s voice address them, yet he did not see her anywhere near them. The weirdest thing was how clear it sounded, as if she were actually standing right beside them. “Where are you?” He addressed the unseen Brandy.

            “I’m still back in the other dimension. The headbands that teleported you two have built-in communicators, so I can contact you from the other side. Clever, eh?”

            “Well, that makes one thing!” Sean angrily exclaimed. “You sent us to the wrong place!”

            “What?! That’s impossible – I double-checked my input status and the ‘Realm Zone’ reads 1937.”

            “Well, check again, because from what I’m seeing, this is not Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It looks more like…The Jungle Book!”

            “Oh, no. The frequency on the machine must still be off. Don’t worry – I’ll have it fix in no time. You two just hang loose.”

            Sean heard a click sound before everything went quiet again, at least until Michelle spoke up. “The Jungle Book? Isn’t there a tiger in this one?”

            Fear suddenly crept up on Sean upon the reminder Michelle had given him. “Um…yes…Shere Khan…also known as the ‘resident villain’ of this story.”

            “Oh.” Michelle uttered, sounding worried herself. “What should we do?”

            “Stick together. The last thing we need is for one of us to…”

            “Hello!”

            Sean and Michelle jumped in total surprise as an Indian python named Kaa dropped down from above and dangled his head directly in front of them. The moment he appeared Sean knew they were in trouble, being aware of the villainous nature of this particular character.

(Disney Note: In the original book by Rudyard Kipling, Kaa was one of Mowgli's closest friends, but in the film and other appearances, he is a dangerous threat to Mowgli's life. The reason for this is because the filmmakers thought he wouldn't be well-received as a protagonist, mostly due to attacks from the Indian python species.)

            “Stay back!”

            “S-s-stay back?” Kaa repeated his command with his slithering tongue. “Oh, no, no, no. I as-s-s-sure you that I’m just a s-s-simple, harmless snake.”

            Sean expressed doubt upon his face. “Yeah, sure.”

            “I’m certain my reputation as a species fails me, but you must understand that I’m s-s-simply just a pas-s-sing observer.” Kaa stated. “You see, I just recently came across this little man-cub – the first one I’ve ever seen up close – and now I see two beings just like him…or at least somewhat like him.” As the snake made his comments, he circled around Sean and Michelle, almost seeming to be observing them. “Peculiarly dres-s-sed ones, too…definitely unlike the man-cub.”

(Authorial Note: Livingston decided to integrate the out-world characters right in the early half of the stories that the Disney realms are based upon, in order to provide himself with "open space" for altered retellings. So far in the World of Disney series, no characters have interacted with those in the Disneyverse near the end of their respective tales.)

            Sean motioned for Michelle to start moving away from Kaa, fearing the worse was about to happen. He also refrained from making eye contact with him during the entire interaction. “Well, you are very observant. Now if you’ll excuse us, we have to…” He pulled Michelle’s arm as a way of urging her to move with him, but she suddenly went rigid under his grasp.

            Looking back, he was shocked to discover that Michelle had fallen under Kaa’s hypnotic gaze. Her wonderful blue eyes became a swirl of various colors in the same way that Kaa’s did, revealing the connection of the trance. She hardly even noticed how he opened his mouth completely wide over her head, gearing up to devour her whole. It was clear that Michelle would be the greatest “meal” he ever had from the crazed look of hungry on his face.

(Disney Note: Even though Kaa is thought of as a villain, he is technically not evil. Like actual pythons, Kaa's diet includes humans. So, basically, he's doing what nature intended for him to do.)

            With a quick and heavy jolt, Sean was able to move Michelle out of Kaa’s path in time to avoid his head, as it lunged downward and smacked into the ground. The rest of his body, coiled in the tree branches above, fell and piled over his stunned noggin. Underneath the pile, Kaa muttered, “Where do I go so wrong with my consumption of man?”

            Sean ran from Kaa, leading Michelle by the hand in their escape. Unfortunately, Michelle was still under a hypnotic state and practically dragging her feet across the ground, slowing down their getaway. Making a quick decision, Sean lifted her off her feet and carried her on the rest of the way. He was not certain where he was going, but he hoped Brandy would get her machine fixed before any other characters crossed their paths.

            After a short time, Sean heard what could have only been a river nearby – the perfect spot to take a breather, as well as bring Michelle back to her senses. Carrying her over to the edge, he laid her near the beautiful clear, flowing water and cupped his hands to collect enough water to gently splash Michelle’s face with. Once he brought it over her, he let a few drops rapidly hit her forehead, cheeks, and lips while being careful not to let any fall past her nostrils. A few more drops of water and Michelle started to snap out of her trance, her eyes blinking twice before returning to their usual color.

            Tossing aside the remaining water in his hands, Sean helped Michelle sit up to clear her head. “Are you okay?” He asked her.

            Michelle carefully nodded. “I think so. What happened?”

            “You were ten seconds away from being snake food – that’s what happened.”

            Michelle’s memory started to kick in and recalled the last thing she had seen being Kaa before she blacked out. Gratefully she reached over towards Sean and gave him a big hug. “Oh, thank you for saving my life, lil’ brother!”

(Authorial Note: Livingston commonly casted friends as siblings of the characters he wrote for himself, especially those he knew personally, which felt easier. As such, he grew closer to those that he hardly knew, the relationship in the story resonating to real life. World of Disney is the one series he has written that he feels has influenced a true extending family.)

            He still felt somewhat restrained to return her embrace. It has only been under an hour since they first met – at least from his perspective. To her, they have known each other since childhood. Of course, that did not exactly mean he would have no respect for her well being. Saving her from Kaa was important to him because she was still a human being…a very rare type of human being, but a human being nonetheless.

            In response to her gratitude, he smiled and said, “You’re wel…”

            “Oh, look!”

            She quickly let go of him and got on her feet, apparently recovering from the hypnotism much sooner than expected. He noticed how she was staring out to the river and followed her gaze. Something large, furry, and gray was floating across the surface with a small child lying over its stomach. It was not long before Sean realized it was Baloo and Mowgli, looking very relaxed while enjoying “The Bare Necessities” of life. Michelle smiled at the sight, which seemed more welcoming than what they were first greeted with upon entering the realm.

            “Isn’t that just the sweetest little thing?” Michelle said.

            Sean nodded and grinned for a moment. The Jungle Book certainly was one of his favorite Disney films – the music, the story, and the overall theme of the movie were what made it so engaging. And from how Michelle appeared to be reacting from it all, he could tell it was her favorite as well. Ever since this madcap journey through the “Disneyverse” began for Sean, the sight of Baloo and Mowgli relaxing over the river put him into a state of repose himself.

(Biographical Note: The Jungle Book is legitimately Michelle Hanson's favorite Disney movie. Prior to writing this chapter, Livingston checked with her to determine the next Disney destination he should to visit in the story, since he had no ideas, and Jungle Book was her suggestion.)

            Since everything appeared to be steady for the moment, Sean refocused his attention on the giddy Michelle, becoming curious to know more about her story. After a moment in thought, he asked, “What is it like in your world, Michelle?”

            Her attention was so focused on Baloo and Mowgli that she almost didn’t hear his question. “I’m sorry?”

            “Brandy told me that your world is somewhat different from the one I’m from. How so? Other than from the glowing hearts, of course.”

            Michelle opened her mouth to say something; but before she could have, a pair of hands suddenly reached down from above and snatched her headband completely off her head. Looking up, both she and Sean discovered that a monkey was the culprit. However, it wasn't just any monkey – it was one of King Louie’s “followers.” He took it the headband and climbed up the nearest tree with it, tossing it up the air repeatedly and catching it with either his hands or feet. The whole time he played with it, Michelle politely asked for it…to no avail whatsoever.

            “Sean! It’s Brandy! I’ve got everything all set! Prepare for reanimation!”

            The sudden update alarmed him, seeing that it came just immediately after he and Michelle ran into yet another problem. Without the headband over her head, there was no way for Michelle to be sent out of the Disney World – that much he remembered from Brandy’s brief tutorial. She also could not hear Brandy’s alert, being too preoccupied with recovering the headband from the monkey. It was a disaster waiting to happen, and he had to warn Michelle as soon as possible.

            Unfortunately, the reanimation sequence had commenced.

(Authorial Note: Over time, this became one twist Livingston regretted in writing for World of Disney, since it not only became redundant trapping real-world characters in Disney Worlds but also felt like a cheap way of expanding the story. Its purpose mostly served for there to be a reason the Jungle Book was explored and not have a short, pointless period in the tale.)

            Sean still made an attempt to yell out to Michelle, but his voice was drawing a blank. Looking at his hands, he noticed how his body was vanishing from existence within that world. Michelle, her focus remaining on the monkey with her headband, had her back facing him. He ran to her to try and get her to see what was happening; unfortunately, by the time he reached her, he was gone.

            After some time, Michelle gave up asking the monkey to return her headband, so she resorted to getting some assistance. “This little fella is persistent. Sean, could you maybe distr…?” When she turned to where he was standing, no one was there – much to her immediate surprise. Ceasing her attention on the monkey and headband, she wandered through the area and searched for her missing “brother,” calling out his name every few seconds.

            Unbeknownst to her, her repeated shouting garnered the interest of a certain tiger whose gaze followed her intently.

(UP NEXT: Where's your head at?)