Board Thread:Writer's Workshop/@comment-26536577-20150627045305

It was October 5th, 2012. I found myself in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom once more. The day went so well as almost all do! The happiest place on earth and it really felt like it was, however… something strange happened to me. I’m not one to believe in all that creepy Disney crap that is all over the internet. I usually just disregard them as attempts to corrupt the image of perfection that Disney tries to keep. Today, I was sitting on a bench outside the Haunted Mansion which is my favorite ride in all honesty and it was my first time riding it since they recently had opened the new extended cemetery queue. I was waiting for my friend, John, who was buying a turkey leg and a drink before the ride so I was getting pretty excited. It was at this moment that a woman took seat next to me and began to marvel at the large structure before us.

“Do you like it?” I ask her.

“It’s truly magnificent. I always come here with my boy. It’s his favorite ride!” she replied.

“Same here, I’ve been coming since I was small. Nothing like disney’s ‘imagineering’ huh?”

Suddenly, a small child runs over to the woman. He smiled and hugged her before looking at me and hiding behind her, much like children that age usually do when they meet new people.

“His name is Elliot.” She said. “I’m Flora.”

I reply “I’m Jason. How are you, Elliot?”

Elliot doesn’t reply, but he looks into my eyes for a few seconds. It was such a deep and constant stare it gave me chills. Just like that, he smiled, broke eye contact with me and ran back into the gates of the Haunted Mansion. I took a deep breath as if someone lifted a weight off my chest as he left. It felt so unnatural.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.656;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Elliot, don’t get lost!” Flora said in a moderately loud yet gentle way.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.656;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Here’s where it get’s strange…

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.656;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Flora! Flora! Flora, what are you doing?” a man asks as he walks over to her. However, she ignores him as if he were not there. He suddenly looks at me and says.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.656;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Pardon my wife. She’s not been her lately. She’s been telling everyone about our son.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.656;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Oh yeah Elli-” He cuts me off abruptly.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.656;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Yeah, ever since our son died she’s had a hard time coming to terms with reality.”

<span style="font-size:14.6666666666667px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);white-space:pre-wrap;">I quickly swallow my words. I feel my gut clench together tightly and I get the cold feeling of dread as I turn pale. I want to throw up. My friend comes over just as soon as the man leaves with his wife. I tell John to give me some of his soda to try to settle my pains. I shake off any remaining unease I find in my system and pick up the upbeat Disney vibes once more. I enter the Mansion gates with john after he’s done eating his turkey leg. All of the sudden, I feel my eyes water as we walk along a strange set of graves. Graves that look too plain and ‘real’ for that matter. Disney graves are usually very elaborate and beautiful in their own way. I heard a low child like voice which made me stop and turn my head in its direction. Coming face to face with a gravestone, I feel a cold chill begin to settle which paralyzed me as I read a now most familiar and simple name- Elliot. <ac_metadata title="My story was deleted instantly. Why? I can&#039;t pin point an exact reason."> </ac_metadata>