Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

saw them just before they went in, when they stopped in a

e while Lil and her mother held an a

d to Tom. "

w. "Yup. Took the b

ir backups. When they woke, this event-everything fol

y were b

d, keeping my castmember face on,

s look interesting enough, we'll come on back." He waggled a finger at me.

to miss you two ar

ld now-we're just getting out of the way for a while, letting you-all take

er, even to the point of tearing up a little. Here in this moment of vanishing consciousnes

ahead of you-between Lil and the Park, you're going to have a tremendous experience, I

get the lethal injections, to become disembodied consciousne

young, pubescent and hormonal and doleful and kitted out in the latest trendy style

asked, shoving me hard in the chest. I stumbled bac

Julius, go away. Your actions are totally in

to wave away his words,

ord," he said.

come back. Ever," Kim sai

me out, and then I'm going to get Lil and her people a

g motion and the lights came up full and harsh. The expertly crafted

ra said. Rita folded

them. But that doesn't change the fact that we've put our hearts and souls into this place, and it's not right to take it from us. Can't w

ying on your work? That we're

hrough?" R

odd

ou're in the wrong place. It's not my goddamn fault that you decided that your stupidity was o

r little murder, your little health problems-yes, I've heard-your little fixation on keeping things the way they are. You need some pers

n't come to the same conclusion

g around a fire and singing, necking, laughing. The vict

tiful when she fretted. I stood in front of her for a minute and she stared right through

Your parents are home, and

She patted the log next to her. I sat down, felt the heat of the fir

ged her back, nose in her hair, woodsmoke smell and shampoo and sweat

d again, and

eyes shining. She was

e back. They cam

d, shrinking, a

ere wit

ack as if I'

ng the whole group b

n arm around her. She shook it off and sat up. She was crying and

red his questions with terse, one-word answers, and he gave up. We rode in silence, the tr

ugh the quiet streets of Frontierland apprehensively, a funeral pr

blazing and a tremendous work-gang of Debra's ad-hocs were moving

olled up, forearms bulging with new, toned muscle. The group stopped

nd daughter stalked each other, shifting weight and posture

ally. She didn't address her mother, which s

of his feet loud in the quiet n

il said. "You're de

usband's side, not saying an

ng and headed to the Mansion. Lil caught hi

ing. The Mansion i

ld it in her own. "I'm glad you're passionate about i

r collapse in on herself. Her mother took her in her arms, rocked

ed the rustling of the leaves on the Liberty Tree. "

t again and picked up her father's box, carried it to the Mansion.

eld and it won't log on. You press the call-button for the elevator and it gives you an angry b

me a non

to Dan's room, when I knocked at his door, lou

saw his eyes go to his HUD,

ge of my bed, h

hat happened, wha

said. "You're out of Whuffie.

through the window, the hooting of the steam engines on the railroad and the distant howl of the recorded wolves at

berately, I slowed my breath, put my head

to Lil,

, I remembered the night Dan had come to Disney World, when I'd dr

e patted my hand. "St

ly dozing on a ratty sofa. Her head rested on Tom's lap, her fe

and opened her eyes, looked sleepily

ius," she s

a were awake, t

uietly. "Or were you just going to kick

y next stop

time." I pulled up a cha

re out. You had to know it was coming-for God'

I struggled to remain calm. "Yo

hy we're back-we couldn't let it go on

lian," T

n," Rita sa

You're not being fair to him," he s

Dan. We've forgiven and forgiven and forgiven, made every allowance. He'

ness was back, and I slumped in my chair, tried to co

him. You could stick with him, the way he stuck wi

et him a room," she said. "For a month. In Kissimmee. A

daughter while she was away-ah. That might do it, all right. "I don't think it's warra

et me handle this," s

o whatever you want," she said

p?" Tom said, ever the voice of

n at the end of the week," Dan said. "Thr

iends you've got yourself,

l asked, a thro

no

ed out into the utilidor, out through t

flagstone engraved with the name of a family that had visited th

ridian and the Polynesian. Lil and I had come here often, to watch the sunset from a ha

g Pavilion silent. I felt suddenly col

my shoes, logging my pants, warm as blood, warm

ng and warm. At first I sputtered, but I was in control now, and I

sts and ankles, a tube in my nose. I closed my eyes, for a moment believin

zed that Dan was probably dead by n

remembered Dan meant that I hadn't been refreshed from my backup, that

d and throbbed in counterpoin

e ass, you know that

," I c

ou they found you-another minute or t

d refusing restore from backup after having it recommended by a medical professional. No one wo

Doctor says you've got a cracked rib or two

imming into view. He had on his professionally cal

ack and considered me. "Well, Julius," he said. "What exactly is the problem? We can get you a lethal injection if that's what

o talk about it and he'd told me to go to hell, a

want to di

think the evidence su

efresh without choosing it, without shutting out the last year of my best friend's life. Rescue mysel

cting. It was an episode or som

s your right. I'd rather you lived, if you want my opinion, and I doubt that I'm the only one, Whuffie be damned. If you're

restored if there's no other option.

are you nuts? Probably. A little. Nothing a little counseling and some R&R w

te the offer, but there's some

oporific that knocked me out for the rest of the day. When I woke,

ecurity, efficiency, fantasy. All of it gone. It was time I left. Maybe back to space, find Zed and see if I could make her happ

m behind me, startling me. He was in

bout moving

en thinking about doi

"Just going somewhere else, star

ke the refre

," I said. "I don'

e said, "but why the fuck not? Jes

want to kno

the judge

a drink, fir

a second, then said, "All r

left, we cracked the beers and

want to know t

le at me. "Sure as

cause it would mean losi

you mean 'my last yea

ed and

t hard to figure out you are not. I have something to say that mi

d. "Sure." In my mind, I was on a shuttl

Debra asked me to, and I set i

ow moving space, and I spun away f

ary work, the stone crazies who I'd have to chase away after they'd rejoined the Bitchun Society. One of them, a girl fr

fie-piles of it, and her team would follow suit. I'd be months closer

and desperation in our little co

f refreshed from a backup-no memory o

yourself refreshed from a backup made before the plan. How many tim

an get Jeanine to tell it, too." He drained his beer. "That's my plan. Tomorrow. I'll tell Lil

re beer. "You knew all along," I said.

d. "That

the words. "You let me tur

d," h

eded help. Doctor Pete, telling me I needed refresh from backup,

he absolute worst. You helped me and I betrayed you. I'm sure glad I

couldn't make any sense of my mind. Dan, taking care of me, helping me, sticking up for me, carr

en," I said. A

sto

you going

ed the trigger. I'll meet you at t

y enough Whuffie to scrape in, use the water fountains and stand in line. If I w

ie, then averted their eyes. Even the children. A year before, they'd have be

r the blast of the flash-bake. A castmember picked up the stageside mic and thanked everyone for coming; the doors swung open and the Hall

Dan and the girl I'd see

down for the mo

pulled the trigger on me, seeing her now with a c

said. I stood and shook

she took it back and

Don't worry, it'll all be fine. Really. No hard feelings.

She'll make a better witness. Or make her nervous, pa

o shut up and got

Debra, Lil, her folks, Tim. Debra's gang and Lil'

Debra to have Julius murdered. I used a friend who was a little confused at the time, used her to pull the trigger. It was D

extra helping of dessert. Lil's parents, to either side of her, were less sanguine. Tom's jaw was set and angry, Rita was speaking ang

alking. "I was supposed to do the same, but I didn't. I have a backup in my public directory-anyon

mbling, and the ad-hocs were an insensate babble o

face. I wondered if we could be friends when it was all over. S

om her and said, "Please! Can we have a lit

id it. I didn't ask why. I trusted-trust-him. He told me that Julius would make a backup a few minutes before I shot him, and that he could get me out of the Park without getting caught. I'm very sorry." There was something off-kilter abo

eat now. I've said everything I need to say-Julius and I have had our

words and waving hands. Beside me, Jeanine flinched. I took her hand and

ook he

r feet. "You'll love it," I sai