Disclaimer: The following events are entirely fictional, while the story itself should be considered to be a work of parody. I do not have permission from the Disney Corporation for the use of its Attractions, Theme Parks or Characters. The resemblance of any characters to actual Disney Cast Members is entirely coincidental.
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I felt like a big kid again; memories from my childhood flashed across my mind's eye. For the first time in ten years, I was walking down the middle of Main Street, USA, and I couldn't resist breaking into a little dance as I heard 'A Star is Born' - an upbeat jazz number from the movie 'Hercules' - burst forth from the speakers. Truly, the 'Disney Magic' was flooding though me, and I realised that I would have a chance, for a few days at least, to forget the mountain of work which waited for me back in England.
On the corner, I passed by the famous 'Casey's Corner', and inhaled the heady smell of hotdogs, mustard and fried onions. A Cast Member in a striped 'old time' baseball uniform gave a friendly wave as he emerged from within the building, struggling to squeeze through the crowd that was already thronging the main part of the diner; I smiled back, casually saluting in the manner of a ball player approaching the plate, and decided to make a point of coming back to the restaurant for lunch.
Although it was was barely 10am, the Park was full of people, and it took about fifteen minutes for me to fight my way up the length of Main Street. The turrets of Cinderella's Castle rose high into the clear blue Florida sky, the heavy rains of the previous night a mere memory as the temperatures once again soared, and I heard children gasping as the sunlight glinted off the golden pinnacles of the towers. A great cheer went up as 'Cinderella' emerged from great front gate, her trademark ball-gown billowing around her and her blonde hair shining almost as brightly as the towers of her Castle.
I smiled to myself. Even at twenty-five, I could still remember the first time that my parents had brought me to The Magic Kingdom, and a twinge of nostalgia knotted my stomach as I recalled the feeling of innocent wonder at seeing my Disney heroes seemingly come to life before my eyes. Nowadays, I knew the truth, but there was no harm in playing along with the fantasy; after all, a magician is nothing more than a skilled illusionist, but you still enjoy watching the tricks unfold, even after you learn the secret.
'Cinderella' was passing by me now, and I was on the point of turning to make my way towards the Castle itself when I met her sparkling blue eyes, and instinctively flashed her a warm smile. The Princess held out a gloved hand, expecting me to shake it, but I was struck by a sudden 'Disney Magic' moment; instead of the anticipated gesture, I bowed my head, raised her hand in mine, and gently kissed the back of fingers. "Charmed, Your Highness," I said as a straightened up, though the Cast Member appeared rather shocked by my piece of improvisation, and a flush of red was visible on her cheeks.
Nonetheless, she took it in her stride, and inclined her head gently towards me, preserving the illusion. "Have a nice day hun." I heard her whisper in a Southern drawl, making as if to move off down the line, "I can see that Prince Charming might be having some competition!" I grinned back at her as she gave me a conspiratorial wink, but our exchange was interrupted by the arrival of a group of schoolchildren awaiting a photo opportunity with the Princess. 'Cinderella' turned and gave them a dignified, regal-looking wave for the benefit of the crowd, smiled at me over her shoulder, and moved off.
I let out a low snigger as I carried on towards Fantasyland, musing over the idea of challenging 'Prince Charming' to a duel. Knowing my luck, 'Cinderella' had probably been referring some real-life boyfriend, who would most likely turn out to be built like the broad side of a barn, with the muscles of a prize-winning Texas Longhorn to match. In all honesty, I hated confrontation of any kind, so I couldn't really picture myself getting into a fight; no, far better to look elsewhere, unless 'Charming' was in the mood for a threesome of course...
Passing through the castle gate and leaving Main Street far behind me, I could see the tall, thin figure of Merlin the Enchanter standing by the stone and anvil which held King Arthur's sword, encouraging children and adults alike to try their luck in proving themselves the 'Once and Future King.' Another of the princesses - Belle this time - was making her way to the meet-and-greet pavilion next to 'It's a Small World', her gold dress shining in the late-morning sun and her dark brown hair flowing down over her shoulders.
However, my gaze was drawn to the parade approaching from the direction of Adventureland; the five Muses were sashaying their way along the street, and I could clearly see the short, plump, devastatingly voluptuous figure of 'Thalia' among them. True, it was some seventeen years since I had first seen 'Hercules' at my local cinema, and the Muses had only impacted upon my seven-year-old self in respect of my love of jazz, soul and blues music. However, that was before I hit puberty, after which time I found myself irrevocably drawn to 'Big, Beautiful Women,' and my opinion of the movie changed dramatically.
Watching 'Hercules' as an adult, I suddenly began to spot all of the sexual in-jokes which had previously gone straight over my head. I fell in love - at least as much as one can where a cartoon character is concerned - with 'Thalia' and her sassy, flirtatious personality. She seemed to me to represent the classic BBW archetype: bold, brassy, energetic and vivacious, with a sexual fire that seemed to be drawn from the very earth itself. Overnight, the busty, bubbly Muse of Comedy dethroned Jessica Rabbit as my #1 female Disney character.
Obviously, I knew that the woman in the parade was an actress, but something in her movements suggested that she possessed a great deal of the 'spirit' of the character whom she portrayed. I heard the song 'Zero to Hero' boom forth from the concealed sound system, and the 'Muses' broke into their main song-and-dance routine. 'Thalia' threw herself around in a vamping freestyle jive, and I let out a loud whoop - much louder than I had intended - as she bounced and shimmied in front of me, her full curves rippling inside the folds of her chiton.
'Thalia' had definitely heard it, because she spun round and strutted up to me, her big dark eyes locked on mine and her hands on her swaying hips. As she reached me, she tossed her head as if to say "you ain't got a chance," snapping her fingers in front of my face and turning dramatically on her heel, giving me a teasing wink as she did so. However, when she was only a few paces away, I saw her look back at me over her shoulder and mouth the words "back entrance, ten minutes." I stared at her, wondering if I'd imagined it, but I saw her point at me as she rejoined the other 'Muses,' and surreptitiously nod in the direction of the Castle.
Throwing caution to the wind, I quickly retraced my steps, ducking out of sight of the crowds down a dead-end service ramp to the right of the plinth in which Arthur's sword still stood, transfixed and unmoved. It had taken me about five minutes to fight my way through the rest of the thronging visitors along the parade-route, and five more to locate the most likely spot for the anticipated rendezvous. Since it was highly likely that I'd got lost in 'the moment' and misinterpreted 'Thalia's' signals, I wasn't planning to hang around on a wild goose chase; after all, I had no wish to get thrown out of the Park for trespassing...
Just as I was about to give up, I heard the door at the bottom of the ramp creak open, and I gasped as 'Thalia's' head emerged from around the doorframe. "In here, quick!" she whispered, smiling at me and waving furiously as I stood gaping like a fish. The woman's voice was rich and deep, with a voice that suggested a Midwest origin; in fact, she sounded a dead ringer for 'Thalia' herself. My lack of a response clearly frustrated her, because the next thing I heard was a cry of "Move it you idiot!" and I dashed down the ramp and through the door, letting it bang shut behind me.
As I did so, 'Thalia' grabbed hold of my wrist, and I found myself being dragged along a corridor that ran up towards the Great Hall. Her grip was surprisingly strong, and I almost stumbled and fell as she led me through the winding backstage passages. However, instead of heading for the main body of the Castle, the woman - whoever she was - suddenly swung round a corner and pushed me into what appeared to be a service elevator; when the lift doors opened, a few moments later, I could tell that we were at least fifty feet above the Park.
As 'Thalia' led me out of the lift and through a rather plain-looking door, the breath was practically knocked out of my body by what I saw. The room in which we now stood was the fabled 'Cinderella Castle Suite'; the most exclusive hotel room in the Park. The bedroom was dominated by two ornate queen-size beds, with a huge chaise-longue and sofa in the lounge area; the floor was inlaid with tiles depicting Cinderella's coach, while a massive portrait of the princess dominated the far wall. 'Thalia' sat down on the chaise-longue, stretching out her legs and kicking off her sandals, then beckoned me over to her, smiling at my stunned expression.