It’s a Small World

It’s a Small World

Chapter 1

Hannah Hare had hardly slept a wink; for a week, she’d been wild with anticipation. Why? Because Lory Birdton was taking her on a date. Well, it wasn’t a date, per se—they did just fine without that kind of drama. But, without any prompting on her part, he’d invited her to Disney World. So, no matter what one chose to call it, it would be, ostensibly, an auspicious occasion.

But this wouldn’t be any ol’ trip to the park. For starters, they’d be taking the MetaTrek, a dimension-traversing contraption invented by a human scientist, the first of her kind to visit Zootopia. (But that’s another story…)

From there, Lory had told her, there was a good chance she might see the many mammalians behind the parks, the ones average visitors didn’t see every day. That sounded promising.

Plus, she knew one thing for certain...With Lory, anything was possible.

Chapter 2

As she boarded the MetaTrek the next day, Hannah resisted the urge to babble. Namely, she was itching to ask Lory about the day Sir Horse had held a revue, and they, two unsuspecting introverts, had been thrown together as partners. But Lory didn’t like being put on the spot any more than she did, so she didn’t say a word.

Despite having taken several round-trips on the MT, she still wasn’t used to its idiosyncrasies. So, she did what any introvert in her position would do: hold onto Lory’s wing for dear life and hope like heck he didn’t mind. The next thing she knew, she was watching in awe as his feathers folded around her paw. She looked up and caught him smiling…

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome aboard! For your safety, please keep your paws, claws, arms, legs, and other appendages inside the vehicle at all times. Thank you for choosing the MetaTrek, and enjoy the ride!”

The impromptu spiel made Hannah laugh out loud. “I will now!” And with that, away they went.

Chapter 3

When they (finally!) returned to terra firma and got their tickets, Hannah had to refrain from bouncing in her seat. “What are we gonna do first?!

“We’re off to Hollywood Studios, to see the “Toy Story” folks.”

“Or are we?!” Hannah’s conspiratorial smile belied her leveret-like ways.

“Oh—you want the insider’s commentary? Okay, but...” He paused, his tone matching her expression as he whispered words only she could hear-- “Be careful what you wish for.” The sinister undertones made her chuckle.

Just as she was starting to wonder when her sunny sensibilities had slipped, Lory switched back to his own voice. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to spoil the fantasy for you.” Hannah beamed, bringing back her inner leveret.

“That’s really thoughtful of you. But I’ve loved this stuff for a long time. My imagination is a split screen; fantasy and art on one side, reality and artist on the other.” The appreciative light in Lory’s eyes told her he approved. Reassured, he continued:

“TomCat Hanks and Tim Howlin. You know who’s who, I presume?” Hannah nodded eagerly, hanging on to his every word. He noticed her watching. “Can I tell you a secret?”

“Sure,” sighed the wide-eyed hare.

“When done well, any voice work, whether it’s mine or someone else’s, will transport me in the same way it does any audience.” Hannah’s smile was tempered by a touch of humility.

“I was being too nosy, wasn’t I?”

“I wouldn’t say that...It’s great when fans of the work understand what goes into it.”

“But you want me to sit back, and...” She looked at him expectantly, her eyes laughing.

“ENJOY!” Now she really was laughing.

“I love it when you say that!” She fervently hoped it was modesty, or even the volume of her voice, that caused him to wince, ever-so-slightly. She wouldn’t take back the ‘l-word’. That would be dishonest.

Chapter 4

“Oh, no!”

“What’s the matter, darlin’?” Hannah grinned inwardly at the term, her own private proof that ‘the word’ was justified. If that somehow made her a rebel, then so be it.

“I forgot I have meeting today! There they are...Would you mind staying there until I get back?” Hannah shook her head and smiled; Lory didn’t see, because he was already running off in the opposite direction. “I’m gonna be late…!”--here, he laughed, clearly nervous about the implications-- “Again!”

‘What just happened?!’ thought Hannah— ‘and how fitting that he’s been in charge of the White Rabbit’s voice: empathy must make it easier’--though she didn’t have much time to think these through, because Woody waved her over.

After a few furtive glances around the vicinity, he spoke.

“Howdy, miss. Aren’t you Nick Wilde’s PA?” Hannah relished the reminder of her old gig.

“Former PA. He wore me out,” she answered with a smirk. The cowboy laughed.

“That sounds like Nick, alright! He talks about you all the time.”

“Really?!”

“Yeah. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Hannah.”

“You, too. I’m a big fan...”

“Aw, shucks. Stop it. You’re too sweet. Bo’s gonna love you. Hey, Bo!”

“You called, Sheriff?” Ms. Peep sashayed into view, leaving Woody flustered.

“Aw, Bo, I’m not sheriff anymore, Jessie is.”

“You’ll always be my sheriff, Sheriff.” Hannah took in Woody’s endearingly awkward grin and thought, ‘is that what I look like when I see a muse?’

“Anyway,” Woody went on, “this is Hannah, Nick’s pal.”

“Lucky you! Friends with the fox who put the ‘Wilde’ in ‘Wild, Wild West’!” Hannah shrugged.

“Yeah, well, he tolerates me!” They all laughed. “Judy, though...Now there’s somebunny he’s really ‘Wilde’ about!”

“I pity the unfortunate being who witnesses you two trade puns—and joins in by free will. Disgusting.”

“Buzz!” Woody practically tackled his erstwhile roommate. “Where have you been?! I haven’t seen you all week! I thought we agreed to use being on Mickey’s payroll as an excuse to hang out!”

“Ha! I’ve been saving galaxies, receiving a hero’s welcome...Just typical duties befitting a Space Ranger.”

“You always were a funny one, Buzz.”

“Thank you, Bo. I appreciate the vote of confidence.”

“Oh, please. One more ‘vote’, and your head will explode from vanity,” Woody retorted.

“If that ever happens, it will be the atmospheric pressure catching up to me.” Bo laughed.

“Alright, that’s enough, fellas. You have a guest, remember?” Hannah blushed.

“Oh, don’t mind me. This is fun.”

“If so, you have the patience of an intergalactic goddess and are worthy of worship.” So saying, Buzz took her paw and kissed it. Finding herself befuddled, Hannah considered shifting the conversation back to Judy and Nick’s relationship. But, she had no desire to gossip, and doing so was neither right nor fair. She was contemplating her next move when Woody spoke up.

“Easy on the hare, Buzz. What would Jessie think if she saw that, huh?” At that, the normally unflappable Buzz faltered. “I—uh--I have no idea what you’re talking about. What a preposterous notion.” Woody stood there smiling, his thumbs in his belt as he rocked back on his heels. “Is that right, Space Ranger? In that case, there’s something I’ve always wanted to say to you: You are a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity.”

Chapter 5

It was all Hannah could do not to squeal with delight at all the affectionate banter. It reminded her of her own interactions with Sir Horse. Just like that, an epiphany struck, in the form of the words he’d used to close out his revue:

“I’ll always recall this day fondly, and keep your courage, creativity and conviction in mind when I’m writing lesson plans someday. Except for that last one, which was something else entirely…!”

She’d tried to joke, evade, and/or analyze her way out of admitting her feelings for Lory because they seemed impossible. Because they challenged everything she thought she knew about self-respect, creativity, and love.

Yes, love.

But Sir Horse had called her out on it—as only a dear friend could do. And she hadn’t corrected him, because...He was right. There were a lot of things she’d do to avoid attention, but lying wasn’t one of them. And those feelings Sir Horse had so staunchly pointed out were still there.

And so was Lory. Hannah was stunned to see that he’d returned while she was lost in thought. She whirled around, unsure of what to do (Tell him? Or not?) and noticed that Woody and friends had moved on—after all, they had places to go, other guests to see. But Lory was right there, smiling at her, and that smile had become her weakness much quicker than she could’ve predicted. “Lory…!”

“There’s something I should tell you," he said, seeming contrite. “I didn’t have a meeting. It’s just...It’s been awhile since I’d visited the Haunted Mansion, and I know you don’t care for it...So I didn’t want you to feel like you had to tag along.” There he was, looking adorably chagrined, though his face lit up when he talked about his favorite ride, and his tone twinkled with playful disdain when he stated, ‘you don’t care for it’...and all Hannah could think was that she did care…

...For him…

...So much so that the words wouldn’t come…

...Yet…

But for now, she’d content them both with a kiss.