Later that day Bambi had made her way back to the museum of Natural History, to see first hand how her father was handling the new job.
"Dad!" She shouted out into the museum hearing nothing but her own voice echoing back. "Dad! Where are you?" She threw her purse down on top of the information desk and set out to look for him. "Dad!"
He suddenly came sliding around a corner causing her to shriek. "Samantha!" He said in shock.
"Yeah?" She said clutching her pounding heart. As he rushed over and embraced her picking her up off her feet.
"I thought you were someone else." He said still holding her up and looking around the museum.
"Who else would I be?"
"Uh, no one." He said putting her back on her own two feet. "What are you doing here?"
"Practice was cancelled for the night. So I thought come by and hang out with you."
"Oh well-" He began but Bambi cut him off.
"What's with the duffle?" She asked gesturing to the duffle bag at his feet.
"Oh that, it's just some stuff to take care of the exhibits."
"Beg your pardon?"
"Bam," He looked at his watch and sighed. "If I tell you something, yo promise you won't think I'm crazy?"
"No," She said honestly. "I don't promise that."
He led her over to the information desk and had her sit in the seat and he sat on the desk just in front of her. He then proceeded to tell her of his experiences last night, the museum coming to life, being chased by huns, and a magic tablet that made it all possible. All the while Bambi stared at him in this belief.
"And that's why I brought his duffle with me." He finished the looked at the expression on his daughter's face. "You don't believe me?" She shook her head. "You think I'm crazy?"
"Yeah, I kinda' do. Are you hearing yourself?"
"Samantha, I'm not lying it's true."
"Dad, everything in this museum is dead."
"I thought that too, until last night."
"Dad," She said firmly standing from the seat. "Listen to what you're saying, the dinosaur come to life? It's nothing but bones. A magic tablet? Completely impossible. You sure you're not just a little stressed out?"
"Samantha-"
"No, hey look." She said cutting him off. "I'm gonna' go, get you a cup of coffee, cuz' you're gonna' need it. Okay? I'll be back in a bit. Leave the back door unlocked."
"He says 'magic tablet', I say ridiculous, he says it's real, I say he's lost it." Bambi muttered angrily to herself as she went around to the museum's back entrance that was left unlocked as per her request. "And they say I'm crazy." She snorted opening the back door.
She moved through the museum and found everything more or less exactly as it had been left. "Dad!" She called out as she moved to the information desk. "I'm back." She set everything down. "I got your coffee, got you a muffin too. You know how you get when you don't eat." She took a sip of her own coffee and glanced around again. "Dad!" She glanced around the seemingly empty museum before doing a double-take at the now empty pedestal in the middle of the entrance. "Dad!" She said slowly approaching. "The dinosaur's gone. Is this some kind of joke, it's not funny!"
She went back to the information desk and found a remote resting on top of it, the kind that normally controlled remote controlled cars, with a rubber band wrapped around it. In the midst of contemplating what could possibly be going on in this museum, the sound of the tiny remote controlled car caught her attention, but not nearly as much as the heavy footfalls that followed it. Bambi glanced up just in time to see the tiny yellow hummer come around the corner with what looked like a bone attached to a string trailing behind it and behind that was what was once the statue of the T-Rex normally on display, but the thing currently chasing after the yellow hummer was certainly no statue and Bambi promptly and loudly screamed before turning and dashing off.
She turned a corner and watched as a green lion passed by her, which was also once a statue followed by a bunch of other exhibits that were walking and talking and well, alive.
She passed by the Neanderthal exhibit and they grunted at her as they tried to work the lighter that her father most likely gave them.
"Hey!" A voice yelled at her.
She jumped. "Hi." She answered shakily to the Easter Island head currently chewing what looked like a large wad of bubble gum.
"You tiny dum-dum."
"What?"
"You tiny dum-dum. I have gum-gum."
"You have gum-gum?" She repeated confused. "Okay? My name isn't tiny dum-dum, it's Bambi and I'm looking for dad, Larry?"
"You mean dum-dum?"
"Sure."
Before he could respond there was the sound of angry yelling coming from behind. "Uh-oh, you in trouble tiny dum-dum. You better run run, from Attila the hun hun."
She turned around and indeed saw Attila the hun followed by this fellow huns all pointing to her and yelling in another language that she couldn't understand and didn't bother to stay and find out either.
"This isn't real." She said while standing outside the hall of miniature watching the little tiny men fighting all about the room.
Carefully removes her high heels and moved through all the fighting until she got to the other side of the room where she made another mad dash for it.
Finally it seemed as if this part of the museum was mostly empty of the living exhibits and she recognized it as the Egyptian wing.
It seemed as though the jackals were too alive but so far they hadn't moved from their posts as she moved deeper into the tomb.
Once she reached the sarcophagus in the back she rested her arms on the slab of concrete and held her head in her hands.
"I can't take much more of this." She said sighing to herself only to have her heart nearly jump out of her chest for roughly the third time that night as the mummy began screaming from inside his sarcophagus. He sounded absolutely desperate as he shook the entire coffin.
Slowly she kneeled down next to the sarcophagus and looked through the glass containing it and the Pharaoh was shaking it in his attempts to get out.
"Hey!" She shouted trying to get his attention. "Hey!" She said loudly and this time he stopped. "I'm Samantha, all my friends call me Bambi." She looked at the nameplate near the sarcophagus.
"You're Ahkmenrah?" He responded something that she couldn't understand. "I don't speak Egyptian." Bambi whined. This time there was a short bang. "Do you know what's going on here?"
Another bang. "You can't tell me?" She guessed and there was another bang. "I'm sorry, I can't let you out but-" She was cut off by seeing a tan blur through the other side of the coffin. "I have to go. I'll come back to see you soon." She rushed out quickly standing up and tapping the coffin only for the desperate screams to start up once again.
"Hey! Hey!" Bambi called to the man on the horse. "Can you help me?" She demanded. "I'm looking for my father. Larry Daley."
"I know your father, he is the night guard."
"Can you take me to him?"
"Of course, Theodore Roosevelt 26th president of these United States. Climb aboard ma'am" He said holding his hand down. "Take the hand my dear." He clarified.
She took the offered hand and let him pulled her up on the back of his horse. "I'm Samantha, but everyone calls me Bambi."
"Well Samantha, welcome to the Museum of Natural History." He said before taking off.
When they found Larry he was near the Neanderthal exhibit have a slap fight, with a monkey?
"Good lord, Lawrence." Teddy shouted as he dismounted his horse. "Why are you slapping a monkey?"
"Teddy," Larry complained his voice breaking," this guy's been pushing me, and pushing me and I'm sick of it!"
"Poppycock," Teddy told him,"This little creature is your primate brother. Without him, there's no us." Bambi hopped of the horse and joined them. "Does this young woman belong to you?" Teddy questioned.
"Yeah, that's my daughter. Where have you been?"
"Losing my mind." She answered seriously.
"Are you rabid," Teddy reprimanded pointing to the foam covering his face, he handed Larry a handkerchief. " Wipe that off." Teddy turned to the monkey,"You have to deal with this creature with love and respect," Teddy held out his hand and smiled at the monkey," May I have the keys, dear friend," The little monkey handed him the keys without protest. "Thank you," Teddy told the monkey and handed the keys over, "Lawrence?"
"Well, you know what? You seem to know what you're doing, Teddy," Larry said, "so I'm gonna let you take over, Alright? C'mon Bam'."
"No, no. My dear boy, you can't put up the white flag now," Teddy followed them back towards the entrance. "The museum is on the verge of total anarchy."
"I tried! I came back tonight, didn't l?" Larry snapped.
"Tried," Teddy scoffed,"That was one night. I didn't build the Panama Canal in one day."
"That's great, Teddy, but I'm dealing with the most ridiculous job in history!" Larry shouted as he gathered up his duffle bag.
"Some men are born great, Lawrence "
"Yeah, I know," Larry cut him off, "Others have greatness thrust upon them. You hit me with that chestnut last night. The thing is, not everyone is great. That's the problem. Some of us are just ordinary,"
"No you're not Lawerence. For the love of Gideon stop wallowing in self-pity. Every journey begins with a footstep," Teddy pleaded. "Teach the inhabitants to get along, they wouldn't need to be locked up. Night after night."
"Oh that means a lot coming from a guy who spent the last 50 years spying on a girl he's never even talked to." Larry shot back.
"I was going to make contact." Teddy mumbled. "Lawrence please." Teddy said once again holding out the keys.
"I'm done, alright?" Larry said finally and pulled Bambi behind him as they headed towards the exit. "No Rexy!" he shouted as the T-rex pushed the bone in front of him. "No!"
As they passed the bronze statue he told them something that neither of them could understand because he was speaking Italian then he pointed to the window and they realized what he was trying to say.
Larry walked up to the window with intentions to close it but something outside made him quickly run back and towards the entrance.
"Dad! What's wrong?" Bambi called running after him.
"The caveman is outside!" He shouted as he ran through the revolving doors. She ran behind him wondering what was the problem with that, and saw that just as the sun had risen the caveman turned to dust.
Bambi stood next to her father and stared in shock. "You can't leave."
Larry sighed. "Yeah. I know."
"It's been a long night. I'm gonna' head home, I'll see you later. Okay?"
Larry nodded and went back inside while Bambi went in the other direction.
Ivana Bocanegra: Baby girl, I've told you already your story is currently underway hopefully by the end of the week I'll have First Class finished and ready to be posted.
As always let me know what you think, and what you'd like to see in the future.
