Ron: Everything is not automated, well, not yet.
The theater stopped rotating as it was now in front of a curtain-covered stage. This time, the gear-shaped sign was already in the middle of the stage...
"Thank you for joining us on Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress!" said a voice over the intercom, "We hope you enjoyed this tribute to the 1964 Carousel of Progress to the New York World's Fair. Please gather all your personal belongings, and watch your head and step as you exit through the doors located at the back of the theater. Have a great beautiful day, and remember that there's always a great beautiful tomorrow, shinning at the end of every day!"
The theater's lights lit up, and the doors at the back of the theater opened up automatically! Everyone including the trio of teens and Rufus stood up, and walked out of the theater's exit doors. Once the theater was empty, the doors closed up for the next show...
Yori: That was really good.
Ron: Yeah, it was sure cool to see the differences between stuff over the decades. (Rufus nods with a squeak of agreement) What do you think, Gio?
Gio: It was too slow. And too boring...
Ron: It was 20 minutes, Gio...It wouldn't have been that bad...
Gio: But some scenes were funny, I admit.
Yori: (Smiles) There you go. That's finding the silver lining, Gio-san.
Gio: Oh, let's go on the Astro Orbiter!
Ron: Oh, yeah, that sounds like a great idea! Let's go! (Rufus holds up a thumbs up with a excited squeak)
Yori: (Smiles to herself as she says to herself) Boys.
(The scene cuts to everyone on the tiny rockets, and the hydraulic arms raised them high up...)
(Being a two-passenger ride, the boys went into one rocket while Yori got into another one with a adult almost-stranger. As the hydraulic arms stopped upwards, they began to move horizontally, and the rockets began moving on their own rhythm, thanks to controls inside every little rocket, able to be pushed or pulled by either passenger.)
Gio (gets video camera and records footage): THIS IS EPIC!
Ron: WHOOOOO! THIS IS COOL! (Pushes controls and their rocket moves down, and he then pulls controls, and the rocket moves upwards)
Rufus: Yeeeeee! (Translation: WHOOOOOO!)
(In the other rocket, Yori is also having fun.) Yori: This is incredible!
Gio: I cant imagine kids riding this without freaking out!
Ron: Too right! Whoooo!
(The scene cut to everyone getting off the ride...)
Gio: Well, that's all of the rides...unless I missed some...
Ron: (Blinks as he then remembers and groans) Drat, we missed the Haunted Mansion! We forgot to go there!
Gio: Well, let's go there while we have time!
Rufus (shudders)
Yori: (Notices Rufus's expression) Boys, go ahead and take the ride. I'll stay on one of the benches with Rufus, we'll be fine.
Ron: You sure, Yori?
Yori: Yes, I am, and Rufus seemed to hate this ride, so I am keeping him company, especially when this is a theme park.
Ron: (Nods) Alright. We'll see you in a bit. Let's go, Gio!
Gio: Rufus, are you scared of the Haunted Mansion ride?
(Rufus nods firmly with a squeak)
Ron: It's too scary for him. He'll be okay with Yori. Day's going gone, we better catch the ride if we wanna have dinner afterwards!
Gio: Alright, let's go!
A male cast member let Gio, Ron and the 63 other guests walked into the, "Haunted Mansion" ride building. Inside the first part of the ride was a huge open spaced room with red wallpaper. Hanging from the ceiling was a rusty looking chandelier. At the front of the room was a fireplace with a painting of a handsome man hanging above it.
On each side of the fireplace was a big rectangular wooden panel. Slow and scary music was playing in the background...
The main doors to the house closed up and then a scary voice came over the ride's intercom...
"When hinges creak in door-less chambers..." said the scary voice slowly, "And when strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls..."
At that point, the picture of the handsome man began to change. The man's hair began to turn from black to grey and the man's skin began to become wrinkly...
"Whenever candle lights flicker...when the air is definitely still... That is the time when ghosts are present... "Practicing their terror with ghoulish delight!"
Suddenly, "KABOOM!" the a thunder effect was heard in the background, and the picture now looked liked a skeleton of the man, wearing old and torn up fancy clothing...
Ron: Whoa! They sure do the special effects all the way!
Gio: How come Rufus fights villains yet he's scared of a haunted house ride?
Ron: Well, it has to do with the extreme speed and unexpected turns of surprise. He hates roller coasters and there's the thought of losing grip and falling, and when I did research on this ride, it sounded very similar by the speed and the turns of surprise while different, Rufus didn't want to go here.
Gio: Oh...but villain fights are unpredictable too.
Ron: Oh, most of them are on aground. Rarely, it's in the air or on the water.
Gio: Oh... Ron, do you have other phobias?
Ron: Spiders, garden gnomes, ghosts, and a bunch of other silly stuff...I know this ride of ghosts isn't real thanks to research. Don't blame me if I scream during this.
Gio: Uh...alright?
Ron: Thanks. Oh, they're welcoming us in! Let's ride this thing!
Suddenly, the panel to the left of the fireplace slid open to the right. Behind the panel, was a octagonal shaped room. The room had 4 tall paints on the walls, a series of Goblin shaped candlestick holders on a ledge, and a roof that looked almost like the room's ceiling...but little did everyone know, it was more than just a ceiling!
And with that, all the guests walked into the room. Once everyone was inside, the male cast member stepped inside and stood by the panel door...
"Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion! I am your host...your ghost host!" said the scary voice, "Our tour begins here in this gallery. Here in this chamber, you'll see paintings of some of our guests, as they appeared in their corruptible mortal state. Kindly step all the way in, please, and make room for everyone. There's no turning back now..."
Suddenly, the door began to slide, and close up.
"Everyone, please stand away from the walls in the dead center of the room!" ordered the male cast member, "Again, please stand in the DEAD CENTER of the room!"
Ron: (Whispers) That's a pun, a terrifying yet good pun for sure.
Gio (shudders)
Ron: (Shrugs) Now what?
Suddenly, the room looked like it began to stretch... Yep, the ceiling and top-half of the room began to rise, revealing more of the paintings in the room...
"Your cadaverous parlor betrays an aura of foreboding..." said the ghost host, "Almost as though you sense a disquieting metamorphosis."
The pictures now looked more freaky than ever. In one picture, a lady in a dress was holding a small fancy umbrella, standing on a tightrope right over a hungry crocodile!
Another picture revealed to be a man holding a sheet of paper while standing on a barrel of gunpowder and a lit fuse. A third picture revealed an old woman sitting on a man's tombstone holding a red rose. The final picture revealed 4 men in suits, stand on each other's shoulders sinking into some quicksand...
"Is this haunted room actually stretching?" asked the scary voice of the ghost host, "Or is it your imagination? And consider this dismaying observation...this chamber has no windows...and no doors. Which offers you this chilling challenge...to find a way out! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The stretching of the room then stopped...
"Of course..." said the ghost host's voice, "There's always MY way..."
The lights went out, and the ceiling lit up. Ron and Gio looked up ,and could see right through the ceiling! Loud thunder noises could be heard in the background, as well as lightning. What was above the ceiling was so scary...a skeleton hanging by a noose on its neck, with the rope hanging from some old support beams.
Suddenly, the lighting went out...
"AAAAHHHHHHHHH!" went a screaming girl's voice..."BAM!" a crashing voice was heard.
The lights then came back on...
(Ron shrieked out through all of this, clutching into Gio's arms, but at Gio's subtle gesture of his throat clearing once the lights came back on, Ron looked sheepishly embarrassed as he let go.)
Ron: Heh...
Gio (laughs)
Ron: (Grins) Okay, I guess it was a bit funny in a way...
Gio: Do you really think they're going to kill someone just to make a ride?!
Ron: No. No, that's absolutely ridiculous!
Gio: Besides monkeys, have you managed to get over some of your other fears?
Ron: Yeah, the insect/spider fear, and garden gnomes. I got over the stupid thing of the garden gnomes when I realized that they were just fake, not a nightmare from the Goosebumps book. Insects were easy enough to get over with, but spiders still creep me out.
(Blinks) Oh, I think another one is coming on!
(The scene cuts to them both getting off the ride...)
Gio: Wasn't that fun?!
Ron: Yeah...Just let me calm my heart down...Who knew there were a lot of ghosts?..
Gio: Ron, that wasn't even the main ride. That was the pre-show...
Ron: (Smiles) Oh, I know...The special effects, I admit they were A plus!
Gio: Rufus, you did miss out!
(Rufus shrugs with a light smile)
Yori: Looks like you had fun. Shall we see the restaurants back in World Bazaar, see what catches our fancy, and eat some dinner? I can't wait to see the fireworks in awhile once the sun goes down.
Gio: Oh, know any dinner locations?
Yori: Well, I saw a couple I liked from the outside; Eastside Cafe back in World Bazaar or there's Grandma Sara's Kitchen right next door from Haunted Mansion.
Gio: The Grandma Sara's Kitchen sounds good!
Ron: Alright, let's go then! (Lowers hand for Rufus to come on, and gently puts him into his fanny bag, giving him a seat/ride as Rufus squeaks curiously with a smile) He's wondering what'll be there to eat.
(The scene cuts to Gio, Ron, and Yori waiting in line to get food...)
Gio: Ugh, this is taking forever!
Ron: There's only three people in front of you, Gio. It will be alright. It's counter-style, after all. We are lucky not to be in the back end of the line.
Gio: But...what should I order? (studies menu)
Ron: You seem like a Beef Tomato Stew with Buttered Rice, Fruit Jellied Dessert, and Iced Coffee guy to me. As for me, I'd try out the chicken and mushroom doria, the rare cheesecake, and giraffe ginger ale, and share it all with Rufus. What about you, Yori?
Yori: I am considering the chicken and rice, vegetables, rare cheesecake, and black tea.
Gio: Just some chicken teriyaki and rice for me.
Ron: It's cool. Go for whatever you want, man.
(The scene cuts to everyone having dinner together...)
Gio: Man, this is so good. And up next, we have that fireworks show to see!
(The scene cuts to the three teens enjoying the fireworks show at night, gaping at the colorful explosions in the air...)
Gio: Man, what a day this has been...
Ron: You said it! Today was sure one of the best days ever in my life! (Rufus squeaks with a wide grin, sitting upon Ron's shoulder, watching the fireworks as his whiskers twitch from the vibrations in the air.)
Yori: So many things I've experienced, and it has been a incredible, amazing day.