Chapter 1
Oswald waved his hand in front of his face, trying to disperse the dark cloud blocking his vision. "Mickey!?" he called out. The black cloud moved on its path, leaving Oswald only able to see glowing green partials to even tell it was moving before it left him on the sidewalk with only the giraffe, the thief now on the ground with his back against a store front with fear on his face.
"What was that thing?!" the giraffe exclaimed.
Oswald looked around for Mickey as blue clad officers ran their way with O'Hara on their trail. Once the chief was close enough Oswald called out, "Where'd Mickey go?"
"Get the girls, we've gotta go!" O'Hara ordered, panic on his face as he quickly tossed the thief's pistol at one of his men.
Oswald turned and ran towards where the girls now stood, exposed in shock from what they had witnessed. Minnie noticed Oswald first and led Ortensia in a swift walk towards the rabbit.
"Where'd Mickey go!?" Minnie asked once close enough to be heard.
Oswald stopped to let the two catch up to him before leading them back to the collection of police cars. He saw O'Hara getting into the driver seat of a cruiser before admitting, "I don't know. One moment he was next to me, the next I can't see a thing. The Chief seems to know something."
"He better start explaining," Minnie said, eyeing the Irish dog as they got close enough they could hear them.
"I will, get in," O'Hara said, the engine already running as he stuck his head out the window.
Oswald and Ortensia headed for the passenger side as Minnie took the seat behind O'Hara. Not even waiting for them to get buckled, the chief switched on the sirens and fish tailed it down the street.
"Well? What happened and where's Mickey?" Minnie ordered once she was seat belted in.
Focusing on getting through the night traffic, O'Hara started to explain, "A few years ago, me men stumbled across what looked like an abandoned house just out of downtown. It'd never been there before so we investigated. It was two stories filled almost entirely of paintings. The only subject was of legendary mouse explorers or adventurers that had all vanished sometime in their life. I called Mickey to look in on it, but there was nothing illegal about the collection so there wasn't much we could do about that. We tried to at least charge the homeowner with building a structure without a permit, so Mickey could investigate the paintings longer but a couple of days after it showed up, it vanished."
"Vanished?" Ortensia echoed.
"Mickey said he was just leaving the place when it disappeared," O'Hara informed. "Believed a black cloud was after him the whole time the house was in town and said it was the same black cloud that took the house." O'Hara swerved to avoid someone not getting out of the way before continuing. "I hadn't noticed the darkening sky until Mickey pointed it out, but thinking back on it, it wasn't natural."
"And you think this…" Oswald paused to think of the right words, "Mouse Collector caught Mickey?"
"But how?" Minnie asked.
"Mickey had a theory, and I thought the lad was just spit balling ideas but…" O'Hara let his voice drift as they started losing street lights and traffic out in the country part of town. "He said the collector had some sort of device that could show each of the mice's last moments before the cloud captured them. He didn't know how the collector did it though."
"And you don't even know who the collector is?" Oswald asked.
O'Hara shook his head slightly. "No. The house was only in town for a couple of days." O'Hara switched off the sirens, leaving on the flashing blue lights, as he slowed down. Turning off the road into the grass, he left the headlights on as they shined over an older two story house on a small hill. "It's back," O'Hara realized aloud as he sat back in his seat to look at the house. "I didn' even think it would be."
"Well, come on," Minnie ordered, the first to get out of the car.
"Minnie, wait!" Oswald called out, his eyes wide as he jumped out of the car. Leaving the door open, he rushed around the car and stopped her in front of the headlights. "Why don't you and Ortensia stay out here?"
"Oswald!" Minnie started, determination on her face.
"No, think it through," Oswald offered. "If the collector's after adventurous mice, that includes you too. Mick would kill me if anything happened to you."
"Oh, alright," Minnie said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Good luck, Oswald," Ortensia offered, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks, Kitty," Oswald offered.
"Stay in the car," O'Hara ordered, passing the three to step up to the house. He clicked on a flashlight and checked the door to find it unlocked, pushing it open.
Oswald stepped onto the porch beside the police chief to be handed a flashlight. He flicked it on and looked inside the house only for his brows to raise. "You weren't kidding about the house being nothing but paintings."
"And it gets creepier once ye see the portraits," O'Hara said. He held his free hand towards the door and offered, "After you."
Oswald took a deep breath and stepped into the house. He shone his flashlight on the plethora of portraits stacked one in front of the other, all showing mice in different period dress. "This is weird," Oswald admitted, turning his light to look at the other side of the main room of the house. "I didn't think there were this many mice in Disney history."
"Ye, they're mostly on the east coast though," O'Hara offered. "Mickey's family's from over there." He flashed the light over some of the mice hung up on the wall and stopped on one dressed in deer skin holding a musket towards the painter. "That there's one of Mickey's some odd grandfathers, married an Indian if I remember right."
"Great, he looks almost identical," Oswald grumbled, turning to scan his light over more portraits. "We're looking for one in a red suit." He heard O'Hara's footsteps behind him as they looked for Mickey in the collection. All the faces looking back at them held a look of fear or anger, as if they knew what was after them. "Any idea how we're supposed to revive him once we find his painting?"
"What, ye think Mickey's theory is true?" O'Hara asked.
"Well, how else would you explain how he just up and vanished?" Oswald asked, stepping into a room to find more paintings strewn all over the place.
"Yeah, but coming from someone who's always pointing out how something's gotta have a logical reason behind it," O'Hara pointed out, following Oswald in the room. "It's a little weird."
"That logical mouse is also the figure head for the most magical place on Earth," Oswald said with a nervous laugh.
"Maybe that's the reason he is how he is," O'Hara mumbled. He froze with his flashlight pointed at a portrait. "Oswald, I thought you said he was in a red suit."
Oswald turned to look at the painting O'Hara was, seeing a mouse in a green suit. The mouse was frozen in a run, panic on his face as he held a hand to his hat. "I could've sworn he was in red," Oswald mumbled, He stepped over to the painting and, putting the flashlight in his mouth, he picked up the portrait. He looked around the room, trying to find something but wasn't quite sure what he was looking for. He found a lone frame, standing on its own. Unable to stay anything around the flashlight in his mouth, Oswald walked over to the standing frame, finding the portrait slid into position easily. He stepped back and looked at the now framed portrait, not sure what he expected.
"Well, I guess he looks better in a frame," O'Hara offered, his voice showing he had followed close behind the rabbit.
Oswald took the flashlight out of his mouth and flashed it around the now framed portrait. "Just trying to –wha!?" Oswald took a step back as the painting started to emit a green glow, similar to the sparks he had seen in the black cloud.
The mouse in the painting came to life, mouthing words his voice couldn't produce as he ran on ground invisible to those watching. With his free hand, he reached forward and through the painting.
Thinking quick, Oswald lashed out and took hold of the hand. Digging in his heals, he dropped the flashlight to grab the hand with both of his, pulling with all his might.
"I don't think the collector's happy 'bout this!" O'Hara informed as the house around them started to shake.
"Then help me!" Oswald ordered through his teeth.
O'Hara wrapped his arms around Oswald's waist and helped pull him back. With the added weight, the two were flung back with Mickey tumbling after them.
"What happened?" Mickey asked, his eyes in a daze as he pushed himself up on all fours from the ground.
"No time to explain," Oswald realized as the house started rocking violently side to side, knocking paintings to the ground. He scrambled to his feet, grabbing the mouse by the arm, and ordered, "We've gotta get out of here!"
"Right behind ye, boys!" O'Hara exclaimed, reaching down to swoop up the fallen flashlight. He followed the two out of the house, the three making it down the front steps before a force pushed them to the ground in the lights of the police car.
"Mickey! Oh Mickey! You're safe!" Minnie exclaimed, running out from the car to her mouse's side. Before the mouse could rise to his feet he found himself in an embrace, Minnie planting kisses on his face.
"Oswald, are you okay?" Ortensia asked, walking over to the two as they rose to their feet.
Oswald rose to eye level only for a strong wind to come from the house behind them, blowing his ears at Ortensia. He turned around, wrapping an arm around Ortensia, as the dark cloud blocked the house from view. Oswald closed his eyes against the force, only daring to squint with his free arm raised up. He watched in amazement as the cloud disintegrated the house, taking the strong wind with it. Only once the wind had died down did he dare drop his arm only to see them standing in a now empty hill top.
"Oh Clementine, what on God's good Earth happened?" Mickey asked.
"Clementine!?" Minnie exclaimed, pushing the mouse away as she rose to her feet. "Who's Clementine?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," the mouse offered, scrambling to his feet with his hat in his hands. "I just assumed since you started kissing me and calling me 'Mickey'." He looked at her closer and added, "The similarity is uncanny."
"If you're not Mickey, who are you?" Oswald asked.
"Michael Mouse," the mouse offered as he put his hat back on his head. "I have to thank you for saving my life."
"Great, we got the wrong mouse," Oswald mumbled, throwing a glance at O'Hara. He looked back at the mouse in green and asked, "What happened? How'd you end up in a painting?"
"A painting?" Michael echoed, confusion on his face. "Last I recall I was helping my Clementine and our son build some contraption of his friends. It went haywire and chased me down when a storm broke out." He looked at Oswald and added, "You pulled me out of the storm and blade's path through why it's gotten so late I hadn't figured out."
"What were they building?" Ortensia asked.
"Something they called an aeroplane," Michael said with a laugh. "Strange thing that's supposed to fly people around."
Ortensia gave a look at Oswald as she mumbled, "I was afraid of that."
"Of what, finding a Loony Toon on Disney soil?" Oswald said with a sigh.
"Oswald!" Ortensia chastised.
"And now we've gotta hunt down the collector again to get Mickey," Oswald continued.
"I am on Oswald's side though," O'Hara admitted. "Out of all the famous adventures in that place…" his voice fell away as he looked at the mouse in question.
"Through-out all time?" Ortensia finished for the chief.
"You think Oswald pulled him out from the past?" Minnie asked.
Without answering her friends Ortensia looked at Michael and asked, "What's the date?"
"December 12, 1903. Are you serious, you think I've traveled through time?" Michael asked.
"I'll say ye have, and more than a hundred years!" O'Hara exclaimed.
"How do I get back?" Michael asked. "I promised my son I'd see him off in a few days. He's leaving to go to the old Triple O Ranch to take the machine there."
"The Triple O Ranch?" Minnie echoed.
"Yeah, have you heard of it?" Michael smiled at the girl and added, "My Clementine started it up a number of years ago."
"Could you drive us to my house?" Minnie asked, looking up at O'Hara. "If my hunch is right, he might even have a place for the night."
"Minnie?" O'Hara questioned.
"I don't want to say any more until I know for certain," Minnie stated, already turning around to sit back in her seat in the back of the cruiser.
"Well, Mick-Michael," Oswald started, catching himself. "You can have the front seat.
"What is that thing?" Michael asked, taking his first look out of the headlight's blinding gaze at the vehicle.
"This'll be an interesting drive," O'Hara realized as he climbed into the driver seat.
"Have you heard about autos?" Ortensia tried.
"Yeah, my son's already infatuated with the ones that we've seen," Michael informed.
"Take those and add in more comfort," she offered with a smile.
-.-.-.-
"Ugh, I can't wait to take this stupid thing off," Oswald mumbled as he pulled at the tie around his neck. He leaned back in the sofa seat next to his wife in Minnie's living room and asked, "Do I even want to know what time it is?"
"At least Daisy knew to put the kids to bed," Ortensia offered.
"Are you sure she doesn't need help up there?" O'Hara asked, as the sounds of boxes shifting above them.
"She told us to wait," Ortensia reminded.
Another crash sounded, as if a box fell in the attic. Michael looked up at the ceiling from where he sat in the arm chair and mumbled to himself, "She sure is a lot like Clementine."
"You know, you're taking all of this rather well," Oswald admitted, dropping his hand to the arm rest.
"I haven't let myself think too much on it," Michael admitted, looking at the rabbit. "Though I am curious, you haven't told me your names yet."
"Oswald, my wife Ortensia, that's the chief of police O'Hara, and Minnie's the one you thought was your wife."
"Still feel bad about that," Michael admitted with a sheepish smile. "But only Clementine calls me Mickey, started that after our son was born. Bit of a family tradition to pass down the name, but she got annoyed with it."
"Sorry about that," Minnie offered, her voice preceding her to the living room. She rushed into the room from the hallway with an old photograph in hand, her hat left behind. "But I found what I was looking for." She looked at Ortensia and asked, "You remember I ended up with all of Mickey's old family albums?"
"Yeah," Ortensia drew out, her brows furled. "Wait-"
"Yap," Minnie said with a nod of her head. She sat the album down on the coffee table and knelt down to flip through the pages, trying to find what she knew to be in the book. "Mickey was going through his family tree with me years ago and I remembered seeing the Triple O Ranch. Here it is!" She turned the photo album around as the four leaned closer to look, pointing to a picture of two mice dressed in ranch clothes and a dog that looked like Goofy with blond hair under a cowboy hat standing at the sign hanging above the entry road that read Triple O Ranch. Minnie looked up at the mouse in the arm chair, his face showing a stunned expression. "That's you and your Clementine, isn't it?"
"Yes, and that's Carson," Michael said, holding a hand towards the album to touch the page but froze inches away. He looked up at Minnie and asked, "But how? We took this picture right before we left the ranch to Carson. How do you have it?"
"Because you're Mickey's grandfather," Minnie admitted with a smile. "This is one of the albums Mickey got when his parents passed away."
"And you said my-my grandson's name is Mickey?" Michael asked. "Not Michael?"
"I know he's used the name when he doesn't want to be recognized or he's trying to be fancy," Minnie offered.
"It's not his real name," O'Hara offered, turning all eyes to him sitting in the rocking chair. "At least for when the police department has to pay him, all the paperwork says Mickey."
"So after almost four hundred years and it's my son that breaks family tradition," Michael said with a laugh as he sat back in the chair.
"It's not too far off from your name," Ortensia offered.
"Minnie, what was your plan about where he's to sleep tonight?" O'Hara asked, nodding his head towards Michael.
"Well, Mickey always said if family showed up while he was away, to let them stay at his place," Minnie explained, closing the album. She rose to her feet, leaving the book on the short table, and added, "He never said anything about time traveling relatives, but I'm sure it'd be fine."
"I feel like I'm imposing," Michael admitted.
"You're not if you take care of Pluto while you're there," Oswald said, poking a finger under his tie again. He let out a sigh before completely loosening the knot.
"Oswald," Ortensia chastised.
"I'm sorry, I know I need to get used to the darn thing."
"No, about Pluto," Ortensia said, shaking her head.
"What is Pluto?" Michael asked.
"Mickey's dog," Minnie offered. "But I can bring him back here, you shouldn't be-"
"No, I can take care of Pluto," Michael said with a laugh. "It'll make me feel better too."
"Well, if that's all settled," O'Hara said as he pushed himself out of the rocker. He got to his feet before continuing, "I've gotta get the car back to the station. Me wife's probably been there waiting for me."
"We'll walk you over to Mickey's and help you get settled in," Ortensia said, rising to her feet.
"Ugh, more walking?" Oswald grumbled.
"Well you can go straight over to the house than, let Daisy go home," Ortensia said, placing a hand on her hip as she turned to look down on the rabbit lounged in the sofa seat.
"Fine by me," Oswald said.
"I'll come over to your place in the morning," O'Hara informed, looking at Ortensia and Oswald. "Maybe by then the boys'll've located the Collector's house again."
"Thanks Chief," Oswald said, leaning forward to lean on his knees.