DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters created by Alexander Key and
owned by Walt Disney Pictures. This is fan fiction, and not endorsed by
Mr. Key, his estate, or Walt Disney. No copyright infringement is
intended, and no money is being made from this story. It is based on plot
elements used in both the book Escape to Witch Mountain as well as the
movie of the same name, although the book and the movie differ extensively.
Please direct all queries, comments, etc. to kevinpkhaynes@yahoo.com. It
is my sincere desire that you enjoy the story as the pure entertainment it
was intended to be.
LIFE ON WITCH MOUNTAIN
By Kevin Haynes
CHAPTER 11
Ty turned out to be a real asset. He seemed to throw himself 100% into anything he did. He eagerly cleaned brushes and rags, made sure that the paintings were always standing up, and even rotated them once in a while to give the whole display a different look. He had proven trustworthy in going to the store to get supplies for Tony, always bringing back the receipt and exact change.
As Tony was painting a scene of the sun setting behind one of the skyscrapers in the area, the wind gusted and blew down a few of the paintings. It also whipped Tony's business cards out of their holder attached to his easel. Once Ty got the paintings righted again, Tony said, "Ty, could you get my business cards? They're all over, and I've got paint on my hands!"
It was fun to watch as Ty almost hopped from card to card, like a big frog, trying to land on each one before the wind picked it up again. Within two or three minutes he had collected all of Tony's cards and put them back into the card holder. Then he looked at the holder, and carefully picked up one card and began to study it.
Tony watched him for a moment and then asked, "What's wrong, Ty? Is my business card too ugly for you?" He had meant to be funny, but Ty's expression was serious.
Ty looked up and said, "I was just noticing the picture you have on here. It's pretty cool. What does it mean?"
Tony had prepared for that question, in case anyone had asked (and some had). He said, "Well, basically that is the emblem that my ancestors used to represent my family. I thought it would be good to have something to connect me to them, so I used it."
He still seemed mesmerized by it. He nodded his head at Tony's explanation, and said, "Could I show this to my mom?"
Now Tony had stopped painting entirely. Something was going on here. He said, "Sure, Ty. Can I ask why you want to?"
He said, "Well, something weird happened this weekend, and I had kinda forgotten about it until now. I don't see my mom very much, and lots of times I'm home alone. Saturday I was trying to find one of my CD's, and since I hadn't seen it in a while, I figured maybe it was in the closet. Couldn't find it, then I saw a box up on the top shelf. It was too high, so I got a chair and pulled the box down. Well, my CD wasn't there, but there was this really cool wooden box, with a strap. And it had a big, well, this symbol, on it, in gold coloring. It was beautiful and shiny. I just kept staring at it, and then."
Tony was holding his breath. His heart was beating rapidly, and he was trying to remain calm on the outside. This was it! This was what he had been waiting for!
But Ty stopped talking. And a tear made its way down his cheek.
Tony stepped closer, carefully putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Ty, it's OK. You can tell me. What happened?"
He spoke in such a quiet voice, almost as if he were afraid to be heard. "Well . my mom . she was there. I didn't know it. I guess the noise of the box hitting the floor woke her up, and she came out of her room." He paused again, as if he didn't want to remember it. "And she came up and just grabbed the wooden box out of my hand and yelled at me, 'What are you doing with my stuff? I told you to leave this stuff alone!'"
He was trying so hard not to cry, but the tears kept coming, and his voice stopped. He couldn't continue. Tony just squeezed his shoulder and stood close by, not knowing how close to get, not wanting to scare this frightened boy away, and yet wanting Ty to know that it was OK to cry, and OK to want to feel secure.
Ty leaned into him, sobbing. Then he tried to make the crying stop, and succeeded a bit. He continued, "I honestly didn't remember her ever telling me that before. I didn't even know the box was there. But I did remember later that there was some special stuff from my dad, and that she didn't want to keep it where she could see it all the time, 'cuz it made her sad, but she wanted to hang on to it. Anyway, she put the wooden thing back into the box, and then went back to bed. And I went for a walk outside."
Tony exhaled. He was so close, and yet he had to be so careful. He didn't want to do anything to hurt this boy - even finding a Homedweller wasn't worth crushing this boy's spirit. He said, "Ty, did the box with the gold stars on it belong to your dad or to your mom?"
Ty shook his head. "I dunno. She didn't say. I'd never seen it before. It's a pretty star, though. Hey, Tony ." he continued, as if the thought just occurred to him, ". do you think your family is related to my mom's family?"
Laughing, but almost crying at the same time, Tony said, "That's what I want to find out, Ty. Wouldn't it be cool if you and I were related?"
Ty looked up at Tony with a smile, and with a look of almost hero-worship on his face, and said, "Man, that would be awesome."
LIFE ON WITCH MOUNTAIN
By Kevin Haynes
CHAPTER 11
Ty turned out to be a real asset. He seemed to throw himself 100% into anything he did. He eagerly cleaned brushes and rags, made sure that the paintings were always standing up, and even rotated them once in a while to give the whole display a different look. He had proven trustworthy in going to the store to get supplies for Tony, always bringing back the receipt and exact change.
As Tony was painting a scene of the sun setting behind one of the skyscrapers in the area, the wind gusted and blew down a few of the paintings. It also whipped Tony's business cards out of their holder attached to his easel. Once Ty got the paintings righted again, Tony said, "Ty, could you get my business cards? They're all over, and I've got paint on my hands!"
It was fun to watch as Ty almost hopped from card to card, like a big frog, trying to land on each one before the wind picked it up again. Within two or three minutes he had collected all of Tony's cards and put them back into the card holder. Then he looked at the holder, and carefully picked up one card and began to study it.
Tony watched him for a moment and then asked, "What's wrong, Ty? Is my business card too ugly for you?" He had meant to be funny, but Ty's expression was serious.
Ty looked up and said, "I was just noticing the picture you have on here. It's pretty cool. What does it mean?"
Tony had prepared for that question, in case anyone had asked (and some had). He said, "Well, basically that is the emblem that my ancestors used to represent my family. I thought it would be good to have something to connect me to them, so I used it."
He still seemed mesmerized by it. He nodded his head at Tony's explanation, and said, "Could I show this to my mom?"
Now Tony had stopped painting entirely. Something was going on here. He said, "Sure, Ty. Can I ask why you want to?"
He said, "Well, something weird happened this weekend, and I had kinda forgotten about it until now. I don't see my mom very much, and lots of times I'm home alone. Saturday I was trying to find one of my CD's, and since I hadn't seen it in a while, I figured maybe it was in the closet. Couldn't find it, then I saw a box up on the top shelf. It was too high, so I got a chair and pulled the box down. Well, my CD wasn't there, but there was this really cool wooden box, with a strap. And it had a big, well, this symbol, on it, in gold coloring. It was beautiful and shiny. I just kept staring at it, and then."
Tony was holding his breath. His heart was beating rapidly, and he was trying to remain calm on the outside. This was it! This was what he had been waiting for!
But Ty stopped talking. And a tear made its way down his cheek.
Tony stepped closer, carefully putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Ty, it's OK. You can tell me. What happened?"
He spoke in such a quiet voice, almost as if he were afraid to be heard. "Well . my mom . she was there. I didn't know it. I guess the noise of the box hitting the floor woke her up, and she came out of her room." He paused again, as if he didn't want to remember it. "And she came up and just grabbed the wooden box out of my hand and yelled at me, 'What are you doing with my stuff? I told you to leave this stuff alone!'"
He was trying so hard not to cry, but the tears kept coming, and his voice stopped. He couldn't continue. Tony just squeezed his shoulder and stood close by, not knowing how close to get, not wanting to scare this frightened boy away, and yet wanting Ty to know that it was OK to cry, and OK to want to feel secure.
Ty leaned into him, sobbing. Then he tried to make the crying stop, and succeeded a bit. He continued, "I honestly didn't remember her ever telling me that before. I didn't even know the box was there. But I did remember later that there was some special stuff from my dad, and that she didn't want to keep it where she could see it all the time, 'cuz it made her sad, but she wanted to hang on to it. Anyway, she put the wooden thing back into the box, and then went back to bed. And I went for a walk outside."
Tony exhaled. He was so close, and yet he had to be so careful. He didn't want to do anything to hurt this boy - even finding a Homedweller wasn't worth crushing this boy's spirit. He said, "Ty, did the box with the gold stars on it belong to your dad or to your mom?"
Ty shook his head. "I dunno. She didn't say. I'd never seen it before. It's a pretty star, though. Hey, Tony ." he continued, as if the thought just occurred to him, ". do you think your family is related to my mom's family?"
Laughing, but almost crying at the same time, Tony said, "That's what I want to find out, Ty. Wouldn't it be cool if you and I were related?"
Ty looked up at Tony with a smile, and with a look of almost hero-worship on his face, and said, "Man, that would be awesome."