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 15
Tony and Ty had worked at the stand until about 6:00. While the weather was nice, both were tired from the day they'd had and were ready to just chill out. Also, they both usually went their separate ways, but today they would be hanging out together, and that called for knocking off early.
Not sure what Trina might have for them to eat, and not wanting to use her food, Tony insisted on buying supper. Not being a meat eater, Tony opted for a big vegetarian pizza. Ty wrinkled up his nose at that thought, so Tony offered to get him his own cheese pizza. Ty accepted.
Ty's home was hardly that. It was an apartment, about the same size as, if not smaller than, Tony's. And two people with a lot of stuff lived there, as opposed to Tony and his duffle bag. It was actually only about three blocks from Tony's, and was on the second floor. Tony cleared some space on the kitchen counter and they set the pizzas down there.
It was evident that Trina didn't have any time to clean. Tony felt bad for her, and he wanted to help her. He had to find a couple of plates and wash them off, then do the same with the forks. It looked like everything got washed as it was needed. Tony had an idea, but waited until after eating to spring it on Ty.
The two of them sat on the run-down couch and ate pizza while watching a couple of sitcoms. Ty laughed out loud through his pizza, which made a funny noise. Tony, not having had a "normal" childhood, and not being of this world, often did not understand the humor in sitcoms. He knew they exaggerated the situations a family faces, but he didn't always know what was normal for a family and what was exaggeration.
Once they'd both eaten enough, Tony turned the TV off. "Ty, I have another job for you, if you'll accept it. Your mom works herself to exhaustion because she wants to make sure you have what you need. I bet paying for this apartment takes all the money she gets from one job, and the other is to make sure you have food, clothes, etc. Am I right?"
Ty nodded, listening intently. He seemed to really want to hear what Tony thought about things.
Tony continued, "Well, why don't we surprise your mom tonight? How about letting her come home to a clean house? I'll wash the dishes, and you get all of the dirty clothes and blankets out of the living room. We might not be able to do the whole house, but we could make a good dent. Then she can relax more when she comes home."
Ty thought about it, and said, "You know, Tony, I've wanted to do something like that, but I'm no good at cleaning, and I could never do this myself. Yeah, let's work together for her! That would be cool. I could even vacuum and also make her bed and stuff."
"Great! Let's get started. You know, I always work better to music. Do you want to put some on, and we can listen while we clean?"
"Yeah, let me get my CD player and set it up! You'll love this music." And he ran to his room to get it.
Tony had started washing dishes when the most horrendous noise he had ever heard came from the living room. He peered around the corner and saw Ty dancing - if you could call it that - to the "music" coming from his portable CD player. Tony shook his head and went back to washing dishes. He could hardly stand the music, but if it helped Ty clean, and made him feel better, he'd endure it . for now.
By 10:00 p.m. the kitchen was spotless, as was the living room. Trina's room, while not perfect, had all of the clothes off the floor and her bed made. Ty's room was another story. It would take a miracle to clean it in one day! But they had made a dent on it as well.
At Ty's request, Tony read a book to him as he lay in bed. Then, after hugging Tony good night, he turned over and went to sleep. He looked like a painting lying there in the glow of the lamp, and Tony tried to capture that image in his head. That would be his next painting.
At a few minutes after midnight, Trina unlocked the door and came in. She stopped inside the door, and then checked the number on the apartment door again. Tony smiled at her and said, "Yes, it's your home! Ty helped do this for you."
She was almost crying - it had been so long since anyone had done something for her. She had been giving and giving . she wasn't sure how to receive from anyone. She looked at Tony and mouthed the words "Thank you" through her tears.
Crossing the clean living room, she sat on the opposite end of the sofa from Tony. He wasn't sure how to begin the conversation, but he didn't have to. She started it right away. "Tony, seeing your family emblem today really blew me away. This might be hard for you to believe, but I think we're related."
Pretending not to know, he said, "Really? Why do you say that?"
She reached into her oversize purse and pulled out what Tony knew to be a star case. She showed it to him, and let him see the shimmering double- star emblem on the top of the case. Then she handed it to him. Tony turned it over in his hands, feeling the smoothness and the embossed image. He secretly pushed at the edge of the plate that would reveal the map inside - it didn't move, so he knew that she hadn't found the map yet. He said, "Where did you get this?"
"What I'm going to tell you, I have never told anyone. There hasn't been anyone to tell. I want to let Ty in on it when he's older, but for now, this is only for you. OK?"
Tony nodded, and she continued. "I was raised in an orphanage. I didn't know who my parents were. The director of the orphanage told me, when I was old enough to understand, that someone just dropped me off there when I was a baby. No one remembers who left me. All I had in my possession was a blanket and that case.
"I did well in school, but wasn't a wonderful student. Didn't even consider college - just figured I'd work once I got out of school. But then I met Robert, a wonderful guy about my age. He was from North Carolina, and had moved to New York to go to college. He was 21, I was 19, and we really hit it off. He was brilliant, and didn't seem to mind that I wasn't. He also accepted me even though I had been raised in an orphanage and had no family history.
"One day Robert's uncle came to visit us. He was a grumpy old man, at least that's what Robert always said, but I could see some kindness in his uncle's eyes. I had that case on a shelf in the apartment that Robert lived in. We were old fashioned, and we weren't going to live together until after we got married, but we were setting up the apartment beforehand. So I had arranged a few of my things in the apartment - some souveneirs, a few knickknacks, and the case.
"Anyway, the case is lying there, and Robert's uncle happened to see it as he was looking around. He was frowning at everything, but when he saw the case, he stopped. I could see his face, and his expression became, well, I don't know. Far away, I guess. He picked it up and said, 'Trina, is this yours?' I remember, when his uncle said that, how surprised Robert looked - he had never known his uncle to speak softly or gently. I was a little afraid to answer, but I said, 'Yes, it is.'
"And he said, 'Where did you get it?' I told him my story, and he said, 'Before you two get married, you and I have to talk. I think I can help you find your family.' I was just shocked - no one had ever had a clue who my family was. I almost cried, and I said, 'Please, you have to tell me.' He said, 'Not yet. I need to check on something first. Believe me, I must. I wouldn't want to mislead you.'"
Trina stopped talking. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. Tony waited, and then gently asked, "Did you get to talk?" She shook her head, and then dug in her purse for a tissue to dry her eyes.
Tony was frustrated, afraid they had hit a brick wall. Maybe this wasn't going to go anywhere after all. He decided to give Trina time to compose herself - he still wanted to hear her out.
After a few minutes, she continued. "Robert's uncle had a heart attack two days later. He died instantly. And I never got to find out what he knew. No one else in the family knew what he was talking about. His secret died with him. And so did my past. Unless . unless you can shed some light on this, Tony."
Tony looked at her and said, "I might be able to, Trina. But I need to ask you about Robert's uncle first. I'm curious what made him recognize something about your family when he saw this case. What was his name?"
"Jason. His name was Jason O'Day."
LIFE ON WITCH MOUNTAIN
By Kevin Haynes
CHAPTER 15
Tony and Ty had worked at the stand until about 6:00. While the weather was nice, both were tired from the day they'd had and were ready to just chill out. Also, they both usually went their separate ways, but today they would be hanging out together, and that called for knocking off early.
Not sure what Trina might have for them to eat, and not wanting to use her food, Tony insisted on buying supper. Not being a meat eater, Tony opted for a big vegetarian pizza. Ty wrinkled up his nose at that thought, so Tony offered to get him his own cheese pizza. Ty accepted.
Ty's home was hardly that. It was an apartment, about the same size as, if not smaller than, Tony's. And two people with a lot of stuff lived there, as opposed to Tony and his duffle bag. It was actually only about three blocks from Tony's, and was on the second floor. Tony cleared some space on the kitchen counter and they set the pizzas down there.
It was evident that Trina didn't have any time to clean. Tony felt bad for her, and he wanted to help her. He had to find a couple of plates and wash them off, then do the same with the forks. It looked like everything got washed as it was needed. Tony had an idea, but waited until after eating to spring it on Ty.
The two of them sat on the run-down couch and ate pizza while watching a couple of sitcoms. Ty laughed out loud through his pizza, which made a funny noise. Tony, not having had a "normal" childhood, and not being of this world, often did not understand the humor in sitcoms. He knew they exaggerated the situations a family faces, but he didn't always know what was normal for a family and what was exaggeration.
Once they'd both eaten enough, Tony turned the TV off. "Ty, I have another job for you, if you'll accept it. Your mom works herself to exhaustion because she wants to make sure you have what you need. I bet paying for this apartment takes all the money she gets from one job, and the other is to make sure you have food, clothes, etc. Am I right?"
Ty nodded, listening intently. He seemed to really want to hear what Tony thought about things.
Tony continued, "Well, why don't we surprise your mom tonight? How about letting her come home to a clean house? I'll wash the dishes, and you get all of the dirty clothes and blankets out of the living room. We might not be able to do the whole house, but we could make a good dent. Then she can relax more when she comes home."
Ty thought about it, and said, "You know, Tony, I've wanted to do something like that, but I'm no good at cleaning, and I could never do this myself. Yeah, let's work together for her! That would be cool. I could even vacuum and also make her bed and stuff."
"Great! Let's get started. You know, I always work better to music. Do you want to put some on, and we can listen while we clean?"
"Yeah, let me get my CD player and set it up! You'll love this music." And he ran to his room to get it.
Tony had started washing dishes when the most horrendous noise he had ever heard came from the living room. He peered around the corner and saw Ty dancing - if you could call it that - to the "music" coming from his portable CD player. Tony shook his head and went back to washing dishes. He could hardly stand the music, but if it helped Ty clean, and made him feel better, he'd endure it . for now.
By 10:00 p.m. the kitchen was spotless, as was the living room. Trina's room, while not perfect, had all of the clothes off the floor and her bed made. Ty's room was another story. It would take a miracle to clean it in one day! But they had made a dent on it as well.
At Ty's request, Tony read a book to him as he lay in bed. Then, after hugging Tony good night, he turned over and went to sleep. He looked like a painting lying there in the glow of the lamp, and Tony tried to capture that image in his head. That would be his next painting.
At a few minutes after midnight, Trina unlocked the door and came in. She stopped inside the door, and then checked the number on the apartment door again. Tony smiled at her and said, "Yes, it's your home! Ty helped do this for you."
She was almost crying - it had been so long since anyone had done something for her. She had been giving and giving . she wasn't sure how to receive from anyone. She looked at Tony and mouthed the words "Thank you" through her tears.
Crossing the clean living room, she sat on the opposite end of the sofa from Tony. He wasn't sure how to begin the conversation, but he didn't have to. She started it right away. "Tony, seeing your family emblem today really blew me away. This might be hard for you to believe, but I think we're related."
Pretending not to know, he said, "Really? Why do you say that?"
She reached into her oversize purse and pulled out what Tony knew to be a star case. She showed it to him, and let him see the shimmering double- star emblem on the top of the case. Then she handed it to him. Tony turned it over in his hands, feeling the smoothness and the embossed image. He secretly pushed at the edge of the plate that would reveal the map inside - it didn't move, so he knew that she hadn't found the map yet. He said, "Where did you get this?"
"What I'm going to tell you, I have never told anyone. There hasn't been anyone to tell. I want to let Ty in on it when he's older, but for now, this is only for you. OK?"
Tony nodded, and she continued. "I was raised in an orphanage. I didn't know who my parents were. The director of the orphanage told me, when I was old enough to understand, that someone just dropped me off there when I was a baby. No one remembers who left me. All I had in my possession was a blanket and that case.
"I did well in school, but wasn't a wonderful student. Didn't even consider college - just figured I'd work once I got out of school. But then I met Robert, a wonderful guy about my age. He was from North Carolina, and had moved to New York to go to college. He was 21, I was 19, and we really hit it off. He was brilliant, and didn't seem to mind that I wasn't. He also accepted me even though I had been raised in an orphanage and had no family history.
"One day Robert's uncle came to visit us. He was a grumpy old man, at least that's what Robert always said, but I could see some kindness in his uncle's eyes. I had that case on a shelf in the apartment that Robert lived in. We were old fashioned, and we weren't going to live together until after we got married, but we were setting up the apartment beforehand. So I had arranged a few of my things in the apartment - some souveneirs, a few knickknacks, and the case.
"Anyway, the case is lying there, and Robert's uncle happened to see it as he was looking around. He was frowning at everything, but when he saw the case, he stopped. I could see his face, and his expression became, well, I don't know. Far away, I guess. He picked it up and said, 'Trina, is this yours?' I remember, when his uncle said that, how surprised Robert looked - he had never known his uncle to speak softly or gently. I was a little afraid to answer, but I said, 'Yes, it is.'
"And he said, 'Where did you get it?' I told him my story, and he said, 'Before you two get married, you and I have to talk. I think I can help you find your family.' I was just shocked - no one had ever had a clue who my family was. I almost cried, and I said, 'Please, you have to tell me.' He said, 'Not yet. I need to check on something first. Believe me, I must. I wouldn't want to mislead you.'"
Trina stopped talking. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. Tony waited, and then gently asked, "Did you get to talk?" She shook her head, and then dug in her purse for a tissue to dry her eyes.
Tony was frustrated, afraid they had hit a brick wall. Maybe this wasn't going to go anywhere after all. He decided to give Trina time to compose herself - he still wanted to hear her out.
After a few minutes, she continued. "Robert's uncle had a heart attack two days later. He died instantly. And I never got to find out what he knew. No one else in the family knew what he was talking about. His secret died with him. And so did my past. Unless . unless you can shed some light on this, Tony."
Tony looked at her and said, "I might be able to, Trina. But I need to ask you about Robert's uncle first. I'm curious what made him recognize something about your family when he saw this case. What was his name?"
"Jason. His name was Jason O'Day."