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 the Walt Disney Company. No copyright infringement
is intended, and no money is being made from this story. It is based on
plot elements used in the books Escape to Witch Mountain and Return from
Witch Mountain, as well as the movies of the same name, although the books
and the movies 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. Your feedback
is welcome as well!
LIFE ON WITCH MOUNTAIN
By Kevin Haynes
CHAPTER 21
Morning dawned for Tony, and he reluctantly rolled out of bed. He hated knowing that someone was watching his every move in his apartment, but for the moment, he wasn't sure what to do about it. He could easily have disabled the man's car or his recording equipment that Whiskers had spotted the night before - actually only a few hours ago - but if this person was really watching Tony, then that meant he suspected something about Tony, and destroying his equipment would probably only confirm the mysterious man's suspicions.
Tony had recorded mentally the license number of the vehicle. He was going to have someone at New Home check it out for him when he had the chance to contact them without being seen. He slowly got up, got dressed, and ate breakfast, trying to look like a normal human in New York City, and also trying not to look toward or out of the window where he knew the camera was located.
Before walking out the door, he decided to try signaling Whiskers to check if the car was there. Whiskers didn't answer his call, but Lady, a beautiful Golden Retriever that lived on his floor heard him. He described the car to her, and she walked over to her window, which was down the hall from Tony's. She said, "Tony, there are no cars down there at all. In fact, every morning they make all the cars move and not park there."
Tony realized she was right - parking was allowed only in the evening and overnight. He walked nonchalantly toward the window and looked down. No car. He allowed himself to look around, trying to see if a camera might be hidden outside his window attached to the building, or across the street. Nothing caught his eye.
Still feeling uneasy, but not wanting to miss Ty, he headed out. He arrived at his normal place a few minutes later, and Ty was running down the street toward him. He was calling, "Tony! Tony! You'll never guess what happened!"
Seeing Ty always made Tony smile, even when he was as tired as he was this morning, and he said, "What? What happened?"
Ty stopped in front of him and said, "Well, first of all, I had the weirdest dream! You and my mom were both in my head, talking to each other, then to me. Then, later on, I dreamed that my mom was magic. And I figured if she was magic, then so was I. In my dream, I sat on my bed and made my room clean itself - everything just put itself away. And Tony . guess what!!! When I woke up this morning, my room was clean, just like in my dream!"
If Tony looked shocked, it's because he was. He knew exactly what Ty was talking about, but wasn't sure if there was anything he should do about it. Then Ty said, "So this morning, I tried something else, and it worked! Watch."
Ty closed his eyes tightly, and suddenly started rising into the air! Almost immediately he was eye-to-eye with Tony, and Tony quickly grabbed his shoulders and pushed him toward the ground. Ty's eyes flew open and he yelled, "Hey! Why are you doing that? Tony . I can fly!"
Maybe it was the serious expression on Tony's face that made him quiet down, but he did, and let himself return to the ground. He whispered, "Ty, you've got to trust me. I was going to tell you this later, but I'll tell you part of it now. Last night your mom and I found out that we are from the same family! You and I are related!"
Ty was beaming now with excitement. Tony continued, "And, all the people in our family can do cool things like talk to each other without using our mouths, make rooms clean themselves, and even fly! The problem is that there are some bad people out there that know about us, and want to make us do things for them. So we can NEVER let on that we can do these things. Floating out here on the street is just not a good idea! In fact, last night I even found someone spying on me while I was in my apartment!
"We have got to be careful, Ty. I'll tell you more later, when we're alone at your house, but for right now we're just Tony and Ty and we're going to work like we do every day, OK?"
Ty looked sober and thoughtful. He nodded. Then he spoke, but not audibly - "Sure thing, Tony. I'm just glad to know that we're related!" And he smiled again, which made Tony smile as well.
Suddenly Ty looked behind him, then all around. He looked at Tony and said silently, "Tony, do people in our family ever get feelings about something, like when something bad is going to happen?"
Tony was again blown away. He was beginning to suspect that Ty, who had a Homedweller for a mother and human for a father, might have powers greater than any Homedweller. He had always assumed that if a child was born from such a union, the child would be more human than Homedweller - now he was thinking he might have been wrong.
"Yes, Ty . some of us do. I'm not as good at it as others. Why? Do you feel like something bad is going to happen?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I do. Hang on." And he closed his eyes tightly, trying to focus. Tony smiled - he remembered Tia doing that as a little girl, closing her eyes tightly, wrinkling up her face, and putting her fingers on the side of her head. Ty looked just like her.
Ty opened his eyes abruptly and said, "Tony, over there in that eating- place. Someone bad is there, and he wants to hurt us. Especially you."
Tony fought the urge to look, and instead said silently, "Ty, set up my paintings. I'm going to set up my easel and paint a picture of the café today, OK?" And he winked at Ty.
Ty immediately got to work, and so did Tony. As soon as he had the easel set up, he began painting the outline of the corner café across the street. As he did, he was able to stare at the café, and try to see anyone inside of it. He noticed the outline of a man sitting at the window nearest his stand. When he saw the man a little more clearly, a double alarm went off in his head.
Tony realized that, not only was that the man who was in the car last night, it was also the red haired man who had acted so strangely a few days before. Tony knew he needed to be careful - something big was happening, but he didn't know what.
After about an hour of painting the man was still in the café, watching but trying to act like he wasn't watching Tony and Ty. Tony decided to try a little recognizance. He called Ty over audibly and said, "Ty, I think that man over there is the one who was watching me last night. If so, he has a black car around here somewhere. Here is the license plate number - I wrote it on one of my cards. I want you to carefully walk around the block. Do not look into the café or try to see the man . do you understand?" Ty nodded, so Tony went on. "Just make one pass around the block, looking for a black car with that number on the tag. That's all."
As Ty turned to leave, Tony spoke to him mentally. "Ty, let's keep in touch like this. Keep on communicating with me without using your voice the whole time you're gone. Let me know what you find out."
Ty answered back, as he crossed the street, "No problem, Tony. This is better than walkie-talkies!" Tony tried not to be concerned as he watched Ty disappear around the corner past the café. As he kept painting, Tony tried to keep his eye on the mysterious man. He noticed that the man's gaze followed Ty as he passed the café on his trip around the block.
Suddenly the man got up and started to walk toward Ty. Tony's silent voice sounded an alarm as he called out, "Ty, the man is trying to follow you! Do whatever you have to do, but don't let him catch you."
Ty sounded calm as he responded, "I got it covered, Tony. Somehow I thought this might happen - I don't know why - and I have a plan." Tony was anxious since he couldn't see Ty or the man, but he also was strangely calm. He would have to wait and see what Ty had planned.
"Tony, he's following me, but he's doing exactly what I expected. Don't worry about me - just keep watching for him to come back. . Hey Tony! He had a camera on his table, and I think he left it there. Is there any way you can get it?"
Impressed with Ty's presence of mind, Tony looked through the glass of the café. Sure enough, at the man's table was a nice camera - possibly a digital camera. Tony hadn't done this in a while, but he concentrated and watched the camera begin to rise. He had it go as high as the top of the doorway, then, hoping no one would see, he had it ease along the glass until it got to the door. Then Tony nudged the door open with his mind, and the camera flew out and across the street like a bullet.
It landed softly in his hand, and he looked at it. It was a compact digital camera, and it could take video as well as still shots. He walked over and put it in his duffle bag.
He called out silently, "Ty, are you still OK? I've got the camera."
Ty replied almost instantly, "Yeah, I'm great! You should see him coming back any second now. He gave up on me." That statement made Tony really curious, but he saw the man race back into the café. However, there was still no sign of Ty.
"Ty, where are you? He's back . are you sure you're OK?"
"Yeah, I'm fine!" Tony jumped - that was Ty's audible voice, and it was right behind him! He turned around, and Ty stood there, grinning like he had just played the biggest practical joke of all time. Tony grabbed his shoulders, then pulled him into a hug.
He said, "Ty, where did you come from? What happened?"
Ty was almost giddy with excitement, his young face looking so proud. He switched to his silent voice and said, "Well, I just had this feeling he'd follow me. Then, when you said he was, I just knew what I was supposed to do. Behind the eating-place there's an alley, and I remembered that there is an awning over the back of the place, because that used to be the entrance. So, when I knew he was coming - and I never looked back at him, so I don't think he knew that I knew - I just turned the corner real fast into the alley and just floated up onto the awning and laid down."
Tony arched his eyebrows when he heard that, but he remained silent and let Ty continue.
"What was weird was, not only did I hear him walk past me in the alley, I also could sense when he was gone. I didn't peek out until I was sure he wasn't around. Then, I floated to the top of the café. I just went from building to building, floating between them. When I got to that corner down there." and he pointed to the intersection a block away, "I floated to the ground in the alley, and walked over here. Pretty good, huh?"
Tony mussed his hair and said, "Good?! No! Ty, you're awesome! That was the best spy work I've ever seen!"
LIFE ON WITCH MOUNTAIN
By Kevin Haynes
CHAPTER 21
Morning dawned for Tony, and he reluctantly rolled out of bed. He hated knowing that someone was watching his every move in his apartment, but for the moment, he wasn't sure what to do about it. He could easily have disabled the man's car or his recording equipment that Whiskers had spotted the night before - actually only a few hours ago - but if this person was really watching Tony, then that meant he suspected something about Tony, and destroying his equipment would probably only confirm the mysterious man's suspicions.
Tony had recorded mentally the license number of the vehicle. He was going to have someone at New Home check it out for him when he had the chance to contact them without being seen. He slowly got up, got dressed, and ate breakfast, trying to look like a normal human in New York City, and also trying not to look toward or out of the window where he knew the camera was located.
Before walking out the door, he decided to try signaling Whiskers to check if the car was there. Whiskers didn't answer his call, but Lady, a beautiful Golden Retriever that lived on his floor heard him. He described the car to her, and she walked over to her window, which was down the hall from Tony's. She said, "Tony, there are no cars down there at all. In fact, every morning they make all the cars move and not park there."
Tony realized she was right - parking was allowed only in the evening and overnight. He walked nonchalantly toward the window and looked down. No car. He allowed himself to look around, trying to see if a camera might be hidden outside his window attached to the building, or across the street. Nothing caught his eye.
Still feeling uneasy, but not wanting to miss Ty, he headed out. He arrived at his normal place a few minutes later, and Ty was running down the street toward him. He was calling, "Tony! Tony! You'll never guess what happened!"
Seeing Ty always made Tony smile, even when he was as tired as he was this morning, and he said, "What? What happened?"
Ty stopped in front of him and said, "Well, first of all, I had the weirdest dream! You and my mom were both in my head, talking to each other, then to me. Then, later on, I dreamed that my mom was magic. And I figured if she was magic, then so was I. In my dream, I sat on my bed and made my room clean itself - everything just put itself away. And Tony . guess what!!! When I woke up this morning, my room was clean, just like in my dream!"
If Tony looked shocked, it's because he was. He knew exactly what Ty was talking about, but wasn't sure if there was anything he should do about it. Then Ty said, "So this morning, I tried something else, and it worked! Watch."
Ty closed his eyes tightly, and suddenly started rising into the air! Almost immediately he was eye-to-eye with Tony, and Tony quickly grabbed his shoulders and pushed him toward the ground. Ty's eyes flew open and he yelled, "Hey! Why are you doing that? Tony . I can fly!"
Maybe it was the serious expression on Tony's face that made him quiet down, but he did, and let himself return to the ground. He whispered, "Ty, you've got to trust me. I was going to tell you this later, but I'll tell you part of it now. Last night your mom and I found out that we are from the same family! You and I are related!"
Ty was beaming now with excitement. Tony continued, "And, all the people in our family can do cool things like talk to each other without using our mouths, make rooms clean themselves, and even fly! The problem is that there are some bad people out there that know about us, and want to make us do things for them. So we can NEVER let on that we can do these things. Floating out here on the street is just not a good idea! In fact, last night I even found someone spying on me while I was in my apartment!
"We have got to be careful, Ty. I'll tell you more later, when we're alone at your house, but for right now we're just Tony and Ty and we're going to work like we do every day, OK?"
Ty looked sober and thoughtful. He nodded. Then he spoke, but not audibly - "Sure thing, Tony. I'm just glad to know that we're related!" And he smiled again, which made Tony smile as well.
Suddenly Ty looked behind him, then all around. He looked at Tony and said silently, "Tony, do people in our family ever get feelings about something, like when something bad is going to happen?"
Tony was again blown away. He was beginning to suspect that Ty, who had a Homedweller for a mother and human for a father, might have powers greater than any Homedweller. He had always assumed that if a child was born from such a union, the child would be more human than Homedweller - now he was thinking he might have been wrong.
"Yes, Ty . some of us do. I'm not as good at it as others. Why? Do you feel like something bad is going to happen?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I do. Hang on." And he closed his eyes tightly, trying to focus. Tony smiled - he remembered Tia doing that as a little girl, closing her eyes tightly, wrinkling up her face, and putting her fingers on the side of her head. Ty looked just like her.
Ty opened his eyes abruptly and said, "Tony, over there in that eating- place. Someone bad is there, and he wants to hurt us. Especially you."
Tony fought the urge to look, and instead said silently, "Ty, set up my paintings. I'm going to set up my easel and paint a picture of the café today, OK?" And he winked at Ty.
Ty immediately got to work, and so did Tony. As soon as he had the easel set up, he began painting the outline of the corner café across the street. As he did, he was able to stare at the café, and try to see anyone inside of it. He noticed the outline of a man sitting at the window nearest his stand. When he saw the man a little more clearly, a double alarm went off in his head.
Tony realized that, not only was that the man who was in the car last night, it was also the red haired man who had acted so strangely a few days before. Tony knew he needed to be careful - something big was happening, but he didn't know what.
After about an hour of painting the man was still in the café, watching but trying to act like he wasn't watching Tony and Ty. Tony decided to try a little recognizance. He called Ty over audibly and said, "Ty, I think that man over there is the one who was watching me last night. If so, he has a black car around here somewhere. Here is the license plate number - I wrote it on one of my cards. I want you to carefully walk around the block. Do not look into the café or try to see the man . do you understand?" Ty nodded, so Tony went on. "Just make one pass around the block, looking for a black car with that number on the tag. That's all."
As Ty turned to leave, Tony spoke to him mentally. "Ty, let's keep in touch like this. Keep on communicating with me without using your voice the whole time you're gone. Let me know what you find out."
Ty answered back, as he crossed the street, "No problem, Tony. This is better than walkie-talkies!" Tony tried not to be concerned as he watched Ty disappear around the corner past the café. As he kept painting, Tony tried to keep his eye on the mysterious man. He noticed that the man's gaze followed Ty as he passed the café on his trip around the block.
Suddenly the man got up and started to walk toward Ty. Tony's silent voice sounded an alarm as he called out, "Ty, the man is trying to follow you! Do whatever you have to do, but don't let him catch you."
Ty sounded calm as he responded, "I got it covered, Tony. Somehow I thought this might happen - I don't know why - and I have a plan." Tony was anxious since he couldn't see Ty or the man, but he also was strangely calm. He would have to wait and see what Ty had planned.
"Tony, he's following me, but he's doing exactly what I expected. Don't worry about me - just keep watching for him to come back. . Hey Tony! He had a camera on his table, and I think he left it there. Is there any way you can get it?"
Impressed with Ty's presence of mind, Tony looked through the glass of the café. Sure enough, at the man's table was a nice camera - possibly a digital camera. Tony hadn't done this in a while, but he concentrated and watched the camera begin to rise. He had it go as high as the top of the doorway, then, hoping no one would see, he had it ease along the glass until it got to the door. Then Tony nudged the door open with his mind, and the camera flew out and across the street like a bullet.
It landed softly in his hand, and he looked at it. It was a compact digital camera, and it could take video as well as still shots. He walked over and put it in his duffle bag.
He called out silently, "Ty, are you still OK? I've got the camera."
Ty replied almost instantly, "Yeah, I'm great! You should see him coming back any second now. He gave up on me." That statement made Tony really curious, but he saw the man race back into the café. However, there was still no sign of Ty.
"Ty, where are you? He's back . are you sure you're OK?"
"Yeah, I'm fine!" Tony jumped - that was Ty's audible voice, and it was right behind him! He turned around, and Ty stood there, grinning like he had just played the biggest practical joke of all time. Tony grabbed his shoulders, then pulled him into a hug.
He said, "Ty, where did you come from? What happened?"
Ty was almost giddy with excitement, his young face looking so proud. He switched to his silent voice and said, "Well, I just had this feeling he'd follow me. Then, when you said he was, I just knew what I was supposed to do. Behind the eating-place there's an alley, and I remembered that there is an awning over the back of the place, because that used to be the entrance. So, when I knew he was coming - and I never looked back at him, so I don't think he knew that I knew - I just turned the corner real fast into the alley and just floated up onto the awning and laid down."
Tony arched his eyebrows when he heard that, but he remained silent and let Ty continue.
"What was weird was, not only did I hear him walk past me in the alley, I also could sense when he was gone. I didn't peek out until I was sure he wasn't around. Then, I floated to the top of the café. I just went from building to building, floating between them. When I got to that corner down there." and he pointed to the intersection a block away, "I floated to the ground in the alley, and walked over here. Pretty good, huh?"
Tony mussed his hair and said, "Good?! No! Ty, you're awesome! That was the best spy work I've ever seen!"