Chapter 15: The Stakes of Being the Anomaly
Mindy could've sworn that she heard an angelic choir from the heavens the moment the wizard opened that door… She wanted so badly to break down into a fit of tears, but she managed to pull herself together and put on a calm disposition.
She was too intimidated to even look at him, so she settled for staring at the ground instead which in turn caused an aggravating strand of hair to fall directly in front of her face. Blushing profusely, she tucked it back behind her ear and prayed that he hadn't noticed it.
The worst part of all was the silence that came afterwards…
I swear if somebody doesn't say something right now, I just might scream.
"Um, hey there Mister Yen Sid Sir." Jiminy took off his hat in a gentlemanlike manner, "Sorry for disturbing you, but remember how ya said that she would return one day? Well, it looks like today is that day hehe… surprise! Oh! And she brought some friends along too!"
He then gestured for her to say something, but all she could manage was another pathetic: "H-howdy."
Mindy, your panhandle redneck side is showing.
Yen Sid raised a single brow in response which made the current circumstances even more uncomfortable…
Eventually, she mustered enough courage to stick out her hand to shake. "Mister Sid, it is truly an honor to-"
She didn't even get the chance to finish her sentence before she was pulled into a tight embrace by none other than the sorcerer himself.
Mindy's body automatically stiffened. Um…I guess this is happening now.
She had no idea what to do… His arms held her shoulders in a constrictive grip that she couldn't seem to wiggle out of. So, she simply stood there like an idiot before hesitantly wrapping her arms around his torso in return.
Jiminy couldn't help but crack a smile as he witnessed the tender reunion before him while the rest of the spectators watched in sheer astonishment.
The two stayed like this for quite some time before he inevitably released her, and took a step backwards to give her some space. Mindy found that she was a bit disappointed that the hug had ended so soon. It had contained genuine parental warmth, and it was a sensation that she had never experienced in all her life. Even when she occasionally hugged Dakota, he gave off more of a sibling vibe than a fatherly one.
Any form of physical contact was impossible to come by in her household.
Mindy used to ask for hugs on a daily basis, but her father would either remain silent or push her off of him whenever she tried to show signs of affection. After a certain number of failed embraces, she came to accept the fact that no matter how hard she tried, she could never fill the empty hole in her father's heart.
Since there was no point in staring at the floor anymore, Mindy lifted her head to gaze upon the infamous Disney-spelled-backwards sorcerer himself. She always imagined that if she ever met Yen Sid face-to-face that his black hawk-like eyes would be terrifying beyond all reason, but they were filled with so much unfiltered happiness that she found them to be even more unnerving. His pupils were almost nonexistent, appearing as though someone had accidently spilled drops of ink into both of his eyes. His gray neckbeard went down to his mid-torso, and wore a long-sleeved aqua robe with a lengthy train dragging behind him.
His lips twitched before forming into a thin smile which greatly disturbed her.
Yen Sid was meant to be a mysterious teacher who was practical as well as intelligent. That was part of the reason why he was considered to be one of Mindy's favorite Disney characters of all time. In Fantasia, he didn't have to utter a single word to get his message across. His cold forbidding demeanor was more than enough to tell you that he meant business. He was supposed to never show his inner emotions. Otherwise, he would appear less intimidating to others.
What is it with me and causing so many of these iconic characters to act so...well, out of character? Mindy wondered. I feel…I feel out of place. Like I shouldn't even be here to begin with…like my very presence could crumble the very world these people exist in. But at the same time that unshakeable feeling of completeness is there buzzing about inside of me like so many times before…and I want to know why.
"Welcome Mindy." Yen Sid's deep baritone voice drew her out of her wandering thoughts, "We have all been waiting patiently for your return."
Wow…he sounds like a more mature version of Captain Hook.
"Eh, thanks."
Great job Miss I-can't-think-of-a-single-thing-to-say-at-this-exact-moment-but-I'll-try-anyway-because-I-have-to-say-something-otherwise-I'll-look-like-a-complete-moron-in-front-one-of-the-most-powerful-Disney-characters-of-all-time.
To her relief, Yen Sid chuckled. "Look how much you have grown my little apprentice."
Mindy's eyes bulged. "Apprentice? As in The Sorcerer's Apprentice? Isn't that role supposed be filled by Mickey Mouse? You know, M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E?"
She sung the last part in the tune of the original Mickey Mouse Club Theme Song and caused the corners of the sorcerer's eyes to crinkle as if she'd told the most hilarious joke of all time. "You haven't changed a bit. You always did like to play strange games like this. I still remember that one instance where you insisted that your name wasn't Mindy at all, and that it was someone named Annemarie and…why are you looking at me with those wide frightened eyes child?"
"I uh, hate to break it to you sir." Jiminy piped up as he twiddled his fingers, "But you see, something happened to her while she was gone… something uh, bad."
Mindy wasn't sure if it was her imagination or not, but she could've sworn that Yen Sid's already-microscopic pupils shrunk to aneven more inconceivable size, "What is it?"
"Well, she…. sorta… kinda… lost all of her memories about us and her role in the w-ahh! Um, The You-Know-What." Jiminy hissed that last statement before laughing it off.
"But that's okay Beardy Wizard!" Peter Pan chose that exact moment to intervene, "You can just whip some potion or whatever, and get her back to normal in a jiffy, right?!"
The sorcerer didn't scold him for the nickname, and instead grew eerily quiet for a moment, "Magic can do many things young man, but it cannot solve every problem."
"Please sir." Jiminy pleaded. "There has to be something you can do to help her remember."
Yen Sid said nothing…
Instead, he began to stare intensely at the girl in question.
Strangely enough, Mindy wasn't nervous or freaked out by this…just deeply intrigued. Does he still think that this is some elaborate childish prank? Is he staring into my soul to determine if I am to be trusted? Is he somehow reading my current thoughts and is silently judging me for judging him?
Eventually, Yen Sid took a deep breath. "Now that you mention it, I recall brewing something that applied to this precise scenario… Isaiah! Marian!" Two random brooms stepped forward as the sorcerer addressed them, "Please escort Mindy and her companions to the guestrooms to freshen up. Afterwards, usher them to the study and I will join them momentarily. The rest of you brooms may retire to the closet for the night."
The remaining forty plus broomsticks bowed before marching down the hall and filing neatly into their Broom Closet.
"So…they have their own names huh?" Mindy questioned.
"Of course they do." Yen Sid said with a bittersweet smile, "You're the one who named them."
Her brows shot up, but she didn't press further.
The guestrooms were neither elegant nor rustic.
They hadn't looked like they'd been used in eons, but the two broomsticks made sure to clean them to perfection before allowing them to go inside and attend to their needs.
Once everyone had bathed (it took a LOT of convincing to get Peter and The Lost Boys to even touch the tub) and treated their injuries (although Mindy was in worse shape than everybody else so it took an excruciating amount of time for her to redress her ankle, neck, and arm) they followed Marian and Isaiah back down the halls towards the study.
Mindy had traded her Neverland Native garb for a maroon velvet gown that reached just above her ankles and her straw sandals were replaced by a pair of dusty-brown boots. The dress had come with its own medieval corset (which she had ditched unapologetically) and had a square-shaped collar, golden accents, and outrageously lengthy sleeves that got caught up in everything.
Still, it was better than walking around looking like a sewer rat so she wasn't complaining.
Dakota was reluctant about giving up his piano suspenders, but caved in to the game of dress-up and changed into a loose white shirt, a brown leather vest (which Mindy teased him nonstop for looking like Shrek) and tan baggy pants. On his feet were some black boots (also leather) and atop the bridge of his nose were his usual wire-rimmed glasses.
When they arrived, Mindy blinked as her lips parted slightly.
It was the library from her vision…
The walls gave off a greenish yellowish tint in the surrounding candlelight, and a stone floor that was filled with intricate tiny cracks. A twisting labyrinth of shelves upon shelves of books filled the perimeter of the space, and there was a large Persian rug in the center. A lit fireplace was pressed up against the back wall, and a couple red velvet armchairs along with a matching sofa encircled it. Some writing desks with quills, parchment, and bottles of ink were scattered throughout the study, and a couple of alchemy tables with mortar, pestle, scales, potion bottles, and glass tubes were placed on either side of the room as well.
As Mindy crossed the threshold, her body seemed to move on her own as she padded over to one of the alchemy tables. She peeked around the corner past one of the bookshelves only to come face-to-face with a blank wall…
There's supposed to be a door here. She squinted as she fruitlessly searched for the red wooden thing with the initials O.W. carved on it, but it was nowhere to be seen.
"What are you looking for?"
Mindy flinched…she'd forgotten that she wasn't alone. "Uh I was… never mind…it was nothing I guess."
Jiminy eyed her for a few unending seconds before shrugging in defeat. "Alright, if you say so."
She snuck one last glance at the wall before joining her companions at the fireplace. Dakota and Wendy had curled up on the two armchairs, Peter was sprawled across the sofa, and the Lost Boys had settled in front of them.
Having nowhere else to go, Mindy leaned beside the mantle with a pensive glimmer in her eye.
"I don't know about you guys, but I am exhausted." Dakota said with a yawn.
This in turn caused Wendy to do the same whilst nodding in agreement, "I should be home in London asleep on the cushioned window seat by now or perhaps writing about my brother's and I's adventures in Neverland before I forget every crucial little detail…but instead I'm in the Fantasia Gardens…and while I don't mind that the adventure is continuing a bit longer than I anticipated…the fact doesn't change that I'm still incredibly homesick."
Mindy scratched her opposite elbow and avoided eye-contact.
She was about to apologize again for accidently separating Wendy from her family, but stopped herself at the last minute. The phrase 'forgive and forget' didn't apply to some people…it certainly didn't apply to her.
Mindy remembered a time when she'd dated a dude in middle school.
She'd believed him to be the love of her life (even though she'd known little to nothing about love at that age) until she caught him cheating on her with one of her friends in the locker room when Mindy had gone back to retrieve the hairbrush she'd neglected for the past few days.
She'd confronted them, given them a lengthy scolding, and stormed off in a fit of tears. After many months of peer pressure (that manifested itself in the form of their meaningless apologies), she'd forgiven them.
But she'd never forgotten.
People told her to stop holding grudges, and for the most part Mindy followed their advice. But just because she wasn't planning on burning any bridges anytime soon, didn't mean that she had to like the wrongdoers. When passing her ex or his new significant other in the hall, she'd been civil but never went out of her way to have pleasant conversation with either of them.
She figured that it was the same for Wendy.
If she chose to never forgive Mindy for what she'd done, that was fine by her.
There were only so many times she could say she was sorry before the words became meaningless. She understood that kids at Wendy's age tended to have an infinite amount of pent-up frustration inside of them as a result of going through so many physical and emotional changes.
So, she decided to not take her words from earlier to heart and instead remained silent.
"Aw, don't worry Wendy." Peter spoke up with a comforting smile, "Everything's gonna be alright. As soon as Beardy Wizard helps Mindy get her memories back, I'm sure that he'll help you get back home."
Now feeling a bit left out, Mindy joined in the conversation, "Why do you call him Beardy Wizard?"
"He always called him that whenever he'd come visit." Jiminy shook his head with an amused chortle, "It's the same with my nickname: 'Mister Hoppy Legs'. I'm just grateful he didn't go with 'Grasshopper' or 'Locust'. Those are very offensive stereotypes in the insect world (if you're not a grasshopper or a locust that is)."
She was about to question further when the doors opened behind them.
Simultaneously, they turned to see Sorcerer Yen Sid gliding towards them with a broomstick waddling close behind. For some reason, Mindy remembered his name to be Joseph but chose not to comment on it. Joseph carried a silver tray piled with meat, cheese, and bread in both hands, and set it down on a wooden table beside Dakota's armchair.
"I figured that you all would be famished after the particularly trying day you've had." Yen Sid said as he swiftly crossed to the front of the room.
"Thank you." Mindy grinned, "We really appreciate it."
The sorcerer offered another one of his rare smiles, before clearing his throat and regaining his serious disposition, "Now…I realize that you don't remember, but before you departed from The Dremesphere I brewed a memory tonic in the unlikely circumstance that sometime in the future you'd forget about us and your purpose…unfortunately, it appears that this was a likely circumstance."
Yen Sid withdrew a glass vial from his sleeve that was filled about halfway with a mysterious shimmering white liquid. Upon closer inspection, Mindy noticed that it appeared as different colors depending on how it was held in the light. First it was white, then blue, then purple, then pink etc.
"I'd advise you to eat something before taking this." Yen Sid said as he gave it to her, "But you needn't worry about the taste. Before you left, you added something in there to make it taste like berries."
Mindy stared dubiously at the concoction in her hand, "Approximately, how old was I when I did that?"
"Ten...possibly even eleven."
"So that probably means that there's no glue or sparkles in here." She determined as she flipped it over to look at the bottom. "I don't think that at eleven I was that psychotic."
"Here." Mindy turned to Dakota who offered a couple of tiny sandwiches he'd made out of the bread, meat, and cheese, "Eat up buttercup."
She took them and stuffed them into her mouth greedily, much to the disbelief of the characters surrounding her. Wendy wrinkled her nose in disgust, but made the decision to not say anything.
Mindy chewed and swallowed her mouthful before uncorking the bottle.
She was about to chug it down when she stopped…
"Why are you hesitating?"
Yen Sid's voice caused her to almost drop it, but she pulled herself together and caught it in a trembling hand.
"Because…because I'm scared." She eventually admitted, "My whole life, I've always thought of myself as nothing. I know-at least, I thought I knew who I was…a ball of nerves, a girl always on the brink of collapse. Someone who didn't have a chance in this world because of how unworthy she was for all it had to offer…so unworthy that her own father never gave two shits about her. But…the way you all talk about me as if I'm someone important, like I'm some wonderful bundle of joy….I'm….I'm scared I won't live up to your expectations, heck I'm scared I won't live up to my expectations. But most of all, I'm scared that once I take this potion I won't recognize myself anymore."
"You won't." Upon seeing the look of horror that formed on her face, Jiminy elucidated, "Not recognize yourself anymore, I mean! Mindy, this is what you've always wanted-"
"-what if it's not everything I thought it would be?"
"It will."
She whirled around to face Peter, "And…if it isn't?"
By now, he was sitting up on the sofa and he clasped his hands together as his forehead scrunched up in thought, "Then I guess I'd tell you to stop overthinking and doubting yourself. If you really think about it, what is there for you to worry about? At the end of the day you're still gonna be you. You're just gonna be a completed version of you."
Mindy considered his words for a moment…then, lifted the vial to her lips and swallowed the contents in one gulp.
To her delight, Yen Sid hadn't been lying when he told her it would taste like berries. Strawberry was her absolute favorite flavor, and her past-self had even been clever enough to throw in some banana into the mix as well.
The first thing Mindy noticed when she'd finished was that she didn't feel any different than she had before…She was still reveling in the sweet-and-sour taste of the impromptu strawberry and banana smoothie, and it wasn't until a rumbling sound emanating from the pit of her stomach that she started to feel some side effects. Her head didn't necessarily hurt per se…it was mostly swimming.
There was no other way for her to describe it.
A million puzzle pieces that she once thought were lost forever in her vast ocean of memory came flooding back to her in an instant…but it was too much for her rapidly whizzing brain to comprehend all at once. Something inside of the deepest darkest confides of her subconscious was… shifting. It almost felt like someone was rummaging through the lobes of her brain, and it didn't hurt.
But it did make her feel incredibly fatigued all of a sudden.
Mindy's legs gave out from underneath her, but she was able to stop herself before she collapsed. Peter immediately sprang into action, and carefully guided her to sit down next to him on the couch.
"How do you feel?" He didn't bother to hide the eagerness in his tone, "Did it work? Is anything coming back to you?"
Regretfully, she shook her head. "No…but I have a funny feeling that those sandwiches will be coming back to me shortly, if you catch my drift."
As she started to dry-heave, Dakota speedily grabbed one of Marian's buckets without asking permission and placed it onto his friend's lap. It sloshed with thick orange-and-yellow paint which only caused Mindy to become even sicker. Thankfully the throbbing of her stomach had subsided after a while, and nothing came spilling out.
I guess my body decided that it's done enough throwing up for one day. Mindy surmised.
She straightened up as she wiped a bit of drool that had leaked out the side of her mouth, and couldn't help but release a disappointed sigh, "Did I…did I do something wrong?"
Instead of answering her question, Yen Sid approached the distraught girl, and crouched down to her level. Mindy didn't recoil when he placed his hand on her forehead, and a soft cerulean light emanated from it. Then, it was replaced by an explosion of black-and-white fuzzy dots for a split second before switching back to its original color.
The sorcerer's pinpricked eyes widened in alarm as he drew back to his normal height, "The Projectionist…he's been tampering with your memories. That is why you are unable to remember the events of the past eleven years."
Dakota twiddled with his fingers, "What-what do you mean by tampering?"
"The Projectionist is an extremely powerful entity." Yen Sid explained, "He can do a many number of horrendous things, but his specialty is manipulating one's mind until they become an empty shell of the person they were before. He strips characters of their uniqueness, and makes them forget who they are entirely until they're nothing but colored lines on paper. The Projectionist has become a parasite inside of Mindy's mind, and she will continue to be drained of her creativity, hopes, and dreams until she essentially becomes unrecognizable in our eyes."
Throughout the sorcerer's spiel, Mindy felt the beginnings of a panic attack.
Her chest was starting to feel a sudden tightness, she was finding it difficult to breathe properly, and her head was pounding something fierce. Visions of a pair of crimson eyes, a plethora of swirling tentacles, and a suit with checkerboard patterns on it flashed in her reeling mind. That wasn't just a nightmare as a result of collapsing from exhaustion…she had encountered The Projectionist. He was dead-set on draining her of her entire personality…and what was worse was that he was succeeding.
She grabbed the bucket once again, and emptied the contents of her stomach much to the dismay of Marian.
Mindy didn't even think about apologizing to the poor broomstick.
In fact, she couldn't seem to think about doing anything and before she knew what was happening, the room around her started to spin…
"…on breathe with me Min." A voice brought her back from whatever interdimensional rift her brain had been sucked into, "In for six, out for six…In for six, out for six…good, now say these next words with me in your head, alright? I know I am breathing in, I know I am breathing out…I know I am present in this moment, this is a precious moment…when I breathe in I am clearing my body and my mind, when I breathe out I smile. Everything's gonna be alright I promise, now let's do it again come on…I know I am breathing in, I know I am breathing out-"
-I know I am present in this moment, this is a precious moment. Mindy repeated as she did what she was instructed. When I breathe in I am clearing my body and my mind…when I breathe out I smile. I know I am breathing in-
"-that's wonderful, keep it up." Her vision cleared enough to see Jiminy Cricket balancing on her bent knees with a relieved grin on his face, "I know I am breathing in, I know I am breathing out…I know I am present in this moment, this is a precious moment…"
In the time that they continued breathing, Mindy started to make out more and more details about her current surroundings. Apparently, once she'd lost herself in her whirlwind of panicked thoughts, she'd flopped back-first onto the opposite side of the couch. Yes, it was embarrassing beyond all reason, but it was still more preferable then landing on Peter's lap or into the bucket of puke and nacho-colored paint.
"Are you okay?" Dakota asked quietly as he knelt beside her.
Mindy nodded… "A little light-headed but other than that, I'm fine." She then turned to face the cricket teetering on her knees, "Thanks Jiminy."
"You're very welcome." He said with a little bow.
Yen Sid cupped his hand over his mouth as his brow wrinkled, "This is worse than I feared...Mindy, in order for you to understand just how high the stakes have been raised since your return, I must tell you the story of how you created The Dremesphere."
Jiminy hopped off of her knees and onto the arm rest above her head right as she rose into a seated position. The rest of the characters leaned on the edges of their seats (except for the Lost Boys who were seated on the ground but still perked up regardless) as Sorcerer Yen Sid began to weave his tale.
"Once every thousand centuries or so, a child is born with either a wondrous gift or a deadly curse." He paused for a moment as he mindfully calibrated his next words, "The ability to create anything they desire with nothing but the sheer power of their imaginations. These children are called anomalies. This power can either bring joy and happiness to others, or chaos and destruction depending on how they choose to utilize it."
Mindy was enthralled, "So they can literally do…anything?"
"Yes." Yen Sid answered, "I'm certain that as an authoress yourself, you already know where I'm going with this. You were one of these children -no, you are one of these children Mindy."
"And that's how I made The Dremesphere." She fought the urge to squeal upon FINALLY pronouncing the name of the world correctly.
The sorcerer nodded, "The catch to these powers is that only those who believed in what they were able do could see their creations, and this includes the anomaly as well…Other children created a many number of fantastic realms, charming characters, and exciting adventures of their own. In turn, some have created nightmarish realms, hellish creatures, and life-threatening scenarios as well. When you were only five years old, you decided to create a world inhabited by all of the animated characters from the Disney pantheon. Life was pleasant for a short while until you realized that you lacked control over your newfound abilities. Nothing is more powerful than the imagination, and if an anomaly thinks of something they wish to do they can do it without even lifting a finger. This resulted in too many accidents to count, and you sought me for help. I took you under my wing, and made you my new apprentice. I created The Amulet of Illusions for the sole purpose to assist you in better containing your imagination."
Mindy briefly glanced down at the pendant around her neck.
It gleamed back as if saying: He's talking about me!
The lightbulb went off in her head, "Wait…that's why the amulet opened up a portal to Fantasia Gardens! My last thought before we arrived at Bald Mountain was begging God to open up a portal to…H-E-Double Hockey Sticks underneath my feet to escape an incredibly awkward conversation…but I thought you said that the amulet was meant to contain my imagination?"
"That was its purpose." Yen Sid replied, "However, it somehow became…sentient as a result from my constant experimentation. It is a mischievous being, and is prone to be extremely unconventional so be careful with your 'imaginative' thoughts from now on because you never know which ones it will make into a reality."
Mindy didn't dare look over at Wendy in fear that she'd see the pent-up rage building up inside of her, and instead directed all of her undivided attention to the sorcerer's narrative.
"For a brief period of time, everything was well. You were our fearless leader: Princess Mindy of The Dremesphere. You went on thrilling adventures every day, and returned to The Otherworld when night fell (other than the weekends). But everything changed when The Projectionist arrived." Yen Sid stated gravely, "No one knew where he came from, but he was able to single-handedly take over the Disney Capital in less than a day solely from using his powers of manipulation against the citizens. He also started to replay our stories over-and-over again in loops…he said that it was so we "Useless lines and splotches of ink" could perform our purpose. You tried to stop him along many brave magicians and sorcerers from around the kingdom, but when he started to make them forget who they were, you and a select few were forced to retreat. You hid in an underground sanctuary in Neverland for a couple of months before The Projectionist's shifters found you. That was when we came to the decision to return you to The Otherworld to keep you safe, and to grow strong enough to free us from The Projectionist's reign of terror. He must have gotten into your mind right as you were leaving The Dremesphere, and that is why you can't remember how to use your powers. Mindy, in order for you to have a chance at saving us, you must follow your amulet's instructions to reclaim your memories and re-channel the forces of your imagination. Only then can this war-this, this madness finally come to an end."
"What? No…" Was all Mindy could say as she looked down at her tremoring hands, "No…I'm sorry, but you've got the wrong girl. I don't fight evil sorcerers, I don't slay dragons, and I don't go on grand quests! In short, I'm a coward and I'm far from qualified for the title of Disney heroine!"
"But what about when you saved Tiger Lily from drowning at Skull Rock?" Dakota piped up, "Or when you got out of the brig? When you befriended Ticky the crocodile? When you faced off against freaking Captain James Hook?"
"Those things were purely instinctive!" She burst out as she stood to face everyone, "I didn't do them because I wanted to! I did them because I HAD to!"
"How is this any different?" Peter inquired, "Look, I don't want to load a lot of pressure on you or anything, but the entire fate of The Dremesphere rests in your hands right now."
"I'm afraid Master Pan is right." The sorcerer said as he looked at the girl with pleading eyes, "Mindy, if The Projectionist wins then the entire world and the characters that reside in it will disappear along with you."
She started to breathe heavily again as the characters stared at her with equally desperate expressions on their faces. When the queasiness had reached its peak, Mindy picked up her skirts and sprinted out the door as an overwhelming amount of tears sprung to her eyes…
I'm just one person…how can I be expected to save an entire world?
