"A Magical Farewell"
by William "Blissey" Raymer
Presented in Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Walt Disney Company
Inspired in part by the short story
"The Man Who Sold the Sky"
Written by John J. Ordover
Published in the collection
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds I
Published by Pocket Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
This story was inspired by the short story "The Man Who Sold the Sky" by John J. Ordover, as published in the 1998 Pocket Books collection Star Trek: Strange New Worlds I. In this story, a dying (and unnamed-in-the-story) Gene Roddenberry (the creator of Star Trek) is visited on his deathbed by some of the (also unnamed-in-the-story) characters he brought to life or helped bring to life.
I decided to write a similarly themed story to honor the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company. Here, a dying Walt Disney is visited by a couple of old friends and the progeny they helped pave the way for...
St. Joseph Hospital
Burbank, California
15 December 1966
He was dying, no question about that. He also did not question that he brought it upon himself through his years of smoking.
But the man would die that day with a smile upon his face. He had created a litany of characters and stories that would outlive him and the men who helped him create them.
Suddenly, the man heard a voice—a voice he himself used to create.
"Thank goodness we're not too late," the squeaky voice said.
The man thought he was hallucinating due to the medications he was taking. Another squeaky voice—this one female—spoke in response to the first voice.
"At least we made it in time to say goodbye," the squeaky female voice said.
Another female voice—this time cool and understandable—spoke: "Do you want me to use my powers to..."
The dying man felt a cool breeze coming from the direction the cool female voice emanated from. But the cool breeze passed when another female voice—this one being warmer and joyful, despite the circumstances—said, "We can't freeze him. After all, we'd be playing into the urban myth."
"What urban myth?" the dying man thought before a new male voice spoke. "Snips, do you know why this man is famous?"
"I do, Master," a younger female voice said. "He helped inspire generations of children and families throughout this galaxy to dream."
"Not only that," a gruff and middle-aged male voice said. "He helped build a company that would stand for a hundred years, entertaining the world for generations to come after this day."
The dying man heard the cracking of a whip as the middle-aged man continued, "And while some of us weren't originally created by him or those who worked alongside him, we are all part of the family he helped to build."
Another gruff male voice simply said, "I am Groot."
A female voice speaking in a Colombian accent translated: "'And family is important...one way or another..to all of us here today.'"
The dying man slowly opened his eyes and saw a hazy but familiar shape holding on to his hand. "We're here to thank you for making us all possible," the squeaky male voice said.
The source of the squeaky female voice joined the squeaky male voice in holding on to the dying man's hand. "And if you're willing to try, we can take you to be with us," she said.
"But...how?" the dying man croaked out.
There was a soft squeaking sound coming towards the dying man's bed. Then, there was a soft hissing sound and an odd, electronically-processed voice said, "I have stabilized his condition for the journey to come."
"Thank you," the squeaky male voice said. Then, a soft chiming sound entered the room.
Before the once-dying man knew it, he felt himself floating up and out of his hospital bed.
"Where are you taking me?" the man said.
"Second star to the right," the squeaky male voice said.
Then every voice the once-dying man had heard that day said as one, "Second star to the right...and straight on 'til morning."
The once-dying man smiled. He had always liked that story...
Characters that Appeared in this Story (in order of appearance and listed with current voice artist or on-screen actor)
Mickey Mouse (Bret Iwan)
Minnie Mouse (Kaitlyn Robrock)
Elsa [Frozen] (Idina Menzel)
Anna [Frozen] (Kristin Bell)
Anakin Skywalker [Star Wars: The Clone Wars] (Matt Lanter)
Ahsoka Tano [Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels] (Ashley Eckstein)
Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr. [Indiana Jones] (Harrison Ford)
Groot [Guardians of the Galaxy] (Vin Diesel)
Mirabel Madrigal [Encanto] (Stephanie Beatriz)
Baymax [Big Hero 6] (Scott Adsit)
This story is dedicated to Walt Disney and the men and women who helped keep the magic alive for a century and counting. Here's to another century of stories and songs, another century of wonder...and another century of Disney magic.