Cat & Mouse

"This is it." Tom thought to himself as he and Linda approached the castle. There was no better place to do it than here. For the amount of money he dumped to get to this point, it had to be perfect. It took Months of saving to get her the ring, a couple more months to get the tickets for the park, and sprinkle on those nights spent late at work just to buy the plane tickets.

Tom had it all planned out in his head. He had managed to time it just right so that they would get there 10 minutes before the fireworks at midnight went off. He and Linda will sit on the bench and bask in the stars for a couple of minutes, waiting for the time to go by. Then, just before the fireworks go off, Tom will ask for a photographer to take their picture. When they pose, he'll pull out the ring and get down on one knee. If everything goes right, he'll manage to capture her reaction and have the moment illuminated with fireworks.

Disney World prides itself on being a place of magic. I hope to god that's true.

***

Tom and Linda leaned on each other as they looked at the stars. Linda knew more about the constellations than anyone else Tom had ever met. She liked to test Tom's knowledge about the solar system to poke fun at how little he knew.

"Ok, ok, ok! What's that one near the big dipper?" Linda said as she pointed up to a vast array of shining dots.

"Uh… The smaller dipper?"

"Getting warmer."

"The spoon? The less by comparison dipper? The little cup?"

Linda doubled over the bench laughing, turning a couple of heads their way. "It's the little dipper! How did you manage to mess that one up?"

"Hehehe, well that's just my luck…"

Tom subtly took out his phone and looked at the time. They had five minutes left before the fireworks went off. Setting everything up took up so much of his time he didn't even have the time to process that he was about to propose to Linda. They've been dating since high school, and now they're both well into their twenties. Marriage just seemed like a natural because of being together for so long. But despite all the years together, Tom just couldn't seem to calm his nerves.

"Hey, are you alright Tom? You're shaking." Linda took his hand into hers.

"I'm fine, just kind of chilly out here."

"Oh! If you're cold, we can head into one of the restaurants here. There's this one I wanted to

Tom jumped up from the bench. "Well, before we do that, how about we get a picture here in front of the castle?"

"Good idea! It's really pretty out here tonight."

"Not as pretty as you~."

Linda's face contorted in disgust. "You're such a cheeseball, you know that?"

Tom found a cameraman and led him over to their spot. They still had three minutes. Tom needed some way to stall for time until then. He reached into his pocket to get the ring ready. His eyes grew into plates, realizing he couldn't feel it there anymore. Barely keeping a lid on his pounding heart, he rummages around his other pockets to no avail. Sweating beads, he looks around at the ground while Linda talks to the cameraman. Did he drop it somewhere? Backtracking through the park would be impossible! It could be anywhere!

Just before Tom lost it, he noticed something shiny on the bench he and Linda sat at. He must have shaken the ring out of his pocket while jittering like a scared dog. Relief instantly washed over him.

As he made his way over, one of the mascots beat him to the punch. Mickey Mouse looked down onto the bench and pocketed what he found there. Moving right along as if nothing had happened, waving to the people he passed.

"Hey…" Tom whispered to himself as Mickey began to disappear into the crowd. "HEY!!!" 

Tom felt his lungs acting independently, letting out an unearthly cry. Everyone in the circle collectively went silent. Sprinting as fast as he could, he pursued the greedy mouse through the crowd. People yelled and pushed as he swam through, looking for the big round ears to pop out somewhere. Tom swore that Linda yelled something at him, but he didn't catch it. She will understand why he ran off once he returns with the ring.

Soon enough, Tom located his adversary. Mickey was posing for a picture with an old couple with hats resembling his head. That pilferer was probably picking their pockets while they turned their backs. Robbing older people, How low does he sink? Tom should have looked where he was going because, in his haste, he tripped over an ice cream cart and landed in nearby bushes. He ignored the Ice cream man when he offered help. Instead, he shot up his head and looked around. The mouse was heading for the skylift to the overlook.

Being a staff member, the mascot could skip the line of hundreds of people and head straight on to the top. Tom rummaged out his phone to get the time. He still had two minutes before the fireworks went off. There was no way he would get there on time if he took the line. Luckily, there was a staircase that led to the top. But the only way to access it is to go to the other side of the park. 

Without another moment to waste, Tom gunned it. He took shortcuts through shopping areas, went through staff-only entries, and tumbled through restaurants. Soon enough, the stairs were the only obstacle left, leaving one minute on the clock. Tom ran faster than he ever had in his life. He had nothing left in his tank. But to go back to Linda empty-handed is unacceptable. With no other alternative, he pressed on.

The stairs moved fast underneath Tom like a chainsaw as he made his accent. Everything in his peripheral vision blurred. Nothing else mattered besides getting that ring!

Mickey posed for a little girl wearing a birthday hat. When it was over, she hugged Mickey and waved goodbye. Not two seconds later, Mickey was football-tackled to the ground. Tom pinned his arms and legs, heaving like a lunatic. He had enough sweat to fill a bucket.

"WHERE IS IT!" He screamed, frothing from the mouth.

"I don't know what you're talking about, man! Get off me!"

"YOUR LIAR! YES YOU DO!"

With the last of his strength, Tom flipped him over and dug into his back pocket. From which he procured only a quarter and nothing else. Rummaging around his other pockets didn't reveal anything either. Tom saw him put it in his pocket!

"Where did you put the ring!"

"I don't have any ring, man! I just work here!"

"Well then, we'll have to take you apart piece by piece until we find it."

"NO! I'LL GET FIRED IF PEOPLE SEE ME WITHOUT THE SUIT!!"

Ignoring his pleas, Tom reached for his head, ready to rip it off and expose whoever was inside.

"TOM! What are you doing?" Linda grabbed his hand before he could do anything to the poor man.

"Linda! This rat stole something significant to me. I need to get it back before-" Fireworks went off in the sky, cutting him off. Dazzling, colorful explosions show off Donald, Goofy, Mini, and other characters. It would be much prettier if it didn't remind Tom his plan fell through.

"Before that happens."

"Well, before you ran off, I was going to tell you you dropped this." Linda pulled out the ring from her pocket and gave it to Tom.

"WHAT! But how did-"

"You left it on the bench when you got the camera guy. I was excited but didn't want to ruin your moment. I was going to sneak it back into your pocket when you weren't looking.

Tom didn't say anything for what felt to him like forever. On top of everything, he just felt embarrassed. He practically ran a marathon for a measly quarter. Looking around, Tom noticed all the people were stunned. A couple of kids were bawling their eyes out. It was only now sinking in that he just tackled a beloved character to the ground like a rabid dog. The silence was broken when Micky spoke up.

"That's adorable dude. Can you get off me now?"

"Oh yeah! Sorry." Tom let Mickey out from under him.

"You know, the fireworks are still going." Linda chimed in. "It's still not too late to propose."

Tom sighed and got down on one knee. "I know it's not exactly what I planned, but… Linda Elise Adams, You are the most important person in the world to me. Will you marry me?" He smiled sheepishly.

Linda took the ring and put it on her finger. She couldn't hold back her tears. 

"I do."