+ CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR: B. Collins
Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom
The sun was shining in the cloudless sky and the rays it produced were warm as they danced across my bare arms. We were near the beach in Bay Lake, Florida, where the amusement park was located.
– “Auntie Gina, Auntie Gina!” I shouted, full of excitement because I was going to see all of my favorite Disney characters in real life! “Are we going to see Winnie the Pooh and Tigger?”
– “Yes, sweetie. We’ll go see them,” my Auntie replied with a big grin on her face.
She was taking me all the way to Florida and my dreams were finally going to come true! I could barely contain my happiness as I saw the castle in the distance.
As we got closer to the entrance, I smelled some of the most delicious smells I have ever smelled in my life. There was the smell of french fries and funnel cakes and cotton candy and bubble gum, all of the smells made my stomach growl. We purchased our tickets and entered the park.
There were so many rides. There were roller coasters and carousels, bumper cars and water slides. There was even a petting zoo!
– “Auntie Gina, do you think we can get some food? I’m starving!” I asked her with a grumble in my stomach.
But then I saw him. Winnie the Pooh was right in front of me! His furry body was just a few feet from me! I began to jump up and down with excitement and ran over to him.
I patiently waited for the little girl in front of me who was hugging him too, and as soon as she finished and walked away, I sprinted up to him and tapped him on the back. He turned around with a big jar of honey in his hands wearing his signature sweater and, oh boy! It was amazing! I finally got to see Winnie the Pooh in real life!
Not too far away was one of Winnie’s friends! Piglet ran over to greet me and bent down to say:
– Hi, what’s your name?
– “Anna,” I responded with.
I was so happy to see all of my favorite characters in one place. I pulled my favorite journal out of the backpack I brought and a permanent marker so I will always remember meeting them.
– Can you sign my notebook?
– “Oh, sure Anna!” Piglet and Winnie the Pooh responded quickly with a bright smile that lit up my world.
After getting the signature, my auntie and I talked to Winnie and friends and continued to walk around Disney World. We went on a bunch of fun rides like Space Mountain and The Seven Dwarves Mine Train and we saw some of the other Disney characters, like Elsa and Anna! After a tiring yet super fun day, we went back to our hotel and relaxed.
Before I knew it, I was in a forest. Trees were everywhere. The sunlight that passed through the gaps in the trees above me splotched the dirt floor with light. A trail lead out to a clearing where a few indistinct figures were running around in a circle.
Along the edge of the path, tall green grass grew and a few mushrooms poked out in between the long emerald blades.
I sat up and brushed the dust off of my pants and walked over to where the people were dancing around in a circle. When I got close enough to make out what I was seeing, I noticed it had been Winnie the Pooh and his friends! Tigger, Winnie, Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, Owl, and of course, Kanga and Roo! The whole gang was there.
I ran over and jumped into Winnie’s arms and had the best bear hug of my life!
He set me back down onto the ground, looked me in the eye and said, “Nice to see you again, Anna! It was so fun seeing you at Disney and I really want to be your friend!”
I giggled with happiness and then responded by saying, “Of course Winnie, I’ll be your friend!”
He picked me up once again and hugged me even better than before.
We moved on to playing games of hopscotch that I helped him make in the dirt.
Together, we found sticks in the forest around us to make the squares because we didn’t have any chalk with us. It took us a little while, but before long, with our teamwork and determination, we made the hopscotch and had a blast!
After playing hopscotch we played ring-around-the-rosy. As we spun around in circles, I felt the wind blow my hair and I saw all of the smiling faces of my new friends. After that, we ventured into the forest to have some fun. We just went walking and we talked about our lives and looked at the beautiful scenery. Eeyore was sad as always, but after some convincing, we were all able to make him laugh. We continued to walk around the forest for a little while, laughing all along the way.
On the trail, Winnie said that he got hungry and pulled a huge jar of honey out from who knows where and we all sat down and had a feast. The honey was so sweet, even sweeter than I imagined as I watched the movies.
Not too long after that, Winnie told me that he had to go back home and that we had the best time of his life today.
– “Thank you, Winnie, it was amazing getting to talk to you and play with you for a little while,” I said back, slightly sad because I didn’t want to see him and his friends go, but still full of pleasure from the fun I just had.
I felt myself slipping away from the world I knew and loved and I watched birds and butterflies fly away.
The ground, the trees, and Winnie’s house so far away dissolved in front of me and I woke up in my bed. I saw the bright light of the sun as it rose into the sky outside my window and I heard the chirping of little birds just outside. I smiled with delight as I recalled what I had just dreamed about and I heard the voice of Aunt Gina saying:
– “Good morning, sunshine. Ready for your big day?”