Storybook Island

+ Average, Average, Average...

We were nearing the top and as I looked down I thought I might puke. Meghan didn't seem that scared, but the perspiration on her brow showed how nervous she was. The top approached after a million years, and I sat down on the edge where the track was flat to swing my legs over the side and let my feet dangle. Meghan sat next to me, releasing a sigh of relief. We had made it to the top in one piece, and I considered that an accomplishment. 

"That was terrifying," I admitted, the tension draining from my body. 

Meghan laughed. She looked around, rubbing her hands together. "Yeah. I have to say that was truly crazy."

I nodded. 

Silence fell between us, both of us just surveying the park. The fairy garden in the distance was still lit up by the tiny lights that seemed to dance around it. The castle was behind us, so we couldn't see that, but we could see Dragon's Breath, the most intense ride in the park, off to our left. Rapunzel's tower was on the right, and Jack's beanstalk was ahead. The fake beanstalk shot far into the sky with handles on it for kids to climb, but those didn't go very high to make sure no kids fell to their deaths. Uncle Charlie would probably get sued for that. 

The Mother Goose Boat Ride still had water swishing calmly in its pools for the floating geese boats to sit in. The stand for Goldilocks's Snacks was not very far away and the bright yellow paint looked gray in the dim light. A tiara, wand, sword, and dress shop was a little past that, with beautiful princess dresses for children hanging in its windows. The park was truly magical. 

Then I noticed something else. Something not so normal. Around a sword thrust deep into a rock in the King Arthur section was a weird glowing light. It was so dim, one would barely notice, but in the darkness, it stood out just a tiny bit. 

"Hey, Meghan, look at that! Do you see that light by the sword?" I asked, nudging her and pointing. 

She looked where I was pointing. She squinted for a minute. "No. What light?"

"There's some kind of glow. Come on, let's go look."

"But..." she looked around, "How do we get down?"

I surveyed the area around us. Inwardly, I chuckled. Considering how difficult the climb back down would be, it was probably the last place I'd ever see. Then I stopped laughing, realizing that wasn't very funny considering the circumstances. 

The climb back down was nerve-racking, but when we reached the bottom, I wasted no time in grabbing Meghan's hand and pulling her towards the light I had seen. We raced down the colorful streets, past Hansel and Gretel's Candy Shoppe, through the Gates of Camelot, and finally reached the sword in the stone. 

The bluish light was seeping from cracks around where the stone connected to the ground. It was pretty dim, and I was surprised I had noticed it. 

"Well that's kind of pointless," Meghan remarked, poking the edge of the stone with her foot. 

"What?"

"The light. Uncle Charlie probably had the light set up to make it look cooler, but you can't see it in the day and at night there's so much light from the other rides no one would notice. Kind of a waste."

I furrowed my brow. This didn't make sense. As carefree and laid back as Uncle Charlie was, he wasn't stupid. He wouldn't do it intentionally. "Unless he didn't set it up."

"What's that supposed to mean? You think the rock glows on its own? Man, I knew you were crazy, but really-"

"No, I mean what if there's something under it?"