It’s a Small Uber World After All
Chapter Twelve
Stoley
Bly pulled Jordan along in an attempt to wrangle the last row of one of the boats. As the boat quickly filled up, a teenager in line looked over at them with thoughts of squeezing into their last row. His thoughts were quickly turned to other avenues when Bly pulled the lap bar down and glared at him. He quickly stepped back and waited for the next boat to pull up. Jordan snickered when Bly snuggled closer to her as the ride departed.
"Here we go." Jordan squealed and grabbed Bly when the boat lurched forward on its journey. Bly looked behind them to the track that held the boat in place, even though it appeared to be floating freely in the moving water. She didn't feel it necessary to inform Jordan of this event and instead put her arm around the young blonde as they entered the darkness of the ride. A chill on the back of Jordan's neck moved her easily into Bly's embrace.
Isalba smiled over at Meg as she watched her lover tickle the side of the
blonde's neck again causing the mortal to move closer to her partner's body.
"You keep that up and she will be in her lap before the ride is half over."
Meg laughed and replied, "That was the plan, my love".
"Do you feel a draft in here?" Jordan whispered to Bly as, once again, she felt a brush of air on the side of her neck.
Bly felt Jordan shiver and slide closer to her. "No, I don't think so," she replied and wrapped her arm tighter around the blonde's body.
"Mmmmm, oh yes, that is better," Jordan murmured and snuggled deeper into Bly's embrace.
"Oh yeah? How about this?" Bly whispered as she nuzzled the soft flesh of Jordan's neck.
"Much better," purred Jordan.
"And this?" Bly captured Jordan's lips for a searing kiss and didn't release her until she felt eyes upon them. Lifting her head, she looked at the backs of the people in ride in front of them and saw no one. Looking around, she still felt apprehensive, as if someone were watching them.
"What's the matter?" Jordan asked breathing deeply from the kiss.
Bly looked around once again and shrugged in the darkness, "Nothing I guess. Just getting a creepy feeling in here."
"Me too," Jordan replied as she looked over the mechanical exhibit of pirates, wondering if any were possibly real. Suddenly, a loud bang and ensuing crackle of cannon fire startled her out of her investigation.
Bly snickered beside the blonde and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Don't worry. I'll protect you."
Jordan poked Bly in her ribs until she heard a mock cry of pain, and replied, "Very funny."
Bly didn't get a chance to respond when the ride suddenly seemed to be going over an edge, and she quickly grabbed the lap bar in front of her. Jordan couldn't help herself and squealed in laughter as they dropped a mere distance and the ride came to its end.
"Are you okay, Isalba?" Meg asked concerned at the sudden stiffening of the figure next to her.
Recovering, Isalba patted Meg's hand, "Well, I must say I never expected that!"
Meg laughed and pointed toward her look-alike seated before them, "I expect neither did she." The apparitions chuckled as the boat glided out of the darkness and into the light.
"That was fun," Jordan chuckled as they walked out into the bright sunlight.
Bly's eyes twinkled mischievously as she looked over at Jordan, "You know I'll get you back for that, you."
"Is that a promise?" Jordan batted back her eyes.
"You can bank on it," Bly chuckled in reply. "So, what's next?"
"There is one more ride I'd like to go on, but it's sort of cheesy."
Jordan hesitated as Bly's brow furled. She had an idea of what that ride was, but hesitated hoping she was wrong and finally said, "Lead the way."
Bly allowed Jordan to drag her into the Country Bear Jamboree mumbling, "Well, at least it's not It's a Small World."
Jordan laughed and replied, "That's next!"
Bly's groan was echoed by a ghostly figure as she followed Jordan into the show.
As the lights dimmed and the show progressed, Bly and Jordan's uninvited guests were at first amused by the various bears that appeared to be talking but finally, grew weary of it all, and turned their attention to the couple they had been following. Hovering just above what could have been her twin, the apparition marveled at how much this dark-haired woman resembled herself. Caught up in her examination she reached down and lightly traced the contour of the woman's cheekbone.
Bly jumped and swiped a hand across her cheek thinking, what the hell was that? She looked at the seat next to her, but it was empty. It had been a light cold pressure that had moved against her face.
"What's wrong Bly?" Jordan asked concerned.
Bly turned to look at Jordan in the darkness of the theater and replied, "Felt like someone had touched me." Jordan looked behind them and saw nothing but smiling faces of children, the attention caught up in the show around them. She patted Bly's hand and entwined her shorter fingers within the longer ones of her partner. Bly just shrugged and shook it off.
As the show ended, Bly and Jordan followed along with the throng of people as they made their way toward the exit. She touched her cheek again briefly as they came out into the bright sunlight. Squinting in the warmth, she shivered and looked over at Jordan, "Are you about ready to move on?"
Jordon grimaced when she saw the line for the Thunder Railroad and replied, "Yes, I don't think I want to stand in that line for two hours." Bly agreed and the two women made their way toward Fantasy Land. As they walked, Bly kept looking over her shoulder with an uneasy feeling. She had felt as if they had been followed since they had entered Adventureland and the feeling remained. They continued walking, making their way back around toward Main Street. Hearing the familiar nagging song, Bly pulled Jordan over into the line.
"But I thought you hated this ride?" Jordan asked confused at Bly's sudden decision.
"I don't hate it, I just find the music annoying, but I know that you like this ride," Bly replied.
Unaware of how much an unseen conversation next to them paralleled their own, Bly and Jordan got into line for the ride. Isalba was groaning inwardly at why these two mortals had to stop at Small World. She looked over at Meg questioning, "I still don't get why they think it's a small world?"
"I know, my dear, what do you say we move on and leave these two mortals alone?"
”Yes, by all means, let's leave this place. That music is so annoying."
It was finally Bly and Jordan's turn to board the ride after what felt like ages to Bly. This time they ended up in the front of the boat and turned to look at the seat behind them. Tiny little faces all smiling and excited at the prospect of the ride confronted her. Bly sighed and thought, "Oh to be like them again," and turned to face the front, keeping her hands in her lap thinking.
Jordan leaned over and said, "Boy, they sure do keep it chilly in here."
Bly had just been ready to comment that she was finally beginning to warm up, and only shrugged as the ride commenced. Bly watched Jordan throughout the ride, and came to the conclusion that the look on the young blonde's face was worth the torture of listening to that song. It reminded her of when she was a kid and the ice cream truck would come down the street, playing the same tune over and over. By the end of summer, Bly not only hated that truck, but was also beginning to dislike ice cream.
"What do you say we head over to Animal Kingdom now?" Bly asked as they strolled down Main Street looking into the various shops that lined the way.
"Yes! I've never been there," Jordan replied enthusiastically.
"Me, either," Bly offered and directed Jordan toward the Disney buses that would transport them between the parks. The air-conditioned bus was fairly empty as they took a seat near the back of the bus.
As the bus proceeded over the back roads to the new park, Jordan looked over at Bly musing, "I wonder what events they are going to have at the Bard Con this year?"
"Didn't they post a list on their website?" Bly asked.
"Yes, they listed all the events, like the scavenger hunt at Epcot, but you never really know what the questions are that are going to be asked."
"Scavenger Hunt, huh? What are we scavenging for? I think I've already found what I'm looking for," Bly teased and tickled Jordan lightly in the ribs. Jordan jumped and giggled as she tried to avoid Bly's questing fingers.
"Well, I just hope the questions are directed at specific bards so that I know when I'm supposed to answer the questions. I hate free-for-all discussions. I get so tongue tied in those situations," Jordan frowned hoping that didn't happen to her this year.
"Yes, I seem to remember that. Well, don't worry. If that happens to you, I'll just shout out a question directed at you. How's that?" Bly asked with a mischievous smile on her face.
"Oh Bly, you wouldn't, would you?" Jordan laughed at the thought of Bly yelling out from the audience.
"Watch me!" Bly replied and stood up as the bus came to a stop at their destination. Stepping into the empty aisle, Bly swept her hand in the direction of the exit and bowed slightly, "My dear, the animals await." Jordan just shook her head at Bly's sudden lighthearted mood and preceded the woman down the aisle. Bly goosed Jordan for good measure and when the blonde jumped in surprise, the driver looked over, ready to get up and help the stumbling woman. Bly just chuckled a low throaty sound and steadied Jordan by her arm.
Jordan looked over her shoulder at her tall partner and whispered, "Pay backs are a bitch, my dear, just remember that." Bly nodded in mock humility as they descended the steps off the cool bus into the warm afternoon sun. She lowered her sunglasses from their perch on top her head to her nose and marveled at how warm the afternoon had gotten. She almost wished she were chilly again, like she had been at the Magic Kingdom.
"Shall we?" Jordan asked as Bly hesitated adjusting her sunglasses.
Bly rubbed her hands together gleefully and remarked, "By all means, let’s go see the animals." She grabbed Jordan's arm and hurried toward the entrance.
"Bly! If I had known that animals would get you this excited, I would have gotten a few for around the house!" Jordan teased.
Bly laughed over her shoulder and shook her head. "No, I think Ares is enough animal for me. Let's leave the animals to the parks." Jordan thought about their cat and had to admit that Bly was right. One animal running the house was more than enough.
As they passed through the exhibits, Bly noticed a sign directing visitors towards the leopards' den. Bly tugged Jordan in the direction of the arrow. "Come on, I want to see the leopards. They are so cool!"
As they entered the enclosure, Jordan was taken back at how close they seemed to the animals. Pools of water filled the habitat with trees and low rocky outcrops where the leopards lounged. Mist floated through the air making it seem surreal as they walked through a jungle like setting. The only thing between the exhibit and the visitors was a moat of water and a half wall of Plexiglas with netting towering above it. Jordan felt like she could reach out and touch the panthers. She stopped short and looked up as a black panther came into view. The panther flashed her steely gaze and Jordan gasped as she looked into the ice blue eyes.
"Bly did you see that?" Jordan whispered excitedly.
"What?" Bly asked walking back over to the blonde's side.
"Did you see the eyes on that black panther?"
"It is so beautiful!" Bly remarked as she approached the glass wall toward the panther. The magnificent black animal flashed a look of warning at Bly as a smaller spotted leopard appeared from the bushes. Bly looked on in fascination; she didn't believe she had ever heard of a leopard with blue eyes. Cautiously, the spotted leopard made its way toward where Bly stood followed by the wary black panther. Jordan was rooted in her spot watching with a mixture of fear and fascination.
"Ginelle! Be careful! You don't know what those mans are capable of," The black one called out to her mate.
"But Xandra, we don't belong here. Maybe they can help get us out," the spotted one offered.
"I wouldn't be so sure. It's ones like them that put us in here," Xandra replied with contempt.
"No, not like these. Look at those blue eyes," Ginelle replied looking back at Xandra. "They are just like yours." The spotted one approached the glass slowly and put her paw against it. She looked trustingly up at the tall human on the other side.
"Look at that Jordan. It's almost like she is saying hello," Bly marveled and hesitantly touched the glass on the other side of the paw. She looked directly into the leopard's eyes and smiled.
Ginelle tilted her head sideways at the woman and nodded her head in acknowledgement of the greeting. Bly quickly turned to Jordan and whispered, "Did you see that?"
To be continued in Chapter 13 ....