Only 3:00pm?!  She was surprised at how quickly the time had passed.  The day was already halfway over!  She didn’t remember checking the time even once since their arrival at 10:00am.  Had they even stopped to take a break?

Only 3:00pm?!  He couldn’t believe time was moving so slowly.  He felt as if they’d been there for days... they’d waited in line after line after line.  He checked his watch constantly; silently begging her to sit down to rest.  He loved seeing her so happy, but boy was he tired!

She knew that by tomorrow morning, the memories of her magical day would be swirling through her head.  By then, she’ll be wishing she could go back and relive her whole day.  With him.  Here.  She wanted it to last forever.

He noticed that she was staring at his face, probably daydreaming or completely lost in thought.  3:01pm when he checked his watch this time.

“How about if we sit down and get a drink or something?” He was almost certain she would insist that they keep going to the next attraction, but she simply nodded.  She took his hand and let him lead her to a bench.  They sat, still holding hands.  He looked down at his watch again. 3:02pm.

Suddenly, as if waiting for his cue, music came screaming through the park speakers.  They both recognized the song and looked at each other with shock and confusion.  Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” played loudly as they watched one, then two, then three (and so on!) park-goers dance in unison.

“Seriously, a flash-mob?!”  He rolled his eyes.  Then he smiled.  He didn't want to admit it, but this actually amused him.

She watched on in amazement.  When the song ended, the dancers left their marks and started walking on as if nothing had happened.  She squeezed his hand and whispered,

“I love this place.”

~I see now.  A new world within an old~  

She stopped and stood still. He moved up next to her, confused.

"All of this is new.  I've never seen it before.  Let's go!"  She looked up at him and smiled, but before he could ask any questions, he was being pulled along.  

Once again, she weaved them in and out of the crowds.

They entered a shop.  Finally: a store dedicated to Beauty and the Beast.  She picked up every item on the shelves and examined it (and the price).  She read every quote on the walls and on the merchandise, occasionally reading aloud to him.

Without purchasing anything, they exited the store and were once again at the entrance to the 

New Fantasyland.

Looking around, he recognized architecture and symbols.  He’d seen them all in the movies she’d made him watch before their visit.  The castles were exactly like the animated castles in the movies.  Incredible.  Thinking back, this reminded him of something he’d read in school.  What was the name of it?  Oh, right.  Illuminations by Walter Benjamin.  

‘In principle a work of art has always been reproducible.  Manmade artifacts could always be imitated by men.’

He opened his mouth to share his revelation with her, but she was already saying,

“Let’s go look at the menu for the new restaurant!  It’s called Be Our Guest!”

This was her paradise.  There was nowhere else on earth that made her feel this alive, this excited, this free. She felt so at ease, like nothing could possibly bother her.  After all, they don't call it "The Happiest Place on Earth" for nothing.  Utter BLISS.

She was approaching the front of the line.  Group after group was taken from this very spot into the greeting room.  She could only imagine the beauty she would be confronted with once she was behind those doors.  What would she say?  What would she do?  How would she stand?

“How many?” the greeter asked.

No answer.  “Two,” he responded from behind her.  How could she have forgotten he was there…again?

“Follow me, please.  This way.”  She turned to look at him, smiling from ear to ear.  He smiled back, shaking his head in amusement as he took her hand in his and followed the greeter.

The room was light gray with purple and yellow curtains.  A royal garden was painted on the wall.  Flowers, trees, bird baths, fountains.  The prettiest backyard anyone could ever imagine.  A backyard fit for a princess.

“You’ll be next with Cinderella,” the greeter told them.  “Thank you!” he replied.  She was too overjoyed to speak.  All she could think about was the princess at the end of the room.  Belle.

She hugged, giggled, posed, and small-talked with Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Rapunzel.  But now, it was her turn with Belle.

“Hello, Princess.  How are you today?”  Belle’s eyes sparkled as she reached her hand out.

“I’m fine.  How are you?”  too star-stricken to come up with anything else.  She took Belle’s outstretched hand.  She couldn’t take her eyes off of Belle’s perfectly fitted yellow ball gown.

“Is this your Prince Charming?” Belle asked, gesturing to him.  “You know, when I first met the Beast, I thought he had a Heart of Darkness, but once I got to know him, I found out that he has a heart of gold!  Is that what happened to you?”

“Yes, something like that,” she blushed and smiled.

“Well, Princess, what has been your favorite part of your day here in Magic Kingdom?”

“Meeting you…” she shyly responded.  She couldn’t believe that Belle was talking to her!  She also had no idea why she was acting like such a dork.  She couldn’t help it.  Something about this place brought her back in time.  She was a little girl again.

“Shall we take a picture together?”  Belle asked, extending her hand again.  She nodded and took Belle’s left hand in her own.  Then she posed, emulating Belle’s other hand which was held delicately away from the side of her body.  So elegant!

“One…two…three…”  FLASH!

She pulls him along as they weave through the crowd of strangers.  Her sights are set on the castle, 

majestically towering over everything else.

 A small gathering of people distract her, though.  Small children anxiously waiting in a line while their parents rummage through their day-packs and pull out autograph books and pens.

“What are they all waiting for?” he asks.  Clueless.

“Someone’s there!  Let’s go!  Let’s go!” she tugs his arm and takes off in a quick trot.  She ignores his rolling eyes and teasing sigh as he jogs behind her.

“Here, you wait in line and hold our spot while I see who it is.”  He rolls his eyes again, but this time he smiles.  He loves seeing her so excited, so caught up in her childhood.  He watches as she makes her way to the front of the crowd, careful not to upset the people who were ahead of them.  On her way back to him, she is stopped by a little girl wearing a princess costume.  She bends down, smiling, and says something to her.  She’s probably complimenting her dress, he thinks to himself.  He sees her giggle and wave goodbye to the little girl, nod and smile at her parents, and continue back to him.

“Okay,” she continues as she takes her place in line next to him.  “I’m going to describe the character and then you have to try to guess who it is!”

He nods.

“She has a wide-brimmed hat, red lipstick, and a lace parasol!”

“Is she a lady going to the Kentucky Derby?”

“NO!  Do you give up?”

He nods again.

“It’s Mary Poppins!”

She remembers that he has never seen the movie, so waiting in line for a picture would be meaningless to him.  She decides to move on.  Besides, the one she really wants to meet…is Belle.

Childhood memories cloud her mind.  Butterflies hatch and flutter around in her stomach.  What would this day bring?

Romance.

Fantasy.

Beauty.

Exhilaration.

Adventure.

She follows the hundreds of strangers shuffling through the turnstiles.  She thinks she remembers smiling at the attendant, but she doesn't know for sure.  It isn't hard for her to lose herself in it all.  She can't help but give in to the euphoria that overtakes her as she walks down Main Street.  

Her eyes wander.  They bypass all of the smiling faces until they catch glimpse of something so breathtaking, so surreal, so remarkable that she has to stop moving.  Others continue on, passing her, brushing against her as they make their way forward.  She vaguely recognizes the sweet smells wafting from the bakery to her right, and she thinks she hears music playing from the speaker behind her. But neither move her.  Her feet are planted and her gaze is locked.  There it is.  Cinderella's Castle.  The royal flags wave in the wind as she studies it in awe.  Perfectly laid bricks separated by expertly carved windows.  Her attention settles on the highest window at the very top of the castle.  She wonders what it would be like to look out from that window.  What would she see?  How would it feel to be on top of the world?

A squeeze on her left hand startles her back to reality.  How had she forgotten he was there with her?  She turns and looks at him.  His eager eyes smile at her and nudge her forward.  She takes a deep breath and then exhales.   As they rejoin the moving crowd, she squeezes his hand back and whispers,
"I love this place."