31 Days, 31 Shuffle One-Shots #3

Song: "Feed the Birds" - Kurt Rosenwinkel, Disney Jazz: Everybody Wants to Be a Cat, Vol.1

The end of another beautiful sunny day, and I'm already pooped. In a way, I'm glad. If I've learned anything these past thirty or so years, keeping busy means things get done. The more hard work you put into something, the greater chance there is of it turning out wonderful. The sunset paints the brick buildings a brilliant orange and casts the leaves in the trees with the same glow, as if the fairies from the Nutcracker Suite worked their magic on them. That reminds me, we have to get some Fantasia on the Disneyland program somehow. Maybe dedicate an episode to the mythology and mystery surrounding fairies. Of course, the folks at home love Mickey, so they'd enjoy The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and Night on Bald Mountain would be perfect for Halloween...Anyway, it's almost time. I'd better be heading back.

Ah, here we are, back at the main building. I give a slight cough as I enter; all those years of smoking haven't done me good, but there's no point in stopping now. I notice a slight change as I walk down the hall. Some people are jumping up to get back to work and look busy. I take it that cough is like a warning to them. I'll have to keep that in mind.

A couple of the animators are closing shop for the night. I wave a little and tell them to take care. One of them swipes a few crumpled pieces of paper of his desk into the waste bin and exits without a word. After looking to make sure no one is coming back, I take a look at what he's discarded - some nice animal drawings. Why would he want to get rid of these? I put the unfolded sketches back on to his desk and weigh them down with a pencil holder. As I head for the door, inspiration hits. I go back to the desk and take one of the pencils from the holder. This man should know who rescued his sketches from the trash. I quickly scribble in the corner "Stop throwing your best work away! - W".

As I reach the office, I go over Monday's schedule with the secretary - there's more filming that needs to be done for Disneyland and the Mickey Mouse Club, a story meeting at 2 for the jungle feature, final changes that need to be approved for the next True Life Adventure, and I need to go over some details concerning the Haunted Mansion and the Florida Project with the Imagineering team. As if today wasn't busy enough! I ask her to bring some coffee up for me and The Boys. Might as well treat them too after the day we've both had.

Dick and Bob are already there when I come in, in the same position as every week. I ask them what they're up to, I tell them a little about the girls, and then we just talk. They tell me they've already got a few ideas for The Jungle Book and offer to play them. These boys, I don't know how they do it. I can't believe they've only been here a few years, it's like they were always around. The conversation goes on, but I find myself looking to the window. The sun has already gone down. A lull sinks in.

I know I can't go on forever, though I'll be damned if I don't keep trying. The work everyone does, the plans I make, I don't want it to end. People see me as someone who can make dreams come true through the stories and adventures we make at the studio. Sharing a story might not seem like much, but it's what we do here. It's what we've always done. And if we make at least one person out there happy, then we've done something right. I hope The Boys know that as much as I do. I hope they're not secretly tired of this routine we go through at the end of each week. Most of all, I hope they never lose sight of what it all means.

"Play it," I  mutter.

Dick goes to the piano and gently starts to play.

"Early each day on the steps of Saint Paul's, the little old bird woman comes..."

Yep. That's what it's all about.