Long title, realtively short story.  Another quickie for me.  I decided to
experiment and try to stretch my meager writing talent by doing something new.
I tried to write a  story in flashback.  I usually write, for the most part,
in linear time.

I need it for another story that I'm working on.  Tell me if it works

Raven

Captain Webster's the Magic Kingdom: At the Character Breakfast
By Raven

I watched my Husband Geoff parade around the restaurant in the
Polynesian Village with my two sons Andy and Peter.  This was something
of a tradition at the character breakfasts in the Magic Kingdom at Disney. 
At some point during breakfast, the characters, in this case Minnie Mouse,
Goofy, and Chip n' Dale, started at happy song, and paraded around with
all of the children.

This time Andy and Peter pulled their father up along with them.  I,
unfortunately couldn't go because my hands were full at the time.

As I watched them dance around the room, I realized how gloriously
happy I was.  I loved being married to Geoff.  He was a good husband,
and a magnificent provider.  He was an even better lover.  I couldn't have
asked for better kids.  Peter, my oldest, was 5 years old, and Andy was
3 years old.  Since Geoff had a very good job as a partner in a law firm,
I didn't have to work.  All I had to do was to be a wife, and a mother.

I sighed at my good fortune.  I was truly happy.  It made me remember
that it wasn't always that way . . . . 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Exactly one year earlier . . . . 

I remember the phone call like it was yesterday.  I was at my office
preparing a demand letter for a client.  As a personal injury attorney, that's
what I do.  I had the good fortune of working in a firm with two other
attorneys that I graduated law school with.  Both were much brighter than
I was, but I was the litigation/tactical expert of the group.

Lynne was one of those former classmates, and occupied the office right
next to mine.  Actually Lynne, and her husband Ray, were long standing
friends.  I lived with them for a time after splitting with my fiancee,
Angela. They also saw me through my break up with Amy, whom I lived with 
for 4 years.  That relationship almost ended im marriage also.

Each time, my potential marital bliss slipped through my fingers.  I digress. 
The only thing that is important to know was that these days I kept myself
on the shelf, and away from any painful relationships.  That energy was
redirected into my career.

Anyway, Lynne and Ray had left for Disney the previous day.  They were
meeting the rest of Lynne's family, who were coming down from up north. 
Needless to say, I was quite surprised to get a call from Ray at Disney.

He started sheepishly, "Dude . . . you're not going to believe this."

"Now What?" I asked, my eyes rolling back in my head, although Ray
wouldn't have seen that.  This was a dangerous question considering some
of the dangerous misadventures that Ray's gotten me into in the past.

"Do you still have the key to our place?"

"Yeah.  I think so. Why?"  I thought that this may have something to do
with their cats, all six of them, since I usually was the cat sitter when they
were away.

"I need you to do me a favor Tommy," asked Ray.

This just had to be rich for him to be calling me from Disney.  "I left and
accidently forgot to bring my stash with me.  I'm gonna' need it if I have
to deal with Lynne's family all weekend.  You have to help me . . . ."

After I stopped laughing, Ray told me what he wanted me to do.  He
wanted me to stuff his marijuana into a jacket pocket, and then put the
jacket into overnight mail.  That just made me laugh harder.  The man was
desperate!

I was just paranoid enough to veto the plan.  The last thing I needed was
to be disbarred from practicing law because some dog sniffed me putting
drugs into the mail.  Cooler heads prevailed.  I decided to drive the stash
up to him.

Orlando was only three hours away, and besides, it had been a couple of
years since I had been there.  I wanted to see the Terminator 3-D exhibit
at Universal.  The side benefit was that I had something on Ray that he
would never be able to live down!  You just had to appreciate the humor
of the situation.

So Lynne and Ray agreed to put me up for the night in their cottage, and
to take me out to dinner.  I figured that the next morning I would take off
for Universal, and spend the day there before driving back.  It would be
a nice little adventure.

I got to Orlando about 9:30 p.m.  The three of us went out for a night of
drinking and eating, and fun was had by all.  I kept needling Ray about his
faux pas.  I assured him that he would never live it down!

During the course of out revelry, Lynne graciously invited me to go with
them to the character breakfast at the Polynesian Village where the rest of
her family was staying.  All of her family was going to be there.  I had no
conception what a character breakfast was, so I asked her.  She told me
that it was a lot of fun.  Characters from all of the Disney animated
features interacted with the families, especially the kids.

I didn't want to go at first, since I didn't think it was my thing.  However,
a little arm twisting by Lynne did convince me.  Ray wanted a comrade in
arms anyway.

The next morning, I found myself seated at a long table with the rest of
Lynne's family.  Lynne's family wasn't the only one in the restaurant.  It
was filled with happy families, smiling faces, and children.  The families
were joined by employees of Disney dressed up as Daisy Duck, Pluto,
Pinocchio, and the Genie from Aladdin.

The strangest thing happened.  My surrounding didn't make me happy like
the rest.  In fact, it had just the opposite effect.  I found myself lamenting
my breakups with Angela and Amy.  I remembered why the breakups had
hurt me so badly.  In each case, I had looked forward to settling down. 
I looked forward to having a wife and kids, being a father, and having the
family that I never had.  Seeing all of the happy families around me only
served to remind me of what I could never have.

I tried to put on a brave face, and it worked . . . almost.  One person, or
should I say character, sensed that I wasn't happy at all.  It was the Genie
from Aladdin.

"What's wrong young master?" he asked in his best imitation of the Genie.

"Oh, nothing," I responded.

"That is no true," he persisted.  "The Big Cheese (Mickey) doesn't like
sad people in the Magic Kingdom.  Therefore, I grant you one wish, in
order to cheer you up."

"Sure.  Thank-you very much Genie," I played along with him, for the
benefit of the others.

That was when the characters started the parade around the restaurant
with all of the children.  The Genie, thankfully left me to join in on the
play.  Soon all of the kids were dancing around the room, hand in hand,
with a character to the tune of "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" from the movie
the "Lion King."  It was all very touching.  It was too touching, and sent an
arrow right through my heart.

My eyes locked onto one little boy, who couldn't have been more than
two.  He was as cute as a button.  I thought to myself, looking around the
room at all of the families, that this should be my life.  I should have been
married with either Angela or Amy, and had children like the little boy.
That little boy could have been my son!

I said under my breath, "I wish that I had a family, and a son just like that
one."

Suddenly I got very dizzy.  Everything in my field of vision got extremely
blurry, and I didn't know what was happening.  I thought that it may be
a delayed effect of last night's drinking.  I reached up to rub my eyes, but
my arms were obstructed by something soft and warm on my chest.  I
pushed past it, feeling my arm on my chest.  When I tried to rub my eyes,
my fingernails, which were much longer than I remembered them to be,
poked me.

I withdrew my hand with a gasp, my vision having cleared.  There before
me was the painted and finely manicured nails of a woman.  They were
connected to my hand!  A look downward confirmed why those nails
were connected to my hand.  Somehow, impossibly, I was inside the body
of a woman!

There was no mistaking the sight of two well-proportioned breasts seen
from above.  A quick survey of the body showed that I was wearing
jeans, sneakers (keds actually), and a Disney T-shirt.  Upside down the
T-shirt read "World's Greatest Mom."

My attention was diverted by the sound of a little child crying.  When I
looked up, I saw that cute little boy that I was watching earlier. He had
fallen and skinned his knee in the parade.  The sound of his crying made
me feel sad, and very concerned for the safety of the child.  Something
deep within me, which I could not describe, made me want to rush to him,
despite my current circumstances.  The urge was overpowering,
irresistible.

I couldn't resist.  I launched myself from where I was sitting to his side. 
I was so concerned for this child that I had to ignore the alien sensation of
long hair tickling my neck, breasts jiggling on my chest, and a void
between my legs.  I knelt beside him, brushing the long hair out of my
eyes.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

He touched me on the arm, and the instant he did, I knew.  The little child
was the blood of my blood, the flesh of my flesh.  He was my son.

The child sobbed, "I fell down Mommy . . . ."

I heard a deeper male voice behind me, "Is Andy all right, Jenny?  What
happened?"

I looked over my shoulder to see a tall, handsome man, with another small
boy, staring down at me.  The boy was a little bit older than the boy at my
side.

The other boy spoke, "Yeah, Mommy.  What happened to Andy?"

To this, the man replied, "Shhh, Peter.  Let your Mom help your brother."

"Aww, Dad," exclaimed Peter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That was how it all began just a year ago.  It was rough at first, especially
when I saw my old body sitting at the table with Lynne, Ray, and the rest
of Lynne's family.  It . . . he . . . was acting like nothing had happened. 
He was acting like everything was normal.  I realized that somehow my
wish had been granted.

As I was leaving with my new family, I sought out the Genie.  I could
vocalize only one question with my new feminine voice.  "Why?"

He answered, "Disney is a family place.  You have been granted the
greatest of gifts, a family of your own.  Go and enjoy your life."

Peter and Andy snapped me out of my reminiscing. "Mom, can't you
come and join the parade with Dad and us?"

I smiled back, "I'm sorry I can't, boys.  I have to feed your little sister."

I looked down at my two-month-old daughter Emily, laying in my arms. 
I ached to breast-feed her, but I knew that it would cause too much of a
stir in the restaurant.  I grabbed some of the formula out of the diaper bag,
gently urging it into her Emily's mouth.  She gurgled briefly before
accepting the fake nipple.

I glowed with love.  Yes I was happy.  Emily was all mine.  I had
experienced the miracle carrying life within me, and childbirth, first hand. 
I made Geoff promise to give me another little daughter once Emily was
in preschool.

The Magic Kingdom would always be extra magical to me.  That is why
that I insisted that Geoff and the kids come back here every year on this
date.  It was a family tradition.  It was when my life as Jennifer first began
. .
***