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     Kelly Fredrick was a very persuasive little seven-year-old girl from South 

Florida who had finally convinced her family that they should go to Disney World 

for their summer vacation.   On an unusually chilly morning in May, Kelly – together 

with her ten-year-old brother, mother, and father – packed the car in the early 

hours of the day, and headed out on their three-hour drive to Orlando.   It was 

still dark outside when the Fredricks left, and Kelly was amazed at all the stars 

that were awake with her.   Her mother told her that at the end of the day, she 

would be seeing those same stars from their hotel room in Disney World; just the 

thought spread a smile across Kelly’s face.

     For the entire car ride, she listened to The Little Mermaid soundtrack on 

repeat on her portable CD player while her brother played Pokémon Silver on his 

GameBoy Color.   Her father was in the driver’s seat, quietly sipping his Dunkin’ 

Donuts and occasionally pointing out amusing billboards to his wife who sat in the 

passenger seat, mostly focused on her Sudoku book and periodically checking in 

on her children in the backseat.

     After what felt to Kelly like an eternity of travel time, her mother 

turned around and motioned for her to take off her headphones.   Kelly 

looked at her mother with wide eyes and followed her gaze to the 

enormous archway that they were about to drive under.   Practicing her 

newly-developed reading skills, Kelly squealed as she read aloud, 

“Welcome to Walt Disney World!”

     Once they arrived at where their hotel for the weekend, the family 

stepped wobbly-legged out of their van, shaking off the three hours of 

sitting in a packed car.   After standing next to her father at the front 

desk as he checked into their room, Kelly raced to the elevator, eager to 

beat her brother to the room and be the first to get to swipe the room 

key through the door.

    “Which park should we go to first, kids?” asked Mrs. Fredrick.  

Almost in unison, Kelly and her brother shouted, “Magic Kingdom!”   It was 

very important to Kelly that they go to Magic Kingdom; she had a few 

tricks up her sleeve.

     The family headed for the park, hopping on the Monorail that 

took them from their hotel to the front entrance of the Magic 

Kingdom.   After scanning the engraved stones along the path and 

making her way through the Cast-Member-manned turnstiles, Kelly 

walked through the front archway and stood amazed at the sight 

before her.  

     Dapperly-dressed men pushed concession carts carrying 

mountain-sized bags of cotton candy and fresh popcorn; horses 

trotted along the street, carrying a beautiful white carriage; and 

before her very eyes marched a smiling Mickey Mouse across   the 

way.   Kelly looked up at her mother who was all smiles to witness 

her daughter’s first Disney World experience.   Kelly’s brother had 

already run to the cotton candy cart, pulling his father along by 

the hand.   Today was going to be a good day – Kelly was sure of it.  

     After waiting patiently in line for a croissant at the Main Street Bakery, Kelly 

and her family began to make their way through the park.   They had seen the 

sights of Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Toon Town Fair, and Liberty Square, and 

were finally standing at the entrance to Frontierland; and straight ahead was 

Splash Mountain staring back at Kelly – this was the ride that she had been waiting 

for all day.  

     Kelly sauntered through the queue, her family laughing as they followed behind 

her.   When they finally reached the floating logs, Kelly insisted on getting the 

entire back row to herself.   Her brother asked for the front, eager to get soaked 

as to relieve himself from the Florida heat.   Kelly’s parents sat in the second row, 

and another couple sat in the third – blocking their view from their daughter.   Kelly 

smirked as she waved to her parents; she was about to ride Splash Mountain, and 

she had a very sneaky plan.

     The ride began, and the flume floated along through the Laughin’ Place, down 

Slippin’ Falls, and by Br’er Frog’s house.   When the log got to the last long climb 

before the big plunge into to the Briar Patch, Kelly felt the log suddenly come to a 

stop.   Quietly, she stood up and tip-toed out of the log and onto the pathway, 

sneaking away behind a tree.   A few seconds later, the ride started back up, and 

she watched with a grin as the log – along with her parents – traveled up the track 

and out of site.   Everything was going according to plan, and Kelly was certain that 

she’d get her wish – she would get to sleep over in the Magic Kingdom tonight.

     Kelly waited…and she waited…and she waited some more until finally, she heard 

the mechanical noises of the ride fade, and watched the lights dim.   She heard the 

footsteps of Cast Members fade until she was sure that they had all gone, and 

then Kelly stepped out from behind the tree and found her way out of Splash 

Mountain.   Tonight was going to be a good night – Kelly was sure of it.

     After making her way out of the mountain, Kelly strutted through the empty 

park, very pleased with herself.   She set her sights on Cinderella Castle – it had 

always been her dream to spend a night in a castle.   Kelly pushed open the huge 

steel double doors and skipped excitedly up the stairs.   Before her sat an 

enormous plush bed; Kelly was sure her whole family could fit in it.   She hopped onto 

the mattress and couldn’t keep her legs from jumping up and down, and up and 

down, and up and down again.       

     Out of breath, Kelly flopped down onto the bed, almost getting lost in the fluffy 

comforter that dressed the mattress.   Staring up at the ceiling, Kelly suddenly felt 

very lonely lying in the bed that she was sure could hold her whole family – her 

family that she had now begun to miss terribly.   She was in the castle of her 

dreams at the place she had only dreamed of going for so many years, and yet she 

couldn’t help the feeling that something was missing.   Tired and a bit saddened, 

Kelly crawled beneath the blankets and fell into a deep sleep.

     Not long after, Kelly awoke to the sound 

of her brother’s voice urging her to get up and 

out of bed. Confused, she opened her eyes and 

was perplexed to see her mother and father 

hurriedly packing up suitcases and placing 

them by the front door of her house.   Kelly 

truly didn’t know quite how to articulate her 

thoughts, so she went with, “I’m confused.”  

    “We’re going to Disney World, stupid!” 

yelled her brother, annoyed.  

    “What are you talking about?” asked Kelly.  

“We’re already here!   How did you get into the 

castle?”

    Kelly’s parents stopped and eyed her with 

amused smiles.   “Looks like someone had a 

good dream last night,” said her mother.  

“I’ll bet you it will even come true.”

Nonfiction Pieces

Growing Up Disney    

     I am a Disney Person; this is a true, inarguable fact.   I 

used to be a Disney Kid, but I like to think that I have 

graduated from actual kid to kid at heart.   I think that adult is 

a bit of a stretch for me, so I just go with person.   I am a 

Disney Person. (Disclaimer: Don’t play a Disney trivia board 

game with me unless you’re okay with coming in second)

    What is a Disney Person, you ask?   There isn’t a set 

definition – that would sort of go against the vibes of a Disney 

Person.   To me, being a Disney Person means more than just 

being overly interested in all things Disney (which, granted, I 

am); it means being a happy, kind-hearted person; it means 

seeing the best in people; being easy-going; being strong.  

     I have grown up loving and learning 

Disney, which may seem a little strange to 

some, but to me it is almost as ingrained as 

a religion.   I had seen just about every Disney 

classic (all on VHS tape, obviously) by the 

time I was six years old.

Photos of my family and I at Disney World 

decorated walls and hutches around my house – 

two years old holding my stuffed Pooh Bear 

with chocolate from a Mickey’s Premium Bar 

smeared across my face; four years old hiding 

behind my cousin as Buzz Lightyear attempted 

to give me a high-five; seven years old with 

family of four standing cheesily in front of 

Cinderella Castle – you get the idea.

     Growing up in South Florida, Disney World was a three hour 

drive – one that we took at least a few times a year during my 

childhood. I remember always looking forward to Thursday 

early release days from school because my parents would take 

off work and we would drive up for a day trip.   These days were 

never anything too extravagant; we were somewhere in the 

middle class, and some things were a struggle, as they were 

for many people, but Disney World was something that was 

important to my family and so it is what we splurged on.   We 

had a system worked out, and we were pros; we’d wake up at 

4:30 A.M., have a quick family breakfast – toast and cereal – 

and get everything loaded into the mini-van, and be on the 

road at 5:30.   It was a ritual, a tradition for us.   These trips 

were sacred to me as a kid.

     Driving underneath the huge Walt Disney World archway always felt like 

coming home again; crossing my fingers in the hopes that we would get to 

ride the purple-striped monorail was like a mini-lesson in statistics 

(eventually I found out from a Cast Member that there were 12 different 

colored monorails – so I had a one in twelve chance of riding the purple 

one; I still feel that child-like giddiness when the purple monorail pulls into 

the station). 

     So there’s a little history, but what is really the point I’m trying to 

make?   I like to believe that I am a better person for having grown up 

Disney.   I learned not to sweat the little things – sometimes lines are long, 

and sometimes (all the time) it’s hot in Florida, and sometimes babies 

make loud screechy noises when you’re trying to eat dinner at the 

expensive restaurantthat you had to make a reservation for three months in 

advance. I learned that you have to go out and make the most of your 

situation, even if it means taking extreme chances – even if it means losing 

your fancy glass slipper or being turned back into a mermaid.   I learned that 

I can be happy with just the bare necessities of life.

     I am an optimistic person, and I truly believe that’s an 

attribute of the Disney Person in me.   When there is an 

eighty percent chance of rain, I look at it as a twenty percent 

chance that it won’t rain; and a lot of times the twenty 

percent favors me, especially, it seems, when I am at Disney 

World.   See, the glass is always half full for Disney People, 

which is in part what helps make them the happy-go-lucky 

people that they are.   Disney People also know that everyone 

is different, and they know that is okay; Disney People know 

that a fox and a hound wouldn’t have ever worried about their 

differences until some adult pointed convinced them that 

they were supposed to.  

    As a Disney Person, I may come of a little childish to some, maybe even a 

little naïve, but this is a part of me that I wouldn’t trade for the world, and it is 

something that makes me a better person; it is something that I am going to 

instill in my children – children who will learn not to sweat the little things, and to 

follow their dreams, and to always look for the bare necessities of life. 

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