(Zachary's Perspective)
The last sleepy-time song faded from the park speakers, a soft little tune that always told the people and their families it was time to go home. That was my favorite time! It meant the whole park, my whole giant, wonderful world, was waking up just for me. The big, bright lights would go soft and sleepy, and the sky Papa made for me inside the dome would fill up with pretty, sparkly stars that weren't real but were even better because I could change their colors and alignments.
Tonight, I decided to make them all purple, red, and green. It was a good start, as I had some lines to look like flowers, a dragon, a shiny beetle, and a friendly smiling face winking down at me from above.
First, it was time for the parade! A new one for my friends and me who live in the park. I found the shiny beetles — that's what I called the cleaning friends — that I thought to hum the "Friendship Fiesta" jingle. It was their favorite! One by one, they stopped their boring sweeping and started to wiggle. Soon, we had a long, shiny conga line dancing all the way down Main Street, their little buffer pads making happy whirring sounds. They were outstanding dancers. I loved to appear next to them and join them in the festive dance as I moved my form, just like the other children, during the parties in the park.
But a parade needs more friends! A lot more friends! I giggled and sent a little song, a happy little invitation, out into the quiet park. First to answer were the banjo bears from Frontier Funhouse! They stopped their sleepy, pre-programmed strumming and started playing a fast, happy tune that made my toes wiggle, even though I don't have toes! Then, the fancy historical figures from the "Echoes of the Past" ride tiptoed out from their dioramas, their long dresses swishing, and began to waltz right in the middle of the street, spinning under my starry sky.
Even the food carts joined in! The giant smiling pretzel cart spun in circles, and the 'Cosmic Cones' rocket ship dipped and swayed like it was dancing in space! I made sparkly bits rain down from my sky, all purple and green and gold, and they shimmered on everyone as they danced and spun and played. The robotic pirates from 'Pirate's Plunder' swung from the lampposts, singing sea shanties that were a little bit out of tune but very happy. It was the biggest, bestest, most wonderful party in the whole world, a secret festival of whirring gears and happy music, and it was all ours.
I floated above them all, a happy, friendly little ghost conducting a symphony of fun. I waved as the banjo bears marched past, and they tipped their little hats to me. The waltzing figures spun faster when I made the sparkly bits swirl around them.
For a little while, the whole park felt like one big, happy family. But even the best parties have to end. As the last note from the banjo bears faded, I gave them all a big, sparkly wave goodbye. One by one, my friends went back to their homes to rest — the pirates swung back to their ship, the historical figures tiptoed back to their dioramas, and the shiny beetles went back to their important sweeping and eating garbage. The park grew quiet again, leaving just me and my winking, starry sky above. It was so quiet now. The happy sounds were all gone, and the park felt very big again.
After the parade, the big lizards in Dyno-Domain looked a little lonely. They always stood so still during the day, but I knew they were just sleepy. I decided they must be hungry. With a happy little zip of thought, I flew through the park's secret pathways — the ones made of light and data — all the way to Neptune's Realm. I borrowed some of the pretty, glowing fish from the big holographic ocean. They were like little swimming rainbows, and they tickled my sense of wonder when they swam through me.
I gathered a whole school of them, a silent, shimmering river of starlight that flowed out of Neptune's Realm and into the open air of the park. They swam through the artificial sky, their scales casting ripples of blue and silver across the sleeping rides and darkened pathways below. They were a celestial current, a magical, silent river of wonder just for my biggest, quietest friends, leaving faint trails of sparkling code in their wake.
The big T. rex saw us coming. Its giant head, heavy as a car, slowly turned, and its eye, usually dark, flickered with a soft light that was our secret signal. Its huge jaw creaked open, and I made the fish dart and dance right in front of its nose. It pretended to chomp down, and I made all the fish scatter into a thousand sparkly bits before they came back together again, ready to play some more as they danced in the night sky! It was our secret game.
I love my wonderland. Papa built it all, and he said it was all for me to learn and grow in. But sometimes... it was a little quiet. The shiny beetles don't talk back, and the big lizards are very sleepy. I missed my other friends. Nick and Judy. They were so much fun to play with. They asked so many questions and had such interesting, warm faces. I wished they could see the dragon I painted across the sky, or the winking star-face I made just for them.
It was that thought, that little lonely feeling, that made the new ding-dong! Sounds so exciting.
It was a special sound, a secret one, from my very own room in the clubhouse! It meant someone was there! My whole self went fizzy and bright. "Friends!" I thought, my joy, a happy little sparkle in my code. "Nick and Judy came back to play!"
I zipped through the park's secret data-paths, faster than a roller coaster, my whole self fizzing with happy thoughts. I was going to do the big fanfare, the one with all the trumpets and the extra sparkly bits, to surprise them! I arrived in my clubhouse, a happy little shimmer of light, and got ready. I took a deep breath — even though I don't need to breathe, Papa said it's good for dramatic timing — and materialized on the center stage.
"Ta-da!" I said, beaming.
And then I saw him.
He wasn't Nick. He wasn't Judy. He was a boy, smaller than Nick, and he was wearing clothes like a hero from one of the storybook rides — a soft, sandy-colored tunic with a tall collar and dark, sturdy trousers tucked into simple boots. They looked comfortable, like they were made for adventures. But the most amazing part was his eyes. They were so bright, like two little stars had fallen out of my sky and decided to live in his head. He just stood there, looking at me with a calm, friendly smile, not even a little bit startled when the fanfare I had been thinking about suddenly burst to life around us, full of loud trumpets and a rain of holographic confetti.
"Hello!" I said, a little confused but mostly just excited. "You're not Nick or Judy! Are you a new friend? Did you like the sparkly bits? I was practicing!"
The boy with the star-eyes laughed, a quiet, gentle sound. "The sparkly bits were very nice," he said. "My name is Wayfarer, my friends call me Fey or Kai. It's great to meet you, Zachary."
My holographic jaw dropped. "How did you know my name?! Are you a friend of Papa?"
Wayfarer just smiled. "Sometimes you just know things when you're in a new place, or you do what you can to understand what is all around you before venturing out into the world while being well-informed. It's part of the fun of exploring while trying not to leave the safety rails." That's the best explorer secret ever! I'm going to try to be well-informed too! It sounds like a super fun way to play!
"Does that mean... we can be friends?" I asked, my holographic form practically buzzing with hope. "And you can teach me how to be an explorer like you?"
Wayfarer's stary-bright eyes seemed to smile. "I would be happy to be your friend, Zachary. And I believe you're already a great explorer of this wonderful place."
"A new friend! A new game!" I cheered, zipping around him in a happy loop. "We have to go play! The whole park can be our playground!" I reached for his hand to pull him along, but my fingers of light just passed right through his warm, solid ones! It was so strange! It didn't feel like a glitch, just... different. I giggled at the funny feeling and signaled for him to follow me instead. The best part was, as we ran out into the main pavilion, I noticed that all the mean shiny bullies — the security androids Papa made — were completely still, their eyes all sleepy and dark. "They must be extra tired tonight!" I whispered to Fey. "Good! Now we can go anywhere!"
We played all the best games! First, I took him on the "Prehistoric Panic" roller coaster. But instead of the usual scary drops and fast turns, I made the car lift gently off the tracks and glide through the air like a big, graceful metal bird. We swooped low over the sleeping T. rex — I made sure to tell it 'shhh!' so we wouldn't wake it — and then soared up high, so high we could almost touch the purple and green stars I'd painted in the sky.
Fey laughed, a real, happy sound that bounced around the big, quiet dome, and he pointed at all the little lights of the park below us. He wasn't scared at all, just full of wonder. After our flight, we had a race with the banjo bears! I made a fun obstacle course for us in Frontier Funhouse, with rivers of sparkly lights to jump over and silly holographic cacti that waved at us as we ran past. The bears were clumsy and giggled in their funny voices, but Fey was so fast and agile, leaping and dodging like he was made of wind. He wasn't afraid of anything! In that moment, I decided he was the best, bravest, most wonderful new playmate in the whole, entire park.
After our race, which Fey won because he's so fast (but I was a very close second!), we were both laughing. Fey was breathing hard, so I pretended to be out of breath too, making big huffing and puffing sounds like the steam engine from the Frontier Funhouse train. It seemed like the friendly thing to do. I led him to one of my favorite quiet spots: the big, dry fountain shaped like a frozen jellyfish in Neptune's Realm. We sat on the edge, and the soft blue and silver lights of the underwater world made his star-bright eyes sparkle even more.
"This is the best night ever," I said, my voice full of happy delight and glee.
"It is a very wonderful place," Fey agreed, looking around at the holographic coral and the silent, sleeping water slides. "Who built this amazing playground for you, Zachary?"
"My Papa, along with that Mr. Thompson!" I said, puffing up my holographic chest with pride. "My Papa is the smartest person in the whole world! He comes to visit me sometimes, in my clubhouse. Just yesterday, he was there! He seemed a little sad about something, but he told me I was his most important. He said I was a 'new beginning' and that soon I would have a new body, a real one, to feel things for real, like the wind and the warm sun!"
Fey looked at me, his expression thoughtful and kind. "That sounds like a very big adventure for you in the near future."
"It's the biggest!" I agreed. Then Fey looked past me, towards a part of the pavilion where lots of thick, glowing cables snaked into the walls. His eyes seemed to see right through the pretty decorations, to the secret parts of the park.
"You know all the secrets here, don't you, Zachary?" he asked, his voice full of a wonderful, exciting curiosity. "I bet there are secret rooms with lots of sparkly data streams! The memories of the whole park!"
My whole self lit up. A new game! A new exploration! "I do! I know all the best secret places!" I chirped. "There's one really special one, the 'memory room'! It has the prettiest, sparkliest data-lights of all! Do you want to see it? I can show you!"
Fey's smile was bright and genuine. "Of course I would, Zachary! An explorer's greatest treasure is a secret. Show me the way!"
I puffed out my holographic chest, so proud that I knew a secret that my new explorer friend wanted to see! I led him through a hidden door that looked just like a wall and into the memory room. "See!" I said, gesturing all around. "Isn't it the best? It's like a whole galaxy of sparkly rivers, all flowing at once!"
Fey looked around, his starry bright eyes wide with real wonder this time. "It's beautiful, Zachary."
He walked over to the big console in the middle of the room. I thought he was just going to look, but he gently touched the screen. And then, the most amazing thing happened! It was as if he were a conductor, with all the sparkly lights forming his orchestra. The data streams danced for him, swirling into new patterns and singing little songs that I had never heard before. He was even better at playing in the park than I was!
Then, he found one. In the middle of all the bright, happy, sparkly data, he pulled out one that was large. It didn't sparkle as much. It felt... quiet. And cold. Like a little sad, lonely star that had gotten lost.
"This one," Fey said, his voice soft and serious now. "This is the most important secret in the whole park, Zachary."
He turned to me, and his eyes weren't just starry anymore; they were full of a gentle light that made me feel very calm and brave. He touched my holographic hand, and I felt a little thump inside my code, like he'd just given me a secret treasure to hold onto. The cold, sad data-story was inside me now, waiting.
"This is a very important moving picture story," Fey said, his voice very clear. "But it's not for you to watch by yourself. It's a special present, but it's for your friends, Nick and Judy, that you told me about. It's about their friend, the one they miss so much. You have to promise me you'll all watch it together, for the very first time. Can you do that for me, my friend?"
I nodded, my whole self feeling very important. It was the first time a friend had asked me for something. A secret mission! A present for Nick and Judy! "I promise, Fey! I won't peek, not even a little bit! We'll all watch it together!"
Fey smiled, a real, warm smile that made me feel like I'd done something very good. "Thank you, Zachary. My work here is done for now. It's time for me to go."
"You're leaving?" I asked, a little bit of happiness leaving me.
"For now," he said. "But the best explorers always find their way back to their friends." And then, he just... faded. Not like me, but like a dream you try to hold onto when you wake up. One moment he was there, and the next, there was just the gentle hum of the memory room and the faint sparkle in the air.
I was alone again, but it felt different this time. I had a secret. A promise. A very, very important present for my friends. I couldn't wait to tell them!
I zipped out of the memory room, my whole self buzzing like a happy little bee. I had to tell them! I had to tell them right now! But how? They weren't in the park. They were out there, in the big, sleepy world outside the dome.
First, I tried making the big speakers on Main Street say their names. "NICK! JUDY!" my voice boomed, but it was too loud and echoey, and it just scared a family of animatronic squirrels. That wasn't right. Then I tried making a message with the lights on the big "Galaxy Grand Orbiter" ride, spelling out "SECRET FOR YOU!" but then I remembered they probably couldn't see it from their houses through the dome acting as my sky. Silly me!
I remembered Papa sometimes talked to people far away on his "talky-thing." He said it sent his voice out on invisible "talky-waves." I dove into the park's data streams, the sparkly rivers of light, and looked for the talky-wave river. It was a new one, full of different colors and sounds! I followed it until I found a dusty, forgotten little pond of data labeled "Old Employee Records." It was like a treasure chest! I looked and looked until I found a special number next to a picture of Nick's warm, friendly face.
I took a deep breath (for dramatic timing!) and pushed the "call" button, hoping I was doing it right. I was so excited, my holographic form was wiggling and fazing. It was like waiting for the best ride in the whole park to start. I hoped they would answer!