ANTAR # 020
ANTAR arrived walking. Nobody noticed at first. This was unusual.
The happiest place on Earth appeared extremely busy proving it. Music floated through the air. Balloons negotiated with gravity. Parents negotiated with children. Children negotiated with reality. Castles sparkled with professional confidence while mascots posed for photographs they would never personally remember. ANTAR arrived walking. Nobody noticed at first. This was unusual. Children were occupied searching for princesses, pirates, talking mice, and other highly respected public figures. Maps unfolded. Ice cream melted. Parades advanced with military precision disguised as joy. Then a child pointed. Not at a castle. Not at a character. At ANTAR. Soon another noticed. Then another. Then several. Children stopped looking for their favorite Disney friends and began watching the man with the old bag and the expression of someone mildly curious about everything. ANTAR sat on a bench and observed a parade. A little girl approached. "Are you a character?" ANTAR considered this carefully. "Occasionally." This answered absolutely nothing. A boy asked which movie he was from. "Several unfinished ones," ANTAR replied. The boy nodded as if this made perfect sense. Meanwhile, parents looked confused. They could identify every official character in the park, yet none could place this one. He had no costume, no badge, no merchandise, and no queue. Children continued gathering. ANTAR handed a dropped balloon back to its owner. He pointed one lost family toward a ride. He admired a castle that seemed determined to remain optimistic. Then, just as quietly as he had appeared, he stood up and walked away. A parade passed between him and the crowd. When it cleared, ANTAR was gone. The children searched for him for the rest of the afternoon. Several remained convinced he had been the best character in the park. Nobody could find his autograph. End of Log #020
