Disney Book Group - Epic Mickey

L ong, long ago, sorcerer Yen Sid gazed upon his creation with satisfaction. Yes, yes, that should do it, he murmured as he gave a final flourish with his magic paintbrush. That gold is the perfect color for the turrets of the castle, he thought, admiring his handiwork.

Hmm. He took a step back, cocked his head, and stroked his long, white beard. Something wasnt quite right.

He picked up a large jug labeled thinner and a paint-smeared rag. After he pulled the cork stopper from the thinner jug, he oh-so-carefully tipped a few drops onto the rag. Narrowing his eyes, he dabbed at several gold splotches that had dribbled down onto the castle wall. Once the thinner had erased the mistakes, Yen Sid reapplied stone-color paint until the wall looked solid once again.

He smiled. Much better.

The land was now completewell, as complete as Yen Sid intended it to be. Now it was up to the inhabitants to make it their own by building as they saw fit and altering things as they chose. It was their world now. He hoped with all his heart that they would be happy there.

Yen Sid laid his brush down for the night and let out a long, satisfied yawn. Creating a world for those who had been forgotten or discarded was tiring work but very rewarding. He stretched and removed his cone-shaped hat. It was time to go to sleep. Yen Sid yawned once more as he climbed the stairs to his bed chamber.

What the sorcerer didnt know was that a curious little toon mouse was watching the elderly sorcerer from the other side of a mirror. Mickey Mouse wasnt sure what had disturbed his sleep and roused him out of bed, but he was wide-awake now. This was the first time he could see through the glass mirror!

Mickey was intrigued and excited by what he saw. Something very unusual was happening. When he pressed his nose against the glass for a better look, the mirror gave wayas if it were made of something porous, and not glass at all! Not regular glass, anyway. It gave Mickey an idea. As soon as the bearded gentleman disappeared all the way up the stairs, Mickey ran straight through the mirror!

Whoa! he thought. Its as if the mirror is pulling me in then spitting me out again! Mickey stumbled a bit on landing but quickly regained his balance. He made it! As he stood in front of the mirror, he could see his bedroom on the other side. He touched the mirror gently. Once again his finger was swallowed up by the glass. Howmysterious!

Mickey yanked his finger back out and shrugged. No point wondering about it, he thought. Its time to explore and investigate! He hurried to the worktable.

Awesome, Mickey murmured, gazing down at an astonishing sight. Tiny castles, lagoons, pirate ships, mountains, quaint shops, jungle riversit was a miniature amusement park, an exotic playland, and a small town all rolled into one! An entire world!

Mickey grabbed the sorcerers magic paintbrush. He couldnt resist adding a few of his own touches. No graffiti, he decided. It would be fun to tag a few walls, but he knew the creator of this masterpiece would not approve. Instead, he twirled the paintbrush and created a blobby, purplish statue of himself in the middle of what looked like a town square.

Hey, this magic stuff isnt so hard! he declared, grinning. Not a bad likeness, either. But it should be bigger. He loaded up the brush and slapped on more paint and then some more. The blobby, purply thingie wobbled, wriggled, and grew in front of him.

And it kept growing!

Yikes! Mickey yelped as the inky creature morphed into bigger and more threatening shapes. He stumbled backward away from the table. Wheres the off switch?

Now the creature towered over Mickey, glaring down at him with terrifying yellow eyes. Mickeys heart pounded triple time. Something dangerous, malevolent even, radiated from the inky form.

What if it kept growingforever? Frantic, Mickey grabbed the jug of thinner. He had seen how it had erased the sorcerers paint mistakes. Please work! he begged as he dumped the green liquid onto the purplish mass.

Success! The Phantom Blotfor thats what the monstrosity waswas shrinking. Hoping to destroy the thing, Mickey flung the jug around, spattering thinner everywhere.

Ha! Dont like the green stuff, do ya? Mickey cried triumphantly. He stuffed the Blot and the thinner-soaked rag into the nearly empty jug and tossed it onto the table. He spun around and raced away, leaping back through the mirror and scrambling into bed.

Phew. Mickey pulled the covers up over his head, trying to slow down his racing heart. I think Ill leave magic to the professionals from now on.

He curled up and tried desperately to fall back asleep. It will all be better in the morning, he told himself. It will just seem like a bad dream.

What the little mouse didnt see was the Blot oozing back out of the jug. It shuddered and wriggled and spread across the worktable. Then it dragged the jug down, down, down and plunged into another world.

On the other side of the mirror, Yen Sid hurried back into his workroom. Noises had roused him from his sleep. Whos there? he called out. But no one answered.

Yen Sid frowned. There might not be anyone in his workroom now, but someone had certainly left a mark. He stood over his lovely world, now ravaged. A huge, murky splotch covered most of the landscape. Thinner and paint had damaged much of what he had created, distorting some areas and outright destroying others. He let out a long sigh. Its nowa wasteland, he said sadly.

M any years and adventures later, Mickey Mouse was fast asleep.

It had been a long day for Mickey, the famous and beloved toon character. He had earned a restful night.

He wasnt going to get it.

In the middle of a snore, Mickey scrunched up his nose, wiggled his ears, and brushed his forehead. Something was dripping onto his face. Is there a pipe leaking? he muttered as his eyelids fluttered open.

No! He gasped. He stared up at a terrifying sight. A gigantic, shapeless, inky monstrosity hovered over him. Its intense yellow eyes flashed with evil glee.

Yeee-ow! Mickey jumped out of bed, tangled up in his sheets, and stumbled. Long tendrils shaped like powerful arms reached for him, dripping black and purple ink all over the floor. Get away from me! Mickey kicked at the fingerlike extensions of the Blots ever-shifting body.

No! You were just a dream! he shouted as he crawled under the bed. That never happened. Ive never been to the other side of the mirror. I swear!

Mickeys protests and kicks had no impact on the inky creature. The Blot wrapped its tendrils around Mickeys ankles and tugged