M.I.C-K.E.Y M-O-U-S-E

Four souls on the edge of despair. One magical encounter that changes everything.

At Disneyland, where wishes are meant to come true, Rose dons the Mickey Mouse costume one last time before her planned suicide. Behind the iconic mask, she carries the weight of an unwanted pregnancy and a shattered relationship. As she prepares to say goodbye to the world, an unexpected visitor arrives at the park gates.

Five-year-old Emily, her body ravaged by Spinal Muscular Atrophy, communicates only through her expressive brown eyes. Having outlived doctors' predictions by years, she arrives at Disneyland on her Make-A-Wish trip, clutching her Mickey Mouse toy and wearing mouse ears atop her golden curls. Her mother Catherine, devoted yet secretly planning to join her daughter in death once Emily passes, wheels her through the entrance.

By extraordinary coincidence, pop superstar Britney Spears is also at the park that day, filming a video while contemplating joining the "27 Club" after public humiliation and heartbreak. When Mickey spots Emily and presents her with forbidden flowers from the display garden, the cameraman captures a moment of pure magic that transforms all four lives.

This heartbreaking yet ultimately hopeful story explores how brief human connections can provide healing when we need it most. Through one spontaneous act of kindness, Rose finds reason to live, Catherine discovers peace, Britney gains perspective, and Emily experiences the perfect final day.

Listen as we explore this powerful story about finding meaning and connection even in our darkest moments. What unexpected encounters have changed your life? Share your stories with us and remember that sometimes the most profound impacts come from the briefest meetings.

 This story is available in the anthology Voice Within: A Storybook by Storytellers Edition II.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Rose's Horrible Day
• 5:50 Emily's Diagnosis and Struggle
• 12:15 Make-A-Wish Grants Emily's Dream
• 15:52 Emily's Special Communication
• 21:30 Brittany's Internal Struggles
• 23:52 The Magical Meeting at Disneyland
• 27:42 Four Lives Forever Changed

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E by John Shuttles. Rose, also known as Greta Mouse, number 14, was having a horrible day. She was late for work and late for her period. She had broken off the relationship with her boyfriend a week ago. She had thrown him out of her apartment and out of her life. Now there was the possibility that the little of him might still be in her life, or a little life might be in her from him. She loved her life here in Los Angeles.

Speaker 1: 0:43

The move from England to the USA had been easy. Her useless, now long-dead father had, at least because of his American birth, given her the ability to get her American passport. She had left cold, dreary England behind after her mother died. She had a nice apartment, nice friends, nice clothes and a nice job. The last nice was her job of being character Greta Mickey Mouse at Disneyland.

Speaker 1: 1:16

She was one of 20 young girls who donned the heavy costume and became Mickey Mouse. The high number of girls was required to keep Mickey in front of the public for all the hours that Disneyland was open, every day, 365 days per year, and also the special occasions when Mickey was made an appearance in a special costume. Only one Mickey was seen at any time in the park, but each girl only worked a six-hour shift. Summer days in the California heat meant that only young, healthy girls could stay the course, and the suits were made for. A person of very small stature, clock in an hour to change into Mickey, then ride in the specially built golf cart with Mickey Mouse's ears on the roof to the entrance turnstile to meet the kids. For five days per week Rose donned the costume and voicelessly danced and hugged and played with the children at the place where dreams can come true. She loved it, although the job was very demanding and, in her words, this costume is a bitch.

Speaker 1: 2:32

Disneyland Wardrobe Department DWD produced, stored, categorized and maintained over 4,000 individual costumes. Each time a new Disney film became popular, the DWD designed and sewed a new costume. Some characters were retired as the old films were replaced with newer, bigger budget blockbusters, but the characters' costumes were never retired. They were stored away in a temperature-controlled vault, hidden away from the public's eye underneath the 200-hectare park. Mickey alone had just under 500 costumes. Apart from the standard everyday Mickey, of which there were 20 copies, there was Mickey the Sea Captain, mickey the Carpenter, mickey the Wizard's Apprentice, mickey the Chef and many, many more. Mickey's costumes had their own room called the Mousetrap, and every day Rose would collect her costume from the Mousetrap and change, ready for work, surrounded by Goofy Pluto, snow White, shrek and many more. It was surreal 6am and 47 girls chattering away about their previous night out and who did what to whom? Laughter, groans, giggles and complaints from 47 Disney characters.

Speaker 1: 4:01

Rose the greeter mouse. She was stationed between the turnstiles and the clock flower garden. That marked the start of Main Street, usa. Most days she loved her job, but today she just could not get happy. In fact, she cried as she drove along the LA freeway and onto Disney Drive. The LA freeway and onto Disney Drive.

Speaker 1: 4:29

Her head throbbed and her stomach churned that no good bastard had ruined her life. Nobody could know that this morning she had considered suicide and becoming dead Minnie instead of becoming live Mickey. She had his gun. Her drug-addicted user-dealer boyfriend had taken off in a hurry when Rose threatened to call the police. He had to get away as soon as possible. Leave the stuck-up bitch that were hunting him anyway. Wanted in connection with the death of a known drug lord, a warrant for his arrest had been issued. The night Rose had realised that her like clockwork period had not arrived. He had taken her savings and her dignity with goodbye instructions to get rid of all this shit and don't speak to nobody. He was no good. She knew that from the first day she had met him. Her friends knew, the police knew. What is it that draws good girls to bad boys, the really nice girls to total jerks? And now this English Rose was planning to cut short her time in this American garden. She would do this last shift and, if things did not improve, end it all tonight.

Speaker 1: 5:47

Chapter 2. Catherine. Catherine, who had also considered suicide on many occasions, was having a good day for a change, one of the precious few of late. Her daughter, emily, now five, had lived nearly two years beyond the predictions of the doctors, so every day was a bonus. Catherine's husband, chris, had not been strong enough to raise a child born with spinal muscular atrophy, sma, and had left less than a year after Emily was diagnosed. He could not watch as his little girl withered away.

Speaker 1: 6:28

The diagnosis had come in the first few months of Emily's life. At first she appeared a normal, healthy girl. She was a beautiful, placid baby. She did not progress well. Placid was replaced with very little movement at all. She did not lift her head and her cries for food were more like the bleatings of a lamb. Catherine had first noticed that her tiny hands would turn inwards towards her tummy, and those tiny hands were not able to grasp onto her feeding bottle as most babies do. Then she could not lift her head and then she began to flop. Catherine and Chris had taken her to their local GP.

Speaker 1: 7:14

Chapter 3. Andrew Andrew Jones MD, the fresh-faced, handsome young doctor, had recently completed his residency and was now ready to begin his career as a healer. He was having a good day. His first week at the Franklin Medical Clinic had gone according to plan Colds and flu, boils and rashes, sprains and lesions. He did not expect that his first week on the job he would see the rarest illness of his whole career. He had his suspicions, but SMA was very, very rare. Only one in a million babies had this genetic disorder. Both parents had to have the faulty gene.

Speaker 1: 8:02

The odds were so big SMA so rare that the young GP had never seen a case and had been forced to check the baby's symptoms on his computer to be sure he was seeing what he thought might be one of the many possibilities resulting in floppy infant syndrome, fis. He stared at the computer, angled away from the consulting chair so as not to be seen by the patients, he scanned the screen, familiar with all the medical terms which would be lost on most laymen. There it was spinal muscular atrophy. He recalled reading a paper on floppy infant syndrome just before taking his board exams an illness so obscure that he was confident it would not come up in the exam. But better to be sure and read everything you can.

Speaker 1: 8:58

Two years pre-med at Penn State University, four years at Harvard Medical School and a year at Pittsburgh General Hospital had prepared him for general practice, but not for this difficult diagnosis. He was not 100% sure, too inexperienced to make such a precise diagnosis. It could be cerebral palsy, it could be motor neuron disease. He decided to refer this case to the experts in the big city hospitals. He arranged for Emily and both parents to be seen by Dr Davis in Pittsburgh's Children's Hospital for a complete examination and to confirm his diagnosis. The diagnosis would be confirmed by taking a blood sample from the two parents and the baby, emily, for DNA testing. Emily's blood sample would be tested for a deletion in the survival motor neuron number one gene on chromosome number five, catherine and Chris, somewhat in a daze of ignorance and fear, drove their beautiful little girl to Pittsburgh with heavy hearts and very little information except that something was very wrong with their baby or the doctor would have been answered his questions and would not have been so tight-lipped. Dr Davis drew the blood samples and completed the test that day and confirmed it was SMA. He explained to the parents that SMA is a genetic neuron muscular disorder that affects the nerve cells that control voluntary muscle. Similar to the motor neuron disease, but more aggressive. Catherine heard the words, but they did not compute. She asked will she ever walk? And the reply hit her like a slap in the face no, I'm afraid she will never walk. In fact, she only has a life expectancy of a few months if it's type 1 and two to three years if it's type two. With the right care and medication she may live past five years, but it's doubtful. These stunned parents stared at each other in disbelief. As the terrible words registered on her brain, catherine let out a whimper that quickly turned into a scream of anguish, and then the flood of tears flowed. Chris did not try to comfort her. Emily slept peacefully in Catherine's arms, oblivious to the horror her parents were experiencing.

Speaker 1: 11:44

Chapter 4. Dr John Davis. Dr John Davis, now Emily's personal pediatrician, saw her in his consultation rooms in Pittsburgh Children's Hospital once a month for no charge. At first she handled being fed by bottle and wearing nappies, but when it became clear that she was not able to swallow, he had inserted the tube that supplied liquid food through her nose. She amazed everyone by living to her second birthday, but soon after her digestive system failed and Dr Davis performed an operation on her stomach which allowed her to take sustenance from the liquid food and pass her waste products into a colonoscopy bag. He had predicted this would give her a few more months. He did not expect her to live to her third birthday, but four years on she was still seeing him every month. She knew him well and gave him knowing looks with those beautiful brown eyes. She flirted with him. Oh you little minks. He would say Stop doing that to me. With them there eyes, miracles happened. But he knew it was inevitable. He gave Catherine a DNR letter do not resuscitate. A letter detailing Emily's condition and instructing any medical person attending to Emily to be sure to let her go, fearing that some well-meaning but uninformed doctor might hook her up to a respirator or try to connect her to a heart-lung machine to keep her alive.

Speaker 1: 13:28

When Catherine and Emily left his office that day, dr Davis did one more thing for Emily. He contacted Make-A-Wish Foundation and arranged for her wish of visiting Disneyland to be granted. The lady he first contacted received many calls to the foundation office and usually took down the details and sent out application forms to be filled in and then reviewed by the grants committee. This time it was different. Emily's case was so urgent and so heart-rendering. She took down the details and went directly to the manager and that afternoon arrangements were made to fly emily from her home in pittsburgh to anaheim, california. A hotel was organized for three nights, a two-day, all access packs for the mother and one special child, limousine service to and from disneyland, all meals and a hundred dollars to spend in the souvenir shop.

Speaker 1: 14:31

Chapter 6 Catherine. Catherine now grazed at those beautiful eyes that were full of wonder and anticipation. The hotel had been instructed to replace the DVD player in Catherine's room with a video cassette player so that Emily's routine would not be disturbed. She sat happily propped up on her red beanbag with soft Mickey Mouse by her side. Those eyes told Catherine that she was excited about her day Catherine had told her about the adventure and she was sure Emily knew she was going to Disneyland today and she knew that beloved Mickey would be there, as fate would have it. What she did not know was her favourite masquiteer, brittany, now all grown up and a successful pop goddess, would also be at Disneyland that day. Catherine had put off exiting this world until Emily passed. Until then she would devote every minute of her life to make sure that the limited minutes of Emily's short life would be as good as she could make them. Then, when Emily passed and her work was done, she would take her own life and be with Emily forever.

Speaker 1: 15:50

Chapter 7.

Speaker 1: 15:52

Emily.

Speaker 1: 15:54

Emily was having a great day, the best day of her short life. She could not walk, never could. She could not play with other kids, never had. She could not eat, fed by a tube through her nose. Since the age of three months she could verbalise a little, but it was not talking, just sounds that only Catherine could understand. Her main form of communication was her beautiful brown eyes. They were very special and spoke volumes. In the way that blind people enhance and compensate with their own senses and their other senses, emily used her eyes to communicate in a very special way. Okay, said Emily's eyes, mummy, go over to the machine, put in the cassette and play Mickey. For me it was a sort of telepathy, similar to the way some twins can read each other's thoughts, finish each other's sentences or feel each other's pain.

Speaker 1: 16:55

With Emily, her every muscle was dying, some faster than others. So her eyes became her communication tool. Her brain still worked fine and she understood more than those around her would ever know. She had learned to understand. Eventually the heart muscle would die or the lungs would stop functioning. Without intervention it was inevitable that Emily would pass, and Catherine had long since decided to let nature take its course. Don't have her hospitalised in a bed connected to all those tubes. So Emily, oblivious to all of this, had developed the strongest communication tool she had that worked Her eyes.

Speaker 1: 17:48

Emily had to be washed, dressed and fed by mummy every day, but after that she was allowed to watch television, propped up on the floor on her favourite red beanbag cushion. Catherine tried to give her a variety of diet of television, but Emily's eyes would let her know what she liked. It was not Play School or Sesame Street, it was not the Wiggles or the Muppet Show, and surprisingly it. It was not Mr Rogers' neighborhood. For some reason she was scared by that kindly grandfatherly gentleman. It was Disney she loved, and not the new Disney with pretty princesses and green ogres. No, it was the old Disney, and especially the Mickey Mouse Club starring her favourite Mouseketeer, britney Spears. She had a soft Mickey Mouse toy that had been given to her by her dad just before he left, never to be seen or heard of again Red pants, white waistcoat, yellow bow tie, black jacket and white gloves, with only three fingers. A classic Mickey, her Mickey, just the right size to sit with her as she watched her beloved Mickey Mouse Club video, because she had always loved Mickey Mouse Club episodes from the years 1989 to 1995. Her video cassette player was all technology. Now the DVDs had become the latest trend. But Emily did not know that and she certainly did not care. Go over to my machine, put in the cassette, push play, give me my Mickey Mouse. Her eyes screamed. And so it was today, same as every other day. Mickey Mouse Club from 1993, featuring Mouseketeers, britney Spears, justin Timberlake, christina Aguilera and Ryan Gosling. Wow, was that casting director good at spotting talent?

Speaker 1: 19:57

And so these four wonderful girls, rose, catherine, emily and Brittany were about to meet, fall in love and affect each other forever. Three contemplated taking their own lives and one taking a life as it came. Not knowing any other way, the limousine driver pulled up to the entrance of Disneyland in an area designed drop-off only, and helped Catherine to unload Emily's wheelchair from the trunk. The chair, although small, was still difficult for him to open and Catherine, who had done it a thousand times, deftly pulled the spring lever and, with the chair stable and the brake on, gently lifted Emily out of the back seat, being careful to support her floppy head. The beautiful limp head was cradled in a padded support and the safety harness was secured to Emily's torso. By habit, catherine straightened Emily's hands so they looked more natural and, as always, they turned back inwards. As a finishing touch, she placed a pair of Mickey Mouse ears on top of Emily's golden curls. She collected her backpack containing the many items for a day caring for Emily away from home and double checked. She had the two day all excess pass.

Speaker 1: 21:28

Chapter eight Brittany. Brittany really could not give a shit about Disneyland. Her stint as a mousketeer in the Mickey Mouse Club was years ago now, and whilst it had given her a start in show business. Now, at 27, she was considering suicide and joined the infamous 27 Club. Suicide and join the infamous 27 Club Superstars who sadly took their own lives or died.

Speaker 1: 22:02

At only 27 years old, her boyfriend and lover of her life, justin Timberlake, had ended their relationship. She knew it was her fault. They were the perfect couple and had been since the Mickey Mouse Club days. She had cheated on him A crazy night of drugs and alcohol. Another horrendous cell phone video filmed by some so-called friend was uploaded to YouTube for all the world to see, stuffing up again.

Speaker 1: 22:31

But this time it was costing her not only her happiness and her lover, but also her freedom. Her father, who controlled her every move and had done so since Britney was diagnosed as mentally incompetent, told her she had to go to complete the Disneyland shoot for her latest video or he would take control to the next level and go for conservatorship. She had never even heard of the legal term conservatorship and when she asked her lawyer to explain, scared her to death. Yes, she did. Death was a consideration. Maybe I could do it at Disneyland, she thought. Jump off the top of Magic Mountain, throw myself off the highest turret of the Sleeping Beauty Castle or simply take all of her sleeping pills from the bathroom cabinet and be found naked in bed. Like Marilyn, she entertained all of these thoughts in a hungover brain that throbbed unmercifully. Still, she could not do that to her fans and especially could not do that to the children. But she thought about it as she got dressed and went down to meet the lemo that was to take her to Disneyland, chapter 9.

Speaker 1: 23:53

Mickey Mouse, number 14, was doing his usual thing. The kids in line could see him hugging the kids that were already inside the park. They were so excited, hardly able to contain themselves. Mums and dads tried to keep them still as they showed their passes to the pretty girl on the turnstile who pulled the lever and let them pass through into another world. Finally it was Emily's turn and the pretty girl struggled with the locking mechanism on the gate at the side of the turnstile which allowed wheelchairs to pass into the magical world where dreams can come true. Pass into the magical world where dreams can come true. Mickey spotted Emily and knew from her posture and the special wheelchair that this was a very sick child. Their eyes met and Emily's eyes, as always, said it all.

Speaker 1: 24:48

Brittany's cameraman was setting up for today's shoot Lots of time. His cameraman was setting up for today's shoot. Lots of time, no rush, britney, always late and from what he had seen on today's news may not turn up at all. He saw the connection between Mickey and this beautiful little girl. He began to film, first focusing on Emily's eyes, then panning across to Mickey who, with his three-fingered white-gloved hands, motioning to the kids to back off a little so he could see Emily. This was magic. The cameraman knew to keep rolling, knowing he was capturing a moment in time not to be missed.

Speaker 1: 25:29

Mickey stepped forward and opened the gate and, with an over-exaggerated wave of his arms and a gentlemanly bow, motioned them through. Not able to speak, mickey held out both hands in a wait there gesture. He turned and ever so proudly marched over to the raised flower bed with its famous clock made from the flowers of every colour. There was a sign that read famous clock made from the flowers of every colour. There was a sign that read please don't pick the flowers. But Mickey mischievously ignored it and reached over and, with careful deliberation, picked a bunch of the best flowers and arranged them into a bouquet. He hid the bouquet behind his back and danced over to Emily's cheer With the animated movements that Rose had practiced many times. Mickey placed the bouquet on Emily's lap and bent it down, put his arms around her and ever so gently kissed her cheek.

Speaker 1: 26:31

Brittany watched this scene play out from the back seat of her limo. She was crying, and not everyone was crying. Not a dry eye in the world changed for all four. Rose knew that, pregnant or not, she would be okay and tomorrow she would be Greta. Mickey Mouse, number 14 again. Hug the children and keep the dream alive.

Speaker 1: 27:13

Catherine was content that she had done what all mothers must do and celebrate their child's life, no matter how short that life may be. Emily knew only that this was the best day of her life. Here was Mickey and Brittany. Mickey, timeless, and Brittany, with all grown up and now a superstar. Her heart was full, her body immobile, but her eyes cried with joy. As Britney wrapped her arms around her, she felt Emily's tears mix with her own and somehow, magically, those tears healed her. She would weather this storm, put on her makeup, dance and sing and perform and see it through. She counted her blessings.

Speaker 1: 28:00

Emily had a great day her last. She rode every ride, she saw all her favourite Disney characters, she made the evening news. She became an internet sensation. She died that night. She slipped away cradled in Catherine's arms, wearing her Mickey Mouse ears and gazing lovely into her mother's face and those amazing eyes. Catherine gently rocked the lifeless child as she sang her favourite goodbye song. The lifeless child as she sang her favourite goodbye song. Now's the time to say goodbye to all our company M-I-C. See you real soon. K-e-y. Why? Because we like you, m-o-u-s-e.