Silly Member Stories

Ghost Host
by Carlos Bravo

When I was seven, my parents took me into the Haunted Mansion for the first time. I had actually gone many times to WDW in my short life, when I was 4, 5, and 6. The park held a special fascination for me, and while I was in awe of the magic, I also feared and respected Walt Disney World. I wanted to make sure the next ride I went on didn’t have some horrifying surprise in store. So I walked the Magic Kingdom grounds ecstatic to be surrounded by the magic, but also walked very cautiously. So, in the many trips to Disney World, I had never even seen the HM. To me it was tucked away in some dark corner of the park, where only the bravest souls dared to enter. To me, it was a myth, some bizarre rumor that was whispered about in the shadows of Liberty Square.

On previous trips, my parents would take my big brother in, and leave me at a nearby shop or the Colombia Harbour House(my favorite restaurant in WDW by the way), with an aunt, uncle or grandparent. So I would see them disappear into the crowds at night, and I knew where they were headed. For the life of me, I tried to make out the mansion from the distance, but could only make out the different lights of the park, and the steamboat all aglow as it passed in front of Tom Sawyer’s island.

Well, at 7 years old, my time had come. They took me by the hand and walked me through the iron gates of the mansion, and there it was, towering in front of me like some evil sentinel. Terrified beyond all belief, due to my vivid imagination, which I am glad to say still exists, I entered the front door. In the stretching room I became acquainted with our ghost host, who had sinister undertones in what he was telling us. As we exited the stretching room to board our “doombuggies”, my fight or flight instincts kicked in full throttle. This disembodied voice was real to me, so I decided to defend myself in the crowded corridor. In my father’s arms, I screamed at the top of my lungs, “I’m not afraid of you Ghost Host!” The crowd let out an amused giggle, as did my parents. My brother however, was mortified beyond belief. He covered his face with embarrassment under his Donald Duck hat.

If any of the people that were there that day in 1981 read this, my profound apologies. I was only trying to defend myself against a malicious entity. Long live Walt Disney World!!!!!!

Smile!