jenniebean
10-01-2008, 10:15 AM
... but yesterday I witnessed a really bizarre scene at DL.
(mods, didn't think this belongs in trip report since it's not really a trip...?)
So, as several of you know from my other postings, I go to DL to do my homework, usually at the Plaza Garden Stage/Carnations Plaza in the pavilion. First of all, the pavilion was quite crowded when I first arrived at 3:30ish, probably due to the absurdly hot day, but pretty much everyone was gone by about 4:30/5.
That's when I notice this kid (15-18?) hanging around the bridge that goes from the hub under the sign with the lights (there are three bridges in the area-- this will be known as bridge 1) holding a walkie talkie very close to his mouth & talking into it, & holding it very close to his ear to listen. We used to do the walkie talkie thing before cell phones were available to every walking creature, & you're supposed to hold it pretty far from your mouth & ear to get a clear signal. But whatever, I figure he's just playing with a friend or something... until I notice he keeps looking over at me while talking into the wt. The pavilion is empty at this point except for me & a mother paying attention to her baby beside me. The kid then walks over to the outside rail surrounding the pavilion & sits there, checking his watch & looking side to side every few seconds &, once again, staring me down while I pretend to not watch him. Out of the corner of my eye, as soon as the mother turns away, he hops over the fence & immediately sits in a chair, leaning back & looking like he's trying to hard to appear relaxed. Then he picks up some small packet, that I hadn't noticed before, left on the table in front of him, suspiciously looks around again, & hunches over it in his lap, opening it as he turns away from me. Meanwhile, because I watched waaay too much "Law & Order" & "Without a Trace" & "Cold Case" this summer, I was scribbling down every descriptive feature of this boy & the exact times everything was happening. After pocketing whatever was in the packet, he walked back over to bridge 1 & starts talking into the wt while checking his watch & checking to see if I was watching. Still glancing over, he pretends to casually lean on the bridge & look at the little stream... & reaches into his pocket & pours some powder into it! Um, what? So he notices that I saw him. Mind you, this kid creepily has his eyes fixated on me, & I don't know where mom & baby went. He keeps nervously checking his watch & talking into the wt, with no response I assume, because when he's not looking at me, his eyes are darting around or checking the time. After about 5 minutes, he leaves via the hub.
I'm about to pack up my stuff to find security when he shows up AGAIN at the next bridge towards the castle (bridge 2). Now he's just leaning on the railing staring directly AT me. Then, because I occasionally fancy myself some kind of amateur detective :rolleyes:, I pretend to look for something in my bag, at which point he spins around, dumps more powder into the water, & spins back to make sure I'm not watching. Then stares some more. He leaves by way of the path around the castle to the left.
...& shows up again a few minutes later on bridge 3! Once again, leaning on the railing, staring at me until he thinks I'm not looking, & throwing powder into the water. Stares some more. At this point, I actually feel quite uncomfortable, & while there are usually security guards who walk by my little spot every half hour or so, none this time. I think he saw me writing stuff down every time he did anything, because then he walked right up in front of me, focusing on my book, which I turned to a different page. Remembering the sentiments on the "selling fastpasses" thread, I dug out my phone for a picture. Back to bridge 1 for more nervous wt business & watch checking... &, of course, the stare down. Then he left.
At the end of the day, I went to city hall to find a security officer, who basically seemed like he could care less. He suggested that, because it's illegal, sometimes people are sneaky if they're spreading someone's ashes (yes, I've read that thread, too) & ignored my "But then why the walkie talkie? Why the whole leave a package & have someone else pick it up business? Can you do a water quality check?" questions. He assured me he'd go patrol the area in case the kid came back & that I shouldn't worry.
I'm guessing that he remained calm about the whole thing because it's Disneyland & they don't want people to panic.
But do any of you have a guess as to what was going on? I thought it might be soap, like when kids pour bubble bath into fountains to make them foam over for a prank, but when I looked, no suds. Then again, might be nothing & I just have "some imagination," as Mickey would say.
(mods, didn't think this belongs in trip report since it's not really a trip...?)
So, as several of you know from my other postings, I go to DL to do my homework, usually at the Plaza Garden Stage/Carnations Plaza in the pavilion. First of all, the pavilion was quite crowded when I first arrived at 3:30ish, probably due to the absurdly hot day, but pretty much everyone was gone by about 4:30/5.
That's when I notice this kid (15-18?) hanging around the bridge that goes from the hub under the sign with the lights (there are three bridges in the area-- this will be known as bridge 1) holding a walkie talkie very close to his mouth & talking into it, & holding it very close to his ear to listen. We used to do the walkie talkie thing before cell phones were available to every walking creature, & you're supposed to hold it pretty far from your mouth & ear to get a clear signal. But whatever, I figure he's just playing with a friend or something... until I notice he keeps looking over at me while talking into the wt. The pavilion is empty at this point except for me & a mother paying attention to her baby beside me. The kid then walks over to the outside rail surrounding the pavilion & sits there, checking his watch & looking side to side every few seconds &, once again, staring me down while I pretend to not watch him. Out of the corner of my eye, as soon as the mother turns away, he hops over the fence & immediately sits in a chair, leaning back & looking like he's trying to hard to appear relaxed. Then he picks up some small packet, that I hadn't noticed before, left on the table in front of him, suspiciously looks around again, & hunches over it in his lap, opening it as he turns away from me. Meanwhile, because I watched waaay too much "Law & Order" & "Without a Trace" & "Cold Case" this summer, I was scribbling down every descriptive feature of this boy & the exact times everything was happening. After pocketing whatever was in the packet, he walked back over to bridge 1 & starts talking into the wt while checking his watch & checking to see if I was watching. Still glancing over, he pretends to casually lean on the bridge & look at the little stream... & reaches into his pocket & pours some powder into it! Um, what? So he notices that I saw him. Mind you, this kid creepily has his eyes fixated on me, & I don't know where mom & baby went. He keeps nervously checking his watch & talking into the wt, with no response I assume, because when he's not looking at me, his eyes are darting around or checking the time. After about 5 minutes, he leaves via the hub.
I'm about to pack up my stuff to find security when he shows up AGAIN at the next bridge towards the castle (bridge 2). Now he's just leaning on the railing staring directly AT me. Then, because I occasionally fancy myself some kind of amateur detective :rolleyes:, I pretend to look for something in my bag, at which point he spins around, dumps more powder into the water, & spins back to make sure I'm not watching. Then stares some more. He leaves by way of the path around the castle to the left.
...& shows up again a few minutes later on bridge 3! Once again, leaning on the railing, staring at me until he thinks I'm not looking, & throwing powder into the water. Stares some more. At this point, I actually feel quite uncomfortable, & while there are usually security guards who walk by my little spot every half hour or so, none this time. I think he saw me writing stuff down every time he did anything, because then he walked right up in front of me, focusing on my book, which I turned to a different page. Remembering the sentiments on the "selling fastpasses" thread, I dug out my phone for a picture. Back to bridge 1 for more nervous wt business & watch checking... &, of course, the stare down. Then he left.
At the end of the day, I went to city hall to find a security officer, who basically seemed like he could care less. He suggested that, because it's illegal, sometimes people are sneaky if they're spreading someone's ashes (yes, I've read that thread, too) & ignored my "But then why the walkie talkie? Why the whole leave a package & have someone else pick it up business? Can you do a water quality check?" questions. He assured me he'd go patrol the area in case the kid came back & that I shouldn't worry.
I'm guessing that he remained calm about the whole thing because it's Disneyland & they don't want people to panic.
But do any of you have a guess as to what was going on? I thought it might be soap, like when kids pour bubble bath into fountains to make them foam over for a prank, but when I looked, no suds. Then again, might be nothing & I just have "some imagination," as Mickey would say.