Disclaimer: Peter Pan, all characters, places, and related terms belong to J. M. Barrie.

Enchantment Passing Through

Wendy jerked at the sound of her chamber door opening and shutting. Groggily she bolted upright in her bed. Across the room, pressed against the door, a cloaked youth gazed back at her. Eyes widening, the young girl drew her coverlet up to her chin. She had never seen him before.

"Shhhh!" the curly-haired boy held up a finger to his lips. "Don't say anything."

After a moment Wendy sharply nodded her head, holding the stranger's gaze, curiosity and questions swirling in her mind. (She tried not to imagine what her aunt, Millicent, would do if the older woman could see this: she alone with a strange boy in her chamber, clothed only in her nightgown with her brown hair hanging about her shoulders. (The duchess most likely would faint from shock; after lamenting this confirmed her mounting fears once and for all that Wendy would never turn out to be a proper lady of the court).)

The long staring contest between the two was broken by a loud rapid pounding on the door the boy leaned against. Wendy flinched, gripping the coverlet tighter. For the first time since waking nerves pricked her. She swallowed.

"Who is it?" she called, pretending to yawn.

"Lord Hook, my lady," was the muffled reply.

Tensing, the youth glanced at Wendy.

"A prisoner has escaped the dungeons, Pan," the lord spat the name. "The whole castle is being searched. Please, remain in your room and keep the door locked. The scoundrel will be caught soon."

Wendy discovered the boy still watching her, his hands twitching. Dawning comprehension washed over her. Surely he then had to be… He slid the bolt in the door, locking it with a loud click.

"Thank you, my lord," the girl called, her focus on the boy. "Good night."

Not until the sound of footsteps faded down the hall did Wendy release the breath she'd been holding. The youth sagged against the door. After a moment he straightened up, mumbling "Oh, the cleverness of me!" and begun prowling about the room. Wendy noted the boy's dirty blond curls, his eyes as green as the sea. He didn't appear much older than her fifteen years.

"Blasted castles! There has to be a way out," he grumbled, opening closets and wardrobes. Shutting the door to Wendy's bath with a scowl, his gaze fell on the girl whom had observed his search silently. Expression changing to a slight frown, he regarded her quizzically.

"You didn't give me away. You didn't tell Hook."

Wendy shook her head quickly, almost stubbornly.

The boy blinked at her, then came and sat on the edge of the bed. She shifted away from him, but not far. While unsure of what he would do, she was intrigued.

"Why?" He studied her intently. "Why did you not?"

She replied, "I'm not afraid of you."

The youth's face grew thoughtful as he digested her answer, head tilting to the side. His gaze roved over her features. Heat rose in the girl's cheeks.

Abruptly he asked, "What is your name?"

"Wendy."

"Wendy…," he echoed, hints of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. She gave him a small smile in return. Sighing loudly and shaking his head, the boy stood up and looked about the chamber once more. He noticed a curtain hanging on one wall and swiftly walked over to it. Yanking it back, he revealed a window. Throwing his head back he crowed triumphantly.

"Careful!" Wendy hushed him, glancing worriedly towards her locked door. "You'll be heard and caught!" The wide, bright, cocky smile she received from the boy caused her to stammer and shyly look away.

"I'm Peter Pan! Hook won't catch me!" he bragged, dropping his cloak on the ground. (Oddly, he was dressed in skeleton leaves.) Then he climbed onto the window's ledge.

The girl opened her mouth only to close it. Her heart leapt to her throat, in alarm or wonder or something else she couldn't say. She gaped as the boy rose until he was standing on the windowsill, arms slowly rising as though they were wings and he was going to fly…

Suddenly Peter ducked down and turned back to face her. It was impossible to read his expression. Wendy softly gasped when he effortlessly floated through the air until he hovered above her bed, his bright grin and twinkling eyes filling the girl's vision.

Then, he lowered his head and brushed his mouth against hers in a soft kiss.

Oh! Wendy stiffened in surprise. For an instant she felt warm and weightless, goosebumps racing down her arms. Her heart pounded in her ears.

"I'll be back, Wendy-lady."

Dazedly the girl opened her eyes. It took her a second to notice Peter (still so close and now laughing – obviously his world had not just turned upside down), then another one to register his words.

She replied, "Y-you do not like castles."

Some of his amusement fading, Peter gave her look that was both determined and knowing. "One girl is worth more than twenty boys," he whispered before he flew out of the room and disappeared into the starry night.

The girl was left gazing out her window in confused disbelief. Had that…everything, really happened? Or perhaps I'm still asleep, only dreaming? she wondered. There was no lingering warmth or tingles or hints of magic…just the window.

The next morning Wendy discovered her silver thimble was missing. In its place was a tiny acorn button. Turning it curiously between her fingers, the girl looked towards her window. A secret, hopeful smile brightened her face.

THE END