It was a warm night, but still, Wendy Darling pulled her shawl more snugly over her shoulders and hurried towards her house. It wasn't that she was nervous about being back at her family home; she would be delighted to see them all again, but there was one person she was hesitant to see. "Not that he'd even know I was back," she muttered to herself, "he probably didn't even know I was gone."
She hurried up the front walk, and looked quickly down at her bag, "Peter," she said to the air, "if I do see you, I hope you like my stories." She was only just approaching the door when it flew open and seven furry figures dashed out at her, "What on Earth?!" she yelped.
"Wendy, Wendy," she heard amidst the bellows and screeches. "We've missed you so!", "Tell us a story," and "Don't ever go away again," were all thrust at her simultaneously, but then an elegant figure appeared in the doorway.
"Wendy, my darling, darling girl!" And she was swept into her mother's welcoming arms. "Come inside, dear, away from these savages," she said with a chuckle, "You must tell us all about school."
Several hours later, Wendy made her way upstairs. She peered into the darkened room, and her eyes were immediately drawn to the opened, billowing windows. She gasped, then quickly realized Nana must have opened them for her arrival, and the thing moving outside her window was only a tree branch.
She walked over to the window, and peered out into the night. She heaved a sigh and turned back to the room. Six years had changed her, to be sure. She was now 18, could be considered an adult. She had traveled all over Europe, and had been courted by numerous men. But she still couldn't get one person off her mind, someone she should have outgrown years ago: Peter Pan, the leader of the lost boys; the proverbial child who never grew up.
But not all of this was true; while Wendy had been growing up, so had Peter. You see, in Neverland, age depends on how one truly feels in their deepest of hearts. Wendy's leaving Neverland broke his heart, to the point where he began to yearn to live like her, to be in her world, since she obviously didn't want to stay in his. This tiny, infinitesimal hint of desire was what sparked his growth, however, for quite a while, Peter didn't notice. To us, it would be quite obvious, but being as time moved more slowly in Neverland, the change was unnoticed. For Peter, whose life was filled with adventure, the days went by quickly, but also slowly – as to him, each day was an adventure. However, as the days went on, he began to realize that he was thinking more deeply about things, and he worried about problems he hadn't before.
When he began to think about his problems, it became more obvious to him that he really was unhappy because Wendy left. He was now nearing what would be 17 to 18 to us, so his unwanted feelings began to creep in. He found himself wishing for Wendy in ways he didn't know were real or not. He would see, or hear things that sounded like her, and would get odd flutterings in his stomach, and he was having the most interesting dreams!
He finally decided to do something about it. He decided to go to Wendy's window: that very window which had been empty and closed the last many times he had visited. So, even though he was sure it would be fruitless, he made his way back with a flicker of hope and Tink by his side.
Although he had been hesitant to recognize the source of his woes, he had still visited her window often. As he approached, he hesitated slightly, as if anticipating disappointment, but wait – that was a movement and a light in the window! He flew cautiously towards it, and to his great joy, did see someone moving inside. 'But that can't be Wendy' – he thought, 'she's too old,' although deep inside he knew it was. He dared not draw attention to himself, besides, he was content just watching her. But as he did, he felt faint flutters in his stomach again.
Wendy looked sad, he thought to himself, 'I wonder why.' As he was thinking the words, Wendy, as if reading his mind, said quietly, yet loudly enough for him to hear, "Oh Peter, how I miss you." Then she turned down the covers, turned out the light and began to climb into bed. She paused suddenly, and turned to look longingly at the window, and was shocked to see a face peering in at her.