This is my sophomore attempt at fanfiction, a story completely separate
from my debut outing, A New Day: The Continuing Story of Peter Pan, which
was a sequel to a sequel (to, technically, another sequel!).
This story takes place only a few years after Wendy's first visit to Neverland with Peter Pan, so it is considered a follow-up to the 2003 P.J. Hogan film Peter Pan (with some natural references to the original Barrie novel [1911] and his own Peter Pan prequel, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens [1904]).
Obviously, I have no ownership of any of the characters or actors who portrayed them.....LORD, how I've tried! ;-)
So, with no further babbling, I give you Chapter I of The Riddle of Being: Wendy's Next Great Adventure.....please leave comments! :-)
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I. RECOLLECTIONS OF A WENDY
The clouds hovered over London most impatiently, waiting for their turn to take their place of prominence among the skies after the proud Sun had at last given up his reigns upon the day. Not a breeze stirred, and even the moon seemed rather shy this evening. All the world seemed aware of the Boy's presence. That is, all the world that was part of the greater wonder and magical understanding.
The universe watched as the youth sat upon that impatient cloud and waited, all the while juggling a shiny little object between his fingers. He had quite forgotten about the tiny gift, for how long he knew not nor cared to calculate. He happened upon it most accidentally whence recently returning to his abandoned underground tree home to collect old remnants and trinkets that the former batch of Lost Boys had left behind; the swatch of deerskin Nibs used to plan their battles, a rusty sword discarded by Tootles, Slightly's oft-used pocket mirror, and so on. And then there, nestled unobtrusively among the firs and blankets of the large bed hollow where the captain of the Lost Boys took his slumber, the small token presented itself once again, and he knew it in an instant.
Wendy's Kiss.
Had it been so very long since last Peter Pan's thoughts lingered upon the girl? I daresay it to be so. He had said he would return to her one day, to crouch upon her windowsill and listen to her wonderful adventure stories like he did so many times before. But upon returning to Neverland, he found himself to be rather distracted by other more pressing matters.
He was now all alone. Just he and Tinker Bell. Of course, the green-eyed little fairy would have preferred it no other way, but as for Peter, it was a most distressing state of affairs. And to make it much the worse, within days he received word that the Jolly Roger once again housed a captain. No, the remaining pirates had not elected a new one, nor had they sought one out for initiation. 'Twas the same dastardly man come to command the ship once more. James Hook had returned.
Peter's only allies remaining were the Indians, and he sought their aid in case Hook was to come after him. Having rescued their princess, Tiger Lily, the Indians were forever in Peter's debt, and they would gladly offer their protection should he need it.
But he did not need it for very long, as the Ways of the World continued to spin on their never-ending axis, and within no time at all, careless nurses and negligent mothers everywhere turned their backs as their baby boys tumbled from their prams and into the waiting arms of Peter Pan to be taken to Neverland, where they shan't henceforth have to worry about depending on another for their own well-being. And within no time at all, Peter's band of Lost Boys was replenished anew, and he again had his own little army with which to battle Hook and the pirates.
And with these new boys and the return of Hook came the vital task of finding a new hideout. The underground home would no longer do, as its whereabouts were known to just about every creature on the island. Peter had to seek out a new lair, one that would be completely unattainable to Hook. But where could Peter go that Hook could not?
The answer was quite simple, really: The sky!
Hook's days of flying were quite over, Peter was certain, so he had no qualms whatsoever about moving his home from the easily penetrable ground to the safety of the treetops. Not terribly far from the Indian camp – and far enough from the prying eyes of Hook and his cronies – was a dense thicket of trees and shrubs that hung like a blanket over the jungle below. With some careful patching and reinforcing, Peter and the Boys were able to carve out a most suitable and inconspicuous little hideout for themselves, with the watchful eyes of the Indians so nearby.
So, as you can see, with all this excitement occupying Peter's fickle attentions, he had nary a moment to contemplate the adventures he had shared with Wendy Darling and her brothers, not so very long ago. And with increasing time, he came to forget about his last band of Lost Boys he had fought alongside as well.
That is, of course, until Peter returned to the underground home for a bit of clandestine "spring cleaning." He was decidedly hazy when it came to drudging up old bits of memories about his former mates, but he batted nary an eyelash when he rediscovered Wendy's precious token of friendship. It all flooded back into the forefront of his mind like a great tidal wave.
And now he sat and pondered the little object, instinctively pressing his lips together as he recalled the sweet taste of Wendy's thimble, which had saved him from almost certain destruction that one bizarre night way back when. Naturally, Peter was far too pig-headed and conceited to give Wendy the full credit for Hook's defeat that day. After all, he had been to one to lure the pirate to the crocodile's waiting jaws. Wendy may have been clever, but Peter Pan was the cleverest of them all.
Peter was far too impulsive to complete his task at hand in the old underground home. As was often to occur, his mind could only weigh upon so many things at once, and after rediscovering Wendy's Kiss, this became all he could think about. He had said he would come back for her, and come back he shall. That very evening.
And Peter was far too thoughtless to realize that a few years had elapsed since he last saw Wendy. He fully expected that she would be exactly the same as he had left her, as if only a day had passed between their parting – gazing out of her nursery window, his own Kiss dangling gaily about her neck.
She would be waiting for him, he was sure of it. He needed only to stay hidden behind the smoky London clouds until the Sun disappeared and he saw the nightlights in the Darling nursery flicker to life. When all of Britannia finally lay fast asleep, he would slip into Wendy's most fantastic dreams once more, and another great adventure they were sure to share.
This story takes place only a few years after Wendy's first visit to Neverland with Peter Pan, so it is considered a follow-up to the 2003 P.J. Hogan film Peter Pan (with some natural references to the original Barrie novel [1911] and his own Peter Pan prequel, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens [1904]).
Obviously, I have no ownership of any of the characters or actors who portrayed them.....LORD, how I've tried! ;-)
So, with no further babbling, I give you Chapter I of The Riddle of Being: Wendy's Next Great Adventure.....please leave comments! :-)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. RECOLLECTIONS OF A WENDY
The clouds hovered over London most impatiently, waiting for their turn to take their place of prominence among the skies after the proud Sun had at last given up his reigns upon the day. Not a breeze stirred, and even the moon seemed rather shy this evening. All the world seemed aware of the Boy's presence. That is, all the world that was part of the greater wonder and magical understanding.
The universe watched as the youth sat upon that impatient cloud and waited, all the while juggling a shiny little object between his fingers. He had quite forgotten about the tiny gift, for how long he knew not nor cared to calculate. He happened upon it most accidentally whence recently returning to his abandoned underground tree home to collect old remnants and trinkets that the former batch of Lost Boys had left behind; the swatch of deerskin Nibs used to plan their battles, a rusty sword discarded by Tootles, Slightly's oft-used pocket mirror, and so on. And then there, nestled unobtrusively among the firs and blankets of the large bed hollow where the captain of the Lost Boys took his slumber, the small token presented itself once again, and he knew it in an instant.
Wendy's Kiss.
Had it been so very long since last Peter Pan's thoughts lingered upon the girl? I daresay it to be so. He had said he would return to her one day, to crouch upon her windowsill and listen to her wonderful adventure stories like he did so many times before. But upon returning to Neverland, he found himself to be rather distracted by other more pressing matters.
He was now all alone. Just he and Tinker Bell. Of course, the green-eyed little fairy would have preferred it no other way, but as for Peter, it was a most distressing state of affairs. And to make it much the worse, within days he received word that the Jolly Roger once again housed a captain. No, the remaining pirates had not elected a new one, nor had they sought one out for initiation. 'Twas the same dastardly man come to command the ship once more. James Hook had returned.
Peter's only allies remaining were the Indians, and he sought their aid in case Hook was to come after him. Having rescued their princess, Tiger Lily, the Indians were forever in Peter's debt, and they would gladly offer their protection should he need it.
But he did not need it for very long, as the Ways of the World continued to spin on their never-ending axis, and within no time at all, careless nurses and negligent mothers everywhere turned their backs as their baby boys tumbled from their prams and into the waiting arms of Peter Pan to be taken to Neverland, where they shan't henceforth have to worry about depending on another for their own well-being. And within no time at all, Peter's band of Lost Boys was replenished anew, and he again had his own little army with which to battle Hook and the pirates.
And with these new boys and the return of Hook came the vital task of finding a new hideout. The underground home would no longer do, as its whereabouts were known to just about every creature on the island. Peter had to seek out a new lair, one that would be completely unattainable to Hook. But where could Peter go that Hook could not?
The answer was quite simple, really: The sky!
Hook's days of flying were quite over, Peter was certain, so he had no qualms whatsoever about moving his home from the easily penetrable ground to the safety of the treetops. Not terribly far from the Indian camp – and far enough from the prying eyes of Hook and his cronies – was a dense thicket of trees and shrubs that hung like a blanket over the jungle below. With some careful patching and reinforcing, Peter and the Boys were able to carve out a most suitable and inconspicuous little hideout for themselves, with the watchful eyes of the Indians so nearby.
So, as you can see, with all this excitement occupying Peter's fickle attentions, he had nary a moment to contemplate the adventures he had shared with Wendy Darling and her brothers, not so very long ago. And with increasing time, he came to forget about his last band of Lost Boys he had fought alongside as well.
That is, of course, until Peter returned to the underground home for a bit of clandestine "spring cleaning." He was decidedly hazy when it came to drudging up old bits of memories about his former mates, but he batted nary an eyelash when he rediscovered Wendy's precious token of friendship. It all flooded back into the forefront of his mind like a great tidal wave.
And now he sat and pondered the little object, instinctively pressing his lips together as he recalled the sweet taste of Wendy's thimble, which had saved him from almost certain destruction that one bizarre night way back when. Naturally, Peter was far too pig-headed and conceited to give Wendy the full credit for Hook's defeat that day. After all, he had been to one to lure the pirate to the crocodile's waiting jaws. Wendy may have been clever, but Peter Pan was the cleverest of them all.
Peter was far too impulsive to complete his task at hand in the old underground home. As was often to occur, his mind could only weigh upon so many things at once, and after rediscovering Wendy's Kiss, this became all he could think about. He had said he would come back for her, and come back he shall. That very evening.
And Peter was far too thoughtless to realize that a few years had elapsed since he last saw Wendy. He fully expected that she would be exactly the same as he had left her, as if only a day had passed between their parting – gazing out of her nursery window, his own Kiss dangling gaily about her neck.
She would be waiting for him, he was sure of it. He needed only to stay hidden behind the smoky London clouds until the Sun disappeared and he saw the nightlights in the Darling nursery flicker to life. When all of Britannia finally lay fast asleep, he would slip into Wendy's most fantastic dreams once more, and another great adventure they were sure to share.