DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Peter Pan or any characters created by James M. Barie. All copyright goes to James M. Barie & co. and I am not associated with him in any way. I do not profit from any of my stories.
This story was inspired by a girl I know, who reminds me very much of Wendy. To Victoria, I hope you find and keep your Peter Pan.
- E.R.H.
Once upon a time there lived a boy who refused to grow up. A clever boy, named Peter, who discovered a place where he could escape from adulthood. A wondrous world full of magic and adventure, something only a child would appreciate. This boy came across other little boys whom also refused to grow up and he took them with him, where childhood lasted forever. But even though his life seemed good and full, Peter still felt empty inside and being a child, he didn't understand why.
Thinking that he was oh so clever, Peter declared that it was simply loneliness and kept searching for more lost boys. No matter how many boys he would find though, it would never be enough, and Peter still felt like he was missing someone. And then, there came a time when he came across a girl who feared growing up as well. Her name was Wendy. He was fascinated by her, as she was him. A feeling came over Peter, a feeling that once again he didn't understand, but he knew that this time the girl would be enough. She was the one he was missing.
Peter stole her away from the world one night and took her to Neverland. Wendy was mesmerized by the boy's home and decided she would stay with him there forever. But soon Wendy realized that she could not stay, for she was starting to feel the same way Peter once felt, empty. And everyday she felt a little more empty than before. Even though she too was a child, Wendy did understand what Peter could not. Wendy understood love. It was love that made her want to leave Neverland, the love she was missing from her parents.
A hard decision overwhelmed Wendy, and she became afraid. Not afraid of returning home to face growing up, no growing up was not an issue anymore. Infact, one might think that Wendy became more of an adult in Neverland than she could have anywhere else. She was afraid because leaving Neverland also meant leaving Peter. Wendy was torn between her love for her parents and her love for Peter.
It wasn't that her love for Peter wasn't as strong as the love she felt for her parents, no of course not. The reason Wendy decided to leave Neverland was that even though she cared just as deeply for Peter, maybe even more than her parents, she understood that he would not allow himself to love her back. After all, he was simply a boy, and she was already becoming a young woman.
So Wendy left Neverland, childhood and Peter Pan behind...