Wendy sighed as she kicked her black dolly shoes off and plopped down on to the hot and grainy sand. She needed to get away from her parents desperately. She'd text them in a minute saying she was okay but for now she needed peace and quiet to read. "Wendy needs to grow up, Wendy needs to learn responsibility, Wendy this, Wendy that, Wendy blah, blah, blah!" She muttered mockingly as she pulled a copy of 'The Wizard Of Oz' from her coral blue woven bag and started reading, but she kept glaring at her phone every time it beeped or vibrated and had her mouth set in a tight frown as she read.
Ariel was in the study of the castle, typing away on the keyboard of the computer. Melody was home sick from school, and so Ariel had to write a note to the principal explaining was Melody was absent that day. She knew if she didn't do it now, she would definitely forget when the time came for Melody to go back to school.
Suddenly, her iPhone vibrated on the desk, and Ariel stopped typing to check it. It was from one of the guards, a watchman, to be exact. Your Highness. There is a girl outside on the beach. Young and alone. Should we take her in 2 the castle?A girl alone on the beach? Ariel picked up her phone and swiftly replied, I'll be out in a minute. Keep an eye on her.
Ariel quickly finished typing the note, printed it, and left it on the kitchen counter so it wouldn't be forgotten. Then, she headed out the back door, which led straight to the beach, and instantly spotted the young girl. She was a few years younger than Melody, and seemed to be perfectly content as she read her book. Though there didn't seem to be any problem, Ariel nodded to the guards in gratitude as she made her way over to the girl. She just wanted to double-check that everything was alright.
Wendy's annoyance had led to her concentrating extra hard on her book and after a hour she finish the last eight chapters. She closed it and returned it back to her bag, avoiding getting sand on it. She cared deeply about her books and would have hated them to get tarnished in any way. She took the opportunity to check her phone, which vibrated once again as she grabbed it. "Thirty one missed calls and twenty missed texts…" She announced to herself. Out of a outburst of anger she chucked the Samsung on the sand. "Why can't they just leave me alone? They've ruined this holiday for me already… And we've only been here two days!"
She grimaced as it rang again and she noticed someone else's shadow. She looked up and saw a pretty woman in her late twenties with bright eyes and amazing red hair. "Oh… Hello Madam. " She mumbled politely, not making eye contact.
As she got closer to the girl, Ariel could hear her groaning as she angrily flipped through her phone. When she heard her complain to herself, something about a holiday, Ariel wasn't sure if she should just leave the girl alone. But it was too late, as just as Ariel was about to hesitate, the girl seemed to notice her.
"Hello," Ariel greeted in return, biting her lip. She wasn't sure what to do with herself, so she sat down in the sand, giving the girl her space but sitting close enough so she could talk to her. "Is, um, are you okay?"
Wendy paused, surprised that the woman was prepared to listen to her, even though she looked quite awkward. "Oh… Urm… Well… Not really, if I am honest." Wendy sighed sadly, busying herself with patting non-existent creases out of her baby blue summer dress and leggings. "But I don't want to burden you, madam, so you don't have to listen," she tried to give the woman a kind smile but it ended looking quite forced, which it was, but Wendy worried she appeared rude, she would hate to be.
Ariel frowned at her response, wishing there was something she could do to help. She didn't want to seem like she was being nosy, but she did want to make the girl feel better. "It's really no problem at all," she said softly. "I can talk to you, if you'd like. I have a daughter around your age, so maybe I could help you out a bit." She smiled and added, "I'm Ariel, by the way."
Wendy bit her lip, thinking. She shouldn't be talking to a stranger, she knew this well enough. But… At the same time, this lady had the purest and kindest aura surrounding her Wendy had come across. She felt like she could trust her. She sighed through her nose. "I am Wendy." She told her, deciding to trust her. "It's my… It's my parents, miss Ariel, they…" She groaned and all intents of being polite about it disappeared. "They're driving me up the wall! They were so happy for me when I told them I won the writing competition at school but they lost it when I told them what it was about and now they keep going on about how I 'need to grow up' and 'think of my future' and 'stop dreaming such childish fantasies'!" She tried to scowl, but Wendy just couldn't pull such an expression and settled for a annoyed frown.
Ariel let Wendy have her little outburst, knowing how important venting was when one was in a stressful situation. "So they… want you to grow up more, but you don't?" she said slowly, making sure she was understanding the situation correctly. And if that were the case, then… Where have I heard about someone never growing up…?
Wendy nodded, finding it refreshing to meet an adult who didn't mock her for not wanting to grow up. "Exactly… I… I don't understand. What's so bad about writing about Peter?" Wendy found herself confessing more and more to the kind woman. "I don't see the harm in it… They're worried I'll ruin the family name by being so childish, but… So be it! I don't care! My parents can rant at me, the girls at school can mock me for my beliefs, tease me for my stories and leaving my window open, I have never nor shall I ever care!" She threw her arms up in the air then froze and covered her mouth. "Oh my… Sorry, I got quite carried away then, my apologies!"
At the mention of a Peter, it clicked. She must be talking about Peter Pan! Before asking her about it, Ariel listened to what she had to say. Though she knew that everyone had to grow up, Ariel did admire the young girl for being so headstrong about what she believed in. It kinda reminded Ariel of herself. Like she had not cared about what people had to say about her wanting to be a human, Wendy didn't care about what people had to say about her wanting to never grow up.
"It's fine, it's fine, really," she smiled. "Well, first of all, good for you! For not caring about what others have to say, I mean." She paused before continuing. "You mentioned a Peter… You wouldn't happen to be talking about Peter Pan, would you?"
Wendy smiled and blushed lightly as the older woman complimented her. But when she talked of Peter, she couldn't help but simple stare at Ariel in surprise for a few seconds, before she broke out into a glad grin. "Why, yes! Yes I am, miss Ariel!" She clasped her hands together as she nodded eagerly.
"You know him, too!" Ariel exclaimed, her eyes widening. "I met Peter just a few months ago… Actually, he tried to convince me to come to Neverland with him.. And stay there," she said, growing quiet. As odd as Peter had seemed at the time, Ariel did miss the little flying boy. "How do you know him?" Ariel asked. Knowing that Peter seemed to invite everyone to Neverland with him, and since he had met Wendy, Ariel continued, "And… Well, why didn't you go to Neverland with him, if you don't want to grow up?"
Wendy looked somewhat disheartened as Ariel talked of Peter. So he has left Neverland since I visited… He just hasn't visited me. She shook her head of these thoughts subtly and smiled in understanding. "He came back to find a mother again, it seems" she concluded in case Ariel didn't know why she had been asked to come. She smiled as Ariel asked her how she knew Peter. "Well, I met Peter because I told stories of him. Peter took a liking to our stories because they were about him," she rolled her eyes, smiling fondly. "But one night, I accidentally left the window open Peter came in and Nana caught his shadow as he flew away. He returned for it and I sewed it back on. I told him how my father was forcing me to leave the nursery and that meant no more stories… He didn't take that well and decided to take me and my brothers to Neverland, where I would be the Lost Boys mother and always be able to tell stories!"
She sighed happily. "But alas, I was only eleven then… I found I couldn't eave my parents. Ironically, I made the decision to go back to London and grow up out of childishness." She looked down at her lap, fiddling with her fingers. "But now… I realise I made a mistake. All I want to do is go back and stop growing older-as I have obviously never grown up. But…" She looked up at Ariel and smiled sadly. "But… Just because I leave my window open, doesn't mean he comes through it." She let her eyes wander and they fixated on a random point in the clear sky. She raised her arm and pointed a dainty finger to where she was looking. "It's right there-the way to Neverland-the second star to the right, I mean. You might not see it, but it's there and I know it." She smiled still, but it only became sadder as she thought about what she was missing out on.
Ariel felt bad for Wendy, seeing her disheartened expression. "Well, it sounds like you two went on quite an adventure," she offered with a small smile. "And just because you grow up, doesn't mean you can't still be friends with Peter. Besides, think of all the things you'd miss out on if you never grew up! Like finding a husband, and having children of your own!" she said more cheerfully. "Won't all that be wonderful?"
Just then, a guard approached the pair from behind, though he kept his distance as to let the girls have their privacy. "Your Majesty, His Highness Prince Hayden has started crying. It seems he's awoken from his nap." Ariel nodded, and the guard backed away.
"I'm sorry… That's my son. He must be cranky," she mumbled, playing with her absentmindedly.
At the mention of a husband Wendy smiled slightly, but a tinge of sadness still showed. She, as many a girl would if given the chance to run away from all that was ordinary with a boy who could charming without understanding what charm was, had fallen for Peter, which made harder to move on from being eleven. Plus, it stung knowing she had given a piece of her heart to boy who would probably be confused and joke about her doing such a thing, as it reminded her that she could never have Peter stay with her and grow older together, which she secretly wished could happen. She sighed wistfully.
She smiled at the mention of Ariel's son, but paused and blinked a few times "Wuh-wait… Your M-majesty? You're a Queen? Oh my, I had no idea, you don't dress like one-oh!" She covered her mouth. "That sounded so rude; I'm sorry! I-I meant you dress very laidback but in a lo-lovely way. Oh gosh!" She blushed profusely in embarrassment.
Ariel bit her lip and shrugged, giving a light chuckle. "Yeah, I am. And please, please, don't even worry about it. I get tired of wearing fancy dresses all the time. Honestly, I only ever wear them for special events." She trailed off, knowing that she should go see Hayden; but she didn't want to be rude and leave Wendy.
Wendy smiled in understanding. "Don't worry. My parents are work-a-holics. I basically raised my brothers with Nana, our dog-slash-nanny. So I am basically their mother most times" She giggled, not seeing anything odd about her statement. She shrugged. "And I know Hayden will need his mother. It's alright." She smiled thankfully. "You really cheered me up, Miss Ariel." She saw the guard raise an eyebrow at her not calling her Queen, but Wendy felt that sounded so much more impersonal; less warm, even, than Miss Ariel.
Ariel stood and brushed the sand off of her clothes, then offered Wendy a hug. "You're welcome, Wendy. Trust me, I know how it feels to be misunderstood by a parent." She paused remembering the many arguments she had had with her Daddy as a teen. "But just try to remember they're always trying to do their best for you, okay? And don't worry, being a grownup isn't all that bad." She giggled and winked.
Wendy smiled and shouldered her bag and packed her phone away as she stood up. She wriggled her toes in the sand and giggled before slipping her shoes on. "I shall definitely remember that, don't worry." She smiled. "It was an immense pleasure meeting you Queen Ariel!" She said in a mock-posh accent accompanied with an exaggerated curtsey.
Ariel smiled, "Please, just call me Ariel. It was wonderful meeting you, too, Wendy." After a final goodbye, Ariel turned and trudged back up the beach to the castle, turning once to wave goodbye to Wendy. Wendy had a good head on her shoulders, and Ariel could tell she was mature for her age. She would have to remember to ask Peter about her the next time she saw him.