The Girl Who Didn't Come
This story is dedicated to my brilliant boyfriend who, sadly, has accused me on many occasions that I would dump him and runaway with any man, as long as he could fly. I write this to prove to him that flying isn't everything, no matter how much you want it.
Thoughts Speech and Narrative
This is the story of girl- no, a young woman, really, who refused (very politely of course), Peter's offer of both learning to fly and being swept off to the Never Never Land. It was both a great shock and source of confusion for poor Peter, as it had never happened before in his long timeless life.
One night, Peter flew silently through the streets, houses and shops of an unknown small town, clad in oak leaves and acorns, and followed by a bright, golden, twinkling sparkle. Tinkerbelle, of course. He didn't really have to worry about anyone seeing them, even though it was a beautiful starlit night. He had found that people didn't look out their windows at the stars much anymore, let alone believe in fairies. Everyone got too old too fast. This was causing a bit of trouble in the Neverland, actually, with not enough of both fairies and fairy dust for those that need it. Because fairies are needed for- oh, sorry, I digress. On with the story:
Well Peter had come here many times in past years, following the dreams and imaginings and stories in the mind of one particular girl. Her window was always open, too. And she looked at the stars so often; he had nearly been seen quite a few times. Times had changed drastically since the Wendy years, Peter had found. The minds of children had changed. Boys' heads were no longer filled with pirates, swords, ships, Indians and great adventures in unknown forests. They had been replaced with things called cars, huge metal things called robots, a box with moving pictures in it and, of course, Girls. Girls no longer dreamed of mermaids, fairies, fairy tales and flying boys dressed in leaves. Their heads were crammed with clothes, stuff they painted on their faces called make-up, cell phones, loud bouncy music and, of course, Boys. And school. It was all school, school, school and something called Exams. And money. Lots of money.
Peter had also found that Mothers didn't rearrange their children's minds much anymore either, so everything was crammed in, stacked in precarious piles and stuffed in corners. It caused Peter no end of confusion, which is why he didn't often venture out to the Mainland anymore.
Except to visit this girl. She was different. Yes, her mind did have the school stuff in it, a thing that said Acceptance to University, driving one of those car things, and one boy in particular that came up the most, his name was plastered all over her mind, but she had other stuff too. Huge castles, myths from years long past, adventures in lands she thought of as "Overseas". There was magic and curses, people in picture books called X-Men, collecting shells at the sea shore, old creatures called dragon and phoenixes, storms, stars and Flying, Flying, Flying. Always flying. Also, every now and then, a boy dressed in leaves and crowing would pop up. It was all of this that drew Peter.
He flew in her window that night stood at the foot of the girl's bed, turning his head this way and that, and watching her sleep. Tink flew around his head, tinkling, pulling his hair every now and then, tickling Peter's chin and getting fairy dust everywhere. Peter paid no attention. He was worried. She looked older than last time, maybe nearly grown up. He couldn't bear it if she grew up like Wendy and Jane and Margaret and Moira. Peter had just made up his mind wake her, when she gave a big yawn, turned over and opened her eyes. Peter didn't move a muscle. She sat up quickly and stared and stared at him with eyes as grey as storm clouds. Peter stared back with his own green pair of extraordinary eyes. She then leapt so quickly out of the bed that Peter was startled and instinctively flew upward, hitting his head on the ceiling, and Tinkerbelle shot up into the lampshade covering the light.
"Oh, sorry!" the girl exclaimed.
Peter just shook his head and bowed, very charmingly, in mid-air. She bowed back, as she wasn't wearing a nightdress, but things Moira had called "flannelette PJ pants", and a top with no sleeves. Brown hair tumbled down just past her shoulders, mussed up by sleep. So much like Wendy's, Peter thought wistfully.
"I thought you were you younger," said the girl, thoughtfully, "You look nearly as old as me, maybe about 17 or so. My name's Samantha, by the way. People call me Sam, though."
"I am Peter. Peter Pan." Said Peter gallantly with another bow and a cocky grin that would have melted the heart of any other girl and woman alive. Curiously, it seemed to have no affect on Sam at all.
Sam just smiled back and replied, "Yes, I'm well aware." She was still amazed that this was happening. I mean, come on, it's Peter Pan! And she desperately wanted to fly. "So why are you older, anyway? I thought you were only 13."
Peter frowned. "I don't know. Everyone is older now. The Lost Boys are older, children are older, especially girls," he added.
Sam thought about this. "Hmm. Well my idea is that you change as Neverland and the people in it change. You have to be as old as the older Lost Boys, because that just seems to be the rule of thumb. And I believe that the more you come here, to the Mainland that is, the more you age, as time is still ticking here. That's my theory anyway," she finished with a smile.
Peter decided this made complete sense and wondered why he hadn't thought of it himself. Maybe he had. He was sure he had, Sam had just jolted the memory. He tilted his head up and gave Sam a cocky smile. Oh the cleverness of me, he thought.
Sam shook here head, smiling to herself and guessing he already thought that he had thought of the theory himself. I just can't believe his arrogance! She thought wryly, it would drive me nuts however cute people may think he is.
Peter held out his hand to her smiling that charming smile and said, "Come away with me Sam. Come away to the Neverland where driving and University and other boys don't matter. Come and fly. I'll teach you." Peter knew he had her, her greatest wish was to fly and he knew it. He waited for her to put her hand in his so he could spirit her away and keep her with him forever. But she didn't. Peter frowned. Sam's hands stayed at her sides, and she looked down.
Peter glided down to stand in front of her. "Sam? Come away and fly with me," he repeated.
Sam looked up at him. "I can't Peter. I can't leave."
Peter couldn't believe it. "Yes you can! You just have to come with me. Flying is easy, I'll teach you."
Sam shook her head, "It's not the flying Peter. I want to fly so badly it hurts. But I can't leave my boyfriend, Peter. I love him to much for that. And it would hurt me far more than not flying if I leave him. I'm sorry."
Confusion swamped Peter. She won't come? What is a Boyfriend? None of the girls he had taken to Neverland had a Boyfriend. And love? "Love?" Peter asked incredulously.
"Yes Peter, love. I reckon you probably know what it is, though you refuse to think about it. Think about Wendy, Peter. Love is like that feeling, but so much bigger."
"Love" Peter repeated in defeat. Wendy had talked of love. She wanted him to grow up and become a man because of this thing called love. He just could not understand. "You will not come? Not even to fly?"
"No Peter. Not even to fly."
Peter's face darkened.
"Very well then. So be it." He said sadly. He had lost her. Peter turned to fly out the window when Sam grabbed his arm. Peter turned back to Sam in surprise and hope. Maybe she wanted to come after all! His cocky smile returned. "What is it?" he asked, puffing out his chest.
"If I give you a kiss," she said, praying that no other girls had educated him on what one actually was, "will you give me one?"
Peter was incredibly surprised, but agreed none the less. He plucked a fairy dust covered acorn button of his leafy attire and held it out to Sam. She accepted it with a bow, turning to
rummage around on a tall chest of draws covered in shells. When she turned back, she had a small, glittering whit pebble in her hand.
"Here you are Peter."
Peter took the pebble with a bow and turned it round in his hands. "Tinkerbelle!" he called. Tinkerbelle flew from her hiding place in the light above and down to Peter. "Look how it sparkles, Tink" She agreed in her voice of bells. Peter smiled at Sam. "Goodbye," he said, then flew with Tinkerbelle out of the window and into the starry night, up to the second star on the left. Sam waved until she could see them no more. She wasn't too worried about Peter. He would forget. She lent her elbows on the window sill with her chin on her hands and sat for a long time, deep in thought. Then she smiled a secret smile, and the kiss that hid in the right hand corner of her mouth became more visible. She turned from the window, walking to her bedside table to pick up her cell phone. She sent a text to her boyfriend saying-
"U wil neva gues wot jus happnd 2 me , & I hope u realize hw much I jus sacrified 4 u :p. I could b flyin ryt nw."
And concludes the story of Samantha. A young woman who showed a remarkable amount of love and loyalty to the one she loved the most. Let us now hope that he appreciates it.
The End