The two figures, a boy and a strange creature, leapt from the roof and snuck toward the window.
Inside, Elsa, Bamm Bamm and Lincoln where fast asleep.
The boy smiled and opened the window.
It was Sherman Pan!
He turned to his companion, Judy Bell, a two to three foot rabbit-like fairy.
"It must be here somewhere, Judy" whispered Sherman. "We've gotta find my shadow."
Judy nodded and flew across the room.
"Shadow" called Sherman softly. "Shadow!"
As Sherman searched through the room, Judy Bell almost opened a music box.
"No, no" Judy Bell said to herself. "Judy, stop it. This is no time for play or fun."
Now, normally Judy Bell wouldn't speak. When she was spoken to by anybody, Judy mostly spoke in her native fairy language that sounded like bells jingling and ringing. But when she was with fairies like her or all by herself, she spoke normally.
She continued to search for Sherman's shadow, but then noticed a mirror.
Entranced, Judy Bell started playing with her reflection, but then noticed something different.
"Hmm?"
Judy Bell's eyes widen in surprise and measured around her waist.
Oh, sweet cheese and crackers, please don't tell me I had too much Greenleaf Honeydew last night she thought to herself, cocking an eyebrow.
Suddenly, Judy Bell's ears caught the sound of rattling.
At an instant, the rabbit fairy flew to a drawer and then sniffed it.
She then spoke in her fairy native tongue that sounded like bell jingles.
"Sherman! Sherman!" Judy Bell rang out excitedly.
"What is it?" asked Sherman.
Judy Bell pointed to the drawer.
Sherman anxiously pulled the drawer open and the shadow flew out, scaring Judy Bell.
As Sherman chased his shadow all around the room, Judy nervously hid herself under Elsa's bed.
But unfortunately, the entire ruckus had woken Elsa and saw...
"Sherman Pan!" she cried.
Sherman gasped and hid the shadow behind him.
"Oh, Sherman. I knew you would come back" continued Elsa. "I saved your shadow for you."
Sherman obviously knew that and tried to stick the shadow's feet to his own with a bar of soap, making Elsa giggle.
"You can't stick it on with soap, Sherman" she said. "It needs sewing, that's the proper way to do it."
Huh, I never thought of sewing shadows before Elsa thought to herself with a warm smile.
Elsa was so excited, she wanted say a lot of things but she remained poised and calm.
Judy crawled out from under the bed, only to duck back under when Elsa passed by and unknowingly stepped on Judy's paw.
"Ouch!" Judy hissed in pain.
As she eased the pain on her paw, Judy suddenly glowed red. She was very angry.
Sherman was surprised to be seen by Elsa, but he was glad to see her.
"Where should I sit?" he asked.
"Oh, sit down in the chair, it won't take long" Elsa replied.
As Sherman played on his pipe, Elsa began to sew the shadow on Sherman's feet.
"Oh, I forgot to properly introduce myself" said Elsa. "My name is Elsa. Elsa Moria Angela Darling..."
"Elsa's enough" Sherman interrupted.
"Oh. But how did you lose your shadow, Sherman?"
"My foot got stuck, the other night at the window."
"What were you doing there?"
"I came to listen to the stories."
"My stories? But they're all about you."
Sherman had to admit that he liked them and he tells them to the Lost Minions, his men.
"There, all better" said Elsa, smiling. "One can't leave their shadow laying about and not miss it sooner or later."
"Uh-huh" chuckled Sherman as he started to play, now that his shadow was sewn to his feet.
He continued to laugh as his shadow did the same things that he did.
"I'm so ever glad you came back, Sherman" Elsa said softly. "I might have never seen you."
"Why?" asked Sherman.
"Because I have to grow up tomorrow. Tonight is my last night in the nursery."
Sherman gasped.
"GROW UP?!" he shouted. "But that means no more stories."
Elsa sniffled, shaking her head sadly.
"NO! I won't let it happen!" shouted Sherman. "Come on!"
"But where are we going?" asked Elsa.
"To Never Land. You'll never grow up there."
Elsa thought it would be wonderful to go to Never Land, but then a thought came to her.
"But what will Mother say?" Elsa asked herself.
"Mother? What's a mother?" asked Sherman.
"Well, a mother is someone who loves and cares about you and tells you stories at night-"
"Great! You could be our mother!"
Sherman took Elsa's hand and brought her to the open window.
"Just a moment" Elsa said, stopping Sherman.
"I might have pack first... No, I could leave a note and let them know when I'll be back. I couldn't stay for a long, long time- But, oh, Never Land. Oh, my. I'm so happy that- That I think I'll give you a kiss."
This made Judy Bell mad and crawled out from under the bed.
"What's a kiss?" asked Sherman.
"Oh, I'll show you" replied Elsa, leaning towards Sherman, puckering her lips.
But then, Judy Bell hopped over and pulled Elsa away from Sherman.
"Hey! Stop it, Judy!" shouted Sherman.
He chased Judy Bell all over the room, bouncing on Elsa's bed and then on Bamm Bamm's bed.
Bamm Bamm woke up in surprise and then gasped.
He ran to Lincoln, shaking him lightly.
"Lincoln, Lincoln" he said.
His brother moaned and then saw Sherman.
"Oh, Jiminy Crickets!" gasped Lincoln.
Elsa got up from the floor and looked around in surprise.
"What was that?" she asked.
"My friend, Judy Bell" Sherman answered. "I don't know what's gotten into her."
Sherman had Judy Bell under his arm, preventing her from attacking again despite the bunny fairy's struggle.
Then, Bamm Bamm appeared behind Sherman, surprising him.
"Sherman Pan! Bamm Bamm!" said the toddler.
Sherman didn't understand, cocking an eyebrow.
"He's Bamm Bamm" said Lincoln, acting properly. "My name is Lincoln. How do you do?"
"Hi" smiled Sherman.
Bamm Bamm saw that Sherman had Judy Bell under his arm.
"Oooh" cooed Bamm Bamm. "Bunny."
"A pixie" Elsa corrected.
Lincoln couldn't believe his eyes as he stared at the struggling fairy.
Judy Bell then spoke with Elsa, saying negative words.
You are the most ugliest, repulsive, annoying, little- Judy Bell started to ring.
Elsa was confused.
"What did she say?" she asked Sherman.
"Uh... She said you're silly, lovely and playful girl" Sherman said, covering the truth.
Judy Bell finally slipped out of Sherman's grip and flew away.
"Why... I think she's beautiful" Elsa said.
As she sat on a drawer, Judy Bell was disgusted by Elsa.
"I think she's beautiful" mocked Judy Bell. "Humph! Humans."
After a moment, Sherman finally spoke.
"Well, come on, Elsa" he said. "Let's go."
Elsa was excited but then noticed that Lincoln and Bamm Bamm was following them.
"Um, Sherman, shouldn't we take Lincoln and Bamm Bamm?" she asked. "I couldn't go without them."
Hearing this, Sherman wasn't sure.
"Oh, it would be awesome to cross swords with some real, swashbuckling buccaneers" Lincoln said, smiling.
Bamm Bamm swung his club around and back and forth.
"All right" chuckled Sherman. "But you guys gotta take orders, okay?"
Lincoln and Bamm Bamm saluted and said 'aye, aye!' as loud as they could.
Then a question ran through Elsa's mind.
"But, Sherman, how do we get to Never Land?" she asked.
"We're gonna fly there, of course" Sherman answered with a smile.
Elsa and Lincoln were surprised.
"Don't worry, it's easy" Sherman continued. "All you have to do is to... think of a wonderful thought. Any happy little thoughts."
Hearing this, the children started thinking of happy thoughts of their own.
"Like toys at Christmas?" Elsa asked.
"Sleigh bells? Snow?" Lincoln laughed.
"Candy!" cheered Bamm Bamm.
Sherman nodded his head and then flew around the room.
"See? It's easier than pie" he said excitedly.
The children were bewildered and watched in amazement.
"He can fly!" Elsa said.
"He can fly!" echoed Lincoln.
"Flew!" Bamm Bamm cheered.
Sherman then nodded to Judy Bell, who rose from her seat.
"All it takes is faith and trust and a little bit of... pixie dust" Judy Bell rang out as she sprinkled pixie dust on the children.
Once she was done, the children suddenly began to fly into the air.
"Wow, it's the same as having wings" smiled Elsa.
"We're rising off the floor!" cried Lincoln.
The children flew around the room. They could really fly!
With that, Sherman flew out the window.
"Come on, everybody!" he called. "Off to Never Land!"
Elsa, Lincoln and Bamm Bamm flew after Sherman, with Judy Bell trailing behind.
The fairy didn't want to put up with Elsa since she started hating the girl.
"If she takes Sherman away from me, she's gonna have to leave" Judy Bell said to herself, bitterly.
Sherman, the Darling children and Judy Bell flew all over London.
They flew through a small pond, through Kensington Gardens and all the way up to Big Ben.
The clock rung eight times as Sherman and the Darling children hovered over the clock.
"Look, there it is, Elsa!" cried Sherman. "Second Star to the right, straight on 'till morning."
With a smile in their hearts, the children took off again, bidding their cares goodbye.
They flew over the heart of London and high into the air, heading toward the star on the right.
London was behind them now, and Never Land was ahead of them, where nothing can grow up or grow old.
To be continued...
