Thank you all who have taken the time to read my story.
I truly appreciate any comments/feedback/suggestions of any sort that I get.
I get the feeling that this story will continue to be updated quickly as it has been in the works for a long time. :)
"His name was Peter and he had been lost in Kensington Garden when he was very young. No one, not even he remembers how he came to this place. But he named it Neverland for he had never seen a land such as this before. He was loved by all of its magical inhabitants; the fairies, mermaids and great beasts that roamed its jungle. When Peter was happy the sun shone on Neverland as if the land were in turn with his emotions. His first and closest friend on the island was a young fairy names Tinkerbell who taught Peter all the secrets of Neverland and how to fly. Every so often new beings would appear on the island. First came the Piccaninny Tribe, proud natives from the Americas. They came to view Peter as an adopted son of the tribe and he enjoyed having a sort of family once more. Over time came the lost boys. Whenever he found himself lonely, a young lad would arrive on the island and would be taken into Peter's care. When the lost boys became bored on the island the pirates arrived aboard their great ship The Jolly Roger with their fearsome Captain James Hook. For a time all was happy in Neverland and nothing changed. There were many adventures and great battles between the pirates and lost boys. And most magical of all no one aged or died in this paradise.
But after a great time something changed in Peter's heart. He had adventure, friends and a surrogate family. But something told him that there was a piece missing. The island began to change. Dark fearsome places appeared on the island that no one dared to explore. The weather grew cold and gloomy and Peter became sad. One day while flying up to the great north mountains he spied a small lake that had not been there before. He flew down to have a closer look at the new place. It was small and shallow and while exceptionally clear nothing about it seemed to be extraordinary. Frustrated Peter began to cry. The moment his tear hit the water a picture clear as day formed on the water's surface. A young girl sat laughing and telling a story to two young boys who looked so much like her they must be her brothers. Just the sight of her caused Peter to feel a joy that he had not remembered ever feeling. He knew that this girl was the cure to his sadness. But how would he find her? Peter visited the lake many times over the next few days willing it to disclose her location so that he might bring her to Neverland. The water would only mockingly show him images of the girl; sleeping, eating with her family, sitting in an uncomfortable looking room staring at a woman writing on a wall.
Finally one day when he was about to give up hope he sat near the water's edge and wished with all of his heart to know her. The image changed and showed him a map of stars. Pure elation coursed through Peter and without a backwards glance he shot into the heavens following where the map had shown. He traveled through time and space and quite suddenly found himself in a cloudy dark sky over a great sea of lights. Following his heart and intuition he flew on until he came to a brightly lit window. She was there, the missing piece of his heart. That night he sat just outside the window and listened to her regale her brothers with tales that made even his adventurous heart leap with excitement. She was called Wendy. Peter had never before experienced shyness so it surprised him that he found himself flying back to Neverland that night without taking her with him. He wanted her with him in Neverland but he needed to think of the right way to bring her there.
Back with his lost boys he told them of the wonderful person he was going to bring them. Though the boys never called him such they had always looked to Peter as their father and so naturally Peter told them that he had found them a mother. The lost boys were terribly excited about getting the wonderful mother that Peter described and begged him to fetch her for them. Peter returned many times to Wendy's window to retrieve her but would find himself leaving after watching her for the evening without her. He loved listening to her stories; he loved watching her play with the dog the family kept. Peter even spent countless hours watching Wendy sleep. Peter's sadness began to return. He did not understand why he could not force himself to announce his presence. Worse ye,t Neverland continued to grow wild and unwelcoming and Peter began to forget things. It would start with the name of a lost boy, and then he would forget a planned attack against the pirates. One day while flying to see Wendy he nearly lost his way. That night while watching the Darling children play he forgot a part of himself there in the nursery, his shadow. It was not until he had returned to Neverland that Tinkerbell noticed and asked him about it. In great despair he told his friend everything that had happened and that he feared he would never again find his way back to Wendy. Tink consoled Peter and convinced him to try one more time, if for nothing else to retrieve his shadow.
The following night Peter and Tinkerbell set out together for London, the place Wendy lived. They arrived in the frozen dead of night and upon arriving at the window found all the children asleep. Peter's heart sank, surly he could not wake Wendy to announce himself. He resolved to find his shadow and leave and never again visit this place that had brought him both hope and heartache. Seeing no sign of his shadow among the eves of the house where he normally perched, for the first time ever Peter silently crossed the threshold of the window. The room was warm and happy, a nightlight shone brightly in the corner of the room. Peter signaled Tink to help him search for his misplaced shadow. After a long search they finally found it hiding as best it could deep in a drawer. Though Peter could understand the desire to cling to this place, and her, his shadow belonged to him and he was determined to bring it back with him. To his everlasting shock the shadow fought him tooth and nail trying to get away from him to stay in there. Evading his grasp for the third time Peter forgot his attempts at silence and collapsed on the ground in tears. It seemed as if he could get nothing to be with him.
"Why are you crying boy?" The clear voice of his salvation that had been but a few feet from him rang though the darkness. Leaping to his feet Peter dashed the tears from his eyes highly embarrassed that this would be how Wendy would finally meet him. "I was crying because I can't get my shadow to stick on. Besides, I wasn't crying." He said pitifully attempting to maintain his poise. But thankfully Wendy was as gracious as she was beautiful and she did not comment on the strange nature of his arrival and even helped him sew his shadow back on. As they talked Peter's confidence grew. His enthusiasm caused him to speak foolishly at times but they were always able to bring the conversation around again to pleasant things. Peter spoke of Neverland and all of its inhabitants and Wendy told him of her life here in London. Wendy was so taken with Peter that she offered him a kiss. Having no idea what a kiss was but not willing to appear ignorant Peter held out his hand. Understanding that the boy before her was misunderstanding her intentions Wendy gifted Peter her sewing thimble. In return Peter gave Wendy a kiss of his own, an acorn that was attached to the leaves of his clothing. After a time Peter finally became bold enough to ask Wendy the thing that had inspired months of flights through the heavens. "Will you come Wendy? Will you come to Neverland with me?" "But Peter I do not know how to fly." Peter summoned Tinkerbell and she gifted Wendy with a large amount of pixie dust. Peter moved closer to her and whispered to her "Now think happy thoughts." Wendy floated into the air and could not suppress a gasp of delight.
"But Peter, may my brothers please also come?" She requested in delight. Peter was annoyed. The boys were not part of his plan, but if it meant Wendy would come he would do anything. They woke the boys and in no time Peter had convinced them all to come away with him. After the boys had flown out the window following Tinkerbell Wendy hesitated at the window gazing around the room. Fear seized Peter's heart, he could not bear the thought of losing her now. "Forget them Wendy, Forget them all. Come away with me." He pleaded. She turned and took his hand and flew into the night."
Nibs wove a tale of Peter and Wendy and all that happened on the island once Wendy arrived. Bright images of moonlit mermaid lagoons, fearsome crocodiles and magical fairy dances filled Wendy's ears and heart. There were many adventures and misfortunes but the one constant was Peter's care for Wendy.
"Wendy changed Peter and therefore changed Neverland. Peter had never been happier and Neverland reflected his high spirits. The sun shone brighter, the adventures were more exciting and all was well. The lost boys loved their new mother and lavished her with all the care good sons should. Even Tinkerbell who could be possessive of Peter grew to love her. The one person on the island who was unhappy was Hook. He knew Peter loved Wendy though Peter did not know it himself. Hook grew jealous of Peter and seethed in his own loneliness. He devised a plot to kill Peter, kidnap Wendy and keep her for his own. The greatest battle known to Neverland occurred and only through the sacrifice of many did Peter and the lost boys become victorious. But though Hook had been defeated through combat, victory belonged to him for he had managed to plant a seed of doubt in Wendy's mind. She knew that she must grow up and though she had also grown to love Peter, she did not think he could ever love her they way that she longed to be loved. It was with this knowledge that she asked Peter to take her home. With those words Peter's heart splintered into a million pieces but he vowed that Wendy would never know. He put on a brave face and with the help of Tinkerbell flew the won Jolly Roger back to London knowing this would be the last time. When Wendy crossed back into her window she looked back at Peter and smiled. Blinking back his anguish Peter smiled back. Wendy had left him.
Peter and the lost boys flew the ship back to Neverland and abandoned it in the cove. Peter no longer cared if the pirates reclaimed it. Emotions roiling through him he abandoned the lost boys back at their home in the great never tree and blindly flew back to the lake in the mountains. There he cursed the water and wished he had never known such pain. In his weakness he also wished to understand why he had been deficient for her. In that moment another great change occurred to Peter. His bond with Wendy seemed to permanently fuse to his entire self at that moment as if a tether had attached to her from the other side of the universe. But some other things began to fade, he could no longer remember where she lived, it was as if he had never even been to her home. He also had a terrible feeling that in his anger his wish for no pain had made her forget everything that had happened in a twisted way to protect him from her. Despondent, Peter had no choice but to return to his home and attempt to forget Wendy himself.
But that was impossible. Soon things that had never happened began to occur. Peter and the younger inhabitants on the island began to age while the elder residents began to grow young. It was as if the island being frozen in time had to steal time from the old to give it to the young. Wisdom and knowledge seemed as a fog into all beings of the island. No longer were the lost boys' content to spend their days fighting pirates and playing games. They began to crave understanding as much as they did sunshine. Each of them found they were drawn to different intellectual pursuits and began to study them. Similar things happened to the pirates and native tribe. Though their feud was never forgotten, the lost boys and the pirates became content to leave the others be while pursuing their own interests. The land changed as well, growing and changing along with Peter. Mountains grew into the sky, lakes increased their depth and the jungle grew more lush and wild. Even their home in the Never tree grew to impossible size. The lake that had started it all became a connection to the world from which Wendy had come. All inhabitants of Neverland could visit to gain knowledge from the other side and found they could even crudely communicate with individuals from that world through dreams. Thus everything changed. Neverland became a place of study and understanding instead of a refuge from growing up. None were as changed as Peter, the boy who would never grow up, did. And years after the wish for understanding he came to the horrible truth that he did. Wendy had wanted love. Not the kind that children felt but true romantic love. And Peter had been inadequate. With his wish he had done the unthinkable, he had changed himself into someone who could love. But Wendy was now outside his reach. The knowledge of how to return to London remained hidden from him. Peter watched Wendy grow up and grew with her, always with her but never part of her life.
The residents of Neverland began to understand. Peter was attached to Wendy and therefore grew as she did. The island held onto this attachment by changing all who lived there to be closer to her. But people began to grow worried. What would happen as Wendy continued to age? There seemed to be no good answers. The only plausible solution seemed to be to return Wendy to Neverland, but no matter what anyone tried the way back to her was not revealed. Neverland's future rests in the hands of one woman who does not even know it exists."
Nibs closed the book with an sound of finality. Wendy's breath was shallow and quick, the weight of the story and the knowledge it brought seemed to crush the very air from her lungs. Her eyes darted around the room at the seven expectant faces but stopped and lingered on the most important.
It was with no shame or embarrassment that Peter walked forward and knelt in front of her. He took her shaking hands into his own. Wendy gripped them as a lifeline despite the pain it caused. His gaze never leaving her eyes, said softly. "Welcome home."