THE RESCUE OF POCKETS

The Jolly Roger came upon the potato creature near the shores of the Neverland, cutting through water like moonlight through darkness. Overhead the sun was bright, and the winds were calm for the moment. The crew worked tirelessly to get the ship's fishing nets set down to where the sack of clothes floated near the disguised potato, bobbing in and out of the water like an apple, moaning as though in pain. Not a single man aboard cared to look over the side of the ship at it. Instead, they guided the nets until they were sure the heavy lift in weight meant it had been scooped up.

"We definitely got someone, Cap'n!" Hollered Smee, rubbing his hands delightedly. Hook crept towards him like a slow moving fog. The crew pulled heavy, thick ropes soaked in salt water, hoisting the contents of the net above their heads. As it rocked back and forth, dripping with thick sea slime, Hook's black eyes penetrated the mush, slime and starfish. His crooked nose wrinkled, his fists clenched tightly. The entire crew ducked underneath anything close by as Hook tore at them, but Smee wasn't quick enough. Hook grabbed him by the collar with the rusted steel attached to his arm. Smee held his breath, choking on his own fear, as Hook drenched him in acrid unpleasantnesses.

"That is not Pan, you miserable oaf! Does that look like the boy to you? Do you think me a fool, Smee?" Hook was breathing heavily, his eyes were murderous, and he looked to be rounding up on a fresh series of screams and swears, but instead he sighed heavily, and spoke calmly to his boatswain, still holding him up by his wrinkled caller, his feet dangling in the air.

"I am forever cursed by this flawed body, Smee. Do you understand the importance of that boy's capture? I don't belong here. I need to get out, help me catch Pan, Smee."

For one confining second, Hook's face contorted. His hollowed eyes, sunken and worn, forever feared by children everywhere now seemed venerable. Smee had never seen his captain in this state. Hook actually appeared to be on the verge of tears. High above, inside the thicket of the net, something made a loud muffled noise, and Hook gathered himself quickly.

"Smee, did you hear that?" He whispered.

"Ay, Captain," Smee said, "It sounded like a sneeze!"

Hook dropped the much shorter Smee to the floor, and slashed the rope holding up the net with his rusted hook. The crew jumped out of the way of the falling fish and other debris as the potato landed with a loud thump amongst the seaweed. Hook reached for his sword, and every man aboard followed suit. He placed his freshly polished boot atop the potato, screaming in painful moans, and spoke to his crew.

"Men, it appears we have prevented an ambush!"

Smee and the crew laughed heartily. Hook gave the potato a shake with his foot, learning that it was not only hollowed out, but host to something inside.

"Cap'n, do yeh think it'd be one of the lost boys in there?" Asked Smee.

Hook wasn't so sure he could rule out this possibility. Even more so was the chance that it could be one of the redskins, who were far superior fighters and always seemed so willing to form alliances with the lost boys. A cruel smile curled at the corners of Hook's chapped lips, his black eyes turned to slits, as he examined thoroughly the men surrounding him.

"Fetch me Bones, Smee." Hook said, curling his mustache with his left hand. Moments later, Smee returned with the man still shackled in chains.

"Hello, Bonesy," Hook chuckled, and every other crew member laughed aloud. "I have a little proposition for you, if you are interested."

Ogden Bones, the greatest gunner ever to join the crew of the Jolly Roger, stared into the godless eyes of his captain.

"I'm listening."

"Well, I know we all feel terrible about your dreadfully poor decision making, regarding that icky, poorly executed mutiny, don't we, men?" Everyone shook their heads in mechanical agreement. "And nothing would make me happier than to see you prove your loyalty right now."

Bones, recognizing the obvious sarcasm in Hook's voice, glanced down at the massive potato still wrenching it's little limbs underneath Hook's boot, knowing full well what his intentions were.

"You mean for me to risk my life finding out what's inside."

Hook patted Bones on the back with his only available hand.

"Precisely. I assure you, our surgeon will be well within reach, should anything happen," Hook said, gesturing at Lafitte. "You have my word."

Bones had no choice. Two men went behind his back and unshackled the chains. Slowly, he walked towards the potato. Everyone near him shrank away, as though fearing they'd catch some deadly illness. Massaging his wrists lightly, he bent down to inspect the potato, unsure of what to do. He thought of asking for a sword to stab at it, just in case there was a lost boy or a redskin waiting patiently inside. He thought of picking it up and smashing it, which would result in instant death for anyone inside, but would also leave him venerable to a bomb explosion. The redskins were quite skilled with the poisons found on the Neverland.

"What say you, Bones?" Hook cried, "Any souls awaiting death?"

"Captain," Bones spoke, moving the potato slowly with his foot, and hearing an odd sort of noise like gravel or little rocks inside. "There is something, but I am of the mind that it is not human. Perhaps—If I had a sword—" Laughter erupted from the men standing far away. Bones knew it would be a stretch to ask.

"Give it up, Mate! Nobody ain't giving you any weapons!" Shouted Billy Jansen, who had his pistol pointing straight at the potato.

Hook however, didn't speak. He waited for the laughter to die, and walked calmly up to Bones and handed him the dagger from his side belt. The entire crew, including Smee, gasped.

"Regardless of your history, you're a worthy gunner, and a damn good pirate. Can I trust you with this, Bones?" Hook raised his eyebrows, waiting for him to take the dagger. Bones looked from Hook to the crew, every pair of eyes on the ship fixated on him. He took it from Hook, who walked back to his place while readjusting his hands inside his coat again. The Jolly Roger had never known such a silence.

Bones turned his attention back on the potato in front of him. Breathing deeply, he moved it around again to hear the dirt inside, finally placing it at an angle he felt would deliver the cleanest cut. All attention was on him, this was his moment. But if one person had accidentally looked the other way for even a second, they might have noticed young John, a piece of cloth wrapped around his mouth, hiding near the forecastle of the ship.

"C'mon already, Bones!" Grunted Jansen again, "We haven' got all day!" The rest of the crew hummed and hoed in agreement. It was much easier to taunt him from a safe distance. John was making his way closer to the scene, waiting for the pirate to make his move. The fear from earlier had been replaced by the adrenaline and longing to prove something to Peter, though he wasn't sure what that something was.

Billy Jansen fell backward as he watched Bones powerfully thrust the dagger into the potato. It ripped open instantly, delivering the poisonous pollen of the sneezing daisy. It sprayed deadly gas, the color of a sunset, all over Bones and several others close by, killing them instantly.

Quickly, John reared around the first available pirate during the panic, driving his sword straight into his back. Two others caught wind, but John, who was much quicker, had them both beat instantly. Amongst the chaos, Hook didn't notice his men being taken out until he walked over the body of one of his pirates seeing the wounds John delivered.

"Smee, arm yourself!" Hook cried, raising his right arm.

"Ay, Cap'n!" Smee was carrying two pistols in his hands, aiming recklessly towards the sky.

Quicker than most men could see it happen, Peter had arrived. Suspended in mid air near the mast, he crowed to John down on the deck. John returned the call after cutting one more pirate in the belly.

"Pan!"

Hook screamed loudly into the bright blue sky. Smee fired at Peter with both guns, missing every time. He cut through the bullets with his sword, and danced on the windy breezes, laughing merrily as Hook stalked his trail along the ship. It wasn't until the poison from the sneezing daisy cleared fully, that Hook saw his men being torn apart by the lost boys, who had climbed aboard the Jolly Roger during the chaos. There were eleven in total, not including John or Peter. Each of them wore cloth over their faces, and old pirate clothes as they cut through the crowd. Smee ran back into the Captain's Quarters while Hook reared back around to Peter.

"Boy, face me if you dare!" Hook pointed the tip of his bejeweled sword straight up at Peter, his black eyes gleaming with hate. Peter remained quiet, his eyebrows raised and a smile curling over his lips. He watched Tinkerbelle fly down into the mess of bodies amongst the ship, and only then did he decide to turn his attention to Hook. His eyes popped in crimsons and shades of gold, the color of a dangerous fire.

"Have at thee," Peter whispered.

Hook shrieked, Peter shouted to the sky as he flew down like a sparrow, and seconds later the fight had begun.

The red eyes met the black. Peter's sword connected with Hooks, both blades at equal distance from their owners. Hook took a furious swing at Peter with his right hand. Peter evaded the rusted metal and threw Hook off-balance. He crowed, a noise Hook loathed, for it signified the love of a fight, an edge, and Hook never quite had the edge on Peter.

"Good form, old man!" Shouted Peter, wiping saliva from his mouth. They circled each other, while in the background more swords clashed. Peter saw out of the corner of his eye, John and Thomas Banville — second in command to Peter —overtake a large, burly Pirate together near the door leading to the Captain's Quarters.

"Well, Pan," Hook spoke curtly, clutching his sword even tighter in his grip, "It appears your boys have outmatched my men. What is it you desire?" Peter recognized the casual tone in Hook's voice. It was tactical, a part of a scheme, and Hook was the best schemer in the Neverland, but Peter knew better. The game was always chess.

"I'm here for your cabin boy. Give him here, and I will leave."

"Pockets, you say?" Hook looked around, surveying, deciding whether losing a cabin boy of no real value was worth the risk of losing all his men in an outmatched fight. "Very well."

Hook put is sword away, and Peter did the same. Hook put two fingers at his lips and whistled. Swords were still clanking all around, guns going off and men shouting in pain.

Smee opened the door of the Captain's Quarters slowly. Hook refused to take his eyes of Peter as Smee stumbled out, terrified, holding a pistol with only one bullet left in it.

"Fetch the cabin boy, Smee."

"Pockets, Cap'n? Fer what, if I may ask?" He held the pistol at waist length, anticipating anyone to close in on him.

"I believe he's in the brig, I'll go get—" Smee's voice was cut off by John and Thomas, who had overtaken him from behind. John tied Smee up using his cloth, as Thomas ran inside Hook's personal quarters.

"Stop them!" Hook cried, taking out his sword once more and chasing after Peter, who was flying in the direction of the brig. Two pirates chased John and Thomas inside.

"Don't let them inside!" Hook shouted over his shoulder as he ran after Peter through the crowd of violence. But Peter was too quick, and before Hook could get so far as ten feet, he was forced to draw his sword against both of the Cunning twins. Peter dived through a stairway, into the brig where Pockets lay unconscious with a large knot just above his eyebrow. Peter shook him.

"Pockets! You alright, mate?" Pockets didn't look a day over eight years old. He didn't move, but he was still breathing. Peter picked him up over his shoulder and flew back outside where he performed two short crows, the signal to withdrawal. At once, the lost boys abandoned their fight and jumped overboard, into their rowboats. Hook was still battling the Cunning twins. He hoped to at least take one down before it ended.

"Peter!" Cried one of the twins, "Help!" Peter placed two fingers near his lips and whistled for Tinkerbelle, who appeared instantly. She took Pockets by his ankle, as Peter dashed down to the twins. Hook was too formidable a swordsman for the two, and they were both growing exhausted, but Peter arrived just in time to help. Taking on all three at once might have been too much for Hook. He realized this and slipped through an escape floor board as Peter picked the twins up and dropped them into boats.

John narrowly evaded the Pirates that chased him and Thomas into the Captain's Quarters, giving one of them a broken nose with the handle of a gun. Thomas went as far the library before seeing what Peter had asked him to find: The glass jar holding a brilliant light that danced around, pleading for help. Smiling, he assured the fairy that he was safe now, and tried to open the jar, but it was closed tightly. He carried it over his arm and ran back outside where John waited for him.

As he walked through the threshold, Thomas was met by Hook, who raised his left arm without hesitation, and cut him across the stomach.

"No!" John flew down swiftly to the pair, and grabbed Thomas from under his armpits before Hook could raise his arm again. Together they jumped into the air, blood dripping profusely from Thomas's belly wound. Hook watched them disappear into the sky, casually wiping the blood off his rusted steel with a handkerchief from his pocket. He picked up the jar Thomas had dropped and stared into the glass with his black eyes, seeing the pixie withering in fear. Hook shook the jar violently and then whispered softly into the small air holes at the top, the thick stench of his breath fogging up the glass from the inside. "Thought you'd gotten away from me, did you?"