The children remained in the village eating, dancing, and listening to the natives stories and recounting the Lost Boys various adventures for what seemed like endless time. But eventually they all realized how late the hour was becoming as a bright full moon rose higher and higher above the surrounding trees. The reunited family offered Caroline and the boys their thanks one last time and took their leave from the party. Slowly other families began bidding each other good night.
"Lost Boys should be getting some sleep," the chief said, approaching the group as they waved good night to the native children that had been teaching them one of their people's dances before their parents called them to their homes.
"Goodness, it really is quite late," Caroline commented glancing up towards the moon. "Thank you for all your hospitality," she added almost automatically after. A moment later she realized she could barely remember the names of people who would have hosted parties that she had attended yet the manners her parents had taught her seemed to have become simple habit.
Despite a number of the boys' protestations that they were not the least bit sleepy, they had to concede that there would not be much fun to be had in the village once it's inhabitants had all turned in for the night. So, they made their way through the jungle towards the home under the ground. While the excitement of the party had kept Caroline awake the walk through the jungle proved quite the calming experience. They flew a few feet above the ground so as not to draw the attention of any wild animals that might have been making their evening hunts and arrived at the grove without any trouble from the quiet night. As Caroline slid down the chute into the cozy little home she did her best to stifle a small yawn and thought she caught the other boys doing the same thing.
"They sure know how to throw a party," Slightly commented while rubbing his eyes.
"A little change from playing at battles," Curly added, utterly failing to cover up a yawn with the words.
"I thought you only battled with the pirates," Caroline replied, pausing as she began arranging the blankets for her bedding.
"Oh it's quite different. With the Indians we just have a little row now and then, hardly anybody gets so much as a scratch though," Nibbs chimed in, plopping himself on the middle of the boys' bed. "It's all in fun with them."
"Fun with the pirates too," Peter added. "But with them the battle's not over 'till they're chased off instead of both sides just agreeing on who won or lost after awhile." Not surprisingly, Peter seemed to have retained the most energy of the children, floating about the room with Tinkerbell flitting. But watching as the other boys sprawled themselves on the large bed and Caroline was nestled under her own blankets his resolve seemed to be wavering. Soon enough he slowly flew over to the bed settling himself on the end as Tinkerbell made her way to the wall where her little room resided.
Caroline remained awake long enough to bid the others a good night before she felt her mind drifting off to sleep. She dreamed of the adventures she had experienced so far, her mind adding elements from the stories the Lost Boys had told her of their own games and discoveries in Neverland. She imagined herself soaring over the beaches, catching glimpses of the mermaid's scales sparkling as they swam along the surface. A great wave crashed, sending a wide spray of water droplets that obscured her vision for a moment and suddenly she was deep in cavern somewhere in the jungle. She made her way through the shadowed and winding passages until sunlight shimmered ahead of her. While previously she hurried towards it, her bare feet padding gently against the smooth stone floor as an opening came into view. She approached it but did not exit the cavern, unwilling to disrupt the sight that awaited her just outside. A small clearing framed by a circle of little Never Mushrooms with wild flowers giving off a soft sweet scent and within the circle fairies danced and twirled gracefully through the air while others sat on the mushrooms creating the most enchanting music. She had only watched the scene for what felt like a few seconds when muffled cries echoed from the cavern around her. The image of the fairies vanished and suddenly Caroline was lying down somewhere rather dark with soft material all around her.
It took a moment for the girl to realize she was no longer in the dream but had awoken. The continued sounds of distress offered a hint of what had drawn her out of her little dreamed adventure and she turned towards the source. Slowly her eyes focused on the dark shape that was the larger bed. Caroline tossed her blankets aside and quietly moved towards the bed and, once near enough to see relatively clearly in the faint moonlight that crept in from a few roots above, she quickly determined the source.
Peter lay on his side, his fingers clutching at the fabric of the blanket and his eyes were squeezed tight. Every so often he would give a small cry of distress. Clearly he was caught up in a frightful dream of some sort. Caroline touched his shoulder giving him a small shake but to no avail, he remained deep in sleep and quite caught up in whatever haunted his dream. She dearly wished to comfort him and tried to think of something. Peter gave another cry just as a thought struck Caroline of what someone did long ago when they checked in on her as she tossed and turned in troubled sleep.
She gently brushed her fingertips across her brother's forehead, slowly humming a melody. As she hummed, the fog surrounding those distant memories began to clear and a sweet voice filled her head reminding her of the words that went along with the melody.
"My child, my very own,
Don't be afraid, you're not alone
Sleep until the dawn
For all is well
The time has come to go to bed
And let fine dreams fill your head
I will be here all through the night
To greet you, my dear, at morning's light
My child, my very own,
Don't be afraid, you're not alone
Sleep until the dawn
For all is well
The moon and stars watch from the sky
The night wind whispers a lullaby
So lay down and rest without fear
I will keep you safe, I'll be here
My child, my very own,
Don't be afraid, you're not alone
Sleep until the dawn
For all is well"
As Caroline sang, Peter began to relax somewhat. His fingers loosened their grip on the blankets and the sounds of distress seemed to become fewer with more time between them. She continued to hum for a little longer after the last verse was finished until she was sure Peter's cries had ceased completely. Now his face appeared tranquil and calm as the creases in his brow smoothed out and his lips parted slightly as if caught in the laughter he was usually so full of. Caroline smiled, unsure whether the lullaby had actually worked or if the nightmare had simply passed on its own but still pleased to see her brother was no longer in such distress. Vaguely she wondered what sort of dream it was to torment him so, but resigned herself to the fact that it would likely remain a mystery. If Peter needed to talk about it she would gladly be there for him, but she thought it more likely that he would simply wish to forget it altogether.
Taking one more moment to be sure Peter and the others were still asleep and that the dream was not going to return, Caroline turned and made her way back to her own bed. She had not noticed the chill of the night air until she was once again nestled in the warmth of the blankets. However, despite how readily her body embraced the comfortable bed, ready for sleep, her mind refused to settle. The lullaby floated through her mind, an accompaniment to the foggy images that swirled behind her closed eyes.
A woman with sandy hair tied up in a bun with gently curling locks falling over her shoulders. A man with bright blue eyes that always seemed so sad. Caroline rolled over to her other side as that sadness sparked an odd feeling of guilt she could not quite identify. Suddenly the faces of her parents, that had seemed so elusive and, if she was honest with herself, unimportant since she had settled into life in Neverland were crystal clear in her mind as she thought she could almost hear her mother's voice echoing the same verses Caroline had just sung. How could she have thought so little of them? And now that she was considering her parents she found herself wondering what they must be thinking since discovering her bed empty? She found she was not even sure how long she had been gone for, the days passing so packed with fun and one adventure following right after another all the days seemed indistinct from one another.
Caroline tried to push the thoughts away but every time she closed her eyes glimpses of those faces and others flashed in her mind. She lay in her little makeshift bed for nearly half an hour tossing and turning before her weariness finally overcame the memories and she drifted into an uneasy sleep full of familiar voices speaking familiar warnings of 'don't wander off,' and 'keep the window closed' accompanied broken flashes of moments she could barely identify before it was replaced with a new scene.