Chapter 1
Secrets
Wendy was an adventurous one, she had always believed in Peter Pan, even before she met him. When the time came to choose between reality and a far off fairy tale land, she had chosen to stay home. Her brothers, Michael and John, had made the same decision.
Their parents were, of coarse, happy to see them home once again. Mrs. Darling had dearly missed her children the 3 days that they had been gone and wished that they would never again go off to this, Neverland place that they talked of so much.
As time went on things grew back to how they had been before. Wendy, however, seemed more anxious every day to grow up. She would often have a serious look on her face that hardly ever faded and when she did her chores or walked about the house she would never look down. This continued and eventually led to her leaving the nursery and having her own room that was a floor below the nursery. She also stopped telling the wonderful stories that her brothers loved so much, they were mostly about Peter Pan.
Because of this attitude that Wendy had her mother, Mrs. Darling had changed her mind about her earlier opinion of Peter Pan. She began to realize how fast her daughter was growing up, as it seemed in maturity and attitude. She knew that she now missed the young spirit that had once lived in her daughter. In order to ease her thoughts about this matter she would often go into the nursery and look out the window that Peter had visited so long ago.
What was not known was Wendy's secret. She, in truth, missed Peter deeply and wondered if he felt the same. All of the lost boys had come back with her and her brothers, except one. Slightly Soiled had stayed behind with Peter and Tinkerbell. All those who came with Wendy had found their family and were now living their own lives somewhere away from the place called London.
Wendy's secret was this: when she had the chance, and was all alone in her room, whether day or night, she would look out into the sky and quietly say, "I'll always believe in you Peter Pan." This was the same thing that she had yelled out as Peter left the house a few years earlier and was also what she said every night after prayers.
There was one who knew of her secret, he was the lost boy who had never found his family, Tootles. It was a quiet night and Tootles had gotten up because he could not sleep. While he was on his wanderings he came upon Wendy's room and peered in to see if she was sleeping well. To his surprise he found her wide awake and looking at the window.
"Wendy, what are you doing?" he asked.
"Tootles," she gasped, "why are you up? An 11 year old like you needs his sleep you know!"
"I couldn't sleep," Tootles gave a slight, whispering reply.
"Well you look tired," Wendy told him, " Come here," she motioned.
"Wendy, you miss him, don't you?" Tootles questioned.
"No, well..." she paused, "Tootles, can you keep a secret?"
"Yeah, sure, I can keep a secret," he replied.
Wendy picked him up and put him on her lap.
"Look Tootles," she said pointing out the window, "Second star to the right and straight on till morning."
"Home, Neverland!" Tootles shouted.
"Yes, Neverland. I can't get over it. Peter is such an unforgettable boy, and I dearly miss him, but I'm 15 now and I have to grow up. Besides Peter must be at least 2 years younger than me, and he never ages!" she finished.
"Why don't you go back?" Tootles asked.
"I, I don't know," she sighed.
"So what is your secret?" he asked eagerly.
"Every day and night I look out my window and hope that he will come once again for me. He did promise that he would come during spring cleaning time. But he hasn't come, and it has been 2 or 3 years now," she had overworked herself. Realizing this she put Tootles next to her and gazed out into the sky.
"He does miss you," Tootles quietly mentioned.
"How do you know," she asked him.
"I just do, and someday he'll come back for you," he proudly said, sure of himself.
Wendy sighed and stood up with straight posture.
"This is just between you and me, all right?" she reminded him.
"I think I'm ready for bed now," Tootles told her, yawning.
She nodded her head and took his hand, leading him to the nursery step by step.
When she reached the nursery she tucked Tootles in bed, who was soon sound asleep. Walking over to the window she gave a look around the room and remembered all that had happened there. It had been a long time since she had last been in the room, yet every touch, every smell of the room she remembered. It was as it had been before, two beds on one side of the room and one on the other. There was a drawer for clothing and other belongings next to each bed and one large one next to the window that had a large mirror on top of it. There was a built in couch in front of the window and the same curtains hung. The dog house sat on the other side of the window and there was a giant clock next to it. There was such an essence in the room that for a moment Wendy was swept away and could not resist sitting down by the window and gazing out.
"Wendy," a voice sounded from behind her.
"Mother, I am sorry. I should not be here. I was just putting Tootles back to bed and could not help but look out the window to..." her mother stopped her, gently holding her hand.
"You have been doing this every night, haven't you, Wendy?" her mother asked her.
"In my room, yes. But it has been such a long time since I last gave a stare out this window, and it is filled with such a sad memory," she told her mother.
"How can it be a bad memory? Wendy," she said sitting down next to her daughter, "you have become a beautiful girl and I'm proud of you, but I can tell that something is wrong," Mrs. Darling mentioned.
"Mother,"
"Wendy, I need to tell you something," Mrs. Darling interrupted.
"What is it mother?" Wendy questioned, unsure of what her mother was about to tell her.
"When I was your age, perhaps a bit younger, I saw this flying boy in my dreams," Wendy gasped as her mother spoke, "He came to my window too and I had adventures with him in this very room, but not elsewhere. He told me of his home, but never invited me there. I always asumed that he was just in my mind, but I never let go of him. And then I met your father. All the other men I knew had their eyes on me, but there was something different about him, and we fell in love. He took the flying boy's place in my life along with you and your brothers once born," she paused and looked at her daughter's face. Wendy had the expression of disbelief on her face, she could not believe what her mother was telling her. "He never returned, and I soon forgot about him until you began to tell stories of him. And then he came and took you to a place that he had never taken me. I still refused to believe, but as time passed I began to wish he would come back."
"Mother, this is so strange to hear coming from you. You have always been a loving, but strict mother to me and I have never seen this side of you before. I don't know what to think of this," Wendy told Mrs. Darling.
"I guess what I am trying to say is, if Peter ever comes back, you may go withe him for a short period of time," her mother said in return to Wendy's remark. " Oh, mother!" Wendy said falling into the other's arms.
"Shh, we don't want to wake anyone up," she warned and then continued, "I'll tell you what, if you can keep this secret for a little while, I will let you move back into the nursery."
Wendy's face began to lite up as she stood up, hugged her mother, and headed out the door and towards her bedroom.
"Dear stars and nightlights, pretect my children, burn steadfast and clear tonight," Mrs. Darling said, looking out at the stars and after that leaving the room.
Something had happened that night, and it was very unknown to all others in the household. Wendy had come to let go of her anger and began to hope once again, hope for Peter and Tinkerbell and all others who lived in her dreams.
There was also an unknown in the midst of all this, somone had been spying on them who worked for Captain Hook, and he was ready to let his instructor know the hopes of young Wendy. Hook was about to prounce on his prey, or should it be said, his bate in which he hoped to lure Peter Pan and get rid of him for good.
Secrets
Wendy was an adventurous one, she had always believed in Peter Pan, even before she met him. When the time came to choose between reality and a far off fairy tale land, she had chosen to stay home. Her brothers, Michael and John, had made the same decision.
Their parents were, of coarse, happy to see them home once again. Mrs. Darling had dearly missed her children the 3 days that they had been gone and wished that they would never again go off to this, Neverland place that they talked of so much.
As time went on things grew back to how they had been before. Wendy, however, seemed more anxious every day to grow up. She would often have a serious look on her face that hardly ever faded and when she did her chores or walked about the house she would never look down. This continued and eventually led to her leaving the nursery and having her own room that was a floor below the nursery. She also stopped telling the wonderful stories that her brothers loved so much, they were mostly about Peter Pan.
Because of this attitude that Wendy had her mother, Mrs. Darling had changed her mind about her earlier opinion of Peter Pan. She began to realize how fast her daughter was growing up, as it seemed in maturity and attitude. She knew that she now missed the young spirit that had once lived in her daughter. In order to ease her thoughts about this matter she would often go into the nursery and look out the window that Peter had visited so long ago.
What was not known was Wendy's secret. She, in truth, missed Peter deeply and wondered if he felt the same. All of the lost boys had come back with her and her brothers, except one. Slightly Soiled had stayed behind with Peter and Tinkerbell. All those who came with Wendy had found their family and were now living their own lives somewhere away from the place called London.
Wendy's secret was this: when she had the chance, and was all alone in her room, whether day or night, she would look out into the sky and quietly say, "I'll always believe in you Peter Pan." This was the same thing that she had yelled out as Peter left the house a few years earlier and was also what she said every night after prayers.
There was one who knew of her secret, he was the lost boy who had never found his family, Tootles. It was a quiet night and Tootles had gotten up because he could not sleep. While he was on his wanderings he came upon Wendy's room and peered in to see if she was sleeping well. To his surprise he found her wide awake and looking at the window.
"Wendy, what are you doing?" he asked.
"Tootles," she gasped, "why are you up? An 11 year old like you needs his sleep you know!"
"I couldn't sleep," Tootles gave a slight, whispering reply.
"Well you look tired," Wendy told him, " Come here," she motioned.
"Wendy, you miss him, don't you?" Tootles questioned.
"No, well..." she paused, "Tootles, can you keep a secret?"
"Yeah, sure, I can keep a secret," he replied.
Wendy picked him up and put him on her lap.
"Look Tootles," she said pointing out the window, "Second star to the right and straight on till morning."
"Home, Neverland!" Tootles shouted.
"Yes, Neverland. I can't get over it. Peter is such an unforgettable boy, and I dearly miss him, but I'm 15 now and I have to grow up. Besides Peter must be at least 2 years younger than me, and he never ages!" she finished.
"Why don't you go back?" Tootles asked.
"I, I don't know," she sighed.
"So what is your secret?" he asked eagerly.
"Every day and night I look out my window and hope that he will come once again for me. He did promise that he would come during spring cleaning time. But he hasn't come, and it has been 2 or 3 years now," she had overworked herself. Realizing this she put Tootles next to her and gazed out into the sky.
"He does miss you," Tootles quietly mentioned.
"How do you know," she asked him.
"I just do, and someday he'll come back for you," he proudly said, sure of himself.
Wendy sighed and stood up with straight posture.
"This is just between you and me, all right?" she reminded him.
"I think I'm ready for bed now," Tootles told her, yawning.
She nodded her head and took his hand, leading him to the nursery step by step.
When she reached the nursery she tucked Tootles in bed, who was soon sound asleep. Walking over to the window she gave a look around the room and remembered all that had happened there. It had been a long time since she had last been in the room, yet every touch, every smell of the room she remembered. It was as it had been before, two beds on one side of the room and one on the other. There was a drawer for clothing and other belongings next to each bed and one large one next to the window that had a large mirror on top of it. There was a built in couch in front of the window and the same curtains hung. The dog house sat on the other side of the window and there was a giant clock next to it. There was such an essence in the room that for a moment Wendy was swept away and could not resist sitting down by the window and gazing out.
"Wendy," a voice sounded from behind her.
"Mother, I am sorry. I should not be here. I was just putting Tootles back to bed and could not help but look out the window to..." her mother stopped her, gently holding her hand.
"You have been doing this every night, haven't you, Wendy?" her mother asked her.
"In my room, yes. But it has been such a long time since I last gave a stare out this window, and it is filled with such a sad memory," she told her mother.
"How can it be a bad memory? Wendy," she said sitting down next to her daughter, "you have become a beautiful girl and I'm proud of you, but I can tell that something is wrong," Mrs. Darling mentioned.
"Mother,"
"Wendy, I need to tell you something," Mrs. Darling interrupted.
"What is it mother?" Wendy questioned, unsure of what her mother was about to tell her.
"When I was your age, perhaps a bit younger, I saw this flying boy in my dreams," Wendy gasped as her mother spoke, "He came to my window too and I had adventures with him in this very room, but not elsewhere. He told me of his home, but never invited me there. I always asumed that he was just in my mind, but I never let go of him. And then I met your father. All the other men I knew had their eyes on me, but there was something different about him, and we fell in love. He took the flying boy's place in my life along with you and your brothers once born," she paused and looked at her daughter's face. Wendy had the expression of disbelief on her face, she could not believe what her mother was telling her. "He never returned, and I soon forgot about him until you began to tell stories of him. And then he came and took you to a place that he had never taken me. I still refused to believe, but as time passed I began to wish he would come back."
"Mother, this is so strange to hear coming from you. You have always been a loving, but strict mother to me and I have never seen this side of you before. I don't know what to think of this," Wendy told Mrs. Darling.
"I guess what I am trying to say is, if Peter ever comes back, you may go withe him for a short period of time," her mother said in return to Wendy's remark. " Oh, mother!" Wendy said falling into the other's arms.
"Shh, we don't want to wake anyone up," she warned and then continued, "I'll tell you what, if you can keep this secret for a little while, I will let you move back into the nursery."
Wendy's face began to lite up as she stood up, hugged her mother, and headed out the door and towards her bedroom.
"Dear stars and nightlights, pretect my children, burn steadfast and clear tonight," Mrs. Darling said, looking out at the stars and after that leaving the room.
Something had happened that night, and it was very unknown to all others in the household. Wendy had come to let go of her anger and began to hope once again, hope for Peter and Tinkerbell and all others who lived in her dreams.
There was also an unknown in the midst of all this, somone had been spying on them who worked for Captain Hook, and he was ready to let his instructor know the hopes of young Wendy. Hook was about to prounce on his prey, or should it be said, his bate in which he hoped to lure Peter Pan and get rid of him for good.