Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or setting or plot. J.M. Barrie and Universal Pictures, Revolution Studios, and Columbia Pictures own Peter Pan. The title of this story is taken from one of the songs from Oklahoma! which, obviously, I also do not own.
Author's Note: This is a scene from the movie. There are also a few references to the book. Enjoy!
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Out of My Dreams
Wendy tosses and turns in her sleep. She desperately wants to open the drawer tonight – to slip to where Neverland is reality – but tonight she can't open the drawer. Instead, in her dreams she replays over and over what happened downstairs. Why must she have a woman's chin, and a…kiss?
She whimpers. In her dreams she can leave behind her troubles, but not tonight – her troubles dance about her, refusing to leave her alone. Trying to ignore their taunting, she attempts to open the drawer again. This time she is successful. Smiling, she looks inside. It is empty. No Neverland waits for her. No caves. No coral reefs. No lagoon. No mermaids. No Indians. No Lost Boys. No pet wolf. No pirates. No Peter Pan. She stares blankly into the empty drawer. Her unpleasant thoughts laugh at her, mocking her before fleeing.
She is left alone in darkness, silence, and stillness. Tears stream down poor Wendy's face. Now that her life has been turned upside down, she has even lost Neverland and Peter. Her small body trembles. Will she never be able to visit the small island? Will Peter never again sit at the foot of her bed and play his pipes for her? Wendy cries harder. It is unfair. Why must she lose Neverland as soon as she discovers she is to grow up?
The stillness is destroyed by a very light wind. The coldness makes her shiver, and she drops the drawer to hug herself. She listens expectantly for the thump of the drawer hitting the ground. Several minutes later, the drawer hits the floor, banging loudly. Wendy jolts with surprise – for she had a while ago decided it would never hit the floor – and awakens from her sleep but keeps her eyes shut.
A small sigh escapes her lips, and she turns her head, hoping to fall quickly back to sleep. She feels a light breeze on her face. Wait. The window is not open – or shouldn't be. Mother had closed it when she had tucked her, John, and Michael in. Then where is the wind coming from?
She stiffens slightly. She suddenly senses a presence in the nursery. Close by… Another draft floats by, causing her lips to tingle.
Sleepily, she opens her eyes, which then widen in surprise. Hovering above her bed and looking down on her is a boy dressed in skeleton leaves, with blue eyes and unkempt blond hair. His fingers are just about an inch from her mouth. For a brief second Wendy stares back into the eyes of Peter Pan.
Shock appears on his face at her seeing him. Wendy sits up quickly in bed and watches him fly back into the ceiling. They stare at each other a heartbeat more before Nana scampers out of her house, barking madly. Wendy's wonder turns to horror as Peter flies through the window which shuts after he's through. Throwing her covers back, she jumps from her bed and rushes to the window, ignoring Nana's wild barking, and frighteningly looks down into the yard, fearful of seeing Peter's broken body. But, strangely, she sees nothing. She turns away and looks toward Nana, who has ceased her barking. Wendy is amazed that her brothers were not awakened by the commotion. She wonders if her parents or aunt was awakened by Nana's barking. She holds her breath and listens intently for a moment: the house continues to sleep.
Wendy rushes out of the nursery and down the stairs, grabs a candle from the mantle of the fireplace, and bursts out into the yard, not caring about her bare feet or light nightgown. She carefully examines the small yard, looking for any sign of Peter. Not a trace of him does she come upon.
Wendy frowns in confusion. Peter had been in the nursery, hovering above her bed. She is sure of it. She was not dreaming, for she could not find him in her sleep. And Nana had also awakened, proving that she was not dreaming. A smile breaks out over her face. She had really seen Peter Pan, who had appeared so often in her dreams. She twirls around. This had been better than any dream she ever had of Peter or Neverland. Why he had come, she did not know or care. But he had!
Finally, the coldness of the night registers with Wendy. She shivers and returns inside to the nursery. Crawling back into bed, she smiles again at the realization that Peter Pan exists both in and outside her dreams. She watches a shooting star flash across the sky before closing her eyes and falling asleep.
THE END
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