"Well," Amy began, "five thousand years ago, in the land of Egypt, there was a wealthy merchant. He had a large house, many servents, and lots of gold and jewels. But he had no children of his own, his wife having died several years before."
"Ooohhh..." the children reacted in sympathy.
"One day, the merchant decided to go to the marketplace and see what there was to buy. Now, you must know that, in those days, servants or slaves was bought and sold very often in market places. So it was on this day, when the merchant arrived.
"As he watched the slaves being sold, the merchant saw a very beautiful girl being brought up to the block. He thought that she must be the most beautiful woman in the world. So entranced by this vision of lovelyness was the merchant, that he bought her there and then."
"Just like that?" Peter asked. "Didn't she have any choice?" He hated slavery in any form, although he did not know why. He had no experience to base his opinion on. Or did he?
"No, I'm afraid she didn't, Peter," Amy answered. "But, the merchant was a very kind man, too. He took the girl to his house, where he learned that her name was Nitokris. The merchant treated the girl like his own daughter, giving her little to do for work. And what work she did do was very easy and light, so that Nitokris had most of the day to herself. He gave her a room of her own, and her own servants and handmaidians, and many gifts.
"One of her most treasured of these gifts was a pair of rose-colored fur slippers. She wore them everyday, and was very careful with them whenever she took them off.
"Nitokris loved to go bathing every day in the Nile river, and she and her handmaidians could be found there often. Always, the rose slippers would be set carefully with her clothes, so that she always knew where they were.
"One day, while she and her servants were bathing, an eagle swooped down and snatched one of the slippers from where it was. The girls chased after it, trying to get the slipper back, but they could not, and the eagle got away.
"Nitokris was so very upset about losing the slipper. The merchant tried to comfort her, offering to replace the slipper with another, but she wanted the one that she lost. She was so sad that she stayed in her rooms, crying."
"Awww..." Cubby sniffed. "Poor, Nit-o-kr...kr..kris!" He felt so sorry for the girl in the story that he began to sob loudly. Nibs, annoyed with the noise and wanting to hear the rest of the story, grabbed Cubby's club and stuck it in the bear-clad boy's mouth. Cubby's sobbing stopped, and he blinked a couple of times before removing the club and settling down for the rest of the story.
"Meanwhile, the eagle flew on, until it finally reached the capital city of Memphis. It flew into the palace of the Pharaoh --or Egyptian king-- and dropped the slipper onto the king's lap.
"It should be noted that the eagle was the symbol of the Egyptian god, Ra, the ruler of the gods and goddesses of Egypt. To many, this would be the sign of something special about to happen.
"The Pharaoh was very moved by this dainty little slipper, and had the royal scribe to go around the land and try the slipper on every lady he could find, because the king decreed that he would wed no one but the maidian that could wear that slipper.
"What's a scribe?" Nibs asked.
"A scribe was someone who knew how to read and write. In ancient Egypt, not many knew how to read or write except for priests and maybe some royalty. So a scribe was a very important job in ancient times.
"Ooohhh..." the boys replied in understanding.
"One day, the scribe arrived at the house of the merchant. He tried the slipper on every female he found, but none fit. He asked the merchant if there was anyone else in the house, and the merchant said yes, there was one more; a girl named Nitokris. The scribe had the merchant to bring her out of her room. When she came before him, the scribe tried the slipper on her. And, of course --being hers-- it fit. She even brought out the other slipper and put it on. The scribe knew that he had found the girl for his king.
"The scribe brought the merchant and Nitokris before the king, where the king asked the girl to marry him. She accepted, and the wedding was prepared. The merchant was both sad and happy. Sad, because he was losing his beloved little Nitokris, and happy, because she was going to be queen, and live happily ever after with her Pharaoh. The End."
"Wow!" Slightly exclaimed. "That was a great story!"
"Oh, I have a lot of stories," Amy smiled. "Most, I bet you've never heard before. But it's time for bed, now. I'll tell you another story tomorrow night."
"Aaaawwww..." the boys complained, but it got no further than that. Peter gave them a stern look. If their new mother said it was time for bed, then it was time for bed, and they had better get into bed. The Lost Boys scrambled for the large bed in the middle of the room.
Amy gently tucked every one of the boys into bed, giving them each a kiss good-night. Then, she turned to Peter, Petra, and Marzi.
"Where do you three sleep?" she asked.
"I have a room of my own," Petra said. "So I'll go to bed, now. 'Night --uh-- Mom."
"'Night, Petra," Amy smiled as the girl Pan went behind a white bear-skin curtain.
"And I have my own room, too," Peter smiled. "I've been sleeping with Marzi because she won't sleep alone. There's a bed and a hammock in my room. Sometime I feel like sleeping in a hammock, sometimes I feel like sleeping in a bed."
"Well, what are we going to do about sleeping arrangements?" she asked.
"I don't know," he answered truthfully. They went into his room, as if being in the room might help them figure something out.
"I could always sleep in the hammock," Peter offered, "while you and Marzi can have the bed. But Marzi doesn't like to sleep with anyone but me. We've tried it with Petra and the boys. It didn't work. She always started crying, and wouldn't stop until I took her."
"Hmmm...that's a problem," Amy thought aloud. "She must learn that she is safe with any of us, not with just you." She thought for a moment. "Tink may not like this, but it should only be temporary, a week at the most. But if it will help..." She looked up at Peter. "Peter, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but we need for all three of us to sleep in the bed. You on one side, me on the other, and Marzi in the middle."
"WHAT?!?" Peter exclaimed in shock. Sleep in the same bed with a GIRL?!?
"Well, only until she learns that I'm safe," Amy replied. "And we won't be next to each other. Marzi will be right between us. We can try it all night for a couple of nights, then gradually have you sleep only a few hours in the bed at night, and the rest of the time in the hammock. Gradually, you'll be in the hammock and Marzi and I will be in the bed all night. Besides, you won't be leaving her completely alone with me. She'll be able to see you in your hammock from the bed."
"Well..." Peter was not so sure about the arrangement. Not only would Tink throw a fit when she found out about it, but also, was that not the way married grown-ups slept? Still, if it would help Marzi...
"Okay," he agreed. "But just until she learns that she's safe with you."
Smiling, Amy climbed into one side of the bed. Gently, Peter laid Marzi next to Amy, and tentively climbed in on the other side. Amy and Marzi snuggled in to sleep, but Peter could not get any rest. He stared up at the roof of the cave, one thought going through his mind.
What in Neverland am I doing?
Next: Chapter 5: A Day With Amy. In an attempt to familierize Marzi with herself and everyone else, Amy takes the children on a picnic, where they learn that they can play gentle games with the tiny girl, and still have fun.
