AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is picking up where Kimberly Appelcline's "The
First Kiss" fanfic leaves off (you can find the fic on this very site),
somewhere halfway through the epilogue. Kimberly's story, in turn, is a
continuation of P.J. Hogan's movie Peter Pan, which is of course a version
of J.M. Barrie's novel Peter Pan, which is in itself a sequel (of sorts) to
Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (also by Barrie - which can be read at
gutenberg.net). Confused yet?
**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT** I had to update this story a bit and add a new plot point to Chapter III, so I hope you will go back and read it again. The new point is also referred to in Chapters IV, V, and VI (hopefully the updated versions are showing up online now), but you need only skim those if you do not feel like re-reading the entire thing. But please do re-read Chapter III so that you are up to speed! Thanx!
Here's Chapter VII.......Please, more comments! Enjoy! (
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VII. WELCOME HOME
The journey to the Neverland can vary depending on the traveler. If he is determined towards his destination, the trip can be quick and uneventful. On the other hand, if he were to stop and take in all the marvels around him, the trip could last for days.
The latter is the route Anthony Pan decided to take, much to Sixem's consternation. Being a fairy, magical things were not to be savored and gawked at, for they were simply a way of life, just as grass and rocks are to us. Many an hour would Sixem have to spend waiting on Anthony whilst he had conversations with the Moon or blew kisses to passing comets (quite flirtatious are comets, you know!). And he simply had to pay a visit to the Old Sphinx, skim the peak of Mt. Everest, and wave good morning to Miss Liberty in New York Harbor. If it hadn't been for Sixem, he may very well have not gotten to Neverland at all!
When at last the threshold had been breached – nearly knocking the wind out of poor Anthony – the first glimpses of the magical island lay before them. Anthony could feel the anticipation bubbling inside him like a dropped can of soda-pop! What sort of magnificent new adventures lay ahead but just a few miles away? Oh the boy could barely contain his giddiness.
As they approached closer, it became more and more apparent the true state of the island, and Anthony's little heart began to sink as he laid eyes upon what he had been told was the supreme children's paradise. There were no rainbows, no fluffy pink clouds, nor any sparkling oceans. What stood before him was nothing but a dark, miserable, frozen tundra.
"What is this, Sixem?" Anthony asked in a most worrisome voice.
"It is the Neverland," she confirmed.
Anthony shook his head in dismay. "No, no, it can't be! Oh, this is not what I expected at all!"
"That is why you are needed," Sixem explained. "Without a boy to steer it properly, as a sea captain steers his ship, Neverland is nothing. Just a desolate speck in the subconscious of every child who ever dared and tried to dream of it."
"And I am to bring it back to glory?"
"You shall make it flourish once again, Anthony."
It all seemed so troublesome and complicated. All Anthony wanted to do was be a boy and have fun, and now he was being handed this great responsibility.
As if reading his mind, Sixem smiled reassuringly. "It won't be so demanding. Your carelessness and innocence will be the appropriate tonic to save Neverland. All you need to do is believe, have faith, and be a boy always."
Well, that certainly did not seem tough enough a task. But how should Anthony play and be carefree in such a bleak world?
The duo continued to coast around Neverland from the safety of the inky clouds. It seemed to Anthony that no other life at all must exist on this island. Except for a rather menacing looking pirate ship docked next to what once must have been a jungle, but even that looked wholly deserted.
"Whomever shall I play with?" he asked his fairy companion.
"You are sure to have companions shortly. As soon as the light returns to Neverland, little boys will again have a place to go when they fall out of their prams, for now there is Anthony Pan to guide them on their way!"
"Oh, how lovely!" Anthony greatly delighted in this new role of Leader that he was to undertake. He would be Master of all things. He would never have to answer to anybody again. Even those officious old Caws!
Sixem began to lead Anthony to his descent upon the island. Around petrified shrubbery and frozen trees, narrowly missing several icicles threatening to run him through, they flew into a small clearly wherein the middle lay a large, gnarled tree trunk, with nary a leaf on it. Sixem pointed and indicated this area as a proper landing site.
As Anthony came to a stop upon the frosty pasture, a most extraordinary thing happened – for as his foot made first contact with the ground, the ice underneath and immediately around it disappeared entirely, rather akin to negatively charged iron shavings repelled from the like-charged side of a magnet. And then, upon lifting his foot back into the air, the spot where it had been instantly froze over once again!
The enchanted response that this phenomenon elicited from Anthony was amusing to Sixem. "All your essence shall soon warm the heart of this troubled island."
As Anthony carried on exploring his new trick, he was little aware of the bright glow beginning to emanate from the largest hole in the tree trunk standing in the center of the clearing. But he could hardly ignore the scores of fairies that quickly burst from the notch like so many frenzied bumblebees. Only their intention was not to sting but to greet. They buzzed about their new savior as if anointing him with their radiance – which also served as quite a welcome respite from the icy-blue gloom hanging over the forest. They were all speaking at once, some excitedly and some others more gravely, although Anthony could not quite understand them. But Sixem could.
In the midst of all the more merry salutations, Anthony soon took notice of Sixem's sudden disturbed countenance, and he could not help but to be disturbed also, for whatever shall trouble a fairy must be most critical indeed. Anthony tossed her a quizzical look, but Sixem only grinned sheepishly.
"Well, I am to be off now," she declared.
"What? You are not staying?" Now Anthony found something palpable to worry about.
"Oh, I cannot stay," said Sixem with a nervous giggle. "It's alright, you will be okay here."
She began to back off from him rather conspicuously. She was clearly wanting to get away, and fast. Anthony was afraid there might be something wrong with him that was driving her off. The other fairies were as ever buzzing about, but his attention was solely on Sixem, who was moving further and further from him.
"Wait!" he exclaimed, leaping into the air towards her. And no sooner had his feet left the ground than she had disappeared entirely in a puff of fairy dust.
For the first time ever, despite the talkative fairies all around him, Anthony felt completely alone.
**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT** I had to update this story a bit and add a new plot point to Chapter III, so I hope you will go back and read it again. The new point is also referred to in Chapters IV, V, and VI (hopefully the updated versions are showing up online now), but you need only skim those if you do not feel like re-reading the entire thing. But please do re-read Chapter III so that you are up to speed! Thanx!
Here's Chapter VII.......Please, more comments! Enjoy! (
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
VII. WELCOME HOME
The journey to the Neverland can vary depending on the traveler. If he is determined towards his destination, the trip can be quick and uneventful. On the other hand, if he were to stop and take in all the marvels around him, the trip could last for days.
The latter is the route Anthony Pan decided to take, much to Sixem's consternation. Being a fairy, magical things were not to be savored and gawked at, for they were simply a way of life, just as grass and rocks are to us. Many an hour would Sixem have to spend waiting on Anthony whilst he had conversations with the Moon or blew kisses to passing comets (quite flirtatious are comets, you know!). And he simply had to pay a visit to the Old Sphinx, skim the peak of Mt. Everest, and wave good morning to Miss Liberty in New York Harbor. If it hadn't been for Sixem, he may very well have not gotten to Neverland at all!
When at last the threshold had been breached – nearly knocking the wind out of poor Anthony – the first glimpses of the magical island lay before them. Anthony could feel the anticipation bubbling inside him like a dropped can of soda-pop! What sort of magnificent new adventures lay ahead but just a few miles away? Oh the boy could barely contain his giddiness.
As they approached closer, it became more and more apparent the true state of the island, and Anthony's little heart began to sink as he laid eyes upon what he had been told was the supreme children's paradise. There were no rainbows, no fluffy pink clouds, nor any sparkling oceans. What stood before him was nothing but a dark, miserable, frozen tundra.
"What is this, Sixem?" Anthony asked in a most worrisome voice.
"It is the Neverland," she confirmed.
Anthony shook his head in dismay. "No, no, it can't be! Oh, this is not what I expected at all!"
"That is why you are needed," Sixem explained. "Without a boy to steer it properly, as a sea captain steers his ship, Neverland is nothing. Just a desolate speck in the subconscious of every child who ever dared and tried to dream of it."
"And I am to bring it back to glory?"
"You shall make it flourish once again, Anthony."
It all seemed so troublesome and complicated. All Anthony wanted to do was be a boy and have fun, and now he was being handed this great responsibility.
As if reading his mind, Sixem smiled reassuringly. "It won't be so demanding. Your carelessness and innocence will be the appropriate tonic to save Neverland. All you need to do is believe, have faith, and be a boy always."
Well, that certainly did not seem tough enough a task. But how should Anthony play and be carefree in such a bleak world?
The duo continued to coast around Neverland from the safety of the inky clouds. It seemed to Anthony that no other life at all must exist on this island. Except for a rather menacing looking pirate ship docked next to what once must have been a jungle, but even that looked wholly deserted.
"Whomever shall I play with?" he asked his fairy companion.
"You are sure to have companions shortly. As soon as the light returns to Neverland, little boys will again have a place to go when they fall out of their prams, for now there is Anthony Pan to guide them on their way!"
"Oh, how lovely!" Anthony greatly delighted in this new role of Leader that he was to undertake. He would be Master of all things. He would never have to answer to anybody again. Even those officious old Caws!
Sixem began to lead Anthony to his descent upon the island. Around petrified shrubbery and frozen trees, narrowly missing several icicles threatening to run him through, they flew into a small clearly wherein the middle lay a large, gnarled tree trunk, with nary a leaf on it. Sixem pointed and indicated this area as a proper landing site.
As Anthony came to a stop upon the frosty pasture, a most extraordinary thing happened – for as his foot made first contact with the ground, the ice underneath and immediately around it disappeared entirely, rather akin to negatively charged iron shavings repelled from the like-charged side of a magnet. And then, upon lifting his foot back into the air, the spot where it had been instantly froze over once again!
The enchanted response that this phenomenon elicited from Anthony was amusing to Sixem. "All your essence shall soon warm the heart of this troubled island."
As Anthony carried on exploring his new trick, he was little aware of the bright glow beginning to emanate from the largest hole in the tree trunk standing in the center of the clearing. But he could hardly ignore the scores of fairies that quickly burst from the notch like so many frenzied bumblebees. Only their intention was not to sting but to greet. They buzzed about their new savior as if anointing him with their radiance – which also served as quite a welcome respite from the icy-blue gloom hanging over the forest. They were all speaking at once, some excitedly and some others more gravely, although Anthony could not quite understand them. But Sixem could.
In the midst of all the more merry salutations, Anthony soon took notice of Sixem's sudden disturbed countenance, and he could not help but to be disturbed also, for whatever shall trouble a fairy must be most critical indeed. Anthony tossed her a quizzical look, but Sixem only grinned sheepishly.
"Well, I am to be off now," she declared.
"What? You are not staying?" Now Anthony found something palpable to worry about.
"Oh, I cannot stay," said Sixem with a nervous giggle. "It's alright, you will be okay here."
She began to back off from him rather conspicuously. She was clearly wanting to get away, and fast. Anthony was afraid there might be something wrong with him that was driving her off. The other fairies were as ever buzzing about, but his attention was solely on Sixem, who was moving further and further from him.
"Wait!" he exclaimed, leaping into the air towards her. And no sooner had his feet left the ground than she had disappeared entirely in a puff of fairy dust.
For the first time ever, despite the talkative fairies all around him, Anthony felt completely alone.