"Wake up Wendy, wake up."
Some one was shaking her shoulder. Eyes still closed, she tried to shrug them off.
"Come on Wendy, let's go. Come on, wake up!"
She thought the insistent voice sounded familiar. It was telling her to wake up—but she hadn't fallen asleep had she? Slowly she opened her eyes. She was momentarily shocked by who she saw before her.
"Peter."
"Well, yes of course. "He said confidently
"Come on-you're awake now-let's go."
He took her hand and began trying to pull her off the chair. She pulled her arm away from him.
" Wait. Wait! I…I just can't go with you Peter.' She shook her head.
" I… I-why are you here?"
Peter frowned. Then he answered her.
"You dreamed of me, didn't you?" he pouted
Wendy searched her sleep-fogged brain.
"Did I…" she thought.
The image then came to her of flying. That delicious, weightless feeling had surrounded her and she had soared. She didn't remember thinking of Peter…but Neverland had definitely been in her thoughts.
" I was flying." She said to him
" And now I'm here so you can really go." he answered very matter-of-factly.
" Do you really want me there? Look at me. I mean…Peter, I'm almost, you know, a grown up." she whispered the last bit to him.
"What are you prattling about? You were calling me! I heard you, loud and clear. Come on."
He began tugging on her arm again.
Now she was really wide-awake. Her mind was spinning with this dilemma. Could she just go? She didn't have much of an argument for staying but-
" But I'm too old to play." She said sadly. She was hoping he'd tell her she wasn't.
Peter rolled his eyes, but he didn't let go of her hand. Wendy took a moment during this silence to really look at him.
"Peter, are you older too?"
Peter frowned again.
"Do you want to fly Wendy?" he sounded annoyed.
"That's an easy answer, but he hasn't answered my question. I don't think he can deny it. But if it's all so simple as just saying"
"Yes." She said to him
"Then lets go." there was mischief in his voice and he smiled broadly.
This time she didn't resist as he took both her hands and guided her out of her seat.
And in an instant he had them out her window and into the dark night sky.
"It's exactly like I remember." she said as the wind met her face. She found herself wishing she were barefoot…
" Of course it is."
"Nothing compares to flying Peter-nothing."
"See, you're having fun already." He winked at her
Wendy found herself laughing heartily.
" And you are still the one and only Peter Pan."
" That's right! Haven't changed a bit!"
" Well, that's not quite true." She thought as she studied him again.
He definitely was older looking than before. Wendy thought that he might be almost as old as she was .She wondered if he was as blind to the changes she'd gone through as he was to his own. But what was beginning to truly puzzle her was why he had come for her again tonight. She now realized as she thought about it more that she hadn't thought about Peter at all earlier tonight. She'd thought about freedom, and flying, and even Neverland itself, but not of Peter.
The air around them was become decidedly warmer. There was a definite note of sweet floral in the breeze. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the tropical air. It gave her a warm agreeable feeling. She decided that it really shouldn't bother her why he'd come back for her. It was just so glorious to be here, soaring high, re-familiarizing herself with all the amazing sensations that were sweeping over her….
"Are you happy I came to rescue you Wendy?"
"Rescue me? Why do you say that?"
"From that awful, boring place."
"Did I say it was boring?"
"Did I say it to you?" was what she thought. Wendy was not so sure she should have dismissed her concerns so hastily.
"Those people never let you have any fun. They sent all the boys away and banished you to that room that doesn't even have any fun things to play with in it. Even when they let the boys visit- you weren't allowed to play with them in their fort—"
Peter was cut off by Wendy's indignant voice.
"Their fort? How would you know about--you've been watching us?"
" You know I never wanted you to leave."
" I remember."
He had wanted her to stay with him forever. Wendy's discomfort was increasing. She wondered how many times Peter had come to spy on them…spy on her.
" We should be almost there, shouldn't we?" she asked him. She didn't fancy having this conversation while they were mid-air. She didn't have any desire to become re-familiarized with the feeling of falling from this height.
"I can't wait till we're back either." He said and squeezed her hand.
" I really missed you, Wendy."
Wendy's warm happy feeling was now completely nullified by a feeling of deep trepidation…Peter's coming for her was starting to look purely self-motivated.
"… I should hardly be shocked by his selfishness…he is the one and only Peter Pan, is he not?"