Author's Note: Hey!! I'm back with an all-new chapter! I had a bit of
writer's block, but I overcame it! Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I
really, truly appreciate it! Erm...what else is there to say? Oh! Hope you
enjoy this chapter! (
Chapter 6: The Lady and The Acorn
"Peter Pan? Oh, yes... I don't remember him all that well," John responds. He straightens his tie and glances at his younger brother, Michael, who is standing in the doorway. He has just asked him if he remembers Peter Pan. Michael sighs and looks at the floor. The adventure is still fresh in his young mind, as if it only happened yesterday.
"It was only three years ago," Michael persists. His older brother laughs and shakes his head.
"Well that explains it. Three years is a long time, Michael. People can forget. Why are you so interested in Peter Pan, anyway?" he questions.
"I dunno," Michael answers hopelessly. He knows why John does not recall Peter. It is because he is older and too busy to play childhood games. He is fifteen and already works in an office. The Lost Boys are starting to grow up too. Soon they will be out of school and making a living for themselves. John turns to his brother and smiles.
"Why don't you go and socialize with the neighborhood children? Better yet, why don't you interrogate Wendy on your childhood recollections?" John condescends. Michael is in a state of quandary. What did he just say? John knows that his brother has no idea of what he suggests. He does not have time to explain everything to Michael, though. He has to meet Katherine Winston, the girl he is courting, for brunch. He wants to look his best for her. "How do I look, Michael?" He adjusts his glasses and puffs out his chest. Michael stands there with a dumbfounded look plastered on his face.
"Like a codfish," Michael replies, trying to suppress the laughter that wells up in his throat. John sticks his chin up in the air and brushes past Michael. "Turd," the boy sneers, and wishes he did not say that. John, thoroughly irritated by his sibling, grits his teeth and whacks Michael in the back of the head. He hits him hard, letting out all the stress and confusion of the week. Once entering his teens, John has been going through various mood swings. One moment he is calm and collected, the other he is lashing out at anyone who tries to help him.
Michael feels John smack his head and he cries out in surprise. "Grow up!" John bellows and treads out of the nursery, grumbling to himself. Michael touches the back of his head slowly and recoils when he feels harsh pain. He did not deserve that at all. He cannot cry because he wants to be a grown-up...and grown-ups do not cry.
"Michael! Wendy! Mother says to come down and eat your breakfast! It's getting cold!" Tootles' voice echoes up the stairs.
"We're coming, we're coming!" the littlest boy hollers back and ventures to Wendy's door, eager to ask her about Peter Pan.
*************************
Wendy Darling stands in front of the mirror, staring at herself. She has grown taller and her body is that of a young woman's. Her neatly – trimmed fingernails brush against her rosy lips and she shakes her head sadly. The light brown curls that have been gathered into a bun sweep down her back carelessly. Wendy dabs a bit of lilac perfume on her neck. She feels artificial in a way. Her parents' friends all say that she is so beautiful and perfect. Wendy knows that she is not like that. She does not think she is attractive, nor does she think she is flawless. She acts and speaks like a respectable young woman should, and she tries her best to impress her aunt. Aunt Millicent is already starting to think about marriage, which Wendy does not want to do in the least. She wishes she could step outside her position in high society, and live as any normal person would. She wishes she could fly, fly a thousand miles away from her aunt and her parents. She has flown once, three years before...though she has chosen to forget it.
Wendy stretches and hears Tootles yelling to come to breakfast. She laughs and pulls her satin robe around her shoulders. There is a ball on Saturday evening, which will introduce young ladies to high society. Aunt Millicent has been talking about it ever since Wendy turned fourteen. Wendy has to admit that she is excited about getting dressed up in a ball gown and meeting new people. It is every girl's dream to be treated as a princess and to be swept off her feet by Prince Charming. Aunt Millicent is searching for possible husbands, and Wendy is trying to avoid that subject.
"I am perfectly satisfied without a husband, being I am only sixteen," Wendy whispers. "Why can't Aunt Millicent let me be?" She hears her door creak open and she turns around slightly. "Have you forgotten your manners, Michael? You should always knock before entering," Wendy explains to the child staring at her. Her bright blue eyes search for any response from the boy, whose expression remains impassive. She raises her eyebrows and Michael blinks.
"I'm sorry, Wendy. I'll come back and ask you later," he garbles and slams the door behind him. Wendy sighs and goes to the door. She opens it and sees Michael dawdling down the hall.
"Come back here, Michael," she sighs impatiently. Michael hears the irritation in her voice, just like John. All teenagers are the same. He walks back to his older sister and looks up at her. She is pretty in a sisterly sort of way. "What is it that you want to ask me?"
"Do you remember Peter Pan?" Michael asks. Wendy has to remember him. Michael knows that she was the one closest to him. She always waited for Peter to come back. Wendy's lips part slightly and she pulls her shawl closer to her. The name is vague. Peter Pan. Wendy closes her eyes and remembers the universe opening up to her. The stars and the planets surrounded her and that bright star in front of her was calling her.
Wendy told herself it was all a dream. Over time, she started to believe that everything she experienced three years before was all in her imagination. Peter Pan never was and never will be real.
"No," she whispers, and she sees the disappointed look on Michael's face. "I'm sorry, Michael." Wendy rustles past her brother and stops at the stairs. "Come and eat breakfast," she commands and Michael follows her, tears welling up in his eyes. Wendy wonders why he would ask her something like that. Her hand closes over Michael's and she smiles down at him. "Smile," she encourages and they go downstairs to meet the rest of their family.
Michael, even at the age of seven, knows that his sister will be a wonderful mother one day.
**************************
Usually on Saturday mornings, the Darling boys go out to play and wreak havoc on their block. This morning, however, they get a scolding for not cleaning up the nursery. John disappears before Mrs. Darling can reprimand him, but the Lost Boys and Michael do not. After breakfast, they are sent to the nursery to straighten it up. It has been a mess for weeks, and Nana does not say anything because frankly, she is quite old, and she cannot care for eight children anymore. She spends her days as a normal dog, not as a nurse. Now, let us continue with the boys and the nursery.
Tootles storms into the room, grumbling to Nibs and the twins. He does not want to clean up the nursery; it is all Michael's mess. He stands in the middle of the room, surveying the damage done.
"Hey, Tootles. D'you remember when we had that pillow fight? All those feathers were all over the place? Mother and Father weren't very happy with us," Nibs reminisces. All the boys nod and chuckle. "Wendy slept by the window, and the next morning, her "kiss" was gone."
"What 'kiss'?" the Twins and Tootles say in unison.
"Remember the acorn? She always wore it 'round her neck," Nibs explains.
"Aye, that," Tootles remembers jubilantly. "She lost it in the feathers, most likely."
"Then, she forgot," Michael whispers meekly. "She forgot about Peter Pan and Neverland."
"Peter...Neverland..." Tootles repeats quickly. The boys are quiet for a moment when the memory of their past is brought up.
"I'm starting to forget, too," Nibs yawns. He goes over to his bed and starts to straighten out the covers. "Well, we can't keep thinking about it. Don't we have work to do?" Tootles grumbles to himself again and the boys start to work. He gets on his knees and starts to pick up the forgotten toys that Michael put there.
They keep working late afternoon, and Tootles is sweeping the dust around the beds. He has bent down to pick up a dusty stuffed animal when he feels a small, round object underneath his palm. Tootles reaches for it, and picks it up hesitantly. He sneezes at the dust that billows from the object and he looks at it oddly. It is very dirty and looks old. One of the Twins comes over and takes it from him.
"Its garbage," Tootles explains and resumes his work.
"No, it's not," the Twin utters.
"What do you mean it's not garbage? Look at it," he gripes, moving the broom back and forth. Michael and Nibs come over, interested in what Tootles has found.
"I am looking at it, and it's not garbage. 'Tis an acorn," he states and wipes it off. A tiny hole is punctured in it and Michael's eyes widen.
"It's Wendy's!" Nibs cries and Tootles examines it.
"You're right. It's – it's Peter's 'kiss'. 'Tis very powerful; it saved Wendy and it survived three years in the nursery."
"We should take it to Wendy." Michael jumps up and down happily and Tootles rolls his eyes.
"Not yet," he says. "Let's give it to her tonight, after dinner." They agree to that and Wendy steps into the room.
"Are you almost done working?" she asks, peering at the nursery. The boys see her glance at the window and Tootles hides the "kiss" behind his back.
"Erm...yes...almost," he stutters. All the boys are quivering with excitement. Wendy folds her arms and lingers for a while.
"What do you have behind your back?" she questions Tootles suspiciously. She takes a step towards them and they take a step back.
"Um, nothing of your concern," Nibs responds anxiously. "Not to offend you or anything."
"Oh," Wendy says. "Well, when you're done, Mother would like you to go out and buy some groceries." She lifts her chin and strolls from the nursery.
"Lads, we can't keep it from her until tonight. Maybe she'll remember," Nibs announces.
"But she's a lady, Nibs. She might think we're joking with her," Michael cheeps behind him. Nibs does not listen to the boy; he takes the acorn from Michael and follows Wendy.
"Wendy, my dear sister, this belongs to you," he confesses and drops the acorn into her hand. Wendy rolls it around in her palm, disgusted by the brown texture.
"Ah...thank you, Nibs," she answers. "May I ask why?" Nibs guffaws and pats Wendy on the shoulder. She is surprised by this behavior.
"It's the thought that counts," Nibs mutters and leaves Wendy alone in the hall. The lady and the acorn are reunited, but Wendy has no idea why Nibs gave it to her.
"It's the thought that counts?" she asks aloud. Wendy does not want to yell at her brothers for playing this horrible joke on her because she is too old for that now. So, she acts like any young woman should - disposes of it properly, and forgets the whole incident.
Author's Note: Whoa, I'm tired. That was a lot of dialogue! Oooh Wendy threw the acorn away! I needed to make it a bit sad because all the Darling children are growing up and they are all forgetting about Peter. There is a surprise in store for them, though. I promise I'll update soon, maybe next week sometime. Stay tuned for Chapter 7: Meet Mr. Eddington. I'm très excited about that! Bye!
Chapter 6: The Lady and The Acorn
"Peter Pan? Oh, yes... I don't remember him all that well," John responds. He straightens his tie and glances at his younger brother, Michael, who is standing in the doorway. He has just asked him if he remembers Peter Pan. Michael sighs and looks at the floor. The adventure is still fresh in his young mind, as if it only happened yesterday.
"It was only three years ago," Michael persists. His older brother laughs and shakes his head.
"Well that explains it. Three years is a long time, Michael. People can forget. Why are you so interested in Peter Pan, anyway?" he questions.
"I dunno," Michael answers hopelessly. He knows why John does not recall Peter. It is because he is older and too busy to play childhood games. He is fifteen and already works in an office. The Lost Boys are starting to grow up too. Soon they will be out of school and making a living for themselves. John turns to his brother and smiles.
"Why don't you go and socialize with the neighborhood children? Better yet, why don't you interrogate Wendy on your childhood recollections?" John condescends. Michael is in a state of quandary. What did he just say? John knows that his brother has no idea of what he suggests. He does not have time to explain everything to Michael, though. He has to meet Katherine Winston, the girl he is courting, for brunch. He wants to look his best for her. "How do I look, Michael?" He adjusts his glasses and puffs out his chest. Michael stands there with a dumbfounded look plastered on his face.
"Like a codfish," Michael replies, trying to suppress the laughter that wells up in his throat. John sticks his chin up in the air and brushes past Michael. "Turd," the boy sneers, and wishes he did not say that. John, thoroughly irritated by his sibling, grits his teeth and whacks Michael in the back of the head. He hits him hard, letting out all the stress and confusion of the week. Once entering his teens, John has been going through various mood swings. One moment he is calm and collected, the other he is lashing out at anyone who tries to help him.
Michael feels John smack his head and he cries out in surprise. "Grow up!" John bellows and treads out of the nursery, grumbling to himself. Michael touches the back of his head slowly and recoils when he feels harsh pain. He did not deserve that at all. He cannot cry because he wants to be a grown-up...and grown-ups do not cry.
"Michael! Wendy! Mother says to come down and eat your breakfast! It's getting cold!" Tootles' voice echoes up the stairs.
"We're coming, we're coming!" the littlest boy hollers back and ventures to Wendy's door, eager to ask her about Peter Pan.
*************************
Wendy Darling stands in front of the mirror, staring at herself. She has grown taller and her body is that of a young woman's. Her neatly – trimmed fingernails brush against her rosy lips and she shakes her head sadly. The light brown curls that have been gathered into a bun sweep down her back carelessly. Wendy dabs a bit of lilac perfume on her neck. She feels artificial in a way. Her parents' friends all say that she is so beautiful and perfect. Wendy knows that she is not like that. She does not think she is attractive, nor does she think she is flawless. She acts and speaks like a respectable young woman should, and she tries her best to impress her aunt. Aunt Millicent is already starting to think about marriage, which Wendy does not want to do in the least. She wishes she could step outside her position in high society, and live as any normal person would. She wishes she could fly, fly a thousand miles away from her aunt and her parents. She has flown once, three years before...though she has chosen to forget it.
Wendy stretches and hears Tootles yelling to come to breakfast. She laughs and pulls her satin robe around her shoulders. There is a ball on Saturday evening, which will introduce young ladies to high society. Aunt Millicent has been talking about it ever since Wendy turned fourteen. Wendy has to admit that she is excited about getting dressed up in a ball gown and meeting new people. It is every girl's dream to be treated as a princess and to be swept off her feet by Prince Charming. Aunt Millicent is searching for possible husbands, and Wendy is trying to avoid that subject.
"I am perfectly satisfied without a husband, being I am only sixteen," Wendy whispers. "Why can't Aunt Millicent let me be?" She hears her door creak open and she turns around slightly. "Have you forgotten your manners, Michael? You should always knock before entering," Wendy explains to the child staring at her. Her bright blue eyes search for any response from the boy, whose expression remains impassive. She raises her eyebrows and Michael blinks.
"I'm sorry, Wendy. I'll come back and ask you later," he garbles and slams the door behind him. Wendy sighs and goes to the door. She opens it and sees Michael dawdling down the hall.
"Come back here, Michael," she sighs impatiently. Michael hears the irritation in her voice, just like John. All teenagers are the same. He walks back to his older sister and looks up at her. She is pretty in a sisterly sort of way. "What is it that you want to ask me?"
"Do you remember Peter Pan?" Michael asks. Wendy has to remember him. Michael knows that she was the one closest to him. She always waited for Peter to come back. Wendy's lips part slightly and she pulls her shawl closer to her. The name is vague. Peter Pan. Wendy closes her eyes and remembers the universe opening up to her. The stars and the planets surrounded her and that bright star in front of her was calling her.
Wendy told herself it was all a dream. Over time, she started to believe that everything she experienced three years before was all in her imagination. Peter Pan never was and never will be real.
"No," she whispers, and she sees the disappointed look on Michael's face. "I'm sorry, Michael." Wendy rustles past her brother and stops at the stairs. "Come and eat breakfast," she commands and Michael follows her, tears welling up in his eyes. Wendy wonders why he would ask her something like that. Her hand closes over Michael's and she smiles down at him. "Smile," she encourages and they go downstairs to meet the rest of their family.
Michael, even at the age of seven, knows that his sister will be a wonderful mother one day.
**************************
Usually on Saturday mornings, the Darling boys go out to play and wreak havoc on their block. This morning, however, they get a scolding for not cleaning up the nursery. John disappears before Mrs. Darling can reprimand him, but the Lost Boys and Michael do not. After breakfast, they are sent to the nursery to straighten it up. It has been a mess for weeks, and Nana does not say anything because frankly, she is quite old, and she cannot care for eight children anymore. She spends her days as a normal dog, not as a nurse. Now, let us continue with the boys and the nursery.
Tootles storms into the room, grumbling to Nibs and the twins. He does not want to clean up the nursery; it is all Michael's mess. He stands in the middle of the room, surveying the damage done.
"Hey, Tootles. D'you remember when we had that pillow fight? All those feathers were all over the place? Mother and Father weren't very happy with us," Nibs reminisces. All the boys nod and chuckle. "Wendy slept by the window, and the next morning, her "kiss" was gone."
"What 'kiss'?" the Twins and Tootles say in unison.
"Remember the acorn? She always wore it 'round her neck," Nibs explains.
"Aye, that," Tootles remembers jubilantly. "She lost it in the feathers, most likely."
"Then, she forgot," Michael whispers meekly. "She forgot about Peter Pan and Neverland."
"Peter...Neverland..." Tootles repeats quickly. The boys are quiet for a moment when the memory of their past is brought up.
"I'm starting to forget, too," Nibs yawns. He goes over to his bed and starts to straighten out the covers. "Well, we can't keep thinking about it. Don't we have work to do?" Tootles grumbles to himself again and the boys start to work. He gets on his knees and starts to pick up the forgotten toys that Michael put there.
They keep working late afternoon, and Tootles is sweeping the dust around the beds. He has bent down to pick up a dusty stuffed animal when he feels a small, round object underneath his palm. Tootles reaches for it, and picks it up hesitantly. He sneezes at the dust that billows from the object and he looks at it oddly. It is very dirty and looks old. One of the Twins comes over and takes it from him.
"Its garbage," Tootles explains and resumes his work.
"No, it's not," the Twin utters.
"What do you mean it's not garbage? Look at it," he gripes, moving the broom back and forth. Michael and Nibs come over, interested in what Tootles has found.
"I am looking at it, and it's not garbage. 'Tis an acorn," he states and wipes it off. A tiny hole is punctured in it and Michael's eyes widen.
"It's Wendy's!" Nibs cries and Tootles examines it.
"You're right. It's – it's Peter's 'kiss'. 'Tis very powerful; it saved Wendy and it survived three years in the nursery."
"We should take it to Wendy." Michael jumps up and down happily and Tootles rolls his eyes.
"Not yet," he says. "Let's give it to her tonight, after dinner." They agree to that and Wendy steps into the room.
"Are you almost done working?" she asks, peering at the nursery. The boys see her glance at the window and Tootles hides the "kiss" behind his back.
"Erm...yes...almost," he stutters. All the boys are quivering with excitement. Wendy folds her arms and lingers for a while.
"What do you have behind your back?" she questions Tootles suspiciously. She takes a step towards them and they take a step back.
"Um, nothing of your concern," Nibs responds anxiously. "Not to offend you or anything."
"Oh," Wendy says. "Well, when you're done, Mother would like you to go out and buy some groceries." She lifts her chin and strolls from the nursery.
"Lads, we can't keep it from her until tonight. Maybe she'll remember," Nibs announces.
"But she's a lady, Nibs. She might think we're joking with her," Michael cheeps behind him. Nibs does not listen to the boy; he takes the acorn from Michael and follows Wendy.
"Wendy, my dear sister, this belongs to you," he confesses and drops the acorn into her hand. Wendy rolls it around in her palm, disgusted by the brown texture.
"Ah...thank you, Nibs," she answers. "May I ask why?" Nibs guffaws and pats Wendy on the shoulder. She is surprised by this behavior.
"It's the thought that counts," Nibs mutters and leaves Wendy alone in the hall. The lady and the acorn are reunited, but Wendy has no idea why Nibs gave it to her.
"It's the thought that counts?" she asks aloud. Wendy does not want to yell at her brothers for playing this horrible joke on her because she is too old for that now. So, she acts like any young woman should - disposes of it properly, and forgets the whole incident.
Author's Note: Whoa, I'm tired. That was a lot of dialogue! Oooh Wendy threw the acorn away! I needed to make it a bit sad because all the Darling children are growing up and they are all forgetting about Peter. There is a surprise in store for them, though. I promise I'll update soon, maybe next week sometime. Stay tuned for Chapter 7: Meet Mr. Eddington. I'm très excited about that! Bye!