As night fell on this strange city, Wendy cried herself to sleep, leaning against Peter on the steps of what was once her home. Peter tried to comfort her - albeit in his own unsure way. Peter knew few emotions for a child; grief he had only experienced twice in his short life. Wendy was dearest to him as ever, and he swore to himself that he would do everything to make her happy. He knew that even though he might lose her because of it, he had to help her get her family back - everything to make her happy, he reminded himself.
Once the stars became apparent, Peter woke Wendy. Her eyes had swollen red from crying, but she smiled at him nonetheless. No words passed between them as Peter dusted Wendy with pixie dust (he had taken a pinch from Fairy Palace). The two children rose into the air, before directing themselves to the second star to the right. Once they located the proper star (the Neverland star is always the brightest), they flew straight on towards the star. Before long, they crashed through the indiscernable barrier between this world and the world of Neverland.
Neverland had not changed at all. It awoke from an icy sleep with the return of its hero, The ice cracked apart, leaving cerulean veins pulsing through the ocean. The Jolly Roger lay asbandoned and desolate a good ways out into the sea, groaning at the strain of pressing ice. The sound of wooping carried into the sky from the Piccaninny village, a sweet smoke rising from a dying bonfire, tickling the nose of a sleepy sun. The crocodile stirred out of its own deep sleep, smiling its reptilian grin at the return of Peter Pan. The crocodile felt forever indebted to Peter for Hook's demise. Hook was apparently a most tasty dish - a taste that the crocodile forever savored on his lashing tongue.
Peter and Wendy soared high above the island, circling the jungle before descending upon the tree that once was - and probably still is - the Home Underground. This, too, had not changed. Peter had made every attempt possible to preserve the way things had been left when Wendy and the Lost Boys had taken their leave of Neverland. He wanted to keep it exactly as it was, so he could relish in the memories.
Wendy's tears had dried at this point, and she smiled softly at the sight of the Home Underground. The two children landed, and Wendy ran to the bark door. She ran her hands softly over the wood.
"Oh, Peter, it is just as I remember it!" Wendy exclaimed, gently fingering the rope that hoisted open the bark door.
Peter grinned the cocky grin, and pulled the fraying rope. The bark door opened, then Wendy and Peter slid down the sliding tunnel to the cave-like home. The same thin wisp of root hung low from the spindly core of the tree, dripping the same tepid, beastly liquid - the dreaded medicine. The beds were made and untouched, even Michael's bassinet was clean and without a speck of dust. Peter had taken special care to dust - Wendy had been such a tidy make-believe mother.
Wendy sighed, seating herself on the bed. She tucked her skirt over her knees, so as not to be indecent. Her hair was mussed by the pond water and the travel, but she did not seem to notice. Peter thought she looked positively radiant no matter what her appearance or attire. Which was probably a good thing, for Wendy cared little for her attire at this point; she just wanted to return to her family. For mothers, even make believe ones, are nothing without their family.
"Peter, where shall we start?" Wendy asked quietly, tracing the words she had etched into the floor when teaching the boys their letters.
"The grand adventure has already begun! We must find the fairies, of course." Peter replied pompously, assuming his infamous hands-on-hips pose. "We shall leave at dawn!"
"Dawn? Why not now?" Wendy asked, stifling a yawn.
"Every grand adventure begins at dawn, surely you knew that." Peter said confidently. "Always."
"I suppose I am a bit tired." Wendy replied, letting the yawn take her - then a thought struck her square. "Where is Tinkerbell?"
"Tink? Probably out with the fairies, I assume. She'll be back eventually. I never worry about her." Peter shrugged, nestling into a corner, sword in hand.
"Peter, why are you not going to sleep?" Wendy asked him, lying down now, pulling the blanket to her chin.
"I'm guarding." Peter nodded. "What if something were to happen in the night? Who would protect you?"
"I do suppose you are right." Wendy resigned, "Goodnight, Peter Pan."
"Goodnight, Wendy Darling."
Tink fluttered in at half past three (of course Tink nor Peter knew the exact time), her twinkling light whirring about the Home Underground, excitedly pulling on Peter's hair, trying to wake him. Her tinkling bell voice was shrieking at him happily, before he swatted at her.
"Tink! Shh! Wendy is sleeping!" Peter whispered at her, a finger to his lips.
"Wendy!" Tink huffed, beginning to curse at the top of her lungs (her lungs were quite tiny, so it was not a most offending sound). "You silly ass!"
Tink fluttered her translucent wings, stuck out her tongue, whirring into her tiny cabin in the wall.
"Tink! Tinkerbell!" Peter knocked softly on her door. "Wendy and I need your help!"
Tink made quite a few rude hand gestures, calling him a "silly ass" repeatedly. She squinted her eyes at him and shook her tiny little head vigorously.
"Tink, please?" Tinkerbell made no attempt of cooperation. "I'll banish you again!"
"You silly ass!" Tink told him, but reluctantly (not because of the threat, she would later claim) came out of her cabin.
Peter looked quite smug with himself at coaxing Tink out of her cabin. As you most surely know, Peter was a most arrogant child. Tink despised it when she felt that he thought he had gotten the best of her. At those times she usually just called him a silly ass and retreated to her cabin. Eventually she felt obligated to help the boy in his troubles, and returned to him, full of impish smiles and adventure. This was no exception.
At dawn, Tinkerbell woke Wendy. Tinkerbell is not at all well-versed in the waking educate that Wendy had thought so universal. Tinkerbell thought that a perfectly acceptable way to wake the girl would be to pull her hair.
Peter woke from his dreamless sleep at Wendy's sharp rebuffing of the fairy. Peter jumped from his perch, grabbed Tinkerbell and shooed her away from Wendy.
"Tink! No - you can't hurt Wendy!" Peter told the fairy, who promptly responded by flipping up her skirt and revealing her fairy bum, which was quite indecent of her, I might add.
Tinkerbell flew up one of the slides, and out onto the surface of Neverland. She did not hate Wendy, but fairies are so small, that they can only hold one emotion at a time. Tinkerbell was not all bad - Wendy sparked jealousy.
The other fairies had always chided her for being so close to a human. She had no fairy companions as a result of her relations with Peter. Most times, she did not care what the other fairies thought, but in the presence of Wendy, she was lonely. Fairies are not meant to be solitary creatures, but they are also not learned in the mannerisms of sharing.
She waited in the slide, stepping lightly on an overhang of bark. She waited for Peter to come after her, to plead with her to come down and help them with their adventure, but the plea never came. Peter was talking to Wendy.
"I spoke with Tink, and she said she heard the mermaids talking about a...a dark fairy - at least I think that is what she said. We should go ask the mermaids first." Peter told her, sitting on the side of the bed.
"A fairy? A bad fairy is most curious. The mermaids are such mesmerizing creatures - do you really think they might know where this fairy book is?" Wendy asked, brushing her hair with her fingers.
"If the book is in Neverland, the mermaids will know."
As soon as they had eaten their breakfast, at Wendy's insistence, the pair left for the Mermaid's Lagoon. Tinkerbell followed at a safe distance, of course, for she didn't want to miss out, but she also wanted them to think she was still at the Home Underground sulking.
Wendy and Peter flew to the lagoon - walking is such a tedious process, after all. The rocky ledges and uprisings surrounding the lagoon made it very trying to get to the lagoon. The sun seemed to shy from the lagoon, fearing the dark creatures inhabiting it. Even though the sun had just risen, the lagoon was always left to a dark dusk when the sun was smiling on the rest of the island.
They landed on the same flat rock they had spoken to the mermaids from in their first adventure together. Peter retrieved his pipes from one of the trouser pockets (he was not so careless as to forget them in his own clothing), playing a beautiful melody. The tempting song lured the mermaids from their underwater caverns to the surface, eager to hear more of their calling song.
The mermaids rose to the surface, their dark eyes filled with curiousity. They knew all that occurred in Neverland - not a move was made without their knowing. The mermaids are not vain creatures - for how can one be vain when one looks almost identical to all others? They clicked their teeth at Peter and Wendy, showing their teeth, which were not really teeth at all, but something more like the baleen of a blue whale. Wendy had forgotten the disturbing appearance of their teeth.
Peter halted the entrancing music, and began to talk to the mermaids. Wendy only heard sharp clicks, speeding by her at a rate to where she almost heard just a constant hum, the clicks all running together. The little girl was quite careful not to look into their eyes this time; their hypnotic stares would entrap her to a watery death.
The chatter stopped, the mermaids diving down to return to their homes. Peter turned to Wendy, a puzzled look on his young face.
"Well?" Wendy asked, smiling reassuringly at her companion.
"Dark fairies do exist, Wendy." Peter replied, standing up and helping Wendy to her feet. "The book is in Neverland, but it is in the Grove."
"The Grove? Where's that?" Wendy asked, her spirits rising at the immediate prospect of a quest.
"The Fairy Grove. Where all the fairies live." Peter replied, as if he was shocked that she did not know.
"Shall we go there?" Wendy asked, her eyes alight with glee of fairies and magic.
"We'll have to sneak in - humans aren't allowed in the Grove." Peter said seriously, only the twinkle in his eye giving away his intent of mischief.
The two children flew into the air, smiles bright and eyes shining, flying back to the Home Underground to plan their journey into the forbidden Fairy Grove. Tinkerbell would have to assist them, of course, but they were confident nonetheless. This was going to be a grand adventure, indeed.
Once the stars became apparent, Peter woke Wendy. Her eyes had swollen red from crying, but she smiled at him nonetheless. No words passed between them as Peter dusted Wendy with pixie dust (he had taken a pinch from Fairy Palace). The two children rose into the air, before directing themselves to the second star to the right. Once they located the proper star (the Neverland star is always the brightest), they flew straight on towards the star. Before long, they crashed through the indiscernable barrier between this world and the world of Neverland.
Neverland had not changed at all. It awoke from an icy sleep with the return of its hero, The ice cracked apart, leaving cerulean veins pulsing through the ocean. The Jolly Roger lay asbandoned and desolate a good ways out into the sea, groaning at the strain of pressing ice. The sound of wooping carried into the sky from the Piccaninny village, a sweet smoke rising from a dying bonfire, tickling the nose of a sleepy sun. The crocodile stirred out of its own deep sleep, smiling its reptilian grin at the return of Peter Pan. The crocodile felt forever indebted to Peter for Hook's demise. Hook was apparently a most tasty dish - a taste that the crocodile forever savored on his lashing tongue.
Peter and Wendy soared high above the island, circling the jungle before descending upon the tree that once was - and probably still is - the Home Underground. This, too, had not changed. Peter had made every attempt possible to preserve the way things had been left when Wendy and the Lost Boys had taken their leave of Neverland. He wanted to keep it exactly as it was, so he could relish in the memories.
Wendy's tears had dried at this point, and she smiled softly at the sight of the Home Underground. The two children landed, and Wendy ran to the bark door. She ran her hands softly over the wood.
"Oh, Peter, it is just as I remember it!" Wendy exclaimed, gently fingering the rope that hoisted open the bark door.
Peter grinned the cocky grin, and pulled the fraying rope. The bark door opened, then Wendy and Peter slid down the sliding tunnel to the cave-like home. The same thin wisp of root hung low from the spindly core of the tree, dripping the same tepid, beastly liquid - the dreaded medicine. The beds were made and untouched, even Michael's bassinet was clean and without a speck of dust. Peter had taken special care to dust - Wendy had been such a tidy make-believe mother.
Wendy sighed, seating herself on the bed. She tucked her skirt over her knees, so as not to be indecent. Her hair was mussed by the pond water and the travel, but she did not seem to notice. Peter thought she looked positively radiant no matter what her appearance or attire. Which was probably a good thing, for Wendy cared little for her attire at this point; she just wanted to return to her family. For mothers, even make believe ones, are nothing without their family.
"Peter, where shall we start?" Wendy asked quietly, tracing the words she had etched into the floor when teaching the boys their letters.
"The grand adventure has already begun! We must find the fairies, of course." Peter replied pompously, assuming his infamous hands-on-hips pose. "We shall leave at dawn!"
"Dawn? Why not now?" Wendy asked, stifling a yawn.
"Every grand adventure begins at dawn, surely you knew that." Peter said confidently. "Always."
"I suppose I am a bit tired." Wendy replied, letting the yawn take her - then a thought struck her square. "Where is Tinkerbell?"
"Tink? Probably out with the fairies, I assume. She'll be back eventually. I never worry about her." Peter shrugged, nestling into a corner, sword in hand.
"Peter, why are you not going to sleep?" Wendy asked him, lying down now, pulling the blanket to her chin.
"I'm guarding." Peter nodded. "What if something were to happen in the night? Who would protect you?"
"I do suppose you are right." Wendy resigned, "Goodnight, Peter Pan."
"Goodnight, Wendy Darling."
Tink fluttered in at half past three (of course Tink nor Peter knew the exact time), her twinkling light whirring about the Home Underground, excitedly pulling on Peter's hair, trying to wake him. Her tinkling bell voice was shrieking at him happily, before he swatted at her.
"Tink! Shh! Wendy is sleeping!" Peter whispered at her, a finger to his lips.
"Wendy!" Tink huffed, beginning to curse at the top of her lungs (her lungs were quite tiny, so it was not a most offending sound). "You silly ass!"
Tink fluttered her translucent wings, stuck out her tongue, whirring into her tiny cabin in the wall.
"Tink! Tinkerbell!" Peter knocked softly on her door. "Wendy and I need your help!"
Tink made quite a few rude hand gestures, calling him a "silly ass" repeatedly. She squinted her eyes at him and shook her tiny little head vigorously.
"Tink, please?" Tinkerbell made no attempt of cooperation. "I'll banish you again!"
"You silly ass!" Tink told him, but reluctantly (not because of the threat, she would later claim) came out of her cabin.
Peter looked quite smug with himself at coaxing Tink out of her cabin. As you most surely know, Peter was a most arrogant child. Tink despised it when she felt that he thought he had gotten the best of her. At those times she usually just called him a silly ass and retreated to her cabin. Eventually she felt obligated to help the boy in his troubles, and returned to him, full of impish smiles and adventure. This was no exception.
At dawn, Tinkerbell woke Wendy. Tinkerbell is not at all well-versed in the waking educate that Wendy had thought so universal. Tinkerbell thought that a perfectly acceptable way to wake the girl would be to pull her hair.
Peter woke from his dreamless sleep at Wendy's sharp rebuffing of the fairy. Peter jumped from his perch, grabbed Tinkerbell and shooed her away from Wendy.
"Tink! No - you can't hurt Wendy!" Peter told the fairy, who promptly responded by flipping up her skirt and revealing her fairy bum, which was quite indecent of her, I might add.
Tinkerbell flew up one of the slides, and out onto the surface of Neverland. She did not hate Wendy, but fairies are so small, that they can only hold one emotion at a time. Tinkerbell was not all bad - Wendy sparked jealousy.
The other fairies had always chided her for being so close to a human. She had no fairy companions as a result of her relations with Peter. Most times, she did not care what the other fairies thought, but in the presence of Wendy, she was lonely. Fairies are not meant to be solitary creatures, but they are also not learned in the mannerisms of sharing.
She waited in the slide, stepping lightly on an overhang of bark. She waited for Peter to come after her, to plead with her to come down and help them with their adventure, but the plea never came. Peter was talking to Wendy.
"I spoke with Tink, and she said she heard the mermaids talking about a...a dark fairy - at least I think that is what she said. We should go ask the mermaids first." Peter told her, sitting on the side of the bed.
"A fairy? A bad fairy is most curious. The mermaids are such mesmerizing creatures - do you really think they might know where this fairy book is?" Wendy asked, brushing her hair with her fingers.
"If the book is in Neverland, the mermaids will know."
As soon as they had eaten their breakfast, at Wendy's insistence, the pair left for the Mermaid's Lagoon. Tinkerbell followed at a safe distance, of course, for she didn't want to miss out, but she also wanted them to think she was still at the Home Underground sulking.
Wendy and Peter flew to the lagoon - walking is such a tedious process, after all. The rocky ledges and uprisings surrounding the lagoon made it very trying to get to the lagoon. The sun seemed to shy from the lagoon, fearing the dark creatures inhabiting it. Even though the sun had just risen, the lagoon was always left to a dark dusk when the sun was smiling on the rest of the island.
They landed on the same flat rock they had spoken to the mermaids from in their first adventure together. Peter retrieved his pipes from one of the trouser pockets (he was not so careless as to forget them in his own clothing), playing a beautiful melody. The tempting song lured the mermaids from their underwater caverns to the surface, eager to hear more of their calling song.
The mermaids rose to the surface, their dark eyes filled with curiousity. They knew all that occurred in Neverland - not a move was made without their knowing. The mermaids are not vain creatures - for how can one be vain when one looks almost identical to all others? They clicked their teeth at Peter and Wendy, showing their teeth, which were not really teeth at all, but something more like the baleen of a blue whale. Wendy had forgotten the disturbing appearance of their teeth.
Peter halted the entrancing music, and began to talk to the mermaids. Wendy only heard sharp clicks, speeding by her at a rate to where she almost heard just a constant hum, the clicks all running together. The little girl was quite careful not to look into their eyes this time; their hypnotic stares would entrap her to a watery death.
The chatter stopped, the mermaids diving down to return to their homes. Peter turned to Wendy, a puzzled look on his young face.
"Well?" Wendy asked, smiling reassuringly at her companion.
"Dark fairies do exist, Wendy." Peter replied, standing up and helping Wendy to her feet. "The book is in Neverland, but it is in the Grove."
"The Grove? Where's that?" Wendy asked, her spirits rising at the immediate prospect of a quest.
"The Fairy Grove. Where all the fairies live." Peter replied, as if he was shocked that she did not know.
"Shall we go there?" Wendy asked, her eyes alight with glee of fairies and magic.
"We'll have to sneak in - humans aren't allowed in the Grove." Peter said seriously, only the twinkle in his eye giving away his intent of mischief.
The two children flew into the air, smiles bright and eyes shining, flying back to the Home Underground to plan their journey into the forbidden Fairy Grove. Tinkerbell would have to assist them, of course, but they were confident nonetheless. This was going to be a grand adventure, indeed.