The dark creature froze in mid-air, a shrill cry escaping its vile mouth. Its limbs twitched hideously, before the color started to change. The black cloud surrounding it began to dissipate, and the limp figure of a handsome fairy was visible. For a splt second, a fairy sparkle erupted around the fairy, before it, too, dissipated, and the figure fell to the ground, gray and still.
The fairy landed on Peter's stomach, but the child, upon regaining consciousness, batted the dead thing away, as if it were toxic. Blood trickled from his temple, beginning to form a slow drip from the side of his chin. He stared, mouth agape, at the dead fairy. The fairy's evil had gone from his magical being, and he was left smiling, as if death were what he had wished for.
"Wendy, I do believe he's dead." Peter said matter-of-factly, still studying the lifeless form.
Tears spilled from Wendy's eyes. She released her broken wrist, ignoring the excruciating pain that pulsed through her wrist. She ran to Peter, wrapped her small arms around him. She sobbed into his shoulder, weeping tears of happiness, sadness, and pain. Peter was caught off guard by the show of affection, but returned her embrace nonetheless.
"I thought for sure I'd lost you, Peter!" Wendy sobbed.
Peter held her, for that was all he knew to do.
"You'll never lose me. Never." Peter replied, a tremble in his voice.
Peter Pan did not cry. His heart seized at these feelings. Feelings! Wendy had been so upset with him when he had not known them, and now that he did, he could not think of any way to tell her! He let her cry, finally beginning to grasp the reasons behind her sadness and joy of the moment.
As she calmed, she released him from her hold, sitting back. Peter reached for her hands, but she winced as he touched her broken wrist. Concern filled Peter's eyes. He had broken many bones, back in the days when he was only beginning to learn to fly. The Lost Boys had broken bones, and Peter had set them. But he did not care for the Lost Boys in the same manner as he cared for Wendy (for it would be quite curious, would it not?). His heart ached at the sight of her pained face, her dainty wrist limp and swollen.
"Let's go home." Peter said, helping her to her feet. "Where is Tink?"
Peter had noticed that the rambunctious fairy was not pulling on Wendy's hair, nor screaming obscenities at him. He swore he had seen her among the hordes of fairies before, but the memory was quite unclear, due to the hit on his head.
"She was right here...I don't know where she is now, though." Wendy stated simply, looking around briefly for the lively fairy. "Oh! But...the book. We need to get the book." Wendy added, wincing at the movement.
"We can get it later. You are hurt." Peter replied sternly.
Wendy nodded, trying to smile at him. She felt a change in his manner. She knew something inside him had changed, in that little bit of time, he had experienced the - dare she hope? - feelings. Even in her pain, she smiled widely at the thought. How grand would it be if he could feel what she felt for him! It would no longer be a pretend game to him, disappointing Wendy when she remembered that it was a fantasy for him. Oh yes, she was ready for him to discover them.
The children walked home, deciding that flying would be too stressful on them both. Peter ached to hold Wendy's hand, to comfort her. But she grasped her broken wrist with her good hand, so no hands were left for Peter to hold.
The forest seemed to come alive as they walked along the well-beaten paths. The birds sang their exotic tunes, harmonizing with the music of the wind in the trees. The trees swayed, dancing to a song that only they could hear. Even the Earth beneath their feet seemed to pusle with a renewed life. No longer was the heavy burden of darkness weighing down its colorful spirit.
When they reached the Home Underground, Wendy mentioned that it was time for lunch. Never being one to skirt her assumed duties, she began to assemble as proper a lunch as one could manage. Peter, seeing his injured Wendy trying to manage, decided to help. Now you must understand that Peter knows nothing of domestic matters. After all, he is Peter Pan! Even Wendy could not resist giggling at his antics. He always could put a smile on her face, nearly as easy as he could bring a tear to her eye.
When a proper lunch was finished, and the humorous antics had subsided, the pair ate in silence. Food was the least of their thoughts, despite the growling arguments of their bellies.
Where was Tinkerbell?
Even though she knew that Tinkerbell was not fond of her at all, Wendy still worried about the fate of the little pixy. Peter seemed so aloof on the topic, as if he was sure that she was outside plotting ways to dramatize her entrance into the Home Underground.
Which, oddly enough, was exactly what she was up to.
She had actually been through quite a tumultuous time. Stolen from her boudoir in the night, beaten so badly she was hardly able to fly, and to add to her mounting list of the morning's inconveniences, Peter had left her in the Grove! Now, even though there were understandable circumstance under his leaving without her, she was quite unwilling to hear them. She once said herself, in a nasty retort to Wendy, that she gloried in being abandoned. As she was not willing to admit the truth in that statement, I trust you to keep it a secret.
Her plan was to flutter in, acting as if it were all she could do to remain aflight. She would then shudder to the ground, and feign unconsciousness, while Peter and Wendy both huddled around her, concerned and fearful.
This would have worked quite well, were it not for Tinkerbell's vanity taking place of her mischievous nature when she realized she had been eavesdropping on their conversation for quite a long time, and she had not once heard them express any concern for her well being! The little fairy was outraged. How could they not worry about her? She had nearly died - well, that was her own exagerration.
In her little fit, she burst into the Home Underground, shouting obscenities and flailing about in a quite odd fashion.
Peter and Wendy nearly leaped out of their skins when she burst from the tunnel. It had been quiet and serene in the room, but that was all quite quickly demolished when the fairy made her appearance. She did have a flair for drama.
"Tink! You're alive!" Peter shouted, sounding a little too surprised.
"Yes, and no thanks to you, you silly ass!" She retorted, still screaming and flailing about.
"Peter, do something...she's going to hurt herself!" Wendy whispered to Peter, who was laughing at the fairy's antics.
"Oh, she'll be fine. She won't hurt her -"
Peter was abruptly cut off when Tinkerbell swatted him quite soundly on the forehead. Wendy struggled to hide her laughter, for it was quite funny to see Peter with this shocked look on his face, while Tinkerbell continued to flit about.
Peter began to laugh at himself, as it was quite a laughable scene. Tinkerbell, on the other hand, did not find it at all funny, beginning to curse more and more. She was not at all a happy fairy.
A light humor set on the three, even though Tinkerbell refused to give up her angry demeanor easily, and once all was calm, a soft peace rested between them.
Even though it was but midday, Peter decided that they were to spend the day with leisure, and not returning to the Grove retrieving the book that had gotten them into so much trouble.
Peter bandaged Wendy's wrist, wrapping a thick, flat strip of bark to her broken limb with a wide strip of his soiled shirt. He was quite gentle, wrapping the appendage firmly, but not tightly. Tinkerbell made exagerrated gagging sounds and expressions behind them as she overheard their conversation and watched the feelings expressed in both child's eyes.
Tinkerbell quickly became bored with the pair, and promptly left them to rest in her boudoir. No sooner had she made a curtain in the place of her door, then Peter was already leading Wendy out of the Home Underground, finger pressed to his lips.
She could not help but smile at the impish grin on Peter's face as he led her from the cavern. When they reached the surface, he motioned to stay silent.
When they were a short distance from the tree, Peter smiled, before letting out a triumphant crow. He turned to Wendy, his eyes alight.
"Can you swim?"
"Well, I haven't for quite sometime now... but I believe I can." Wendy replied, somewhat caught offguard by this sudden question.
"That'll do." Peter said, catching Wendy by the waist before lifting her and himself up into the air and above the trees.
The shock from the abrupt lift off wore away as she became overcome with delight at being high in the air, soaring high above the treetops.
Peter flew her a small cove, much like the Mermaid Lagoon, but without the dark, eery, mysterious aura. The beach was sandy, but surrounded by carved sndstone peaks, much like the devices hanging from cave ceilings, except these came from the ground. The water glittered a precious blue, shining like a thousand emeralds and sapphires. Upon closer inspection, Wendy found that beneath the water, in some parts of the cove, there were hundreds of sapphires and emeralds! When she asked Peter of their origin, he replied that they were cursed pirate's treasure, left at the bottom of the cove where they could not cause harm to anyone but those who willfully disturbed them by taking them from their place.
After setting Wendy on the sandy beach, Peter dove into the water, playfully showing off as he shot from the water, flying high above, before doing a number of fancy tricks as he dove back into the water.
Suddenly, he disappeared from view. She ventured into the water, stopping when the water reached her ankles. The cool water lapped at her feet, but she could pay no attention to it. Beneath her feet, the sand turned to stone, which soon dropped to three or four feet deep, the water so clear, allowing you to see the beautiful gems at the bottom.
As suddenly as he had disappeared, Peter's head appeared right in front of Wendy, a cocky smile on his face. The smile was quickly erased as he saw the look of worry on Wendy's face. The expression quickly vanished, as Wendy's features formed a pretty smile.
"Peter, where did you go?" Wendy asked tentatively, hoping he had not been playing a trick on her.
"Come in and I'll show you." He told her, almost whispering. He extended a hand to help into the water, which she gladly took, and stepped into the cool water. "Now hold your breath. Open your eyes when I squeeze your hand. No peeking!"
She complied, closing her eyes, and taking a deep breath. She felt herself being led below the water, sensing the dark that seemed to slowly creep upon them. A soft squeeze on her forearm (her good arm, of course) told her to open her eyes.
When she opened them, she was met with a jarringly bright light. As her eyes focused, she saw mountains of gold. Hundreds of thousands large gold coins littered the floor, forming large heaps. Strings of pearls laced themselves through the piles, seeming to jump from the pages of Wendy's storybooks.
She nearly laughed aloud, before quickly realizing that she was underwater, and that would not be at all wise. She motioned to Peter that she was running out of air, and that she would need to surface quite soon. Peter nodded, and began to lead her out.
As they reached the mouth of the cave, Wendy began to struggle for air. She had held the air for quite as long as she could, and her lungs were beginning to constrict. Peter turned to see her pained expression as she tried to swim faster, but failed to do so.
Peter swam next her, pulling her along. He was quite a talented swimmer, not to mention that he could hold his breath for a lengthy period of time. Wendy emitted a short squeal, her feeling of need for oxygen becoming greater, even if she were to inhale the crystal waters.
Peter stopped her, a panic seizing her. She thought that he must be trying to kill her! She struggled with him, but he held tight. As she would not stop struggling, he stopped her, before pressing his lips to hers.
What a time for a kiss! She thought. She was suffocating. He tried to show that she should open her mouth, which she eventually did, when she was nearing unconsciousness. Peter had learned this trick when one of the boys had trapped themselves in the same cave - Slightly, of course, in his first days as a Lost Boy. Peter had found that one could breathe for another person.
Holding his mouth to Wendy's, slowly giving her all of the air he had kept trapped within his lungs, he kicked to the surface. As they broke the surface, Wendy inhaled deeply.
"How did you learn that?" She asked him, her face flushed from embarassment and love.
"Slightly nearly drowned her, long ago." Peter replied, smiling. "Are you okay? The key is to stay calm."
"I'll remember that next time." She laughed, before she thought of something: Was there to be a next time?
Was she to ever return to Neverland upon returning to her own London?
The fairy landed on Peter's stomach, but the child, upon regaining consciousness, batted the dead thing away, as if it were toxic. Blood trickled from his temple, beginning to form a slow drip from the side of his chin. He stared, mouth agape, at the dead fairy. The fairy's evil had gone from his magical being, and he was left smiling, as if death were what he had wished for.
"Wendy, I do believe he's dead." Peter said matter-of-factly, still studying the lifeless form.
Tears spilled from Wendy's eyes. She released her broken wrist, ignoring the excruciating pain that pulsed through her wrist. She ran to Peter, wrapped her small arms around him. She sobbed into his shoulder, weeping tears of happiness, sadness, and pain. Peter was caught off guard by the show of affection, but returned her embrace nonetheless.
"I thought for sure I'd lost you, Peter!" Wendy sobbed.
Peter held her, for that was all he knew to do.
"You'll never lose me. Never." Peter replied, a tremble in his voice.
Peter Pan did not cry. His heart seized at these feelings. Feelings! Wendy had been so upset with him when he had not known them, and now that he did, he could not think of any way to tell her! He let her cry, finally beginning to grasp the reasons behind her sadness and joy of the moment.
As she calmed, she released him from her hold, sitting back. Peter reached for her hands, but she winced as he touched her broken wrist. Concern filled Peter's eyes. He had broken many bones, back in the days when he was only beginning to learn to fly. The Lost Boys had broken bones, and Peter had set them. But he did not care for the Lost Boys in the same manner as he cared for Wendy (for it would be quite curious, would it not?). His heart ached at the sight of her pained face, her dainty wrist limp and swollen.
"Let's go home." Peter said, helping her to her feet. "Where is Tink?"
Peter had noticed that the rambunctious fairy was not pulling on Wendy's hair, nor screaming obscenities at him. He swore he had seen her among the hordes of fairies before, but the memory was quite unclear, due to the hit on his head.
"She was right here...I don't know where she is now, though." Wendy stated simply, looking around briefly for the lively fairy. "Oh! But...the book. We need to get the book." Wendy added, wincing at the movement.
"We can get it later. You are hurt." Peter replied sternly.
Wendy nodded, trying to smile at him. She felt a change in his manner. She knew something inside him had changed, in that little bit of time, he had experienced the - dare she hope? - feelings. Even in her pain, she smiled widely at the thought. How grand would it be if he could feel what she felt for him! It would no longer be a pretend game to him, disappointing Wendy when she remembered that it was a fantasy for him. Oh yes, she was ready for him to discover them.
The children walked home, deciding that flying would be too stressful on them both. Peter ached to hold Wendy's hand, to comfort her. But she grasped her broken wrist with her good hand, so no hands were left for Peter to hold.
The forest seemed to come alive as they walked along the well-beaten paths. The birds sang their exotic tunes, harmonizing with the music of the wind in the trees. The trees swayed, dancing to a song that only they could hear. Even the Earth beneath their feet seemed to pusle with a renewed life. No longer was the heavy burden of darkness weighing down its colorful spirit.
When they reached the Home Underground, Wendy mentioned that it was time for lunch. Never being one to skirt her assumed duties, she began to assemble as proper a lunch as one could manage. Peter, seeing his injured Wendy trying to manage, decided to help. Now you must understand that Peter knows nothing of domestic matters. After all, he is Peter Pan! Even Wendy could not resist giggling at his antics. He always could put a smile on her face, nearly as easy as he could bring a tear to her eye.
When a proper lunch was finished, and the humorous antics had subsided, the pair ate in silence. Food was the least of their thoughts, despite the growling arguments of their bellies.
Where was Tinkerbell?
Even though she knew that Tinkerbell was not fond of her at all, Wendy still worried about the fate of the little pixy. Peter seemed so aloof on the topic, as if he was sure that she was outside plotting ways to dramatize her entrance into the Home Underground.
Which, oddly enough, was exactly what she was up to.
She had actually been through quite a tumultuous time. Stolen from her boudoir in the night, beaten so badly she was hardly able to fly, and to add to her mounting list of the morning's inconveniences, Peter had left her in the Grove! Now, even though there were understandable circumstance under his leaving without her, she was quite unwilling to hear them. She once said herself, in a nasty retort to Wendy, that she gloried in being abandoned. As she was not willing to admit the truth in that statement, I trust you to keep it a secret.
Her plan was to flutter in, acting as if it were all she could do to remain aflight. She would then shudder to the ground, and feign unconsciousness, while Peter and Wendy both huddled around her, concerned and fearful.
This would have worked quite well, were it not for Tinkerbell's vanity taking place of her mischievous nature when she realized she had been eavesdropping on their conversation for quite a long time, and she had not once heard them express any concern for her well being! The little fairy was outraged. How could they not worry about her? She had nearly died - well, that was her own exagerration.
In her little fit, she burst into the Home Underground, shouting obscenities and flailing about in a quite odd fashion.
Peter and Wendy nearly leaped out of their skins when she burst from the tunnel. It had been quiet and serene in the room, but that was all quite quickly demolished when the fairy made her appearance. She did have a flair for drama.
"Tink! You're alive!" Peter shouted, sounding a little too surprised.
"Yes, and no thanks to you, you silly ass!" She retorted, still screaming and flailing about.
"Peter, do something...she's going to hurt herself!" Wendy whispered to Peter, who was laughing at the fairy's antics.
"Oh, she'll be fine. She won't hurt her -"
Peter was abruptly cut off when Tinkerbell swatted him quite soundly on the forehead. Wendy struggled to hide her laughter, for it was quite funny to see Peter with this shocked look on his face, while Tinkerbell continued to flit about.
Peter began to laugh at himself, as it was quite a laughable scene. Tinkerbell, on the other hand, did not find it at all funny, beginning to curse more and more. She was not at all a happy fairy.
A light humor set on the three, even though Tinkerbell refused to give up her angry demeanor easily, and once all was calm, a soft peace rested between them.
Even though it was but midday, Peter decided that they were to spend the day with leisure, and not returning to the Grove retrieving the book that had gotten them into so much trouble.
Peter bandaged Wendy's wrist, wrapping a thick, flat strip of bark to her broken limb with a wide strip of his soiled shirt. He was quite gentle, wrapping the appendage firmly, but not tightly. Tinkerbell made exagerrated gagging sounds and expressions behind them as she overheard their conversation and watched the feelings expressed in both child's eyes.
Tinkerbell quickly became bored with the pair, and promptly left them to rest in her boudoir. No sooner had she made a curtain in the place of her door, then Peter was already leading Wendy out of the Home Underground, finger pressed to his lips.
She could not help but smile at the impish grin on Peter's face as he led her from the cavern. When they reached the surface, he motioned to stay silent.
When they were a short distance from the tree, Peter smiled, before letting out a triumphant crow. He turned to Wendy, his eyes alight.
"Can you swim?"
"Well, I haven't for quite sometime now... but I believe I can." Wendy replied, somewhat caught offguard by this sudden question.
"That'll do." Peter said, catching Wendy by the waist before lifting her and himself up into the air and above the trees.
The shock from the abrupt lift off wore away as she became overcome with delight at being high in the air, soaring high above the treetops.
Peter flew her a small cove, much like the Mermaid Lagoon, but without the dark, eery, mysterious aura. The beach was sandy, but surrounded by carved sndstone peaks, much like the devices hanging from cave ceilings, except these came from the ground. The water glittered a precious blue, shining like a thousand emeralds and sapphires. Upon closer inspection, Wendy found that beneath the water, in some parts of the cove, there were hundreds of sapphires and emeralds! When she asked Peter of their origin, he replied that they were cursed pirate's treasure, left at the bottom of the cove where they could not cause harm to anyone but those who willfully disturbed them by taking them from their place.
After setting Wendy on the sandy beach, Peter dove into the water, playfully showing off as he shot from the water, flying high above, before doing a number of fancy tricks as he dove back into the water.
Suddenly, he disappeared from view. She ventured into the water, stopping when the water reached her ankles. The cool water lapped at her feet, but she could pay no attention to it. Beneath her feet, the sand turned to stone, which soon dropped to three or four feet deep, the water so clear, allowing you to see the beautiful gems at the bottom.
As suddenly as he had disappeared, Peter's head appeared right in front of Wendy, a cocky smile on his face. The smile was quickly erased as he saw the look of worry on Wendy's face. The expression quickly vanished, as Wendy's features formed a pretty smile.
"Peter, where did you go?" Wendy asked tentatively, hoping he had not been playing a trick on her.
"Come in and I'll show you." He told her, almost whispering. He extended a hand to help into the water, which she gladly took, and stepped into the cool water. "Now hold your breath. Open your eyes when I squeeze your hand. No peeking!"
She complied, closing her eyes, and taking a deep breath. She felt herself being led below the water, sensing the dark that seemed to slowly creep upon them. A soft squeeze on her forearm (her good arm, of course) told her to open her eyes.
When she opened them, she was met with a jarringly bright light. As her eyes focused, she saw mountains of gold. Hundreds of thousands large gold coins littered the floor, forming large heaps. Strings of pearls laced themselves through the piles, seeming to jump from the pages of Wendy's storybooks.
She nearly laughed aloud, before quickly realizing that she was underwater, and that would not be at all wise. She motioned to Peter that she was running out of air, and that she would need to surface quite soon. Peter nodded, and began to lead her out.
As they reached the mouth of the cave, Wendy began to struggle for air. She had held the air for quite as long as she could, and her lungs were beginning to constrict. Peter turned to see her pained expression as she tried to swim faster, but failed to do so.
Peter swam next her, pulling her along. He was quite a talented swimmer, not to mention that he could hold his breath for a lengthy period of time. Wendy emitted a short squeal, her feeling of need for oxygen becoming greater, even if she were to inhale the crystal waters.
Peter stopped her, a panic seizing her. She thought that he must be trying to kill her! She struggled with him, but he held tight. As she would not stop struggling, he stopped her, before pressing his lips to hers.
What a time for a kiss! She thought. She was suffocating. He tried to show that she should open her mouth, which she eventually did, when she was nearing unconsciousness. Peter had learned this trick when one of the boys had trapped themselves in the same cave - Slightly, of course, in his first days as a Lost Boy. Peter had found that one could breathe for another person.
Holding his mouth to Wendy's, slowly giving her all of the air he had kept trapped within his lungs, he kicked to the surface. As they broke the surface, Wendy inhaled deeply.
"How did you learn that?" She asked him, her face flushed from embarassment and love.
"Slightly nearly drowned her, long ago." Peter replied, smiling. "Are you okay? The key is to stay calm."
"I'll remember that next time." She laughed, before she thought of something: Was there to be a next time?
Was she to ever return to Neverland upon returning to her own London?