11 years after the boy left a portal appeared on Neverland, I could feel its magic before it even appeared. I teleported to where the the portal would open and ordered my shadow to meet me at the pixie dust trees. A few minutes later the portal final opened and a little boy with light brown hair, in light brown coloured clothes and a man with brown and gray hair, in red coloured clothes was thrown from the portal. The only thought that was running through my mind at that moment was 'How? How is that possible?'
When they were both on their feet, they both had happiness on their faces and the man seemed to stare and everything in amazement.
"We actually did it. We did it!" the man yells in excitement as he grabs the boys face. They both look at everything with huge smiles on their faces, then the man said something that shocked me.
"It's just as I remember in my dreams. Hasn't changed at all."
'He's been here before?' I think to myself before I look closer at the man.
"It's beautiful." the boy says and my heart swells from the amusement in his voice.
"No, it's more than that. Neverland is special. You can do anything here. Just think it, and it can happen. What would you like to eat? Go on. just think it." the man says. The boy holds out his hand and closes his eyes, I put a chocolate, vanilla marble cake onto his hand. I watch as the boys eyes light up in happiness.
"You can eat cake all day and not get a stomachache. Or swing on a vine through a waterfall. But best of all. . .you can fly." the man says as he holds out his arms like he's flying.
"Flying is impossible." the boy states.
"Neverland is where the impossible is possible, if you believe it. Here, I'll show you." the man replies and he goes on top of a rock and howls before giggling and jumping off the rock only for him to fall on his face. The man gets up shocked obviously not understanding that he can't fly.
"I could always fly when I visited as a boy." He tells his son.
"Maybe you can't fly because you're not a boy anymore." the boy says to his father. I like this boy, he's smart. I see realization light on the man's face.
"How could I have forgotten? Of course. Pixie dust. Even as a boy, you needed pixie dust if you wanted to fly." he man says. 'Maybe he was one of the children I would let find some pixie dust on the ground.' I think
"Where do we get some?" the boy asks his father as he tries to balance on a log.
"Oh, I'll show you." the man replies as he picks his son up onto his shoulders while he giggled like he was drunk on his own happiness. I decided to follow them and just then my shadow flew over the beach. I call him over and we both follow them as they head into the forest, and after walking a couple minutes the boy starts to complain that he was getting tired but his father kept tugging him on. We were walking towards the pixie dust trees, the man was probably going to look for the dust on the ground.
"What does it look like?" the boy asks.
"Oh. It's just like dust. You never know the power it contains just by looking at it. But when you believe in its power, it glows with magic and becomes something very special indeed." he stops and looks up to see that he reached the pixie dust trees. The boy was confused with where the dust was.
"That's because it's made in the flowers that grow on the highest of the branches. Where they're closest to the stars. The flowers bloom at night, soak in the starlight. That's how the pixie dust gets its magic. I haven't felt this excited in years, since I was a boy about to climb one of those trees in my dreams." he says and that's when I knew exactly who the man was. He was the blacksmith boy, he has to be, he was the only one I would let climb the trees. I look over at my shadow and gave him a look that he clearly understood, and he flew off. I look over to see that the boy stopped walking.
"Come on, Rumple. It'll be fun. Hey. . .you wanna fly, you can't be afraid of heights." the man says.
"But I don't want to fly. You do." Rumple states.
"But you will, son, once you see how it feels. The wind whipping in your hair, the world below you. Like you've not got a care in the world. You're all alone. You're free." the man giggles then turns and gets on one knee and put his hands out. "Come on, I'll give you a boost."
"But what if I fall?" Rumple says unsure.
"I promise you won't, hey." the man says trying to convince Rumple.
"Don't make me, Papa. Please. I'm scared." Rumple says with worry in his voice.
"I'm sorry, Rumple. I just get excited. Why don't you wait here, and I'll go get the pixie dust for the both of us, hmm?" He says to Rumple waiting for his response. Rumple looks from side to side before answering.
"You promise not to be long?" he asks his father.
"I'll be as quick as a whip. Back before you know it. and then you'll see how wonderful Neverland can really be." the man starts to climb one of the many pixie dust trees while Rumple watches him climb. I can feel the man getting close to the flowers and already know that he won't be able to fly even with the pixie dust. Neverland is a place for only children to come to and in their dreams. I see my shadow and give him a nod, he nods back and heads to the tree that has the man in it. I connect with my shadow and hear the man ask who my shadow is.
"Tell him you are the sole inhabitant of Neverland." I tell my shadow. He replays my message.
"Can you tell me what's wrong? Why can't I fly?" He asks without skipping a beat.
"You have to believe." my shadow simply replies.
"I'm trying, but it doesn't work." he states.
"Because you don't belong." my shadow responds and the man's shoe falls off. I look at Rumple to see him sitting under the tree and when the shoe falls beside him, he starts to cry out for his papa. When he doesn't get a response he sits down and cries in his hands and he clutches the straw doll.
I know that the man and my shadow made a deal, so when I felt my shadow heading towards me, I question my shadow on the deal.
"What was the deal you made?" I ordered my shadow to tell me.
"It was a test to see what he would do so he could stay, and he took it." my shadow informs my.
"And what was it you promised? What was the price for him to stay?" I ask.
"I promised him youth, but he would have to give up his son."
"That was not yours to promise, It's mine and Neverland's." I tell him.
"Neverland told me that you have to stay a secret from everyone. People can't know that you are the sole ruler of Neverland. This man can be the distraction ruler when he becomes a boy and you can get what you always wanted, children on this island and the blacksmith boy you always had an interest in." my shadow says. I nod as I feel Neverland agree with what my shadow said.
"But the mermaids already know that I'm the sole ruler of Neverland." I say as I feel the mermaids in the water.
"Don't worry, I'll have a word with the mermaid queen when I finished this task, but you need to make a new place that will make it seem that the blacksmith boy made it. I have to go." my shadow say and I watch as he flies over to Rumple and pick him up.
"Help! A monster!" Rumple yells as he grabs onto his father's sleeve.
"It's not a monster, Rumple. It's a friend. It's part of the island. And after I do what it told me- I let you go- it will become a part of me, too." His father tells him. So that's what my shadow told him.
"Don't let him take me!" Rumple cries as he tries to hold on to his father's sleeve.
"I don't have a choice. To stay here, I have to believe that I'm young again. And with you here to remind me, I can't. A child can't have a child, Rumple! I'm sorry but it's true. Don't fight it. We both know that you're better off without me. I was never meant to be a father." he tells Rumple as he lets go of him and my shadow lift him up and his straw doll falls. I watch as I feel Neverland turn him into a young boy again, the same boy with light brown hair and green eyes around ten and seven (17) but he has tears in his eyes for leaving his child but they don't spill on his cheek. I feel my shadow leave and I watch as blacksmith boy reaches out and picks up the straw doll that Rumple dropped. I close my eye and imagine a little island made of hollow rock that is in the shape of a skull and inside are tunnels leading in and out of the top chamber that holds a giant hourglass sitting upon hundreds of gold skulls. Just as I finish, I can feel blacksmith boy take off in flight at the same time that my shadow returns. My shadow returns to my side and I inform him that the boy will only be able to stay young and on the island for a certain amount of time and that what the hourglass signifies. My shadow nods in understanding and leaves to skull rock a few seconds after blacksmith boy does. I connect with my shadow once more as I watch their conversation.
"What is this place? I don't remember seeing it from my dreams." he says
"That's because it didn't exist. It was created when you made the decision to stay here." my shadow responds.
"A giant skull? It's glorious! What's the hourglass for?" he asks.
"It represents the magic fueling your youth, the magic allowing you to stay here, to stay young." my shadow tells him.
"And what happens when it runs out?" he questions.
"Your youth will be taken and you will die." my shadow informs him with a somewhat bored tone. Blacksmith boy looks at my shadow in confusion.
"But I thought I was going to stay young forever." he ask my shadow.
"Neverland is a place for children to visit in their dreams, not a place for them to live. You are the first to try to stay. And in doing so, you're breaking the rules." my shadow informs him.
"Any rule can be broken, especially here. I made this place without even thinking about it. There has to be a way." he responds as he walks up to the hourglass.
"Perhaps." is all my shadow says.
"Then I will find it. I will find a way. I believe." he says staring at the hourglass.
"What will you be called?" my shadow asks, probably for my sake.
"Peter, Peter Pan." He replies as his takes out the straw doll.