Chapter 5
"Arriving in Neverland"
While Captain Hook and his pirates were on their way to meet the Queen of Hearts, Peter Pan and Alice had landed on a cloud, overlooking the island known as Neverland. It was unlike anything that Alice had ever seen before and she was already starting to take in the enchantment of what the island had to over.
"Oh, Peter it's just like I've always dreamed it would be," cried Alice as she oversaw the island. "Oh, look there's mermaid lagoon!"
Alice pointed to a small lagoon on the far eastern side of the island and then she turned her attention to the western side of the island which was inhabitiated by small teepees.
"And look, there's the Indian encampment," she cried, pointing to it. Peter was happy that Alice was finally living her dream, but he could well remember how Wendy, Michael and John reacted in exactly the same manner. The only exception was that they didn't have Hook and his pirates firing on them. "All that is missing the pirates' ship. Curiouser and Curiouser."
"Well, that just happens to be near our home, you might say," laughed Peter. "Come on, I'll take you there and introduce you to the lost boys."
So, Peter and Alice leapt off of the cloud and made their way over to hangman's tree, which was the hideout of Peter and the Lost Boys. Meanwhile, the Lost Boys had managed to keep the tree secure from the hunting card players and were now wondering whether they should warn Peter about it.
"Could they be searching for Wendy?" Slightly wondered as the boys sat in the main hall. "I mean, Captain Hook wanted her most of all."
"But, he caught us too," added Nibs, scratching his head. "Pan had to come and rescue us. But, we don't know until we find out more about this other girl they are looking for."
"Perhaps it could be Tiger Lily," said one of the raccoon twins.
"That's not who they are after," remarked Cubby and he began to start another one of the Lost physical fights. However, they quickly stopped when they heard something coming towards them. Tootles, the silent lost boy ran up and pointed to the disturbance.
"What is it, Tootles?" asked Nibs as the other lost boys ran up to what was happening above them. "What are you seeing?"
Giving the fact that he couldn't talk made it very difficult for Tootles to get the message across. However, the boys could see that in their minds, it was another one of those birds that flew closer to them.
"Must be a strange looking bird," said Slightly, who then knew what needed to be done. "All right, men! Get your weapons out and shoot down that bird!"
Acting on their second-in-command's orders, the boys gathered their weapons and ran out to a nearby hill where they could get a shot at the bird, which was really Alice who was flying ahead of Peter as he watched from a nearby distance.
"Ready….Aim…." whispered the Lost Boys, getting their weapons ready. "FIRE!"
So, the boys fired their weapons at Alice and the young English girl was hit and started to fall down fast to the hard rocks below. Hearing her scream, Peter raced to save her, but then Alice's dress parachuted and she gently went down to the ground below and landed safely on her feet.
"Guess that dress saved her," thought Peter as he floated gently down to Alice, who was now dusting herself off. "Wendy never had that."
"I say!" gasped Alice, shocked at what had just happened to her. "Who in the name of God would do such a thing to me?"
Just then, Peter heard the Lost Boys running towards him and had a good idea of who attempted to kill Alice.
"I think I know who," chuckled Peter and saw the Lost Boys emerge from the bushes with their weapons clutched in their hands. "You'll get a kick out of this, Alice."
Seeing them arrive, Peter stood steadfast and ordered them to stop dead in their tracks.
"ATTENTION!" he shouted and the boys stopped and stood to attention, with Cubby holding onto the tails of one of the raccoon twins. Realizing his mistake, he dropped the twin on his head.
"Well, I'm certainly proud of you…you blockheads!" smiled Peter sarcastically, before turning to disappointment. "I bring you another mother to tell you stories."
"Another mother?" wondered the lost boys as Alice gasped in shock. In her mind, she was too young to be a mother. She hadn't even reached the age of being considered a young woman. Then again, Peter was talking down to the Lost Boys, so he knew what he was doing.
"And you shoot her down!" finished Peter.
"Don't blame us, Pan!" protested Slightly. "Why, with everything that has been going on with those playing cards…"
Alice began to feel slightly nervous knowing that the Queen of Hearts was still after her head following that infamous trial.
"What playing cards?" asked Peter. "You are just trying to get yourselves out of the situation that you all got yourselves into. It's to bed early for all of you tonight."
The boys all groaned as Peter quickly turned back to be happy again as he brought Alice forward.
"Now, this is the new mother I had brought for you," he said to his charges. "Her name is Alice and she will be with us from now on."
Alice curtseyed in front of the lost boys while hearing that she would stay forever sent chills down her spine. As a matter of fact, the lost boys were staring wildly at her as if they had never seen a human girl before.
"Pan, she's beautiful," gasped Cubby as Slightly nudged him. "I mean…I mean…We like her!"
"Why, thank you," replied Alice, politely. "I think I am going to enjoy meeting all of you and I am going to enjoy being friends with you."
Meanwhile, Peter's fairy, Tinker Bell, was watching from a nearby distance, but remembering the last time she had tried to kill of one of her master's girlfriends, she had gotten herself nearly banished forever because of it. So, she did nothing about it.
At the same time, Peter's feelings for Alice continued to deepen and he only had just met her…