That night, after the lost boys went to sleep in their tree house, Kara laid on a hammock resting her head on her hands behind her. Peter was resting on another hammock a short distance away. The night air felt warm and pleasant. Crickets and tree frogs could be heard playing their beautiful nighttime symphony. "So why can't you walk, Kara?" asked Peter.
"I was in a car accident a couple years ago. Broke my spinal cord."
"Really? That's horrible!"
"That's not even the worst of it. My daddy died in the accident!"
Peter felt his heart drop into his stomach. "Wow! You've been through a lot! What's it like not being able to walk?"
"Well, it was tough at first, but I'm used to it now." She then said with a sly lopsided grin, "Using a wheelchair has its advantages!"
"Tell me about your mother," said Peter.
"She works at home. She said we live off Daddy's life insurance so she doesn't need to work much. She's very sweet and I love her, but she loves making rules though! That's one thing I don't miss about her!"
"Well, you're welcome to stay with us."
"Do you ever let girls stay with you?"
"Sometimes. We had a girl named Maggie once. She wanted to be with her mother so she finally left."
"I guess her mother doesn't like to make rules."
"Well... actually she does", the boy replied. "It's not that she likes to make them. It's just that... well..." Peter then shrugged his shoulders.
"After I got out of the hospital, my mom made me go to therapy and learn 'self reliance' and get me to strengthen my upper body. Then she pushed me to learn first aid. So boring! I don't know why she hates me so much!"
Peter said, "Yeah, the natives' medicine man was teaching me stuff like that. Instead of using stitches, they actually hold the cut over the fire and burn it shut!"
"Ewww! That's gross! That must really hurt, too! Why do grownups like to hurt kids?" replied Kara.
"Well" Peter answered, "I had a dream once that I became a grownup…" He pondered for a moment. "Then again… I don't remember if it was a dream or not." He then said waving his hand, "Ah, who cares."
After Peter and Kara fell asleep, a raven carrying a burlap bag swooped down and dropped it just outside the treehouse. The bird then took off just as quickly as he came.