The door led to a musty damp hallway with dust flying about. I had a sneezing fit once shoved down the hallway but my captor did not seem bothered. Again, the rustic looking ship did not disappoint even in it's lower levels. I imagined if I was on the Black Pearl the inner part of the ship would be in better condition but a similar premise. The hallway was so dimly lit I could barely see but the entire ship looked as if it belonged in a museum. I coughed again and was shoved blindly down the hall. The man gruffly opened the darkest looking door at the end of the hall and it creaked once pulled.
"Cap'n," the man said pulling the door open, "She's here."
I swallowed nervously as I peered around the room. The few rays of light that were allowed in through a dirty window illuminated the clouds of dust in the dimly lit room. Cobwebs covered wooden tables with ornaments and sextants scattered across the room. The walls were spotted in crimson red as in the fading wood lacquer revealed its true intentions. If Miss Havisham had a room on a ship, this room was probably it.
From the darkest, dampest corner of the room I heard a groan. A dark figure emerged, creaking out of an ancient cobwebbed throne, slowly walking into the light. He was pale, so deadly pale. The kind of pale of a vampire or the pale of Jeremy Irons' character in the remake of The Time Machine, but either way he looked like he should have died a thousand years ago. A tattered red feather hat lay droopily on his wrinkled brow. Deranged blue eyes sat over a crooked nose that reminded me of Penguin from Batman. His lips were thin and cracked with a creepy tear on the left side revealing rotting yellow teeth. A ripped and wrinkled long red coat hung off boney shoulders, dragging all the way to the ground to meet worn out black boots. On his right side the coat slid off his shoulder leaving the coat arm to lowly hang over his right hand. His left hand emerged from the side of his coat to expose skeletally boney white fingers and with his index finger he coaxed me toward him.
"Come in," he said a cracking dry voice, "don't be afraid I don't bite."
Oh that's not reassuring at all.
I didn't really have much of a choice whether I wanted to enter the room or not. The large man who led me in had given me a fierce shove, catapulting my body halfway across the room to be slammed into the ancient table. Dust flew everywhere and a series of napping spiders were woken from their cobwebs to scurry around in a panic.
"Gently," the old man said in a hiss, "I asked them to escort you gently. Those complete total morons. "
As I pulled my bruised body off the table he grabbed my elbow and a rush of panic shot through my limbs as I whirled to look at him. To my surprise he was merely trying to aide me, pulling me to my feet. He dusted off my flannel then looked back to my face with a pitiful look.
"I must apologize for the behavior of my men," he said a whirl of dust puffing around him which I was convinced had escaped his lungs, "they are not used to guests let alone female ones."
Like the other men he had an English accent that wavered between his words. I studied him carefully trying to access him for the crazy psychopath that I had envisioned to be at first glance but he showed no signs of hostility. He stuck out his ghostly left hand.
"Allow me to introduce myself," he said clearing his what I assumed dry throat, "my name is James Hook. Who, might I ask, have I made the great honor of meeting? "
The name itself didn't register until later, ( I'm an idiot if you haven't realized) I was too busy marveling how dry and leathery his hand was. I imagined that if I were to shake hands with a mummy, it would be the same feeling.
" Jasmine," I managed to rasp out. I let out another cough allowing my throat to clear of dust and excess seawater, "Jasmine Hahn."
" Jasmine," he purred in his cracking voice. "Jasmine. It's perfect." he muttered the last words under his breath but I caught them and frowned slightly.
" I'm sorry, but what's perfect?" I asked scrunching my face. He grabbed my hand and I jolted again at the dry bones.
" I am a firm believer in faith and karma Miss Jasmine." he hissed rubbing my palm with his rough fingers and he looked down at my hand, " And I firmly believe that you were meant to be on that beach in my time of need."
"I beg your pardon-"
"I am in a desperate situation you must see that Miss Jasmine, my men and my ship are in a disarray and there is only one that is the reason for this calamity." he hissed pulling me towards him with wild blue eyes.
I tried to pull back but his weak old bones held onto me like a vice.
" Now tell me Miss Jasmine, have you met him." The last word was filled with such venom, such bitterness that I was afraid for whomever him was. But with those words something clicked in the back of my brain, the ship the island, this old man. Something about it seemed eerily familiar but alas, my sea watered brain still couldn't wrap around it. His name also sounded too familiar but again I should remind you. Jasmine Hahn. 15. Stupid. I knew I should have been able to recognize it immediately but to be able to comprehend something that was supposed to be fictional is knocked out with logic.
"W-Who?" I stuttered out nervously. His crazy blue eyes searched my face but realized I was telling the truth.
"You really don't know do you?" he said slowly looking into my eyes. "You really don't know…"
There was a slight tone of desperation in his voice and he slowly let me go, stumbling back over to his cobwebbed throne.
"She doesn't know," he muttered sitting down, "she has no idea…" He whipped his head so quickly back to me I thought his old neck would snap, " The boy who never grew up!?" he barked at me. His voice was no longer old or cracking, now it was loud and echoed off of all the antiques in the room.
"The flying imbecile who plagues this accursed island!" he screeched and I felt some of the old antiques rattle.
He was starting to scare me but I couldn't see any option of escaping knowing that the buff dude who had brought me in was probably standing outside. Whoever this man was he was deliriously old and enjoyed playing pirates with a bunch of other old geezers. For whatever strange reason they were able to rent out an ancient pirate ship and play make believe, dragging it out to a weird tropical island. Even though I was nervous, I made the resolution that if he got any crazier I would grab one of the many sextants and knock him out. Once that was done I would try to figure out how to escape. It wa an awful plan in it's entirety but I had nothing else.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" I yelled back at him.
"Peter Pan!" He screamed at me, afterwards he seemed winded and began a series of gasps emitting dust into the air. He curled back onto his throne and massaged his temple with a few more shaky breaths.
"Peter Pan…" he said in a hushed and raspy voice.
"What?" I replied confused. Then it hit me, "Wait you said your name was James Hook-"
"Yes…"
"But that's not possible," I explained with a scoff crossing my arms. This old man really had gone crazy and I was so done. Unfortunately for me, fate was not being kind and was definitely not going to let me free that easily.
"Captain Hook is not real. Peter Pan is not real. It's just some stupid children's book that got made into a Disney movie. Although, I must admit this truly is all very impressive but whatever weird fetish, cosplay thing you and your friends are doing just let me go and I might not report you to the police."
He smiled creepily and the cut in his lip curled to expose more yellowing teeth and gold filling.
"I don't exist do I?" he spoke eerily reclining in his throne, "You seem to know enough about me so you should know how my story goes then."
"Oh please, don't mess with me. Everyone knows the story-"
"Then you should know this!" And with a flourish he slammed his right arm onto the throne. The red coat arm that had covered it before slid off exposing what was supposed to be his right hand but in it's place was a shining silver hook. It looked exactly like the old Disney cartoon, silver and glistening at the end of his wrist. I analyzed it in shock, it looked so real I almost believed it but I knew I couldn't. I had to make sense out of everything and a shiny sterling silver hook was not going to convince me otherwise. It was pretty convincing but I figured it could have been a fake that was just hand-made on Etsy.
" That's real cute." I said trying to put sarcasm into my shaking voice, " how much does one of those cost? 40, 50 bucks maybe? I mean one of good quality ought to be a little on the pricier side-"
He grunted and pulled his arm off the armrest, the hook disappearing back underneath his coat.
"Miss Jasmine I did not bring you here without purpose." He said adjusting his coat.
"Well, I hope that purpose isn't something gross because I am not pretending to be Wendy." I said in a passing but at the name Wendy he bolted from his seat rushing to grab me by the shoulders, this time his hook was wrapped around my upper arm.
"Wendy? You know Wendy? How is she? Where is she?" He asked me with desperate blue eyes searching my face.
" Sure, everybody knows Wendy." I said sarcastically but he was serious. He was definitely off his rocker.
"Do not mock me." he hissed realizing I was just teasing. He let me go but his hook left a light scratch on my arm causing my skin to be left with a thin white line. "You cannot comprehend my affection."
"Affection? What you have some perverted love for her? Wasn't she like 12-"
"You mentioned a children's story," he said interrupting me as he slowly walked around the room, "What children's story?"
"Peter Pan," I said scrunching my nose at all the dust that was beginning to accumulate in the air from his movement, "It's a classic."
"That is the title, yes?"
I rolled my eyes, like heck he didn't know of Peter Pan, if he wasn't obsessed with it then there was no way he would have put this all together. But I played along and nodded.
"Who wrote it?"
"I don't know, some guy. I think."
"Some guy?"
"I don't really know his name. J.V. no J.N. something-"
"Was it, James Barrie?" He said turning to look at me.
"I don't know if that was his first name but it's probably likely-"
"James Barrie ah yes, I remember him." he said clucking his tongue, " he was the first child ever to come to Neverland, second to Peter of course."
"Well, I'd imagine he wrote the book-"
"He was the first one to call it Neverland explaining that it was a place of his dreams."
"So you're saying he came to this island?" I interjected but was cut off by Hook's train of thought.
"He used to live here, he was the very first "Lost Boy" as Peter called him. He was the very definition if you ask me, always running from his family problems."
"So the author came here as a child?"
"Yes, he did. How he arrived here is a mystery to all, I believe he arrived similarly to you but he was the first child Peter ever befriended. Those two used to cause havoc on anything they touched and Peter is fool and has no comprehension of responsibility or consequences. The island was near dying until the fairies stepped in."
"The fairies?" I asked but then remembered Tinker Bell, the jealous pixie.
"Yes, they make the season's come and go on the island and are it's heart, keeping it alive and existing in this strange ocean. The island became so nice that the mermaid's would come in during the summer just to enjoy the warm green waters. It was their summer hideaway."
He was just starting to sound crazier but I was trying to think of all the other things that I knew were in Neverland to compare to his crazy explanation.
"But with a fruitful and thriving island exotic animals are sure to thrive as well. There were so many beasts running around, trampling and destroying the ecosystems the island was on the brink of destruction yet again. Then the Native American's emerged on the Neverplains and starting hunting and the island was in a balance again."
His explanations still sounded crazy but as I matched up all the characters from the novel to his words I began to think he had taken a long time to put this all together. But somewhere within me I wanted to believe what he was saying was true. For something that magical to actually be able to exist not in my most wildest of imaginations.
"How did you and your men get here then?" I asked.
"My men and I were the worst of the worst. Stealing from every port and ship we could blunder across the world. We had acquired enough treasure where we believed we could be rich beyond our wildest dreams.
But we were not safe anywhere. The world despised us and we were wanted for murder and thievery. We couldn't hide anywhere. We came across a small fishing village which held a famous gypsy who claimed to be able to grant any desire. My men and I went to her, threatening her to give us an island where we could seek refuge and hide our blunders from the world forever. She granted us this wish and our ship sailed through a strange gateway and onto these seas.
But we were fools, we had not paid her. We threatened to murder her rather than give her some of our wealth. She cursed us you see, so we can never escape this island. We've been trapped here for years and my torture is to be tormented by that boy. "
"Wait, but if this is truly Neverland then doesn't that mean nobody should ever grow up? Like wasn't that the premise that nobody grows old?" I said, "No offense but you don't exactly have the whole," I waved my hand generally in his direction, "agelessness thing going on."
He sighed and rubbed some dust off of the ancient table.
"One is only granted with agelessness due to constant exposure to Pixie Dust." he said quite matter of factly, "Peter, the flying fool, for some strange reason does not actually need it but one who is not him needs to constantly be exposed to Pixie Dust. The Lost Boys are constantly flying about and using the magic dust for idiotic purposes. They do not age due to that flying pixie that accompanies Pan. That is why-" he added a slight bow, "your's truly is in the most ravishing of conditions."
I smirked at his joke and logically to his whole exposition, but the more he spoke the more strangely convinced I was becoming. I would have to pretend anyway to be able to fathom escaping unscathed.
"But James Barrie wrote the book," I said, " and you said he was with Peter but he didn't write the book here. And how did Wendy ever get here?"
"Young James did leave eventually. I did meet him on many of Peter's crusade's of havoc but he in a sense, to Peter's horror, also grew up. He realized that he had to face his family problems, he couldn't keep running away. Running away from his problems were Peter's specialty, not young James's and so Peter flew James back home like many children who would visit. But Peter never forgot his friendship with James. Even though he is the most forgetful of boys, you'll see, but he never forgot James.
"And Wendy," he ushered her name with a dreamy look in his eyes, a very loving compassion, "Wendy was the most beautiful creature this world would have ever seen. Peter had brought her one day, she was 12 then and I thought she was just another brat that he had dragged off the streets of London but she was not.
"I believe the reason why young James wrote a book is because Peter would often leave the island. Flying through the star that he always does I believed to see James. To tell him about Wendy and the other Darling children and all their adventures.
"She was nothing like any of the others he had brought oh no, she was nothing like the fools he had brought before. She had an air of maturity to her and Peter liked it. He had always despised grown ups but the thing that he liked most about Wendy was her maturity.
"You see she was very motherly. She cared for Peter and the Boys in ways that was completely knew to Peter. He liked it when she ordered him around and told him that he couldn't do things. He thought of it as a game you see. He always sees it as a game.
But Wendy began to grow into a panic. Peter in his forgetful state was beginning to forget where she came from, where the Darling children had come from. She was worried that the children would forget their true mother.
"To Peter's dismay, Wendy wanted to go back. Peter tried everything in his power to stop her but as I told you, she was very motherly and had only her brothers concerns in her heart, not her own. You see, she had fallen in love with Peter and she did not want to leave but she feared the worst for her family. So grudgingly, Peter took the Darling children back.
But Wendy often returned to Neverland. Peter enjoyed her company too much to not have her be a part of his adventures and she was too infatuated with him to say no. She began to grow older though. Every visit she made she looked older and unfortunately, Peter is quite forgetful. He would often forget to retrieve her, making the gaps of time between her last visit lengthier.
She grew up to be a beautiful woman, ravishing in every aspect of beauty and I fell for her, but she only had eyes for Peter, you see. I sought her out and was rejected continually but I still was in love with her.
Peter was always oblivious of her affection of him. But one day he was acting quite strangely, he seemed off, I couldn't quite put a word to it. I asked him where Wendy was and he didn't recognise who she was. The name Wendy was completely foreign to him. He's a complete fool you see, he's very forgetful, and after a while I realized he would never bring Wendy back. He had forgotten about her. Like many other things but I thought that he wouldn't forget her. He often even forgot my name and who I was but I always thought he would remember Wendy. But she was merely a plaything to him and like many toys they can get old and boring. I never knew how he could forget her but even now at the mention of her name he looks confused. He had forgotten her utterly, not even caring." he ended his speech with a look of sad, longing. He had made his way to the cracked window and stared outward into the rays of sunshine. The bright light highlighting his ghostly skin, he looked dead. Like a ghost that was being exposed to the sunlight for the first time.
"Now you must see my bitter anger," he said looking at his hook, "I had already detested him for taking my hand and feeding it to that damn crocodile but this was too much. He never could comprehend the notion of love. He's too immature. The complete devotion of feelings to another, he's very selfish and doesn't understand."
"Look, this story is great and all but I really want to-" I interrupted but to my dismay Hook was not done.
"That is where you come in my dear," He continued gliding back over to his throne, " I need someone who can change him."
I raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean change?"
"I cannot morph him into the person I wish him to be with my utilities. I need someone with a different arsenal."
I stared at him with the look of disgust.
"Excuse me?" I spat with disdain.
He chuckled at my reaction and sat back down into his throne.
"You're cute. Not nearly as cute as her but unfortunately you are all I have."
"Gee thanks." I said a snort.
"He hasn't brought any more girls since Wendy so you washing up along the shores is just good luck."
Or psychotic whirlpools and strong breezes, I thought bitterly.
" I need someone who can manipulate him you see. I need someone who can use him. I want him to lose himself." Hook continued and to my horror I realized what he wanted me to do.
"You want me to make Peter fall in love with me." I said with a gasp.
"Precisely!" Hook excitedly said, pointing his hook at me, "I need you to make him vulnerable."
"But I don't understand," I said confused, " didn't you say he was too immature to even comprehend the notion of love-"
"Yes, but that was a long time ago. He may be an idiotic child but all children get bored. When Wendy was here, Peter was off his guard most of the time because he was doing something stupid to make her happy. He was not attracted to her but the attention of a woman to any male is intriguing in itself."
Not to gay men, I thought to myself with a snicker. Hook thankfully didn't seem to notice my newfound humor.
" I need Pan to be thrown off of his game, I need a small gap to rip into him." Hook said scratching the ancient table causing the wood to screech.
"So you want me to go and… seduce him?" I said flabbergasted.
"More or less. I want him to feel as much despair that I have felt. And one you have him, he will know the truth utterly destroying him. The complete betrayal of his new toy. He may not be able to age physically but I can age him mentally. It will destroy him. "
"Um, sorry but no. This made up revenge thing is really sweet but I just want to get back on that accursed cruise leading to my infinite doom and never ever watch Peter Pan like ever again." I said finally building up the courage to turn around and make a break for the door. I figured we had been there too long for buff dude outside to wait so I hoped I didn't run into him as I reached for the door. Unfortunately, Hook had other plans. Even in his ancient dinosaur state he still managed to beat me to the door, slamming his hook over my wrist just as I had grabbed onto the rotting door handle.
"I don't think I made myself clear," He hissed, his wild blue eyes glaring at me, "you don't have a choice."
My wrist was trapped beneath sterling silver that had begun to cut into my skin causing it to turn red. The feeling of panic had come back to me as I looked into his psychotic gaze. His lips began to curl and the cut in his lip expanded, causing blood to run down his pale skin.
" If you do not do this for me, I shall kill you." He said blood dripping down his chin, "My crew and I may not be as young as we once were but we have not forgotten our ways." he pulled the his hook off of my wrist and nailed it over my throat. "You have no say in this matter."
I was terrified, I had only been scared to this amount of fear a few times. Strangely enough waking up on an island without anybody I knew was not in the top few times of my anxiety. I had been making fun of this old man this entire time but what I truly didn't realize how much of a psycho he actually was. He was going to kill me with his Etsy made hook and he wasn't kidding. If I wanted to live through the evening I had to play along to his psychotic plan.
"Fine," I said swallowing nervously, " What do I need to do."
He slowly took his hook off of my neck then began to scamper around the room. Sifting through everything on the table and knocking towers of books down
"You will have to find Peter," he said grabbing onto a bunch of large pieces of paper. "Even after all the years I have spent here I still don't know where that stupid boy resides. There are some maps that I've made of the island. It should tell you everything you need to know." He scurried around searching through the dust for something but came up blank and yelled at the door, "Smee! Fetch her a satchel and a compass!"
He shoved the bundles of papers into my arms then grabbed me again causing more scratches with his hook. "Once you have met Peter you are on your own," he said staring at me intently with his wild eyes. "And if you even think of running the island is an island after all. The Indians won't even be able to protect you if you ask for sanctuary. So don't even think about it." He grabbed one of the many maps in my arms and uncurled it, showing the image of the island and pointed his hook at the bottom part of the island to a small cove near the shore. "Once you believe Peter is at a disadvantage, inform me, any possible way. We are here," he drove his hook into the map making a small hole in the image, "Cannibal cove."
Smee creaked the door open and slunk past me, handing Hook a red leather satchel. Hook took it and shoved it into my arms with the rest of the maps.
"You must go now," he said his blue eyes wide and psychotic, "you haven't any time to lose." With that he began to hurry me out the door, "Quickly now, you must be on your way."
I was shoved out the door and back into the rustic hallway.
"But wait!" I said turning to face a deranged Hook in the doorway. "What happens if I can't find Peter?" I had seen the size of the island on the map and it looked quite large and looking for one teenage boy on it could only lead to disappointment.
"Oh you'll find him," Hook said with a smile, "And if you can't, he'll find you. If you cause enough of a ruckus he's sure to be intrigued."
And with that I was sent on the most stupid of hero quests.