The Legacy of Peter Pan

Chapter 2: The New and Odd Reflection

      The darkness that had cursed Neverland was finally deceased. The mermaids no longer hid themselves under the blue waters. Instead, they came out on the rocks to lay out beneath the yellow sun, their colorful scales sparkling in the light. The Pirates used the new beautiful days to search the island high and low for treasure and any other jobs fit for a pirate. The Lost Boys were back to playing games and tiring their energetic imaginations from dusk till dawn. The birds chirped, the monkeys played in the trees, the sky was blue and day turned to night. But soon ideas for games ran dry, and Pirates gathered everything that glittered until they were bathing in all the golden coins and precious jewels available. Even the mermaids decided that no matter how much they preened themselves on the rocks, there was no one who cared to watch them (except the crewmates who stared at them from the deck of the Jolly Roger, but they didn't count.) Something was missing. And though they didn't always acknowledge it, every animal, human, fairy, pirate, anything that breathed the breath of Neverland, knew that things were still very much not the same.

Sometimes, when we feel something is missing, we immediately decide that that is the end. It must be lost forever. But maybe...that something is just hiding. And that is exactly what our something was doing. Or in this case, our someone.

The cave he had taken refuge in was shadowy and cold. The tiny splashes of water that fell from the ceiling and pooled into small puddles on the muddy ground echoed throughout the barren abode. If one was to pass by this particular cave, they would think the only thing happy to be housed in such a dreadful place would be some kind of slimy salamander. Maybe that is why it made such a perfect hiding spot. There is no reason for anyone to visit the home of a salamander.

The only thing that decorated the floor of the cave, besides the mud, were the articles of dirt-ridden clothing strewn about the ground and carcasses of half-eaten rotten fruit. This was a sure sign that a salamander did not live here (if one does, he hasn't seen it), a boy does.

This particular boy sat outside of the cave next to a clear pond. He was clad in a dark green leather tunic and soft green stockings. He sat with his elbows propped up on his knees as he tore apart a leaf, letting the remnants of it drop to the ground like confetti. Just by a glance at this boy, you would know he was a lad of adventure. His rough hands and small dirt patches that rested upon his cheeks held no secrets. Despite his looks, this young man was much too busy for an adventure, which was surprising even to him. His mind was lost deep in the void of thought.

Unfortunately for the boy, his distracted state allowed him to miss the tiny ball of radiant light that flew into the clearing in the dense forest that held the cave and the pond. The light traveled about five feet above the ground, heading for the pond, and then suddenly landed on top of the boy's head. Now, if we were to take a closer look, you would see that this was no ordinary light. In fact, it wasn't really a light at all. It was a beautiful pixie, no taller than the length of your palm. The pixie paced around on top of the young man's head and kicked at a lock of his hair to gain his attention. The boy made no response besides furrowing his eyebrows and slightly shaking his head. Irritated that he hadn't acknowledged her presence, the pixie stomped her foot. Peter (that was his name for anyone who is a bit slow and hasn't already guessed who he was) merely sighed and batted at the air where the pixie had landed. Fully and wholly annoyed, the small pixie placed her hands on her hips and tapped her foot, then scoffed, not believing it had come to this. Showing no expression, she leaned down, grabbed a lock of Peter's auburn hair in her tiny hands, and yanked as hard as she could.

"Ouch Tink!" Peter quickly placed his hands on his head and glared at TinkerBell, who was hovering in front of him with her arms crossed. "That hurts ya know."

TinkerBell glared right back at Peter, and from her came a sound that someone may have mistaken for little sleigh bells.

Peter looked down and grabbed ahold of a grey pebble, just to chuck it into the pond and watch the ripples. "That's not my fault. I've told you I wanted to be alone."