Searching for Neverland

Melody

Melody

The cold London breeze made it's way into her room, fluttering the the lace drapes as it passed through, making them flow up and down dreamily. She watched in the moonlight as they flew up hastily, only to float back down lazily. This notion calmed her, for some reason it seemed to settle her nerves.

She lay back on her bed, closing her eyes she sighed, she still heard the flutter of the drapes and felt the cold breeze on her bare legs. And yet as soothing as the breeze and the noise was, it was not soothing enough.

Nothing ever was, and she feared nothing ever would be.

It seemed that sleep escaped her tonight, like there was a war in her bed and no matter how many times she tossed and turned or how many demonic sheep she counted she could never win. There was an internal battle, she was at war with herself.

Melody's 17th Birthday was coming soon, and the thought of growing older both excited and frightened her. She was confused, stuck between being a child and being an adult or better put, being treated like a child and yet asked to act like an adult.

Finally sensing that sleep would not come soon, she sat up wiping her eyes, she stood and walked over to her desk, taking a seat while reaching over to turn on a desk light.

She held her head in her hands, rubbing her temples as she looked down at a small stack of acceptance letters to the Universities she had applied to.

She had always done well in school that's for sure, her parents had demanded the best and she complied. But when she did not deliver, they took. And they took, and then they took some more. Until finally there was nothing left to take. And eventually the cycle would repeat itself.

Melody spread the acceptance letters in front of her, fingers lightly tracing the names of the universities, each of them holding so much possibility, so much potential.

She always had her doubt though, she never wanted to continue school. This was a path her parents had planned, it wasn't what she desired.

She wanted to travel the world, be a musician and live up to the name her grandad had chosen for her. She yearned for freedom, the taste of it, to feel it at her fingertips. That feeling of flight, never to feel the fright.

She stood up from the white desk and made her way to the window, she could see Big Ben from here, the London eye in the distance. If she squinted she could just about make about the time.

11:45

Looking out to the clear sky, she smiled finding the two brightest stars. Remembering the tales her grandad had told her as a child. Tales of far away lands, mermaids, pirates and flying boys. It sounded like a dream at the time, a beautiful dream. She wanted so badly to be taken to Neverland, she had begged her grandad to take her, but he couldn't.

She looked out the window dreamily, remembering the exact words he had said to her that night.

"One cannot simply go to Neverland love, you don't choose Neverland. Neverland chooses you"

From that day forward Melody had lived by those words, waiting patiently for Neverland to choose her, waiting for Peter Pan to sweep her off her feet... but as the years passed her faith in Neverland diminished, but then again her faith in everything had.

At this moment in time she couldn't help but wish to go again, she wanted desperately to leave all her troubles behind.

She rested her head against the desk, silent tears escaping as the pressures of life wore her down. In the distance she heard the clock strike midnight, twelve chimes.

Melody sighed getting up slowly, planning to make her way back to her bed when she saw an unusual shadow dance across her wall. She stared at it in awe, wondering where is was coming from. She looked around the room, looking for the source. Her eyes wandering over her bed, the desk, her dresser... she couldn't figure it out and it was bothering her. Her eyes lingered over her open window, she walked closer to it.

A figure appeared sitting on her window sill, his feet dangling off the edge.

"H-how..." She looked closer at the boy. "Who are you?"

The boy turned his head toward her, green eyes shimmering in the moonlight, a small smile pulled at his lips.

"Peter Pan, at least that's what they call me" He scooted closer, frowning slightly as he saw her face, " And you Melody? Why are you crying? Have the pirates come again?" He asked concerned looking around the sky.

Melody shook her head quickly wiping her eyes, carefully avoiding the question.

"Peter." the name tasted odd on her tongue. The boys eyes met hers as she said his name.

"Yes?" he asked, taking a stand on her ledge.

"Why are you here?" her voice trembled and she hated that her nerves where getting the best of her. Peter simply smiled jumping of the ledge of her window. She gasped and ran to the sill wondering if he had just disappeared forever.

He floated there in the midair, the black sky seemed endless behind him. Peter slowly extended his hand out to her, a small smile upon his lips.

"Come Melody" he whispered,

"What? Go where? Why?" she asked flummoxed, her thoughts where swimming in her head. She couldn't think straight.

He simply smiled, taking her hand gently pulling her out to the window ledge while pointing out to the night sky.

"Neverland is waiting Melody."

And with those 4 small words she jumped.