Happy Thoughts || Peter Pan

Chapter 10

Avery picked a fishbone out of her mouth. She hadn't realized she was this hungry until she'd sunk her teeth into that trout. Peter had probably already eaten, because he had turned it down every time she offered him a bite. With a full belly, she layed back into the grass.

'All full?' asked Peter.

Avery nodded. 'You sure know how to cook, Pan.' She sat up and looked at him expectantly. 'What are you going to show me today? The Indian camp? The Dead Man's Cave? Captain Hook's ship? Or are we going to try the mermaids again?' She stared at him dreamily, thinking of all the adventures she would have here. She would write everything down so she would never forget.

'None of those things,' Peter replied, 'I have other plans. I'm going to teach you how to swordfight,' Peter said and Avery shot upright. 'Really?'

'I can't always be there to save the damsel in distress, can I?'

Avery rolled her eyes as he looked back at her, grinning broadly. 'How gallant of you.' Would he recognize sarcasm? The fact that his facial expression didn't change and he did seem delighted by her "compliment" told her enough. She chuckled and shook her head.

Peter stood up and extinguished the dying coal fire with sand. 'If you wait here for a moment, I'll get the swords. Don't move from this spot.' And with those words he dashed away. 

Avery watched him as he flew higher, toward the gaudy Nest that hung on the edge of the mountain. He was back very quickly and pressed a sword into her hands. She lost her balance for a moment as the weight pulled her forward. It was a sword with a long blade, but no thicker than a hefty nail. One of those that the Three Musketeers used. Around her hand, adjacent to the hilt, was a protective dome. Avery was sure he had stolen it from the pirates, which only made it more exciting.

Peter pointed his sword at her. His right foot slid backward across the sand and his gaze found hers. Warmth rose within her. She took his stance and raised the sword, with a soft "kling" the tip hit his. The sound of the clashing metal echoed through the valley. For a few seconds, the echo was the only sound. Until Peter made his first move and knocked Avery's sword right out of her hands. Befuddled, she looked down at the sword. 'I can't do much with it yet.'

'Pick it up,' he said in a husky voice, sending a shiver down her spine. She looked at him. His gaze did not leave her face as she picked up the sword from the ground again. 'I'll teach you.'

For hours, the sound of contact between steel echoed through the mountains. Sweat beaded on Avery's forehead; she could take another bath in no time. After a while, she began to have a taste for it and stabbed a few times at Peter, who dodged her lashes with ease. He parried another of her lashes and tapped his sworth against her behind. She let out a squeal and looked at him indignantly.

Peter playfully raised his eyebrow at her and gave a tug with his head, challenging her. Avery squeezed her eyes together, but couldn't suppress a smile before throwing herself back into the fight.

When they both finally plopped down on the ground, silence seemed like a gift from heaven. All Avery could hear was her own panting and the coursing of the river. The sun was sinking behind the mountains, enveloping the peaks with a golden glow. She closed her eyes for a moment and let herself catch her breath. Her arms felt like lead. Tomorrow she would surely have sore muscles. But it was worth it. What other person in the world could say they had learned sword fighting from Peter Pan?

 A shadow slid across her eyelids. She opened her eyes and looked straight into Peter's delighted face. 'You're already starting to get the hang of it. Not as good as me, of course, but don't be upset, nobody is.' He reached out a hand to her and she allowed herself to be pulled back upright. Their noses were separated by a few inches of air. He didn't let go of her hands.

She smiled. 'Oh, but I don't think anyone is as good as Peter Pan.'

A smile from ear to ear appeared on Peter's face and he proudly put his fists to his sides. 'Let everyone know that.' He crowed once loudly as he floated upward, chasing a swim of birds with the noise.

Avery laughed. 'What a nice feeling it must be to know you can take on the whole world,' she said.

'Don't you know that feeling?'

Avery shook her head. 'As sure of yourself as you are, I'll never be.'

'Why not?' he asked, 'If you don't try, you'll never know.' He looked back at the sun, which had disappeared behind the mountain, then focused on Avery again. 'If you light the fire, I'll go see if I can find some food. We've earned that.' And away he was.

Avery looked him over. If you don't try, you never know, she repeated in her mind. If only it were that easy. She smiled. How could this boy be so wise and yet seem so childlike. Did he realize it himself, she asked herself, that he sometimes said very mature things? Or would he not admit it to himself? Would it frustrate him? She wondered if she could make him forget that. That she could show him that growing up, isn't such a bad thing at all. Not with the right people by your side.