James: A Tale of a Captain

Chapter 2, Mary and Tink

The alarm went off at the time it used to. I had actually gotten up a bit earlier to see what would happen. Peter tried to grab it but ended up falling out of his bed instead. It was quite the funny sight. I couldn’t hold my laughter back. George put his pillow over his head. His efforts to block the sound failed though.

Peter looked up at me from the floor. He was not pleased. He absolutely despised that clock, “When did you get that thing fixed?”
“Let’s just say that someone did a rush job.”
“Well I might break it again.”
“James, just turn it off!”
“George, get that pillow off your head. You’ll suffocate before the sound is drowned out.”
“Maybe dying won’t be so bad. At least I’ll be rid of that clock.”
“You are both idiots. I’m going to see Mary.”
“Wait, turn the alarm off first.”
“Since you both are being jerks about it, no. Figure it out yourselves.” I replied. I walked out of our room down to Mary’s. She was lucky. She had a room to herself. All her roommates had moved out and gotten adopted. Having a fairy around might help.

I walked in to find that she had let the fairy out and about. She was talking to the little light. It was as if she could understand it. I watched her and she didn’t notice me. She seemed content with it, “I’m going to tell you something. Not even James knows this. And he’s the person I trust most. Sometimes, I want to fly away with the three of them. I want to go to a place far from here and live together like a family. Maybe James and I could even get married. Our surnames could be the Darlings. We’d be the most charming family. With three children and a dog. The picture perfect family. They’d have what I always wanted. Now that I’ve told you a secret Tinker Bell, you have to tell me one.” she said. I heard the fairy jingle back. Having Mary as my wife could’ve been wonderful. Peter and George would be jealous.

I closed the door behind me and let Mary enjoy her little company. The fairy didn’t seem like it was leaving anytime soon. What did Mary call her, Tinker Bell? That seemed like a good name for a jingling fairy who fixed things. I would keep Mary’s dream to myself. It wasn’t meant for me to hear anyway. It did sound nice though. Instead of waiting for a family to choose us, we create one.

Mary came down to breakfast and then took the food to her room. Peter looked offended. He was quite the jokester. Anytime he was given the chance he would pull a prank on someone. Mary was never a target though. He was too nice for that. I think deep down we all fancied her. Like I said, she was the prettiest girl in the orphanage. She was also the kindest.

After that Peter started to play with his food. Mary was the person who kept our conversations going. She kept us together. Mary was the mother of the group. Her relationship with Tinker Bell was becoming an obsession.

One day I was passing by Mary’s room when I heard Peter inside with her. She told him about her. I slowly opened the door and looked inside. They were both sitting on the floor, “She’s fantastic.”
“James caught her for me.”
“James?”
“Yes.”
“I thought he didn’t believe in fairies.”
“We caught them changing the seasons. It was wonderful.”
“It is a truly brilliant sight.”
“Watch this.” Mary said. Tinker Bell dropped golden dust on Mary’s hair. The strands started to float. It was like they were being suspended in midair. You could see the glow of the golden specks in her hair. It was a kind of dust.

This one fairy would be the start. It was the start of the rest of my life. A life in which I never entirely asked for. It was a life of adventure and thrill. It would be full of magic. It was also a life full of betrayal.