Lost Boys [Satogou]

Lost Boys [Part 3]

Oh, Ash, where'd you go?

I've probably been looking for an hour now. I've searched all over the place, asking people who passed by if they'd seen him. Maybe it's possible that he went back to his place behind the pizza shop?

So I went there and checked. But no sign of him. So then I started checking every shop he's ever talked about or taken me to.

But when I didn't find him anywhere, I started to get worried.

I walked back to the park, to the place where we separated. No sign of the boy who was sitting by the tree either.

Maybe he and Ash had become friends and were venturing off elsewhere.

"Excuse me, son, are you looking for something?" a voice came up behind me. I turned around to see a police officer walking toward me.

"Oh, yes! I'm looking for my friend. He has black messy hair and brown eyes, and he's about the same height as me. His name is Ash," I explained, hoping he knew something.

"Ah yes, I know who you're talking about," the officer said carefully. "You see, a few hours ago this friend of yours was talking to another boy by that tree over there. And at first, I didn't think anything of it. But all of a sudden I heard fighting, and I saw that the other boy had pulled a switchblade on your friend."

My eyes widened, as I panicked.

"Is he okay? Is he hurt?" I choked, desperate for answers.

The officer stood tall, his firm face softening. Something about his look made me feel nervous and more anxious.

I could feel the tension as he looked at me gingerly, his eyes deep and dismally.

"Well, boy..." he spoke in a whisper. "I was able to stop the fight before anything too bad happened. Luckily your friend was pretty agile, so he was able to avoid major injury. However, he wasn't able to get away without a few cuts and scrapes. So we arrested the kid with the blade for questioning and had your friend taken to the station to get checked out by medical professionals. But I'm sure he'll be alright."

"Oh, can you take me there to see him, please? I've been so worried about him! I was looking for hours to find him," I requested.

"Sure, boy," the officer replied. "Come with me."

...

The station was huge.

The first thing I noticed when I walked inside was how big the reception area was. For just one lady, she probably was sitting at somewhere around a 12-foot counter.

The officer showed his badge to the lady, telling her we were heading over to the sick room.

And so, the officer led me down a hallway, into the 4th door on the right, slowly opening it, and letting me inside.

"Now he might be sleeping, so if he is, don't—"

"Ash!" I interrupted him, darting over to the small metal bed Ash was sitting on. He had bandages all over his arms, legs, and a few on his face.

"Goh? Why are you—" he slowed his speech to a stop.

I gave him a tight hug, squeezing him.

"Ash, I'm so sorry I said those mean things to you. I didn't mean them at all, and I hope you can forgive me," I said immediately. "I'm so glad you're okay, and I hope we can still be friends."

He didn't reply for a moment, but he did put his arms around me in response, hugging me back.

"Goh... don't apologize to me," he said sadly. "I should be the one apologizing to you. I started it. And I shouldn't have said those things either. You just cared about me and didn't want me to get hurt, but I couldn't see that," he admitted, feeling guilty.

"It's okay, I forgive you," I said calmly, pulling away from him.

"And plus," he chuckled sheepishly. "...you were right in the end," he pointed to the bandage on his right cheek and chin.

We both laughed about it and started talking like nothing had happened. And at that moment, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of my chest.

...

Ash was released an hour later. But the police officers had been very nice and offered to let us shower and give us new clothes as they washed the ones we had worn for a while. Which, of course, was an offer we could not refuse.

When they asked where our parents were, we lied and said they were just around the block, so we could continue being on our own.

Because the last place Ash and I wanted to be was the orphanage.

And so, after the day was nearly over, Ash and I were able to walk back to our spot behind the pizza shop.

I decided to stay the night with him instead of going back to my place. So we lit a fire, split a hot dog we managed to steal from the park, and started telling each other stories, like we usually did every day. But this time, I decided to talk about the bedtime story my parents used to read to me before bed.

"My parents never read me any stories," Ash told me. "You're so lucky."

"Oh, just wait until you hear this story!" I exclaimed, excited to tell him.

And as I was telling him the tales of Peter Pan, I realized something.

One day, Peter Pan asked his friends to come with him to Neverland. He taught them how to fly, by sprinkling them in pixie dust and telling them to believe it would happen. Peter Pan then took his friends to Neverland, which was a beautiful destination, a wonderful place, and full of magic. Almost like a dream.

As a child, hearing that story over and over again, I always wanted Peter Pan to come to me one night and ask me to come with him to Neverland. And in these past few years, especially right after I lost my parents, I thought about this story a lot. 

I always wanted a place I could use as a getaway. A different reality. A place where my parents were still here. A place where the whole town loved me. A place where I had a family. Even though I thought I didn't need one, I needed someone as my Peter Pan, someone there for me, someone to guide me, someone to take my mind off of the things that had happened to me. Someone who loved me.

Ash.

He was my Peter Pan.

The End.