The Pan of Neverland

Chapter 1: Make Believe

"I'll get you, Blackbeard!" The voice chased after a small boy, darting through a slit curtain door and into a cramped space. The room pulsed with a pink glow, seeping through a series of sheets that formed the walls. 

"Ye'll never get me or me treasure map! I'll die before giving it up, Arrr!" Alex shouted over his shoulder, before dropping to the carpet and worming his way through a long playhouse tunnel that led to the main room of their pillow fort.

Standing up, Alex peered back into the tunnel, searching for his friend. "Roger?" he called out.

"Got you!" Roger's voice echoed from behind him, causing the young boy to scream and dive back into the tunnel.

Roger grabbed Alex's feet and dragged him into the large room, which was tented like a circus. Alex kicked and yelped, fighting his friend off with all his might as if Roger were an executioner.

"No, I'll never surrender! Ye hear me, ya swash-toothed scallywag? Ye'll never get me booty!" Alex exclaimed wildly.

Roger struggled to pull Alex away from the tunnel, surprised that it wasn't easier, given he was years older and taller than his young friend. "Give me that map, ya nasty bilge rat!" Roger demanded, losing his grip on the small boy's leg.

Alex broke free and rolled frantically sideways, knocking over the broomstick that was the central support for their fort. The mismatched collection of sheets they'd pinned up gave it a cathedral-like feel, until it collapsed into a heap of bedding and broomsticks. Lost in their own world of pirate games, their makeshift fortress was the perfect stage for their imaginations to run wild. But the moment was fleeting as the weight of the collapsing ceiling broke their fantasy, and they were left to wriggle free from the tangled mess of sheets.

As they struggled to right their fortress, the trapdoor to the attic swung open, revealing a bright face young woman.

"Is everything alright up here, boys?" she asked, her face showing concern.

"Yes, Eliza. Sorry, the fort collapsed." Roger replied.

"Okay, well, your parents will be back soon, they'll want you sleeping. You guys better start cleaning this up."

Roger rolled his eyes as she left. "A babysitter. I can't believe they got me a babysitter," he grumbled, finishing the reassembly of the fort's main chamber. "I'm thirteen years old, for Pete's sake. I don't need a sitter for one evening."

Alex didn't seem to mind, though. "She let us stay up past bedtime," he said, grinning, swinging an old cane around like a sword.

Roger huffed. "It's not about that. I'm almost a grown man. I'm heading to Gordon Prep tomorrow."

Alex winced. "Can you stop talking about that? It's bumming me out."

But Roger couldn't stop himself. "Don't worry, mate. In two years, you'll be there too. It'll give me just enough time to get the run of the place before you arrive. You'll fit right in with the big boys, just wait."

While he spoke, though, Roger started realized that he was growing up faster than Alex, and it troubled him. He cherished the fact that his friend still brought him into his imaginative realm. And he loved that he still had the ability to immerse in the game completely, indulging a vivid imagination. However, he was beginning to feel a strong urge to put those childish skills behind him and focus on the important matters in life.

"Time to grow up," he said, looking at Alex with a newfound resolve. Then gazed up toward the sheet ceiling, lost in his own thoughts.

Suddenly, a soft voice broke the silence, emanating from the play tunnel. "No, don't grow up!"