Happy Thoughts || Peter Pan

Chapter 23

With her hand folded around the bundle of pixie dust, Avery looked down at the swirling water at the bottom of the waterfall. The river rushed past her, the air damp with steam from below. She hadn't dared take the step yet. Flying was sensational, but flying without Peter? She swallowed once and looked at the bundle in her hand. It was a long way towards the Lagoon. Would this be enough to get there in one go? And could she go back after that?

She grabbed the bundle and took out a handful of pixie dust. It glistened like the gold that was sometimes found in nail polish, but it felt far from human. Her fingers tingled and a bright glow emanated from it. Looking at it was almost hypnotic. She didn't need to think about another word, because this was the only word she could describe it with: magical. This would take her to the Mermaids. A handful of gold-coloured, shimmering fabric. She almost sounded sceptical in her mind, but after everything she had experienced here, she didn't even hear that doubting voice anymore. She brought her hand above her head and released the dust on the third beat.

'Okay, Avery,' she addressed herself, 'think happy thoughts.' It was not difficult for Avery to come up with something; in fact, she was thinking about the night she celebrated with the Indians and her feet were already coming off the ground. This was a very different feeling from when she flew with Peter. She was on her own, no hand to guide her or shoulder she could hang on to. Only now did she realise how difficult weightlessness was. How did this work? Did she have to swim in breaststroke to move forward? Or like superman? She lost her balance and tumbled awkwardly through the air a few times, but after spinning around for a while she managed to hang upright. She moved her body weight forward and she actually went forward instead of upside down! She was finally flying and she was flying all by herself. Never before had she felt so free, as if she could take on the world and nothing could stop her. Gulls sailed with her over the wind towards the coast and when Avery saw the Lagoon, she waved goodbye to the gulls and turned herself. She descended lower and lower, towards the middle of the Lagoon. But Peter was not there to teach her how to brake and when Avery reached the large flat rock and her feet touched the ground, she had so much speed that she almost tumbled over the edge. Just in time, she managed to bring herself to a stop. She sighed with relief. It had worked!

Avery looked around. It was dead calm and there was not a breath of wind, causing the water to crash against the rocks with tiny waves. She could hardly imagine what the lagoon would look like alive. With the mermaids bathing under the falls and sunbathing where she now stood. It looked deserted and algae and seaweed were everywhere, making the water look a lot darker. She sat down on the rock and pressed the pan flute to her lips. Gently she blew and sent the clear notes across the sea. She was not as good as Peter, but it went nicely and without any false notes. She kept playing the same song again and again, until sun almost drowned in the sea and moon took her place in the sky. And she had yet to see a fin or tail.

Avery lowered the instrument and stared at the sea. The soft murmur of the rolling waves was now all she heard. Moonlight danced on the surface of the water, the rest was shrouded in darkness. Would the mermaids not come on purpose? Would they avoid the Lagoon because of the pirates? Avery could not imagine them avoiding this safe haven, embraced by the cliffs. Suddenly, she was startled when she finally heard splashing in the water. She looked around to see where the sound was coming from, but it was too dark to see far and the surface of the water seemed as smooth as ever. Beside that, it was quiet. Awfully quiet. She felt her heart thump against her chest. Why did she feel watched?

She shifted back and forth on the rock, looking around for piercing eyes. She would give anything to have a flashlight now. What creatures were spying on her from the trees above the Lagoon? But it wasn't the trees she had to worry about. A screeching so sharp that Avery had to cover her ears suddenly cut across the water. It sounded like rusted iron rubbing against each other, nails being run over the blackboard and a griffle squeaking on a slate board; toe-curling sounds that could make anyone's ears bleed. Avery looked around, but the sound was everywhere. She pressed her hands even harder against her ears as the sound became even more shrill and she screamed.

There was no description for the jump her heart made when she was suddenly pulled down by an icy hand. She lost her balance and collapsed forward onto the rock. Before she could realise what had happened, a hideous-looking creature shot out of the water. It clawed at her with grey hands with sharp nails, grabbed her and dragged her towards the water. Avery kicked as hard as she could and towards the inhuman face with razor-sharp teeth. The creature hissed at her like an angry cat and clambered onto the rock.

The water in the Lagoon was no longer calm when more of the same creatures appeared above the water and started screeching at each other, as if they were arguing over their bounty. It wasn't long until another one appeared at her rock and pushed the first one out of the way. Avery managed to break free and crawled backwards, until one of the creatures jumped out of the water and grabbed her hair. The weight of the creature pulled her backwards. A searing pain shot across her scalp and Avery grabbed at her red locks screaming. Tears sprang to her eyes as she made an attempt to free herself, but the hand's grip was too tight. She grabbed for the pan flute lying next to her and slammed it against the creature's wrist with all her strength. Screaming, it let go of her hair and Avery managed to escape, the throbbing pain still lingering on her head.

One by one or sometimes simultaneously, the creatures tried to get her into the water. Sharp nails scratched across her arms and legs, leaving bloody marks. Avery yanked her leg free from the tight grip and rolled backwards into the icy water. The cold crept under her clothes and penetrated her skin bitingly. The sea swallowed her whole. 

She swam for life and breached the surface, grateful for the oxygen she sucked into her lungs. The waves from her jump sloshed against her face and she coughed as she accidentally swallowed water. She had barely managed to gasp for air or she was pulled underwater again. She sank deeper, darker and further away from the clear surface. Her lungs burned, yearning for fresh oxygen, and Avery panicked. She kicked and wobbled, trying with all her might to extricate herself from the mermaid's grip. Squeals echoed dully through the water and the grip on her ankle eased. Avery did not take time to look why she had broken free and clawed her way up to the surface. Every fibre in her being longed for the surface. Bubbles escaped from her mouth as she pushed herself against the water with all her might, her body trembling with exertion. She didn't even seem to feel the coldness of the water anymore. The moonlight above her became a faint shadow, an illusion that seemed further and further away. Her head became light and soon the moonlight was swallowed up by the same darkness she found herself in.