Second Star To The Right

Prologue

"Cinderella flew through the air... far from all things ugly and ordinary. When she landed at the ball, she found herself..." Wendy started. 

"Most impertinently surrounded by pirates." John continued. "There was Alf Mason, so ugly his mother sold him for a bottle of Muscat. Bill Jukes, every inch of him tattooed. And worst of them all, Hook, with eyes blue as forget-me-nots, save when he clawed your belly with the iron hook he has... instead of a right hand, at which time... his eyes turn red. "Girlie," said Hook, "We have come for ye glass slippers.""

Wendy then continued the story. "Who be you to order me about and call me girlie? Take that! Take that! Take that! Commoner! Hook came at her." 

"What happened then?" Michael asked. "What happened then?"

"The brave Cinderella settled the matter once and for all... with her revolver." Wendy continued.

"With her revolver?" Michael asked.

The night on which the extraordinary adventures... of these children may be said to have begun was the night Nana barked at the window. 

The children ran over to the window and opened it. They looked down and saw nothing, not a bird or a leaf. They then looked up and still saw nothing.

So the children forgot about it, for what troubles a grown-up will never trouble a child.

But what they didn't see was the two figures that were hiding on the roof listening to every word the children said. They were from another world, a world that was only dreamed about. The two figures looked at each other silently agreeing to something that only they knew about.

"Oh dearest George, dear Mary. Oh what a journey I've had." Aunt Millicent said as she walked in through the door and said a hello to Mr and Mrs Darling.

"Bath time!" Aunt Millicent announced. 

"Not fair! Not fair!" Michael yelled through the house as Nana chased him down the hallway towards the bathroom.

Not fair, indeed. But Nana was the finest nurse on four paws. 

"No. No, I will not forgive you." Michael stated as Nana chased him into the bath and he got surrounded by water in the bath. He broke out into a smile as Nana started licking his face.

There never was a happier, simpler family. Mr. Darling was a banker who knew the cost of everything, even a hug. Mrs. Darling was the loveliest lady in Bloomsbury... with a sweet, mocking mouth that had one kiss on it... the one Wendy could never get. Though there it was, perfectly conspicuous on the right-hand corner. And sometimes there was Aunt Millicent... who felt a dog for a nurse lowered the whole tone of the neighbourhood.