Peter Pan and the Lost

Something Gross

The grottos crawled underneath Neverland, bringing flowing water along with winding paths above the surface of the river. Electric eels illuminated the water's surface as the two of them trekked along in silence. Foxtail and Lively were too curious to be scared of the darkness. They knew that the only things that scared them was their own imagination, so they only thought the happiest things possible. Each time one of them had a happy thought, the eels shined brighter, the water flowed calmer and they smiled at each other. Foxtail's tail would whip around in excitement and Lively's freckles would dance.

"HELLOOOOooooooooo."

The calls echoed through until it bounced back to them.

"Helloooooo," Foxtail called back, "Hoooowwww arrrrrrrrre yoooooooou?"

"FaaaaaaaanTASTIC!" Lively replied to hoots of laughter. The eels shined another way to go. Foxtail's tail could whip a fly away from 15 feet. Lively's freckles danced a konga line.

Rivers of glowing light flowed throughout the cave, even glowing from the ceiling, to a bright opening on the other side. It opened to another side of Neverland, overlooking a coral reef surrounded by shady mangroves and birch shoots. Brightly coloured fish dotted the water as they looked out beyond blue waters, catching a glimpse of Maple dancing with her mermaids alongside the horizon of blue colour.

As they skipped on the water's ripples and crawled through the wave's holes, they didn't speak a word. Foxtail and Lively knew each other well enough not to need conversation between them all of the time. Besides, the Fairy Festival would be coming up soon, and they needed a gift to present to the fairy queen. Lively had already chosen a gift, but Foxtail needed an idea. As they reached the other side and found different ways to climb the same thicket, Foxtail still hadn't thought of a good idea.

"Hey, Lively?"

"Yeah Foxtail?"

"What can I get them?"

"Get who?"

"The Fairy Queen and the Indians. I can't think of anything to get for them."

"Why not something scary?"

"But that would scare away the children."

"That's true..."

Lively plopped a finger onto her chin as her feet flew through the leaves.

"I would get them something gross."

"You have the worst ideas."

"At least I have a few. Unlike someone who doesn't have any."

She jolted a shoulder upwards as her eyes rolled to the trees.

"You asked me. I told you what I have in mind for you to get them...at least what I'm thinking of right now."

"What in Neverland could you be thinking that is scary and gross?"

Lively hadn't been looking where she glided until she fell flat into a mud puddle.

BLORP

Her eyes pierced through the mud dripping off her face.

"I guess that was it."

She looked down at her favourite shirt covered in mud... and had an idea.

"Here, catch!"

She gripped a splatter of mud and threw it at him, smacking him straight in the face.

"Oh you clumsy clod! I'll get you back for that!"

He rushed her into the mud pile, sending sloppy mud everywhere. By the time their ruckus ended, there wasn't a single drop on the ground, and a dozen fairies laughing along with the two mud-soaked children in the distance.

They decided to cool off in one of the many lagoons floating above the island, swaying atop a massive flamingo indifferent to the two children climbing atop its massive legs. As they slithered into the warm waters, they didn't notice someone watching them from above the flamingo's head.

"'Allo, muddy freaks!"

They slunk backwards as they recognized the mermaid princess.

"Where are your mermaids, O great and talented one?" Lively didn't know of sarcasm, only genuine emotions; that was fear. Foxtail admirably watched her bravery.

"Them? They're too afraid to come up here. Besides, they're napping not too far away. You seem not to scary, so I can trust you. Right?

The two of them nodded as their mud slipped away, keeping the water clean. She slid down the flamingo's neck and into the blue water, the three children fitting comfortably in the lagoon.

"Why is your name Maple?"

"Why is yours... Wait, I don't know yours. What are they anyway?"

The two of them took glances, as if giving away a deep secret. Then they brought their faces back towards hers and Lively spoke first.

"I'm Lively and this is Foxtail. He's got a tail and Peter tells me I'm ener-getic. He never explained what that word means. Maybe I should ask him."

"He's got a what?!" Maple's eyes opened wide as not only did she hear that, but when Foxtail actually showed her his tail, she actually got to see one. Something definitely was odd about this place...

"So who's Peter?"

Foxtail tried stopping her, but she said it anyway.

"He was the one who attacked you yesterday... well, by accident."

"Yeah, he didn't know who you were..."

"So why did he do it if he didn't know me?"

They both shrugged their shoulders simultaneously. Maple raised an eyebrow in contemplation. Her arms stretched as far around the lagoon as possible, as if her personal lounge chair. A cloud lazily drifted between the flamingo's legs.

"So, how did you get to this crazy island?"

"No idea," Lively put a finger to her chin again.

"The last thing I remember was waking up here, with a big bandage on my head, like I had fallen into Neverland. Wait, I don't remember falling... I have no idea how I got here. What about you?"

Foxtail's eyes looked upwards in thought while Maple readied herself to answer the question. By the time she began to answer, they all felt the water cool down to uncomfortable levels so they all agreed to jump into the ocean below. The waters eagerly ran up to greet the three of them, as the mermaids rushed up to greet them.

"Before you greet me, meet Lively and Foxtail. They are my friends, and therefore yours as well. That is the rule of the waters. Capisce?"

Azure agreed on behalf of the rest of them and brought them all to the warm mainland, the sand warm to the touch and drying their bodies as they lay on the sand with the Mermaid princess. She weaved her tale with big words and hand waves, mesmerizing Azure, Lively, Silverfin, Sirena, Dolphin, Foxtail and Madeline with how she got to Neverland. As they walked together into the darkening brush and to the festival, Foxtail knew what gift to give to the Indians and Queen Mabs of the fairies.