Cherry Meets Peter Pan

chapter 2

Cherry hummed a song to herself as they were walking along and about to meet her extended family.

"What's that song you're humming, Cherry?" Atticus asked while they were walking over to the Darling family house.

"It's a song Aunt Mary used to sing to us when we were wee little..." Cherry explained. "They say that there's a place called Never Ever Land where you never grow up and it's the second star to the right and straight on until morning."

"Yeah, I've heard of that place." Atticus smiled.

"Aunt Mary started telling stories, then Wendy went on, and who knows, maybe Wendy's daughter will tell them?" Cherry said back.

"Yeah, maybe." Atticus smiled.

Cherry came to the door first and knocked on the front door. Atticus decided to take her bags with his so she wouldn't have so much to carry. A very youthful woman with caramel brown hair and ocean blue eyes came to the door.

"Aunt Mary!" Cherry greeted.

"Sweetheart." Mary smiled and hugged her niece.

"Hello, ma'am." Atticus greeted.

"Oh, is this your friend?" Mary asked.

"Yes, this is Atticus," Cherry introduced. "I hope it's okay he comes over too."

"Of course... Come right in..." Mary walked them into her home. "Children, your cousin and her friend are here!" she called out to upstairs.

"We're coming, Mother!" Wendy's voice called back.

"Must be Wendy." Atticus guessed.

"Kinda obvious." Cherry said since Wendy was the only girl child of her Aunt Mary and Uncle George.

There came a St. Bernard dog with a hat who entered the room, she then looked to Cherry and Atticus and growled slightly.

"Easy, girl, we're friends." Atticus assured the ST. Bernard.

"Nana, it's okay." Mary told the dog.

The St. Bernard then came over to Cherry, gave a sniff, and then smiled and jumped up at the girl, licking her face.

"Down, please." Cherry grunted due to not being much of a dog person.

"Down, Nana, down..." Mary put her dog down. "Sorry about that, Cherry... I guess she just missed you after your last visit."

"Yeah, I guess so." Cherry said.

Nana then got down and moved into the kitchen.

Wendy came down and smiled. "Cherry!"

"Hey, Wendy." Cherry greeted her cousin.

"Cherry!" John and Micheal came down and smiled as well.

Cherry came to her other cousins. Wendy looked to Atticus curiously then.

"Hi, remember me? We met at the Brown's house." Atticus said.

"Oh, that's right..." Wendy slowly remembered. "I knew you seemed familiar."

"Yeah, my name is Atticus by the way." Atticus said.

"That's right, I mostly remembered your face and you having the most peculiar name." Wendy nodded.

"Peculiar?" Atticus asked.

"No offense of course, I've just never heard of anyone with that name before." Wendy explained why she said that.

"It's alright." Atticus shrugged.

Michael carried his teddy bear as he followed his older brother downstairs to meet Cherry and Atticus.

"Greetings." John said.

"Hey." Atticus smiled and waved to the boys.

John held out his hand, expected it to be shook. Atticus then nodded and shook his hand right back.

"I swear, John is a 45 year old man trapped in a little boy's body." Cherry whispered to Wendy as a joke.

"I know, right?" Wendy giggled quietly.

John gave a glance to his cousin and older sister. Cherry and Wendy just smirked to him.

"Girls..." John shook his head at them.

"Come on, come on, let's go upstairs and play!" Micheal smiled.

"I'll go check on George." Mary told her niece, guest, and children before going.

"Okay," Cherry nodded to her, then followed the others upstairs to the nursery where the three children all slept together. "What're we gonna play?"

"Peter Pan and his new ally fighting Captain Hook to save the Gothy Princess." Micheal smiled.

"Gothy Princess...?" Cherry hid an eye roll. "Whatever... Let's try this out. I see you're telling Aunt Mary's stories, Wendy."

"Oh, yes, they're so wonderful..." Wendy smiled dreamily. "I only hope to see Peter Pan again very soon."

"You've met him before?" Atticus asked.

"Why of course I have," Wendy explained. "When he was here last time, I took his shadow so he would come back for it maybe tonight."

"How can you take someone's shadow?" Atticus asked.

"Oh, it was really easy..." Wendy insisted.

Mary sighed and shook her head to Wendy, but had an amused smile, she then went to fetch her husband. They came into the nursery where it was neat and tidy so far, but not for long...

"So, who's this ally going to be?" Atticus asked.

"You, of course." Micheal smiled.

"I should've known that was coming," Atticus laughed at himself. "Okay, who's Peter Pan then?"

"Me!" Michael beamed.

Atticus laughed. "Okay."

"Guess I'm the princess..." Cherry shrugged.

"Yeah, because you're a perky goth." Atticus said.

"Yeah, yeah..." Cherry shrugged.

"What does that mean exactly?" Wendy asked.

"Well, I'm a goth, but I'm more happy and carefree than most goths..." Cherry explained.

"Ahh." Wendy said, understanding now.

"You can be the gothy princess." Michael smiled to his big cousin.

"Okay, Michael." Cherry said with a small chuckle.

Atticus, John, Michael, and Cherry then started to play their game. John tied a bandanna on his head to play a pirate with a coat hanger, he was going to be Captain Hook for the game. Wendy was going to pick up what she could, feeling like a grown-up. Atticus luckily still had his strongman suit with him from the Dumbo adventure.

"Where'd you get that?" John asked once he tried to get the bandanna tied properly.

Atticus helped him. "Long story."

"You look cool wearing it." Michael smiled.

"Thanks." Atticus half-laughed, then sighed, he now wondered what Dumbo was up to these days after being reunited with his mother.

"Thanks, Atticus." John said once the bandanna was secure and comfortable for him to wear.

"No problem, John." Atticus thanked him.

Once they were all set, they started their game as it got very dark outside. Wendy was not playing, she was going to clean up what she could as an attempt to impress her parents. Mary and George were talking about Cherry and Atticus's visit and they were getting ready for the party. While they were looking for his gold cuff-links and his shirt neck. George was having trouble while Mary seemed to be in no rush or worry.