Leaving Neverland

Peter Pan. Like one of many, never wanted to grow older. Coincidentally, he was the only one who could ever fulfill that dream. He was the boy who never grew up. He remains the same age for the rest of his days.

But, not that long ago, he left Neverland. For now he was alone, no lost boys and, no Wendy. He had no body. Tinkerbell had passed away several years before this day. Before she died, she had given Peter the gift of her magic, so he could be happy and forever fly.

So anyway, he went back to the place where he found his best happiness, in the depths of London. Where he had found his Wendy.

But when he arrived, it was different. The houses had new paint and doors. And, there were different people in the houses.

Peter didn’t understand.

Then suddenly, from about a hundred feet above London, he saw a light, the size of a sparkle, in the corner of his eye. There were people carrying a long, rectangular wooden box with a golden cross in the middle of the cover.

The other people, including children, walked behind the ones carrying the chest-like object, holding candles as they strolled along a path.

At first, he thought the children were the lost boys. With all of the excitement he could collect inside of him, he flew and hid in a tree above the path the people were walking.

Peter was wrong, though. These children were younger and had very little resemblance to the boys we once ventured with. He watched. After awhile, he realized something. He recognized a few of the faces of some of the men. Those were what used to be the lost boys. But now, they were grown up, wearing suits and ties, something that Peter feared to do.

Tears made the cheeks of the people glow in the light of the moon and candles, for they had been crying. But, Peter was confused on why they had been.

Then, the people below Peter all reached a spot along their path where a long rectangle of earth was dug out. The men slowly lowered the rectangular box into the hole and they all stood looking down to it.

“Dear Wendy,” one began.

Peter’s face froze in disbelief.

Peter gasped, then suddenly the branch under him broke into two and he fell to the ground, the bark skinning his chest and stomach.

When he looked, everyone of the people were looking in his direction, the men holding their wives and the women holding the children closer to them. Then shock pierced all of the men’s faces.

“Peter?” One man asked in a weak voice.

Peter got to his feet and stood as proud as he usually did before others.

“Peter,” two of the other men said, “How did you know about Wendy?”

Peter stood confused, the emotion marking his face.

“What about Wendy?” Peter asked slowly and still confused.

Then, they all looked down to their feet, sadness wiping each face, even the children, one beginning to cry.

“Peter,” A woman began, coming over to him.

To Peter’s surprise, she looked like Wendy, the blonde hair, her eyes, and the shape of her face. For only a second, he thought it was her. She put a hand on his shoulder.

“Peter, Wendy is--,” she swallowed and then began to cry, not being able to finish her sentence.

But, Peter didn’t pay attention to her voice anymore, after realizing that the woman wasn’t Wendy. He just stared down in shock, maybe even fear, at the box that laid in the hole now. He took a few steps forward and looked down to it.