Pan: The Untold Adventure

Chapter12: Blissful Arrival

The two ascended higher & higher into the heavens, & Wendy stole a glance over Pan's shoulder, watching as the ground became earth, & the earth became green & twinkling under the shroud of a dark night. Soon, it was nothing but a tiny marble hanging from an invisible thread. Yet, she never flinched, or even considered the logic of this peculiar madness. This had to be a dream, it was too surreal. A little prayer sounded off in the back of her head, please never wake up. Yes, troubles differed from adults & children, & for the first time in so long, the child within her stretched & sang in delight. More & more, she was feeling like her old self, the self of the days in the nursery. Adventurous, fearless, & with a powerful imagination, bound to four walls that were so much more than four walls. She reached for the colors that danced & swirled before her, an ever changing kaleidoscope on a canopy of diamond studded abyss. A comet glided above them & planets sat silently in their invisible orbits. Pan spun through the rings of Saturn causing them to be bathed in an effervescent cloud, like tiny bubbles of a child's bath. Yes, surely this was the grandest of all dreams, Wendy silently decided.

When their eyes met during this celestial dance, Wendy felt a blush melt into her cheeks, & a smile so big her face became sore. His hand touched softly the skin of her cheek that once gleamed a pain deeper than Wendy had fathomed possible, one that Pan visibly was bothered by still. Gently, she leaned into his touch, a silent allowance saying this is nice. In this moment, nothing else existed. London, Neverland, the ache of her family being on two different spectrums. The only thing that mattered was the arms that held her close & the intoxication his eyes gave her. Her heart was very well going to implode on itself if she didn't take a breath. But she was breathless, weightless, careless, lost in a limitless ending. In that moment, she decided he was no stranger to her. The sense of comfort she felt with him was something she had never found before & never wanted to search for again.

Rough hands brought her back to the moment as they slipped from her hips, up across her ribcage. With a sly grin, Pan lifted her up in front of him, allowing her a front row seat to witness the colorful mirage.

"This place is what I call the hearth, an in-between. Only certain souls are able to pass through here with ease." When Pan spoke, his voiced echoed outward. She felt nothing but pure & unbent freedom, & she desired to melt into the sound that rippled from his lips. She felt as light as a feather, as delicate as a ballerina in the hands of Pan. She outstretched her arms as Pan picked up speed toward the brightest star in the sky. Genuine laughter rained from Wendy's mouth in a golden shimmer, falling onto her arms like snow. Just like magic. They became caccooned in a spectrum of color Wendy could give no name leading into sparks & and streams sprouting toward them, pulling them into the core. The tips of his fingers left goosebumps in their wake as Pan's hands stretched out to her wrists. Wendy's breath became hitched, stuck in her throat as Pan's chuckle flowed gently across the skin of her shoulder. His cheek met hers with the shortest moment, but the spark of connection made her blood pump faster than ever. Faster than the first night he saw her, as his eyes danced over the silk of her nightgown, the very one that was clinging to her skin. Faster than the question of the acorn that dangled from her neck. Faster than the moment he dropped her from the London night. She was the thread looped through him, the needle, guiding her across the vast plane of existential beauty.

& she was finally flying.

Light brighter than the sun drenched them both, blinding Wendy so tremendously. She closed her heavy eyes & Pan pulled her into his embrace & slowed his pace.

"Your soul must be special," he whispered.

Wendy almost feared to open her eyes once more. There was no velocity pushing them forward but she could feel a wind whipping her hair & skin. This was all too true, too perfect, too flawless. Where was the catch? Would she awaken from this slumber, this dream? Her breathing was shallow & her heart was pounding deep in her chest; it rattled her bones.

"Is it?" was the only thing she could conjure from her mouth. She was blessed with Pan's chuckle because of it, & a grin slipped once more onto her face.

"Wendy Bird, open your eyes."

"Should I?" she pondered aloud. Could I? she pondered quietly. "I'm enjoying the unknown."

"Maybe it's just your fear," Pan said matter-of-factly. "Tell you what, I'll cover your eyes with my hand. But your eyes must open as soon as I take it away. Deal?" How could Wendy say no? Of course she wouldn't say no, but indeed it was her fear stopping her. "No more fear, alright?" Instinctually, she swallowed, a nervous tick. No verbal communication. Just a nod saying yes. His left hand fell over her eyes & her breath became fast & more shallow still. "Just be calm, Wendy Bird. You have nothing to fear." She allowed herself a true deep breath & held it for several seconds before the release.

Pan said nothing as he lifted his hand from Wendy's face. Staying true to her promise, she opened her eyes. The two hovered just above the snowy softness of the clouds. Below was a deep azure ocean with white waves crashing onto sandy shores of the most pure green Wendy had ever seen. There were many speckles of islands surrounding the large centerpiece. She could make out a thick verdant jungle, a vast plain. A line of smoke flowed upward from a corner of the island. A lagoon swooped inward toward the island, an even brighter blue than the deep ocean surrounding the outer edges. Mountains were reaching toward the clouds, blue trickles, waterfalls, rained from them. In the very center, she could make out the top of a tree, grander than any she had seen before. There were branches, easily spotted. It even had a sly fog hovering within the very summit of the tree.

"What do you think?" Pan said after a few moments.

"It's... greater than.. anything." Wendy found herself having a difficult time finding words that could accurately portray just what she thought. It was grand, magnificent, stupendous. No spoken words equalled the bliss her heart felt at that very moment.

"Is something wrong?" Pan cradled her when he noticed the tears streaming from her eyes. "You're crying."

"No, it's just overwhelming. How can beauty like this exist? & these aren't sad tears these are... well, happy doesn't really cover this emotion," Wendy giggled through the thickness in her throat & wiped her cheeks. Pan's worry soften into a peaceful grin.

"I'm glad," was all he could manage at that moment. Wendy couldn't tell what he was thinking, but she certainly hoped their thoughts were equivalent. After several heartbeats & moments of quiet staring, Pan spoke once more. "Even though you have these tears, you make them beautiful." Wendy was shocked at how deeply sincere these words were. It seemed only moments ago she was arguing & yelling at nothing more than a child, playing games with her, dropping her suddenly. Even the thick sarcasm he spoke playfully some nights ago didn't cross her mind. It was singlehandedly the most lovely statement she ever heard. His lips still held that very special grin as his arm gestured outward. With a turn of his head, Wendy admired that spectacular profile, committing it & this entire moment to memory before following his gaze.

"Well Wendy Bird, I welcome you to my domain. Welcome to Neverland."

-

Please allow me to apologize for my time of being away. I hope this update finds you all well & with best wishes. I want to say that I don't deserve the continued support of this story, & I'm grateful I have it. Between my job & personal life, as well as the inner conflict I harbor with myself, it's been so difficult for me to update this as much. I have been suffering through some severe anxiety & depression for several months, & I'm trying to really build myself back up. I don't want to go into too many details. I will say that I have an amazing support system, & because of this I haven't gave into the many painful thoughts my mind screams at me.
I say this to you, with tears in my eyes & gratitude in my heart, my darling readers, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU for supporting my writing & this story of Peter & Wendy so much. I hope that I can bounce back & give more, because I have many plans for these two. Writing means more to me than most anything, & I'm so grateful to this platform that is connecting me to many readers. & I want to say a special thank you to @harry412styles for the words of encouragement. I'm so glad this reached you & helped you through some trying times, & I hope it is a safe place for you through future hardships, as well as a happy space during triumphs.

Forever hoping you all have boundless faith, deep trust, & dreams of pixie dust

c✨