Neverland, Wiser Than Us All

Why Can We Not

The following 850 years were absolute bliss. Never had there been so much laughter and warm wind in Neverland's history.

When Twig came of age, Trell was there with Jacob to meet him.

The other generations of boys came and they left. They loved Their Peter and His Wendy Darling. When Wendy was asked by the boys why she didn't run away with Peter Pan the first time she met him, she always responded with a simple, "Ladies do not run away in the middle of the night with boys. And gentleman never ask them to."

Wendy and Peter would always let the other know where they were going on the island, and they gave constant love and attention to each other and the boys. The boys became gentleman, something that Peter never knew to teach them. They learned how to read and write their own books. And as always, they learned to fish, chart stars and leap into the ocean.

Now, however, when the cold wind blew, there were two pairs of arms wrapped around a boy. There were two sets of kisses. There was a lullaby to accompany Peter's comforting murmurs. They were a perfect match for each other. Taking shifts and fulfilling their roles as perfect compliments. Wendy didn't know that life could be so happy, and Peter didn't know that he could love anyone the way he loved Wendy. She was constantly surprising him. Just when he thought he had her figured out, there was more to her. She became an instant mother to any that laid foot on the island. And Wendy would weep on the shore every time a boy on the cusp of manhood, would fly into the night sky.

When the boys looked back they would see a red haired woman, much too old to be their Wendy, looking back as they flew to cross into Neverland.

When the pair would sit on the beach their hair would turn white as they leaned into one another, their hands wrinkled. But as soon as the boys blinked their eyes, they would see only Wendy and Peter, sitting still and staring into the sunset.

One night, Peter flew the boy, Aidan, back to the world of men. He had been a lost boy from the moment he was born.

Peter had picked him up, too hungry to cry and freezing in a dark alleyway. He had brought a blanket and bottle with him, too concerned about the babes life to risk exposing him to cold and hunger even a moment longer. The baby was slow to suckle, Peter was afraid that he was too late. But as the boy finally latched on his sucking became urgent. With a belly full for the first time in his life, he fell asleep in Peter's arms. Another light accompanied him, but Peter didn't need it's help as he cradled the day old babe all the way to Neverland.

As they crossed into Neverland, the baby started to wail. Jerking its muscles uncontrollably. The cold burst of air threw Peter 100 feet off his course. The wailing increased with the jerk. The dark mist began to thicken beneath them, sucking them downward like a cyclone. The nameless baby was screaming desperately, and they heard a low and distinct laugh below them.

Slow steps could barely be heard above the hurricane of wind pulling them ever downward. Peter was starting to feel desperate. He was resisting as hard as he could, but fear slipped its way into his heart.

They fell another ten feet. The laugh below them was becoming more clear. They heard a deep inhale through the nose and a satisfied release of breath. The pirate's voice silenced the wind. "Come boy. Bring me that life."

Peter pushed as hard as he could against the wind, the noise coming back in a defining jolt. Cries of strain came from the star's boy. He pushed the babe above his head trying to keep it away from the burning eyes in the shadowed face too close below them.

"Peter!" Wendy cried from her spot above him when she arrived. She looked down into his panicked and desperate face. His eyes flashed relief and his descent halted momentarily. He pushed the baby into her extended hands as he felt the hook stab into his ankle. The shock sent his eyes wide back to Wendy, and he pushed her and the babe away. The hook pulled him down with a jerk. The next second after Aidan fell into Wendy's arms the hurricane stopped, the babe completely quiet and practically asleep. The hook became immaterial for a moment and Peter flew as quickly as he could upward to meet his Darling. He grabbed her roughly by the arm and yanked her, flying as quickly as he could to the shore. Blood trailing behind them.