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The time has come. Make your move tonight. But make it well. A tiny voice echoed from the back of her head. “Peter, where are you? I’ve been waiting so long. I just hope I’m not too late.” Magey stood in the bedroom window and looked out into the night sky like she had done so many times before, her eyes forever searching for a trail of pixie dust; the NeverStone clutched firmly in her right hand. She could hear the chattering sound of her children coming up the staircase. A grin upon her face, she put the NeverStone down on the window sill and quickly snuck to hide behind her daughters’ closet door. “Mama?” the oldest one, Amy, called out. “Mama, are you up here?” her twin, Anna, requested in turn. They were followed up by their little brother, Christopher. “Mama?” all three chorused together. Magey had to cover her mouth to stifle a giggle. She didn’t want them to find her. “I wonder where she is” Amy started and Anna finished. “She has to be up here somewhere. She’s not anywhere in the rest of the house,” Christopher acknowledged. Suddenly they heard a low crow come from the girls bedroom. Knowing smiles curled up in the corners of their mouths, and their eyes all twinkled at each other. It was pretend time, and tonight they were going to be in Neverland. “Come on, you lost girls,” Christopher declared. “Let’s go find Peter.” The twins cheered and off the three of them went down the hall in search of Peter Pan. They flew into the bedroom, arms outstretched - but feet never leaving the ground - and danced their way over and under beds and across toys and stuffed animals. They swirled their way through the room all the while calling for Peter. “Where can he be?” Anna inquired. “He’s hiding pretty good this time,’ Amy answered. Yet again Magey had to stifle a laugh. Although she was pressed up against the wall behind the closet door, she couldn’t believe her children hadn’t found her yet. Carefully, she slid to get her three into view. Once they were all over by Anna’s bed, she would make her move and surprise them. NOW! she decided, once they were all in place Bounding across the floor, Magey let out a hearty crow as she leapt up onto the bed. All three squealed with delight and Christopher chirped out, “There you are Peter Pan!” “Yep, here I am,” Magey boasted, a mischievous smile covering her face. She stood on the bed, her hands on her hips, when suddenly she was knocked over by three small bodies. All laughing, Amy managed to ask, “Where were you hiding, Peter?” “Ack, I won’t tell. Nope. Peter Pan never tells. You’ll never get my secret hiding spot out of me. It’ll be a grand adventure for you to be able to do that. And I’ll take on any adventure you throw at me.” she said with remarked cockiness. Magey had no idea what Peter’s true character was like; she could only go by what her mother had told her. But she displayed such an arrogance to her that she would have made Peter proud had he seen her. “Oh yes you will!” Amy roared, and all three began tickling their mother mercilessly. Laughing and screaming in a fit of pleasure, Magey was able to break herself free of the torture and leap across to Amy’s bed. “Ah-ha! You can’t hold me. Nothing can hold Peter Pan. I’m too fast for you.” “Oh, yeah?” Christopher yelled. He and his sister’s charged their mother and she jumped onto the floor and back to Anna’s bed. “Too slow. Too slow,” she mocked. They came at her again and she was back on the other bed once more. Soon Magey was jumping all over the room with three now screeching and giggling children chasing her. “When did my lost children suddenly become pirates?” she questioned with laughter, stopping in the middle of the floor. “We don’t know. It just happened.” This was the nonchalant response she got from Anna as they tackled her and fell to the floor with laughter. Lying in a large heap on the floor, Magey hugged her children close and reveled in the excitement that pounded hard in her chest. “All right, who wants to hear a story?” she asked, bring herself to sit up right. “I do, I do, me, me, me!” This was the melody she heard as she stood up. “O.K. then. Should I tell you about the time Jane and Curly and the Twins all got lost in the Echo Cave and I had to go find them.” This was one of Magey’s favorite stories that her mother had told. Although it had been a scary experience at the time - from what Jane had always told her - Magey’s mother had loved to tell this adventure over and over again as well. With cheers and encouragement, Magey enthusiastically went into the story. Outside the window two figures hovered about intrigued by the sounds that were emanating from the room. Peter was hanging there taking it all in; a greedy twinkle of mirth in his eyes. Once more Peter was making the journey to find a mother for the lost boys. But this visit, like so many already, had turned up with nothing. He was on his way back to Neverland when three things made him notice the open window. The first had been the open window itself. This bright beacon of light calling out into the dark of night; Peter couldn’t resist to look closer. As he drew near, he discovered that the brilliant light he saw was coming from a glowing presence resting on the window sill. His eyes opened wide, yet he furrowed his brow. Could this be what he thought it was, and if so, how did it get to where it was resting. “Brass kettles and copper pots!” Tinker Bell exclaimed, aghast. “Is that a NeverStone?” “I believe so-” Peter started, but Tink darted down to look at it closer before Peter could say anything more. Realizing it most definitely what she thought it to be, Tink was perplexed, wondering how the stone had made its way beyond Neverland’s boundaries. A clamor coming from the other side of the window momentarily distracted her, and she carefully peered in, making certain she was not seen. The image she saw made her quickly bolt away and race to Peter. I have to get him out of here, she panicked to herself. If Peter saw what was within the window she knew he would boast that his journey was a success. Tinker Bell had witnessed Amy, Anna and Christopher looking about for their mother. But it was Peter’s name she heard them call. Two girls, was what rang in her mind. Two girls, both exactly alike. Two mothers! No, she couldn’t - she wouldn’t have that. “I have to get Peter away from here,” she mumbled with determination. “Get him back to Neverland.” “Is it a NeverStone, Tink?” Peter asked as she raced to him. “Yes, it is,” she said sharply, not paying attention too much to his question. Get him out of here. Get him home, was all that was going through her head. “Come now, Peter, there’s nothing here for us. Let’s head back to Neverland.” She grabbed hold of his shirt and began to tug on it. Confused by the small fairys sudden erratic behavior, Peter wrenched his shirt out of her grasp. “What do you mean there’s nothing here for us ? That’s a NeverStone down there. A NeverStone, Tink. I want to know how that got here. This is going to be a grand adventure for us. “Is something wrong, Tink?” he asked with sudden concern. “No, everything is fine, you silly ass” she lied, hoping she had covered her agitation. “My-my wings are just tired, that’s all. We’ve been flying so long. Can we please go home now?” She felt herself go pale when the look on Peter’s face told her he wasn’t sure whether to believe her or not. “But, the NeverStone,” he drawled out. “This is the first time ones ever been out of Neverland, and I want to know how it got here.” Unexpectedly, a crow echoed out from the open window and up to Peter’s ears. “What was that?” he queried. His eyes darted to the window, idle curiosity tweaked in them. “Oh, I’m sure it was nothing.” Oh no! I’ve got to get you out of here now, or a new adventure will start and I’ll be damned if I’m going to share you with the two twits in there. “Nothing?” Peter protested. “Ah, Tink that definitely was something. You heard it just as clearly as I did. I want to know what made that noise. And I believe it came from that window.” Oh no, oh no, oh no, was all that went through Tinker Bell’s head. She grabbed Peter’s shirt once more and tried to rationalize herself to him. “So you heard something. So what. That doesn’t mean you have to check it out every time you hear something new. Please, Peter, can we go home, NOW.” She was tugging desperately now and Peter just looked at her with total bewilderment. “Tink what’s wrong with you? Why are you acting so strange?” He gently took hold of her and loosened her grip, then it dawned on him. “There’s something in that window you don’t want me to see. Something that will delight me beyond all belief. Well, you should know better than to try and keep things from me, because now I just have to find out what I’m missing.” He skimmed down to the window, leaving Tinker Bell to stew in her loss. “Bedknobs and broomsticks!” she mumbled. Flustered by her unavoidable defeat, she flitted down to Peter’s side as she heard him say. “First, a NeverStone, then some mysterious thing in the window. Oh, what a grand night this is turning out to be.” Peter and Tink hung just out of view as they listened intently to the laughter. “When did my lost children suddenly become pirates?” they heard a voice laugh. A female voice, Peter deduced; and a grown up by the way she sounded. But Peter had not noticed this last bit of information. Tink had though; the tone and the voice were from one that she had not heard earlier. Muddled together, though the other voices from before might have been, something about this one was different. Suspicion and undeniable curiosity welled up inside her and she quickly peeked in to see who this voice belonged to. Tink’s eyes opened up in surprise as she caught site of a slender lady in a long pale blue tunic frolicking about with the three children she had noticed a few moments ago. Tink quickly noticed this woman carried on with a demeanor that was right in line with the childrens; young, carefree, free of heart, and this befuddled her. Why was a grown woman engaging in child’s play? All Tink could do was scratch her head in frustrated wonder. She looked back to Peter and frowned. Curiosity had totally claimed him by this time, and he closely listened as a story was about to be unfolded on the other side of the window. Magey had begun her story of Jane, Curly and the Twins. Her children listened with excited faces while Peter listened with piqued interest. “Jane, Curly, the Twins? How does she know about them. I don’t remember her ever being in Neverland. At least I don’t think I do.” “That’s because she hasn’t,” Tink barked at Peter, her arms crossed and back to him. “FINE! You don’t have to be so testy,” he snapped back at her. Next came talk of the Echo Cave. “Echo Cave?!” Peter was a loss for words as he listened further, every inch of his being focused on the tale being told. His eyes sparked like two luminous pools when he discovered that he was a part of the tale, and a look of sheer cockiness covered his visage when he realized the person inside was pretending to carry on like him. He gave Tink a smug look, filled with such arrogance that she rolled her eyes at him. “I like this one,” he remarked, coolly. So Magey recited the story the best that she could remember, while the faces of the two uninvited guests lit up with a sense of recognition. Peter’s eyes sparkled and a mischievous smile stretched across his face, telling Tink what he was thinking. Tink’s eyes flitted with worry and discontent, her face now drawn and taut as she unwillingly listened to the grown up continue on with remarked enthusiasm. She looked to Peter once more, uncomfortable with the expression she saw. I know what you’re thinking. I wish you would stop it. she said to herself. This one is NOT right. Not right at all. “She’s amazing!” Peter chuckled. “She knows all about Neverland, ME, the lost boys; she even knows about the Echo Cave. I don’t know how, but she does. She’ll make a great mother.” These were the words Tink had dreaded to hear as she shook her head in disagreement. “But Peter, the lost boys don’t want another mother,” she insisted. “Aw, they’ll change their minds once they meet her.... Come on, let’s go in. We have a mother to bring home.” Peter parried to round the window and let himself in when Tink sparked into his face. “No Peter, we can’t go in there! We don’t need a mother! Besides it’s not what you think.” “Tink, get out of my way!” Peter was highly irritated with his fairy companion now and he dodged to get past her. But she countered every move he made until he finally had to grab her in his hand and forcibly move her. “Peter, please-” But Tink was too late. Peter had moved toward the window then froze, completely aghast by what he saw. Magey was standing on Anna’s bed, her foot resting on the rod iron foot board. She made a grand gesture with her arms; creating two large circles in the air, as she told the story. “So I flew through the cave, never once making a sound. I knew that if I did, I would be lost too.” “But why?” Christopher asked. Quickly trying to remember the reason, her mind snapped it up and she answered. “Because any sound of an echo cause the corridors to shift and change directions, making exiting almost impossible.” Seeing the next question in her son’s eyes, Magey continued on, “And when I got there my lost boys and Jane had stopped calling for help so the corridors were still. So, I flew as fast as I could hoping that none of them would begin calling again. Not that it would matter though. I can get out of any mess I’m in. In fact I wish they had begun calling out again. It would of made finding them that much of an adventure.” Magey spoke these words with an aire of arrogance she could only imagine lived in the eternal youth. She remembered her mother telling her how Peter had such a pride to him that his conceit was enough to make her mad at times. But then, this was what made Peter, Peter. Jumping off the bed she landed on the floor in front of her children. “But I found them. Completely unharmed. So up we went, and flew out of the cave.” Magey pulled her children up off the floor, entreating them to “fly” with her. Giggling and laughing, they all ran around the room, flying back to the underground home. In the midst of this merriment, something caught Magey’s eye that sent a chill of horror down her spine. The NeverStone, which she had placed on the window sill, was no longer there. Dropping everything, she ran to the window in a panic. “Where is it? Where is it!?” she frantically whimpered. Unbeknownst to her, the NeverStone had made its way off the sill and down into the shrubbery below. With the surprise of finding out his intended mother was just that; a mother - a grown up, Peter had faltered and stumbled into the outer ledge of the sill. Not realizing he had bumped the stone off until he saw a white glow calling to him from the ground, he eventually dashed to place it back where it was after observing the sight that was playing out before his eyes. He had retrieved the stone when he heard the panicked voice coming from the window. Already back to the window’s height, Peter hovered above it out of sight, while Tinker Bell fumed at his side. “Oh, where is it?” Magey cried desperately searching for the stone. “What is it Mama?” Amy asked. “The NeverStone,” Magey choked. “It was here, but now it’s gone. I don’t know where it went.” Concerned by their mother’s countenance, the three gathered around her in quiet support. She leaned out over the edge of the sill and looked down to the ground below. Not seeing a bright light emanating up to her, Magey could feel herself fighting back tears. “I can’t lose it. NO! It’s the only tie I have to you, Mother. It’s the only thing I have of Neverland. I have to find it!” “That’s the only stone Grandma Jane gave you, isn’t it, Mama” Christopher remarked sheepishly. “Yes! And other than her stories, I don’t have anything else. I can’t lose the NeverStone....WHERE IS IT?!” Magey pounded her fists on the sill and looked up into the sky. Closing her eyes, she shook her head. “Even with all I believe....and the imagination....without the NeverStone....I can’t lose it.” She bowed her head, letting out a deep sigh. Suddenly the three bodies around her gasped, telling her to open her eyes and look up. When she did she found herself locked eye to eye with Peter Pan. He was hovering just outside the window holding the NeverStone in his hand. A shocked expression covered her face, trying to fathom the encounter she instantly found herself in. “Peter Pan-” was all she was able to mutter. “I believe this belongs to you,” he said with casual disregard, holding out the stone to her. Snapped out of her trance by this gesture, Magey looked at the stone resting in the flying boy’s hand. Gingerly, she reached for it. “Um....yes-yes it does....thank you,” she stammered, taking it. As swift as a bird, Peter dodged past the four standing before him and entered the bedroom. “So, where is she?” he inquired, flitting about. “Who?” Magey asked, watching him soar aimlessly through the room. A small smile curled up in the corners of her mouth and a dizziness began to spread through her from head to toe. “The one who was telling the story,” he remarked nonchalantly. “The story about me and the Echo Cave.” Of course he knew the person he was seeking was right in front of him. But he feigned having any knowledge of this, rather choosing to see if she would reveal herself and satisfy his curiosity. A sudden burst of exaltation exploded in Magey’s heart, traveling through every passage way until a tingle stretched to every inch of her body. He had heard her telling the story which meant he had been just outside the window listening. How long had he been there? What all had he heard? She could only imagine. A complete loss for words, Christopher spoke them for her. “She’s right here,” he exclaimed, tugging on his mother’s arm She glanced down at him, still lost in the sensation overwhelming her. “Her?” Peter asked, causing her to look at him again. “You?” he pointed at her, then moved across the room to look her closely in the face. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a messy knot, obviously made that way by the play she involved herself in. And her ocean blue eyes sparkled with a life he was familiar with, but had never seen beyond those of a child. Fascinated by this, but disguising his curiosity, he coldly remarked. “You can’t be the one who told that story....You’re a grown up.” These words stung at Magey with a bitterness that froze her inside, but Anna quickly came to her defense. “So!” she snapped, glowering at Peter. “So....grown ups don’t tell those kind of stories; not like the one I heard outside the window.” “Oh, yes they do,” Amy joined in. “And our mother’s one of the best storytellers you’ll ever hear.” “Oh really. And how do you figure that?” he asked as his arrogance took over his countenance. Both girls looked at each other and quickly panicked; what could they say. But Magey took over ready to defend herself. “Because I know how to have fun, and I know how to use my imagination. I know how to bring the story to life and make it the best adventure my children ever had.” She then caught hold of his arrogance and through it back at him. “And you would know that since you were outside the window.” “I know. But that doesn’t tell me anything,” he cracked. “Give me one good reason why I should believe you’re this great storyteller.” Magey rose to the challenge completely unaware that Peter was just toying with her; but then how could she know. He knew she was the storyteller her children claimed her to be. He had indeed heard it all outside the window and he was fascinated and intrigued by her. Yet he was wary of her as well. She was a grown up after all - although she didn’t act like one. Still Peter had to be sure. He wasn’t exactly sure where his line of thought was going, but he had to make sure she was everything she appeared to be. Magey had no idea where the boldness came from that replaced her initial reaction to Peter’s harsh words; intimidation. But something burst open inside her, refueling the enthusiasm she had moments earlier. She wasn’t certain if her aim was to impress him or reassure herself, but she could feel a twinkling in her eyes and she struck out with a noted frivolity in her voice. “Well,” she began. “I may be grown up on the outside, but that doesn’t mean I am in here.” She put her hand to her heart. “Because I’m not. And I won’t let myself be. As long as I stay young at heart and always remember to have fun, and use my imagination I’ll never completely grow up. And I’ll never stop believing either. I’ve always believed in you and in Neverland. That something that’ll never change. You should know that just by the story you heard me tell. And I’m sure you saw me carrying on with these three, Peter.” Magey through in these remarks, giving him a look of arrogance that rivaled his own. “And I’ll always believe in the stories my mother told me about Neverland. That’s something I’ll never let go of. Because if I do, then I know I have grown up; completely. And I don’t want to do that. I tell these three the stories over and over, and we live each adventure here in this room. Each one better than the time before. I don’t want to lose that. I want to stay young inside. I want to keep believing. And I’ll make sure I do that no matter what.” Having ignored the last few remarks Magey made, Peter held his chin in his hand and casually asked, “So, do these three have names?” “Yes we have names,” Amy replied, followed by a short round of introductions. When it came to Magey she gave him hers then asked, “Are you listening to me, or are you just ignoring me now?” “I’m listening to you, Magey.” Nodding his head in satisfaction, Peter commented further, “You’re a feisty one. I like that.” “And my mother told me all about you.” Magey commented back, crossing her arms. “I didn’t realize how right she was.” Stifled snickers came from the three about her as they all exchanged glances. Curiosity piqued again, Peter looked thoughtfully at her, “Who is your mother? You mentioned Jane in your story. Is she your mother? That would explain how you know about Neverland” “Yes, Peter. Jane was my mother, and Wendy was my grandmother.” Peter’s eyes lit up with recognition, “Jane and Wendy,” he said with a restrained fondness. “Yes, and they both told me about the wonderful adventures they had with you.” Peter didn’t hear this last statement because he began flying around the room, then out into the hall. “Where are they? Are they here?” He asked coming back into the room. Magey knew he was looking for them and she sadly responded. “No, Peter. They’re gone.” “Gone? Where’d they go?” Suddenly changing topics, Peter continued. “Hey, that would explain why they’re not at the house they’re supposed to be in. There’s somebody else there now, and they have bars on the windows. I thought Wendy and Jane had forgotten about me. What a relief to know they haven’t. So where’d they go?” He then turned to Magey for an answer. Taking a deep breath, she responded. “They’re dead, Peter.” “What!?” Peter squeaked, dropping to the floor with a look of surprised horror on his face. “They’re dead. They died along time ago when I was a little girl. That’s why you haven’t been able to find them - or us - at the other house. My entire family was killed in a train wreck, and I was the only survivor. I came to live here with my grandparents after the accident. Although I grew up being told about you and Neverland, the moment I got here any belief in you was instantly stifled. My mother and grandmother would have been so disappointed. They filled all my waking hours with their stories about you, and their wonderful adventures. I know everything there is to know....My mother made sure of that.” Hovering in the air again, Peter slowly floated towards Magey. “But she’s dead now,” he stated, almost in a forlorn question. “Yes, along with Wendy. The stories are all I have left. And I hang on to them with everything I have. I can’t lose those.” Looking down at her children once more who were steadfastly watching Peter’s every move, she ran her hand over each individual head. “That’s why I tell them to these three every chance I get. To make sure they have a part of Neverland always in their lives. Like I do in mine” She looked at Peter who was sitting cross-legged in the air contemplating what she said, and pushing the sad news about Wendy and Jane out of his head. “So...tell me, what all do you know about Neverland?” With this question, Magey’s face came to life again. Although she knew she was in the presence of the supreme authority, she felt confident enough with her knowledge to give Peter a description of his home. Remembering the places from the stories; she described to him the underground house; the detail in which it was laid out; the NeverFalls, Forget-Me-Not Falls and the Rainbow Falls; where the Neverberry Fields were and how large their expanse was. She told him what she knew about the Where-Trees and how dangerous they were. She told him about the Cavern Wherever and the Echo Cave, as well as the Neverland Well. On she went about the Indian Village, and Mermaid Lagoon, Marooner’s Rock and Slightly Gulch. She told him about Small Monday Island and the fair that’s held there with all the vendors and rides. She mentioned the Jolly Roger, Captain Hook and his crew; naming them all off one by one “Hook’s still there isn’t he?” Christopher asked with an impish curiosity. “Oh yes, Captain Codfish is still very much there. Alive and well and still trying to capture me,” Peter boasted. Magey then told Peter about the NeverStone Quarry and that the stones are a part of the life force and energy of Neverland. That they have an inner life that when revealed canvases every corner of Neverland. And that a stone can be taken from the ground so long as permission is given by the stone itself. He then pointed to her hand and questioned, “So how is it you have a NeverStone?” Looking down at the glowing mass engulfing her hand, Magey replied, “You gave this to my mother during her last visit. You told her when ever she misses you and longs for Neverland, to look at this and she’ll always remember. She gave this to me when I was old enough to start believing. I remember her telling me that as long as I believed it would never lose it’s light, and as long as it had it’s glow it I would always have a part of Neverland with me.” Deliberately, she held the brilliant piece up in front of her face and looked Peter square in the eye. “In all the time I’ve had it, it’s never once stopped glowing.” Scooting to look at the stone more closely, he gave Magey a very brief history lesson. “Well, there’s a legend about the NeverStones. I never paid much attention to it because I didn’t know if it was true or not. But apparently if a stone ever leaves Neverland it’ll either live on, kept alive by the power of the one who has it, because they believe. Or it fades out and dies because no one believes.” He then looked at Magey with mirth, “And from what I can tell, you definitely believe. And what you know about Neverland is most impressive. If I didn’t know better I would think you’ve already been there.” He paused for a moment, a wry smile easing onto his face. “Maybe it’s time you should. Come on.” Just then a quick flash of pink burst into the room. “No, Peter, you can’t do this!” Tinker Bell yelled flying into his face. “You know the law. No grown ups in Neverland!” Her small little frame was trembling with anger at the idea she was afraid he would try. “I know, Tink. But I made the rules. So, I’m the one who gets to break them if I want.” An uncertain understanding covered Magey’s face as she looked down at her children. They themselves all shared the same expression. They all looked to Tink again as she grumbled on. “No you don’t. Peter this is a bad idea. You don’t know what will happen if you bring her back.” “Yes, I do! We’ll have a mother in Neverland. A real one.” Peter eyes twinkled with a devilish delight as he looked to Magey. “Neverland!” her three burst out together receiving sudden twitches of excitement throughout their bodies. “Mama-” they exclaimed looking up at her, but her expression cut them off. Completely astounded by what she heard, Magey could barely speak. “Me? You want to take me to Neverland?” Her entire body fluttered inside at the prospect. Her gaze was fixed on Peter, trying to comprehend the notion just put forward. ,br> “And your children as well,” he responded hovering in front of them. “It wouldn’t be fair if you went and they stayed here.” He couldn’t help but smile as they squirmed before him. Tink tried once more to reason with Peter. “Peter, NO! She’s a grown up!” Letting out a frustrated sigh, the imp looked at her and tried to throw reason back on her. “But look at her, Tink. She doesn’t act like a grown up. So what if she looks like one. You heard the story she told; and the way she pretended to be me. She was great. She’s going to be so much fun. What grown up do you know of is going to act like this? She’s the first one I’ve ever come across, and I want to take her to Neverland. I want her to tell her stories to the lost boys. I want her to be our mother.” He was standing defiantly next to Magey now who had been overcome with such a feeling she thought she was going to faint. This can’t be happening, she said to herself. This can’t be real. Am I finally going to Neverland? And to be a mother? “OOO, Peter-” With a snap of his fingers, Peter’s mind changed gears and he looked at the twin girls. “What about you, Amy, Anna? Do you two want to come with me and be mothers? And you, Christopher, how about you come and be a lost boy?” “Yes, yes, I’d like to very much,” the nine year old squealed. “We don’t want to be mothers,” Anna began. “We want to be lost girls,” Amy finished, with boldness in her voice. “Oh, lost girls?” Peter thought it over with a light-hearted chuckle. “There hasn’t been any on Neverland yet. You’d be the first ones....You sure neither one of you want to be mothers?” No!” they quipped together. “We want to have fun and go on adventures,” Amy started. “We want to fly around and play games all day,” Anna finished. “We want to be lost girls,” they declared as one. Glowing in his small victory, Peter looked at Tink. “Well, it’s unanimous, no mother out of these two and I can’t very well make one out of Christopher. So, Tink what other choice do I have.” The stubborn fairy still wouldn’t relent so Peter had to remind her of what caught their attention. “Tink, she has a NeverStone. And you and I both know the legend. I never believed it until now. Because I’ve never seen one outside of Neverland until now. Look at that thing, look at the light it has. And it’s all because she believes. She believes, Tink. If she didn’t the stone would have died a long time ago. “I don’t care about the laws I’ve made. I can break them and make new ones. The lost boys need a mother, and I’m bringing Magey - along with her children - back with us.” “But are you sure she even wants to go?” Tink snapped at him, her last attempt to stop Peter from making what she believed was a tremendous mistake. “ What if she can’t or doesn’t want too. You haven’t even asked her. You’ve just assumed she wants to.” “Of course she wants to go. Why wouldn’t she,” Peter had a cocky suredness in his voice and this only made Tink angrier. Desperate for any explanation she could come up with now, Tink flustered out. “She can’t fly. No grown up can fly outside of Neverland, and how do we know if she’ll be able to.” Peter couldn’t help but begin laughing heartily at this. “Oh, come on, Tink,” he started once he had regained his composure. “Just because she’s a grown up doesn’t mean she can’t fly. Of course she can.” “Peter, we don’t know that,” Tink said matter of factly. “I’ve never used my dust on a grown up outside of Neverland before. I’ve always been able to use it on someone as long as they’ve been within the boundaries. She’s not, and for all I know she could be too “grown up” for the magic to work.” Flitting about in Magey’s face as she spoke these words, she gave her a smug look that tore into Magey’s heart. “She’s not young and innocent anymore. Not like her children. She’s a grown up, and grown ups always forget the way.” What if she’s right, Magey said to herself. What if I can’t fly. Could I really be too “grown up”. Could I have forgotten the way? Even if I didn’t know it in the first place. Could it be something I’ll now never be able to grasp? “Oh, Tink, that’s ridiculous,” Peter retorted. “I tell you with the way she believes, and everything she knows about Neverland, she can fly.” “I don’t know. Peter.” Tinker Bell reclined herself in the air feeling some satisfaction knowing she had dampened Magey’s spirit. “Children are one thing, but grown ups- I don’t know.” “Well, let’s find out then,” Peter decided. In a flash he was over to the gloating fairy, snatching her up in his hand. “Hey!” she griped, taken by surprise. “Peter Pan, you let me go this instant!” “Not until we can see if Magey can fly.” Laughter greeted his actions as the three children couldn’t help but be amused by Tink’s sudden humiliation. Magey, however, felt sorry for the little firecracker, despite how Tink had made her feel. Peter went about Amy, Anna and Christopher sprinkling them with the fairy dust he was able to have escape from Tink’s pouch. But poor Tinker Bell. She was being shaken like a rag doll; gently of course. But she could hardly stand that she had to go through such embarrassment. When Peter got to Magey, he covered her generously as if he intended her to fly no matter what. All she could do was smile at him. “Okay, there we go.” Peter then let go of Tinker Bell who fumed at him. But Peter chose to ignore her and reveled at the prospect of seeing his four new fledglings fly. Looking at Magey’s three, he gave them all a sly smile. “Now I’m sure you all know what to do. I believe your mother has taken care of all that.” Looking at how easily it had been for her children, she looked from them to Peter, over to TinkerBell who scowled at her. She looked back to Peter and smiled at him. I know I can do this. Closing her eyes and finding her happy thought; her mother, she soon found herself as light as a feather. Opening her eyes to the cheers that filled her ears, Magey saw that she was airborne as well. Peter crowed then flew circles around her. “Yeah-hey, you did it!” “Yea, so I did.” She was a bit surprised by this, but it soon faded away as her three came to her and gave her a hug. Flying around the room, they all snickered as they heard Peter call to Tink. “See Tink, I told you she could fly.” “Oh fiddlemarie. So she can fly. It still doesn’t mean anything, Peter.” “Oh, Tink, why are you ruining our fun?” he asked, alighting the floor growling at her. The four still in the air were stopped by her response. “I’m not ruining anything. I’m just trying to be the sensible one here. For all we know, she doesn’t want go to Neverland. She may talk about it and claim she knows everything, but that doesn’t mean she wants to go. What if she’s afraid to, Peter.” Carefully considering what Tink said, Peter went to Magey and asked “Magey, tell me truthfully, do you want to go to Neverland with me?” Her head suddenly flooded with an anxiety she had not expected. Here Peter was asking her if she wanted to go to Neverland; the one place she said she would reach no matter how long it took. The anxiety cascaded through her body and she found she was suddenly afraid. Her length of silence misled Peter into asking her further, almost forlornly. “Okay, what about your children? They go.... but what about you. You go....you stay behind....Magey, what do you want to do?” “Mama, Mama, please say you want to go,” Christopher pleaded. “You’re always saying you want to go to Neverland, please.” Both girls were pleading with Magey now as well. It had been the wish of the entire family to go. Magey had always hoped and prayed about this, but over time began to wonder if it would ever really come true. But now here was opportunity knocking at her window and she’d be foolish to pass it up. Then it occurred to her what made her so afraid. If she went, she’d be leaving everything she knew behind. Even if what was here was of little significance to her, it would all be gone. And she knew from the stories, and what her mother had told her, time travels at a different pace in Neverland. If they were to come back things may be as they had left them. Something in the back of her head told her if she goes she and her children may not be able to come back at all. Pushing this thought out of her head, Magey tried rationalizing her fear as an anxious excitement. “Neverland....I’ve waited my whole life for this,” she said breathlessly. She looked around the room and down to her children. As though giving a warning she informed them, “If we go, Sweetings, we leave everything we know - everything here - behind. This is what we want?” A gleeful clattering of voices answered her and she knew the decision had been made. “So are you going to come?” Clear eagerness and a giddiness was riding in Peter’s voice. Her eyes sparkled at Peter, giving him the answer he was waiting for. “I’ll be a mother to the lost boys and to you?” “Yep, a real mother. The lost boys have never had that before. In fact, neither have I. This should be fun. If that’s what you want?” Still the sparkle was there, and Magey lightly nodded her head. “Well, shall we go then.... Mother?” Peter asked, holding his hand out. “It’s now or never. There’s no second chance, and once you go there’s no turning back.” Magey’s face lit up more upon hearing Peter call her mother. She thought about it all once more - if only for a brief moment now. Brief was all she needed. She had reasoned that there was no more to her family after her grandparents died. Yes, they were generous and left her their house and inheritance, but this meant nothing. And her husband and his family had met with the same disaster that had befallen hers so long ago. The irony was more than she could bare at times. To get away from this place and all it’s memories; to run away. That was what she had been wanting to do most of her life. She didn’t know it then, but in time she would. Amy and Anna were shaking with delight waiting for their mother’s answer, while Christopher tugged at her hand. Looking down into his big green eyes she could read the expression clearly. This was the dream her children had hoped and prayed would come true, and what she had waited her whole life for. “Yes, let’s go” she said, without hesitation. So, with a bit more sprinkling of pixie dust they were off. A pull in the back of her head made her glance behind her and watch as her house disappeared from sight. Nothing more to recognize, she turned about and, taking Christopher’s hand, went on into the night, never minding the voice inside her that screamed at her Once you’ve gone, you can never come back. Never! Chapter 2 Back
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