PETER PAN As the wind whistles round the buildings that tower the small streets of London, Big Ben proudly chimes the eleventh hour
Abi Howland 10G - English, Miss Holmes
PETER PAN
As the wind whistles round the buildings that tower the small streets of London, Big Ben proudly chimes the eleventh hour. Darkness had come hours ago, bringing soft snow with it. It is like the city of London is something out of a fairytale, as it is covered in a sheet of white. The moon stands out brightly in the deep blue sky, a silver ball of light watching the world, waiting for something to happen, waiting for a new adventure to start.
It was tonight that the moon would get its wish, for as Big Ben chimed for the eleventh and final time; a man-shaped shape cast a shadow across the moon. In fact it was not a man, but a boy. One of the most famous boys that ever lived, a boy whose name is known by every child ever born, a boy that can fly and lives for adventure. A boy that will forever be, a boy. A boy, a magical boy, a boy named Peter Pan.
Peter flew gracefully over the city of London, looking this way and that, searching for something that only he knew. His bright blue eyes shining with excitement and joy. As he approached east London, he slowed down and looked even more carefully at the details of the streets and the houses. All the time he was silently followed by a bright light, as though a star was flying alongside him. This light was in fact a fairy. One of the few fairies left in the world of men. Normal children do not believe in their existence any more, but Peter had always believed in fairies, he had always believed that a fairy is all a boy needs, a companion and a friend. Mothers and fathers are unnecessary, they are the ones that force children to grow up, to become men and women, rather than stay children forever. Peter's fairy is called Tinkerball, he had been his best friend and companion since he first arrived in Neverland. More like a brother, always there, always around.
He arrived at his destination and hovered outside the open window. He had been here many times before, but this time was different, this time he had a purpose for being there. His shadow was in there somewhere. The last time he had been there his shadow got caught on the inside when the maid shut the window. Now he was here to retrieve it.
He pulled aside the curtain and stepped into the room. It was dimly lit with night lights by the side of each of the three peacefully sleeping children in the room. They were the children of George and Mary Darling. Their parents were quite posh speaking people, very proper in the way things are done. But the children however, loved being childish and playing make believe. They all loved fairy stories and making up their own. They each had their favourites. Wendy, the eldest, and only girl, loved stories with princesses and mermaids. But John, the middle child, loved Indians and found them fascinating. Michael, the youngest by a few years, loved pirates. He loved sword fighting and Wendy and John had taught him well during their pirate sessions held in the nursery.
Peter watched them all for a second, wondering exactly what their life was like. Whether or not it really was as bad as he had always thought, having a mother that was always there for you. When you were ill or upset or hurt, there to give you advice when needed. But he quickly snapped out of his daydreams, and set to work finding his shadow. He sent Tink to the drawers and wardrobe, while he checked under the beds. That was where he found it. He quickly snatched it up and attempted to reattach it by using soap. He became really frustrated and threw them down to the floor. Peter held his head in his hands and wept. The sound of soft crying awoke Wendy from her dreams.
"Why are you crying?" she asked curiously.
"I wasn't crying" he replied, he had never cried in his life in his mind, and he wasn't going to admit anything now, not to this girl.
"Who are you?"
"I am Peter Pan. Who are you?" he said pointedly.
"I thought you were. I am Wendy Moira Angela Darling. But you can call me Wendy"
Peter bowed to Wendy as he told her he was pleased to have met her. He asked her whether or not she knew of a way of fixing his shadow back on. So Wendy, fascinated by this boy's lack of clothing, cleanliness and manners agreed to sew it back on for him. As she did, he watched her with awe. He had never met a girl before. She was beautiful in his eyes and she told magnificent stories as she sewed on his shadow. She was perfect.
Just as Wendy finished sewing on Peter' shadow, she asked Peter what it was like in Neverland. She had heard all the stories, and was very curious as to why he was here, in her room. He told her of the beautiful mountains and beach. The pirates, the mermaids, the forest and the Indians. To thank her for sewing on his shadow he gave her an acorn button off his belt. She felt special and hung it on the chain around her neck.
"I will keep it safe forever Peter." He took this as an invitation to ...
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Just as Wendy finished sewing on Peter' shadow, she asked Peter what it was like in Neverland. She had heard all the stories, and was very curious as to why he was here, in her room. He told her of the beautiful mountains and beach. The pirates, the mermaids, the forest and the Indians. To thank her for sewing on his shadow he gave her an acorn button off his belt. She felt special and hung it on the chain around her neck.
"I will keep it safe forever Peter." He took this as an invitation to carry out his plans.
"Come back with me Wendy. I can teach you to fly. We could live together in Neverland. We would never have to leave. We would never have to grow up and face the fears of adulthood. We can forever be children and have adventure and fun." Peter said, he wanted her to come, he needed her to come, he could not leave her now. "You tell magnificent stories, the boys will love you. You can be their mother as they have none."
"No mother? How terrible!"
"So? Will you come with me?"
"But what about my brothers?"
"They could come too." Peter replied unenthusiastically, he did not want them coming, interfering in his plans.
Wendy quickly and excitedly shook her brothers telling them about the arrival of Peter Pan and that he was to teach them to fly. Peter and Tink between them taught the three beginners how to fly. They were fast learners, and within the hour, John and Michael had flown out the window, into the dark night of London. Now it was just Wendy and Peter. She was still unsure.
"My parents" she whispered to the wind blowing on her face from the window.
"Come, come away with me Wendy. Forget about them" he said, his bright blue eyes twinkling with excitement. Wendy melted as soon as she looked into the deep pools, and agreed. Together they stepped onto the windowsill.
"One, two, three" Peter counted. And the children flew out into the sky, over London's most famous landmarks, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace. To them the Palace looked like a tiny cottage from the sky. Wendy gasped in awe as they flew higher, and higher, higher than any bird. They flew up into the deep blue sky filled with twinkling stars.
"Peter how do we get to Neverland?" Wendy asked concerned.
"Second star to the right and straight on till morning" he replied unbothered by her question.
"But how do we actually get there?" she asked again becoming more and more anxious.
"Stay with me Wendy and you never need know" he said. "Now grab my ankle and hold on tight. Here we go!!"
By the time the children reached Neverland, the sun was rising from the east, lighting up the small island. Mountains tower above the tall forest. The white sandy beach stretches from the forest to the waters edge, the sea so blue and so clear, the coral reef can be seen from the sky. Peter directed the children to the clouds, and as each landed in their own unique ways, they each gasped in turn. For below the cloud they were sitting on, was a massive pirate ship, one that haunted each of their dreams, but for now, it just made them excited. Not that this calm and peaceful atmosphere would last for long.
For on the pirate ship, the crew noticed the sun rising, and the flowers come into bloom, meaning the return of their enemy, the boy that unofficially ran the island. Smee, the captains' sidekick quickly went to tell his boss. Captain Hook, Peter's sworn enemy. Captain Hook would seem to be a pleasant person, with morals, but this is not the case. Many years beforehand, Peter cut off the right hand of the captain, then threw it to the island's crocodile, that has been after him ever since. This caused a life long war to begin between the two. The captain would not allow the ship to sail until Pan was dead.
Inside the ships cabin, the captain stirred, cannons were being shot, that meant only one thing.
As the first cannons and gun-fires were shot, Peter ordered Tink, who had previously mysteriously disappeared, to take the others to safety, in the forest, with the lost boys. Tink immediately put the orders into actions and the children followed him down to the forest.
Peter meanwhile rapidly flew down to the ship circling the mast and wolf whistling to the crew. Screams and shouts were heard but Peter was uninterested in fighting today. He had something more important to do. He had to show off his girl to the boys. He had to introduce them to their new mother. He pulled faces at the crew and told them that he would soon return for a battle that would end the long war between the boys and the pirates. Who would win was uncertain, but Peter thought that the boys had a good chance; they had magic, and all that is good on their side. What did the pirates have? Peter then left for the forest.
The captain emerged form the cabin.
"Well, where is he?" the captain asked urgently, "I want a piece of him, I feel the time is near when this war will be over forever, and we shall be victorious."
"S-s-s-sorry C-c-Captain, he, he just went" Smee quietly spoke up "I was just about to wake you, but he left, he didn't seem to want to fight, he must have had something on his mind. Although he did bring some children back with him. We saw then sitting on that cloud with him" he continued pointing out the cloud in which the children had been previously sitting on."
"Well, we shall have to quicken the pace of this war. FIND THOSE CHILDREN." The captain ordered, "Into the forest!"
But once again, when the pirates returned to the ship, they had nothing and no-one in tow. For Peter and the lost boys hideout was carefully hidden, and had not yet been discovered by Captain Hook, or the pirates.
Tink guided the boys and Wendy to the forest, but Wendy was the only one that could keep up with him. Tink had immediately taken a dislike to Wendy. She was going to get in the way of Peter and Tink's relationship. Tink wanted Wendy gotten rid of. He had a plan. He flew even faster down into the forest and alerted the lost boys. They were led to believe that Wendy was a bird that Peter wished dead. They each shot an arrow at her, one hit her in the chest. She fell from the sky and hit the ground with a small thud. The boys surrounded her body lying amongst bright flowers of every kind and every colour.
"That is not a bird" pointed out one boy.
"That is a lady" said another.
"That could be my mother." One cried sadly.
At that moment Peter returned with Wendy's brothers in tow. He had found them wondering in the forest. He was extremely happy and couldn't wait to show off Wendy. But when he could not see her anywhere but Tink was flying around happy, he grew concerned.
"Tink. Where is Wendy?"
Tink made various twinkling sounds. Peter grew angry and pushed through the group of boys. he fell to his knees and grabbed Tink.
"Why did you do this? Why! Are you jealous because there is someone that means more to me than you? Are you?" Tink continued making excuses. But they were in vain.
"You are banished" he said with anger and rage in his voice. He released the upset fairy from his grasp and gasped as the girl beside him sighed. She was alive! He ordered the boys to build the lady a house so that she had somewhere descent to wake up in rather than the open forest.
When Wendy awoke, she was amazed to find herself in a man made house, made out of all things living in the forest. As she emerged from the tiny house, she found a group of 7 scruffy boys on there knees. In unison they asked her to be their mother. Of course she immediately agreed. They were so young, and not to have mothers was terrible. She could be there mother for as long as she could. She wasn't even thinking about going home yet. The lost boys led her to their home under the ground. It was below the biggest tree in the forest.
Wendy, her brothers, the lost boys and Peter lived happily for a while. They lived their lives day by day, doing what they wanted when they wanted. None of the Darling children thought of home. They enjoyed doing their own thing. It was the sense of adventure and fun. But one day everything changed.
Wendy was sitting by the mermaids lagoon, thinking, when she realised that she could no longer remember home. She could not picture her parents faces, she had forgotten too much of home. She missed them, she missed the comforts of home that she thought she'd never miss. The way everything is run on a busy schedule. As she was thinking she did not someone coming up behind her. Captain Hook slowly approached the girl sat on the rock. The captain loudly cleared her throat to make her presence known to the girl. Wendy spun round, surprised. She had thought all the boys were going hunting in the forest. When she saw that it was not the boys, that it was in fact captain hook she was in awe. From the stories that she had heard of the captain, she expected her to be look evil and ugly. But the captain was in fact beautiful. The captain sat down next to Wendy on the rocks, Wendy was not scared, she was entranced. How could someone so beautiful, be so evil?
But she was to find out soon enough. The captain and Wendy talked for a while. They did not act like enemies, and neither mentioned Peter, the lost boys or the pirates. Wendy thought that the captain was a nice, pleasant woman that did not deserve all the horrid comments made about her by the boys. But, the captain followed Wendy back to the home under the ground, she was to make plans to kidnap the children as they left the home.
Thus the next morning, Wendy decided that that would be when they left the island, it was time for her and her brothers to return home, to return to the lives that they were born to live, they weren't meant to live in Neverland. They were meant to live at home, in London, with their parents. But, when John and Michael left the home under the ground, followed by the lost boys, they were roughly grabbed by the pirates. Wendy waited behind to say goodbye to Peter. He didn't want her to leave. He wanted her to stay with him forever. He knew he was being selfish but wouldn't stop sulking. And so she left, without him saying a proper goodbye to her. As she left the home under the ground, she too was grabbed by the pirates. She tried to scream out to Peter, but like the others was quickly dragged off to the ship.
Captain Hook stayed behind. He was to put poison in Peter's medicine. Peter would die from drinking this poison. It was deadly. But when it came to Peter drinking the medicine, it was not to be.
By the time it came for Peter to take his medicine, the captain along with the lost boys, Wendy and her brothers were back at the ship. Wendy along with the others was being threatened with the plank. Each knew that their only hope of life was Peter. But he knew nothing of their situation. But Tink did. Tink did not want to see the lost boys get hurt, and after seeing how happy Wendy made Peter, he did not want her to get hurt either. So Tink flew to the home under the ground as fast as he could. He did not want to be too late. But when he arrived at his destination he found Peter about to drink the poison. Tink sped over to him and forced the beaker from Peter's mouth.
"Tink? What are you doing? Why are you here?" he asked, even though he did something terrible, Peter did miss Tink, he had always been there for him, Tink would never leave him. Not like Wendy had done. Tink told Peter not to drink the medicine but Peter just thought Tink was being foolish and naive. But when Peter raised the beaker to his lips once more, Tink got there first and drunk the deadly poison himself. Peter was angry, but that soon changed to anxiousness, as Tink was no longer flying, but collapsing onto the table. His bright light like a star was flickering and slowly goin out.
"Tink what's wrong?.....Tink?...Tink?" Peter picked Tink up and held him in the palms of his hands. "Why is your light going out? Tink......oh Tink, you were right it was poison, you drunk it for me!" Peter was getting more and more upset by the second. He did not want Tink to die, especially for him as he had been so harsh on him. He needed Tink, especially as Wendy had now left him.
Tink's light got weaker and weaker, until it faded completely. Peter's emotions were spiralling out of control. His love for Wendy, his love for Tink. All the people he cared about were leaving him, one by one. But not if he could help it. He knew of the way fairies could die, maybe if he did the opposite.
"I do believe in fairies, I do, I do. I do believe in fairies, I do, I do" he began chanting.
"I do believe in fairies, I do, I do." He continued. He repeated and repeated the line over and over and over again.
On the pirate ship meanwhile, Wendy was being interrogated by the captain. She was being asked various questions about Peter and why he is the way he is. She refused to answer. She would not tell them what the Peter she knew inside was like, deep and understanding, emotional and a heart of gold. She wondered what he was doing now. Probably still sulking in the home under the ground.
However Peter was still chanting his line, but unknown to him, his chant had spread to the world, children everywhere were chanting "I do believe in fairies, I do, I do. I do believe in fairies, I do, I do." The power of this chant stirred Tink, suddenly Peter stopped chanting, and so did the rest of the world. Tink was alive!
Peter and Tink, both happy beyond words flew to the pirate ship to have the last battle with Hook and the pirates. Peter didn't care whether or not they won anymore. All he cared about was that Wendy was safe. However they were too late, Wendy was already walking the plank. The pirates were pushing her forward, and she could do nothing to stop them. But Peter was ready as ever with a plan. He would catch her as she fell from the plank before she hit the ocean. He gracefully caught her, causing the crew and the captain utter confusion. Peter and Wendy landed on the deck, and poised themselves ready for battle. Wendy quickly ran into the cabin and grabbed as many weapons as she could for the boys as Peter released them from their binds. They all ran to join Wendy in the cabin. Once the captain and the crew had got over the confusion of Wendy, they turned to find Peter Pan on the deck.
"You're dead!" exclaimed the captain!
Then Wendy and the boys emerged from the cabin.
"So you want a battle?" Peter gave a smug smile and raised his sword ready for combat. The captain didn't need an invitation. They began their fight as the others watched in awe. But the boys and the pirates both wanted their own battles, so paired off for a magnificent fight. But none was like Peter and the captains. Peter was becoming weak, but when he saw Wendy and how happy she was, it gave him a new boost of energy. He was going to win this. Not for himself but for her. He slashed and slashed at the captain until the captain dropped her sword and surrendered on the deck, dragging herself up to the mast.
"Please don't kill me Peter" she pleaded. But Peter had better ideas. He made a high pitched whistle, and within ten seconds of silence, a loud barking of a dog could be heard, it was the crocodile. The crocodile had swallowed a dog many years ago along with the captain's hand, and now when you hear the dog, you know that the crocodile is nearby.
"NO! NO! Anything but that!" the captain screamed, but she was not going to get her wish. Peter and the lost boys made each of the pirates walk the plank, until at last it was just the captain who remained. Peter stood at the end of the plank, ushering the captain along with his sword. This was sweet revenge, Peter glanced at Wendy who was gazing at him with love. He stamped down hard on the plank, causing the captain to fall. That was the end of captain hook.
The crocodile sank back into the ocean, it was clear that it was never going to resurface. It had gotten what it wanted.
"Well the war is won. We shall sail at dawn" Peter said, a smug grin stretching across his face.
"Where to Peter?" asked nibs excitedly.
"Can you take us home Peter?" Wendy interrupted pleadingly.
"To London" he said unwillingly.
The children touched their feet down onto the soft carpet of their nursery. Each looked around, memories flooding back to them, realising how much that had actually missed home, and all the things that come with it. Parents, care, kindness and most of all love. As soon as the Darling children called for their parents, they were there. They had been awaiting the sounds of their children's voices for so long, they were alert at the first sound. Mr and Mrs Darling ran into the nursery, each flinging their arms around each of the children disbelieving the sight of their children.
Peter watched the joyful scene with sadness. The one thing that he wanted most in the world, was something that he must be forever barred. At last he drew himself away from the window, and began the flight home, but one person was aware of his departure. She raced to the window and called out his name.
"Why are you leaving? You can stay too Peter"
"Would I have to grow up?"
"Yes"
"Wendy I can't. I want to forever be a boy, and have fun" he replied bluntly.
"Will you ever come back?"
"To hear stories"
"You won't forget me will you?" she said on the verge of tears.
"Never"
With that he turned his back on her, with the first tears that had ever fallen from his eyes rolling down his face, he followed the light into the sky. If only she understood. If only...
THE END
