Except One

Regan didn’t allow herself to curl up on the floor and hide for long, she was afraid of course but she realised she was in a whole new world. She needed to explore, to learn about Neverland, the land where the young stayed youthful and where smiles never faded.

Cautiously, she neared the door of the house she was staying in. She reached the frame and gasped, it was a tree house and around her lay the heads of thousands of trees, thick branches wove in front of her feet, a thick maze of passageways through the treetops of Neverland. It was beautiful.

One foot after another, Regan stepped out into the night air. She was trembling with fear but she would no longer allow it to hold her back. She stood straight, looking around her, listening to the music that seemed to be coming from the depths of the trees. Lights fluttered in and out of the leaves, and Regan realised they were faeries.

“I see you’ve ventured out”

Regan jumped at the sound of the boy’s voice, Peter’s voice and she turned around to where he was sitting on a higher branch, so close to the sky, she could swear he could reach out and brush it with his fingers. He held a pan pipe in his hand, and though he was not playing, Regan heard a memory of a sweet melody play in her ears, a promise of what was to come.

Peter soared down to her, hovering his feet over the branch she stood on and she took the time to admire his grace in the air. He moved like a swan in water, gliding through the sky, casting sweet ripples of happiness from out around him. The arcs and turns he accomplished were that of ballerina like poise and Regan wished with all her heart that someday she could fly like that.

Peter recognised the want of flight in her blue eyes, as he had recognised it in Wendy’s and her brothers. He held out a hand to her, and she stared with frightened eyes at him;

“I can teach you to fly Regan…” he whispered

Regan shook her head “No, you can’t”

Peter smiled “All you need are happy thoughts, and a sprig of pixie dust”

Regan smiled sadly “I have no happy thoughts Peter, I’ll need a lot more than pixie dust to make me soar like you”

Peter surveyed her, and fought the urge to run his hand down her face. Tinkerbell had explained to him as best she could the life Regan had had to live. A life of hurt, betrayal and disappointment. He had tried to understand, his life had been full of happy thoughts and adventures and he could not imagine the suffering Regan had gone through. But he believed he could help her find those happy thoughts, he believed that he could allow her to believe, to believe in herself above everything else.

And still, Peter held out his hand “Maybe not, but you can fly with me, let me show you Neverland, let me show you magic…” his voice danced around her and she closed her eyes allowing the magic he held in his body wrap around her like a veil, drawing her in…

Peter stepped closer to her so he could whisper in her ear “I won’t let you fall Regan, believe in me…”

And Regan did believe in Peter. Slowly she placed her small hand in his, and gently he rose into the air, bringing her with him. He held her hand tightly, keeping his promise and swooped slowly around the trees finally bringing them to a rest near the hill top of the Forest.

The faeries danced about them, kissing welcomes to Regan and playing her their music. She smiled and laughed, a real laugh, and it echoed around Peter’s head. He remembered it, as with that laugh, it still held the memory of her first laugh he could find her fairy.

Regan held onto Peter’s hand “Thank you Peter, for believing in me…thank you for saving me..”