Except One

Several weeks passed in Neverland or at least, Regan had to believe it was several weeks for Neverland knew no time. The only time Regan needed to know now was when the sun rose and when it set, day and night…light and dark.

She smiled to herself on a bright morning and hummed quietly as she ran her hands through her hair, erasing several tangles. Her hair was golden in the sun, and her face was bright and fresh. Neverland was working it’s magic.

Her nightgown blew around her with a very soft wind as she stepped onto the thick branches of the Nevertree that were her home. She crawled towards the vines that twisted around one particular place of the thick stump, careful not to lose her balance. She had proved quite capable at scaling the tree and Peter no longer felt the need to hover by her anxiously.

Regan smiled as she reached out to pluck several white flowers from the vines and smelled their delicious scent that reminded her of the sweet smell of honey. She had been delighted to discover their Nevertree grew different flowers everyday and had taken to decorating the round room she occupied with Peter with the pretty bouquets. It was her way of making herself a home.

Regan bound the flowers into a bunch with the use of a small piece of twine and placing them by the swan feathered bed, she smiled and made her way outside. She lay down on the flat piece of bark and allowed the sunlight to kiss her face, the birds sang their morning song and Neverland was happy.

Regan smiled “Good morning Neverland”

Her breathing was even as she relaxed, her eyelashes flickering slightly as her mind clouded with daydreams. A shadow fell over her and she frowned…where was the sun?

She opened her eyes to stare into a bright cheery face of Peter
“Boo!” he yelled loudly, and cackled as Regan shrieked in fright and rolled right over the edge of the tree.

She fell through the air, her body arcing slightly as her dress flew around her body, and her hair whipped through the sky. She tumbled and screamed as she saw the ground draw closer and closer.

She closed her eyes, shielding her face with her hands as she expected the hard cold ground to echo her imminent death. She gasped softly as she felt strong arms enclose themselves about her body. Peter guided her gently to the ground, and they landed with quiet feet. Peter smiled as Regan whirled around to him

“Peter! You almost killed me!”

Her voice was angry in the quiet glade but Peter only laughed “ Regan! It was Peter Pan to the rescue once again…don’t you see? I’m your knight in shining armour…what a fun game!”

He made several silly faces, sticking out his tongue and crossing his eyes until Regan laughed again, pushing him away. He tumbled over in the air and gave a loud shout “Oh what fun we have!”

He stopped as several high pitched laughs echoed through the trees. Regan looked in the direction of the laughs and through the dense forest that surrounded the glade they had fallen into it, she thought she saw a glittering blue surface…the sea!

Regan gave a shout of joy and ignoring Peter’s calls of warning pushed her way past the foliage, finally reaching the sandy beach of Neverland. It was a small section of the Island, enveloped into an intimate lagoon. Mermaid’s Lagoon.

Carefully, as if she had done it all before, Regan clambered onto the rocks, reaching the furthest one. She sat down and waited, wrapping her arms around her knees. She knew who were coming.

She didn’t notice as Peter landed beside her, his flight silent as ever but gazed at the mesmerising water as faces appeared before her. Their tails were of different colors, gold’s, greens and blues. Their eyes echoed all the colours of the water, silver, purples and yellows. Their teeth were sharp and dangerous, their hands webbed and skin pale. They were beautiful. They were mermaids.

They tried to speak to her, the mermaid tongue guttural and choking in their throats. They tried to seduce her into the waters she loved so much, whispering spells of enchantments to come one with the waves. A merman reached out a strong hand, his eyes a haunting blue of the sea on a stormy day. Regan swore she saw waves crash in his gaze…she reached out a hand but her fingers had barely touched his wet ones when her whole body was yanked back and she was flying again.

Over Peter’s shoulder, she gazed back down at the sea, to her mermaids, not wanting to leave her stormy eyed merman. She recognised part of herself in the tailed creatures. A want of solitude, a need for maturity…a love for the water.

She was shook out of her thoughts and the spell broke as Peter flew into the tree house. He set her down and shook her roughly, for once his happy face scared and troubled. He locked his eyes into her own and spoke clearly

“Never trust a mermaid!”