Don't Try to Stop Me
Chapter 2
The voice faded into a forgotten place as its owner gazed at his old friend. She had changed dramatically, so much so that he would have never recognized her.
He brushed his hair back with his fingers and looked at his little fluttering companion.
“Help her, Tink.”
He could barely utter the words to the pixie as he knelt beside the girl who had forgotten him. Wendy’s glow had faded. He felt the jabs of glass then, each one digging into the skin on his knees, cutting the tights Wendy had repaired herself once in a distant dream.
He looked around him, expecting to see her brothers in their beds, unaware of their sister's sorrow, but they were not there. There was now only a single bed left. She was the only one left.
Through his hazy eyesight, he noticed the scraps of paper scattered over the floor amongst the broken glass. The first one he reached out for was folded into a small star. He held it to his ear and heard it whisper in her voice, the way she whispered the words before placing the dream in the jar: Happy thoughts.
“Tink, help her! She wants to remember. She needs to remember!”
He looked at the fairy desperately. It had been pulling his hair to get his attention and stopped when his large, worried eyes met her sorrowful little eyes. Tinkerbell could do nothing to help because Wendy Darling had lost every single happy thought that had once belonged to her.
Out of instinct, the boy darted for the dresser that hadn’t moved since he had last been in the room. He pulled open the top drawer of the dresser and there it was, in the same place she had fetched it when he needed it; A thimble, a needle, and a spool of green thread.
He had never done this before, but he couldn’t just watch her fade into the gray she was becoming a part of. He knelt beside her again, and as his eyes fell onto her pale face, he reached out with his left hand. With the thimble on the tip of his thumb, he stroked the side of her face. He realized she was dying, and he vowed to himself that he would never watch anyone he loved die. It was a promise to himself and it was one he could never, ever break.
Tinkerbell was fluttering along side of him, pulling at the thread and trying to get it through the eye of the needle. When she finally achieved that, she looked at her friend. His glow was dimming now, too. If he didn’t fix Wendy, he would soon join her.
She pricked his hand with the needle to get his attention. Peter Pan raised his hand to swat the fairy away, but then he looked at what she was holding and remembered what he had to do.
He had avoided looking at her wrists until now. The steady red was still flowing from her self-inflicted injuries and her broken dreams were now bathing in her life. He took her hand into his and rested it on his lap.
“Tink, when I’m done, you tie the knot. Make it a forget-me-knot. You remember how I taught you, right?”
She nodded, turning away to avoid watching the boy ready the needle. He leaned down slow, so that he could whisper in her ear. “You had sewn my shadow back to me once, when I lost it. Now I’ll sew you back to yourself… I hope this doesn’t hurt, Wendy Darling.”
Peter Pan fixed Wendy's wounds by stitching Hope into one wrist and Love into the other, the two things a person should never forget. As Tinkerbell finished the last knot, she tried to get some pixie dust into the stitches to make them heal faster, but the dust just faded away into her skin.
“I’ll carry her, Tink. She needs to go back to Never Land. She needs to remember, and I can’t leave her here… I can’t let her forget ever again.”
He picked her up and looked at Tinkerbell, who eyed him curiously. She fluttered close to his face and tried to see what was causing so much trouble in his young heart, but all she could see was a concern for Wendy. Tinkerbell quickly flew over the two and then dashed back through the window, beginning the journey back home.
She watched him as he slowly followed her and called to him. He didn’t raise his head for a minute as he watched the girl he cradled in his arms, then all of a sudden he looked up and grinned. “She’ll remember as soon as we bring her back! I know it!”
At that idea, he took off right past Tinkerbell. Tink spun around, winded by the speed he was going as he passed her. She watched her friend fly past the moon as his figure cast a silhouette on it. Tinkerbell looked down at the world below her. She wondered what it was like to be a human and have all the world as your playground, not just an island. As she soared higher into the sky, she realized how small the world was and that it was nothing compared to this wonder. Tinkerbell spun around letting her dust fall over a few stars, wondering who was making a wish on her tonight. She stopped twirling as she remembered something Peter had told her once.
“You may be small, Tink, but a creature is only as small as their imagination. Your thoughts can be as great as you want them to be, and so can you.”
Tink turned to see the small spark of hope Peter had become in the distance. With the sight of him so far away, she gave her wings another flutter and started on her way toward the second star to the right and continued straight on until morning.
He brushed his hair back with his fingers and looked at his little fluttering companion.
“Help her, Tink.”
He could barely utter the words to the pixie as he knelt beside the girl who had forgotten him. Wendy’s glow had faded. He felt the jabs of glass then, each one digging into the skin on his knees, cutting the tights Wendy had repaired herself once in a distant dream.
He looked around him, expecting to see her brothers in their beds, unaware of their sister's sorrow, but they were not there. There was now only a single bed left. She was the only one left.
Through his hazy eyesight, he noticed the scraps of paper scattered over the floor amongst the broken glass. The first one he reached out for was folded into a small star. He held it to his ear and heard it whisper in her voice, the way she whispered the words before placing the dream in the jar: Happy thoughts.
“Tink, help her! She wants to remember. She needs to remember!”
He looked at the fairy desperately. It had been pulling his hair to get his attention and stopped when his large, worried eyes met her sorrowful little eyes. Tinkerbell could do nothing to help because Wendy Darling had lost every single happy thought that had once belonged to her.
Out of instinct, the boy darted for the dresser that hadn’t moved since he had last been in the room. He pulled open the top drawer of the dresser and there it was, in the same place she had fetched it when he needed it; A thimble, a needle, and a spool of green thread.
He had never done this before, but he couldn’t just watch her fade into the gray she was becoming a part of. He knelt beside her again, and as his eyes fell onto her pale face, he reached out with his left hand. With the thimble on the tip of his thumb, he stroked the side of her face. He realized she was dying, and he vowed to himself that he would never watch anyone he loved die. It was a promise to himself and it was one he could never, ever break.
Tinkerbell was fluttering along side of him, pulling at the thread and trying to get it through the eye of the needle. When she finally achieved that, she looked at her friend. His glow was dimming now, too. If he didn’t fix Wendy, he would soon join her.
She pricked his hand with the needle to get his attention. Peter Pan raised his hand to swat the fairy away, but then he looked at what she was holding and remembered what he had to do.
He had avoided looking at her wrists until now. The steady red was still flowing from her self-inflicted injuries and her broken dreams were now bathing in her life. He took her hand into his and rested it on his lap.
“Tink, when I’m done, you tie the knot. Make it a forget-me-knot. You remember how I taught you, right?”
She nodded, turning away to avoid watching the boy ready the needle. He leaned down slow, so that he could whisper in her ear. “You had sewn my shadow back to me once, when I lost it. Now I’ll sew you back to yourself… I hope this doesn’t hurt, Wendy Darling.”
Peter Pan fixed Wendy's wounds by stitching Hope into one wrist and Love into the other, the two things a person should never forget. As Tinkerbell finished the last knot, she tried to get some pixie dust into the stitches to make them heal faster, but the dust just faded away into her skin.
“I’ll carry her, Tink. She needs to go back to Never Land. She needs to remember, and I can’t leave her here… I can’t let her forget ever again.”
He picked her up and looked at Tinkerbell, who eyed him curiously. She fluttered close to his face and tried to see what was causing so much trouble in his young heart, but all she could see was a concern for Wendy. Tinkerbell quickly flew over the two and then dashed back through the window, beginning the journey back home.
She watched him as he slowly followed her and called to him. He didn’t raise his head for a minute as he watched the girl he cradled in his arms, then all of a sudden he looked up and grinned. “She’ll remember as soon as we bring her back! I know it!”
At that idea, he took off right past Tinkerbell. Tink spun around, winded by the speed he was going as he passed her. She watched her friend fly past the moon as his figure cast a silhouette on it. Tinkerbell looked down at the world below her. She wondered what it was like to be a human and have all the world as your playground, not just an island. As she soared higher into the sky, she realized how small the world was and that it was nothing compared to this wonder. Tinkerbell spun around letting her dust fall over a few stars, wondering who was making a wish on her tonight. She stopped twirling as she remembered something Peter had told her once.
“You may be small, Tink, but a creature is only as small as their imagination. Your thoughts can be as great as you want them to be, and so can you.”
Tink turned to see the small spark of hope Peter had become in the distance. With the sight of him so far away, she gave her wings another flutter and started on her way toward the second star to the right and continued straight on until morning.