It Always Ends With a Kiss

After hours of searching a few more hours of convincing the croc to help us out; Ace walks forward holding a thick piece of bark. He holds it before him as if it were something holy; he is holding the plan for battle. He tips his head forward and kneels before Pan. Peter takes it easily from Ace’s hands and nods toward him as he walks slowly away. Peter places the tablet on a tree stump and starts to read it out to everyone. He tells the lost boys what they are to do when the battle finally starts, which is usually after Hook and Pan have a small scrimmage. The lost boys all had a job and they all had some kind of weapon that was meant to taunt and not really cause too much harm, if any. There were the sticky arrows, they were multi-colored so each boy knew he we had gotten, and they just stuck to the pirates wherever they were hit. And a few of the boys had marble guns; they shot out millions of marbles so the pirates would slip and slide. When Peter told them they were taking out the chicken egg gun they knew that this was a big deal.

After talking it over for another hour everyone rushes to get ready. Peter starts to sharpen his short dagger and his Pan sword. I sit with him and watch the lost boys rushing around on the ground below us. We sit near the top of the tree with Tinkerbell beside us. I watch as the lost boys pull wooden armor over their bodies and helmets made of hallowed out gourds. I saw them loading the guns with marbles, paint, and chickens. I smile as one of the chickens escapes and Thud Butt chases after him.

“Peter, what happens if one of them is hurt? They have no mother to take care of them.” I lean against Peter for a moment and feel him stiffen slightly at the same time that I heard Tink’s angry buzzing from behind me. I turn to her and she has her hands on her hips and is tapping her foot on air.

“I take care of them, they don’t need parents, and they don’t need to grow up.” He seems huffy and upset for a moment and then her turns back to me sheathing his sword and dagger. “You wouldn’t have to grow up if you didn’t want to, Mercy. You could stay here with me and the lost boys forever. You’d never have to grow up.” He smiles widely at me.

“I don’t know Peter. I love my family life and I want to grow up at some point. I want to have children of my own one day and I can’t do that here Peter.”

“Well you should think about it Mercy. It’d be really fun. I swear it; we could have adventures every day and fly all around. We could mess with the mermaids and defeat Hook.” He smiles at me and then jumps out of the tree, I scream as he falls toward the ground, he laughs and stops a few feet off the ground, hands on hips. “Are you ready lost boys?! Let’s get Hook!” He crows and does a loop in the air before flying away toward Hook’s ship. The lost boys yell out and crow before starting toward Hook’s ship as well. I follow them not really knowing what else to do and not wanting to have to worry about them all night.

By the time I make it to the Jolly Roger, Hook’s ship, the battle is in full swing. I look around in amazement as Peter clangs swords with whichever pirate happens his way. The lost boys are doing their best to harass the pirates. They stick them with sticky paint arrows all over their bodies, they slip and slide all over the deck as marbles escape from Too small’s gun. I laugh as one pirate in a stripped t-shirt with glasses gets hit right in the face with an egg the size of my fist. I sit on the sidelines and watch, laughing every now and then and gasping in shock at some close calls for the lost boys or Pan. Peter slashes at Hook and tries to get the upper hand on him; it’s a back and forth game between them. One second Peter his pushing Hook back and the next Hook his pushing Peter toward the edge of the ship. With a final slash of his sword Peter swats Hook’s sword out of his hand and forces him to his knees. He stands before him looking down at the older man.

“Captain Hook I want you to leave Neverland forever. You will never return no matter what. Do you understand?” Hook nods slowly and Peter turns around a triumphant smile on his lips as he lets out a crow so loud it almost bursts my ear drums. I stare at Peter and clap with the lost boys as Peter smiles at all of us, floating a little bit higher. A quick look to Hook reveals a wicked smile as he starts to move to his feet, his hook glinting in the moonlight.

“PETER LOOK OUT!” I scream and point to hook just as he lunges toward Peter. Peter turns in time to catch the hook with the blade of his sword. There is a loud clang and a gasp from the lost boys as Hook stares up at Pan. He slowly moves his hook away and leaves head hung low.



After the celebration diner I wait for Peter. He sends the lost boys to bed after they all hug and kiss me. After all the boys are gone to bed he comes forward finally.

“Peter I want to go home.” I look toward him and see the frown crease his cheeks.

“But why? Don’t you want to stay here with me and the lost boys forever? You never have to grow up when you stay here. You can be a kid forever. Why wouldn’t you want that?”

“I already told you why Peter. I want to grow up and have children. I want a family one day Peter and I can’t do that when I never grow up.” He looks at me and then nods slowly and looks toward Tink. She flies over me with a sprinkling of fairy dust. We fly off toward home, flying past the stars and moving into the next world. We see my house almost instantly and he lands us gently in my bedroom. It’s like nothing even changed. My parents don’t even seem to have noticed that I was gone, everything is exactly where I left it. He walks toward the window and I stop him.

“Mercy I have to go to the lost boys, I can’t stay with you.”

“But Peter, will you come visit me still?” I feel my chest tightening at the thought of him not coming back.

“Maybe Mercy, I’ll try to remember to visit you. I will miss you Mercy. And it is because of that, that I will leave you with a kiss to remember me by.” He moves slowly toward me and I close my eyes. I don’t really know what to expect but I close my eyes anyways and pucker my lips. I wait for him to touch them with his own but instead I feel him grabbing my hand. He lifts my hand palm out and plants a small round metal thing in my palm before closing my fingers around it and moving away. By the time I open my eyes he is gone, I rush to the window and see him silhouetted against the moon, arms out to his sides and a small star flying beside him. I look down at my hand and open my fingers; in the middle of my palm is a thimble. I smile at it and slide it to the pocket of my night dress before going to my bed. I dream of adventures with Peter Pan and the lost boys.