by R. V. Bowman
“Balo!” she said as loud as she dared.
He reappeared, looking disgruntled until she pointed to the yellow eyes. It was just her, Finn, Alice, Balo, and the grommins, whatever they were.
A brown and cream dappled head broke through the grass not even a foot from where Rommy crouched. As the creature slid into view, Rommy felt some of her tension leave. It looked like a slightly bigger version of a house cat. Its fur was the same dappled pattern over its entire body, all except its tail, which ended in a pale yellow tassel of fur. The same yellowish fur hung in tufts from the ends of its ears.
The animal was rumbling, but it didn’t seem angry or aggressive. Instead it sat down, its tail wrapping around itself. The animal cocked its head, looking at each of them in turn.
“So, this is what Pan is hunting in our territory—human younglings.” It lifted a delicate paw and began to lick it.
The voice sounded feminine to Rommy, but she didn’t say anything. Instead she looked at Balo, who moved to hover in front of the cat.
Balo gave a small bow and then spoke. “Neva, it is good to see you again,” he said. “How is your family?”
Instead of answering, the cat gave a series of clicks, and with a rustle, five more cats slid into view. They were all the same brown and cream, although the patterns were slightly different on each one. While none of them were any larger than the first cat, Rommy started to feel a bit crowded. The tension had crept back into her shoulders because she remembered what Finn had said. They weren’t big, but they were poisonous. Trust Neverland to have poisonous cats!
The cat nodded at Balo. “As you can see, they are well.” She looked at Rommy and blinked at her and then back to Balo. “What are you doing with this group of younglings in the marshes?”
“We...that is to say...” he glanced at Rommy.
Tired of crouching, Rommy put one knee down into the squelching mud. She bowed her head as she had seen Balo do. “We did not mean to trespass,” she said. “Originally, we were going to fly over the marshes to our destination, but, as you saw, Pan drove us in here. It is important that he not find us.” Neva cocked her head and continued to stare at her. Rommy swallowed. “We are here to find the fairy Tinkerbell.”
Neva rose and rubbed up against Rommy’s knee. Then she rose on her hind legs, placed a paw on Rommy’s knee, and gently batted at the stone hanging around Rommy’s neck. Rommy’s whole body tensed, but she didn’t move away.
“A hearing stone,” the cat said, her voice raspy. “That makes things easier.” Dropping down to all four paws, the cat sat back on her haunches. “Do you realize that Tinkerbell’s mind is sick? My family can lead Pan away from you, and I can take you safely to the Old Willow, but why go there? Once you get there, you might find more danger than in the marshes, certainly more than Peter Pan.” A rumbling sound came out of the cat. Rommy wasn’t sure if the animal was purring or laughing.
“We’d be very grateful if you could take us there,” said Rommy.
The cat stopped rumbling and narrowed her eyes. “What is so important that you would brave the marshes and confront a feral fairy?”
Rommy hesitated and then decided to simply tell the truth. “We’re looking for a key, and we think Tinkerbell has it. At least that is what Unilisi told me.”
The cat’s eyes flared wide for a moment. “You have spoken to the Tree Mother? You survived the jungles?” Then she gave an elegant shrug. “Then, I suppose you will survive the marshes.”
Flicking her tail, the cat walked into the grasses and disappeared. Her family melted back into the vegetation. Rommy could hear a faint rustling in various directions.
Rommy and the others stared until Neva poked her head back. “Are you coming, younglings? We must finish our journey before the sun comes up. I do not travel after daybreak.”
Finn, Alice, and Rommy looked at each other and then at Balo, who nodded his head.
Finn shrugged at Rommy, and the three of them started off again following the yellow tasseled tip of Neva’s tail. They hadn’t gone more than two yards, when it seemed to vanish. Rommy halted, and Alice ran into her back.
“Whatcha stopping for?” she asked, peering around Rommy. “Oh—where’d she go?”
Suddenly Neva’s head popped up from a pool of water off to the right. “Come, younglings,” she said. “We will take the underground tunnels. Pan will not see you here, and they go almost to the foot of the Old Willow.”
The three looked at each other. “We...that is...none of us can, um, breathe underwater,” said Rommy.
The cat snorted, her rumbling growing loud. “I am a cat, not a fish. I can’t breathe underwater, either. You must dive to the tunnel entrance.” She waited patiently.
Finn and Rommy looked at each other. Rommy didn’t want to offend Neva, but the idea of following her into some supposed tunnel underwater made her nervous—very nervous. Finn didn’t look anymore at ease than she did.
Balo came to hover in front of Rommy. “What are you waiting for? Pan to use you for target practice?
“I’m just not sure...” she trailed off, not sure how much she should say with the cat staring at them.
Balo frowned, but then understanding dawned on his tiny face. He buzzed closer to Rommy’s ear. “You can trust Neva,” he said. “She’d have killed you by now, if that’s what she wanted.”
Rommy looked at Balo for a long moment before finally nodding. She might not know this Neva, but she trusted Balo and his knowledge of the animals on Neverland. She gestured to the others.
“Let’s go,” she said.
Rommy felt Alice tense behind her. “I ain’t going in no hole in the water,” she said.
The cat clambered back out and stalked over to Alice. “Hold on to me, youngling. I will direct you to the tunnel. It isn’t far.”
Alice trembled, but Rommy squeezed her shoulder. She could hear Pan’s laugh carrying on the breeze and knew he was coming back their way. They couldn’t keep crouching and hiding in some bizarre version of hide and seek all night.
“Come on, Alice,” she said. “We’ll all go together. It won’t be like the waterfall. This water is still.”
Rommy slid into the water, which came up to her shoulder, and Finn followed. He held out his hand to Alice. “We’ll all be together. Promise,” he said.
Alice shook her head and stood rooted on the bank. “I ain’t going,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Rommy looked at Finn. He stared back and lifted both hands. Neva paddled back toward them.
“Why are you waiting? We must go quickly before Pan returns.” Neva looked toward the sky, her glowing yellow eyes narrowed. Her yellow tasseled tail flicked just above the surface of the muddy water.
Rommy tipped her head toward Alice. “She’s terrified of the water,” she said so that only Neva could hear her. “I don’t know how we’re going to get her in here without a struggle.”
A low growl rumbled in Neva’s chest. “We must be gone before Pan comes back, or he could follow us into the tunnels.” The cat paddled back over to the bank, clambered out, and shook herself.
Alice took a wary step back from the dappled animal. Neva let out a guttural call. For a moment, nothing happened, and then Rommy saw the long grass sway slightly. Suddenly, Alice was tumbling into the water. She came up sputtering and coughing, her arms slapping at the surface. Rommy grabbed one arm and Finn grabbed the other, and together they helped Alice find her footing. The water came up to her chin.
Neva slid back into the water and Rommy saw two yellow tasseled tails disappear into the darkness.
Alice scowled at the cat. “Are you going to drown me next?” she said.
Underneath the water, her hands dug into Rommy’s arm, and up close, Rommy could see that the younger girl’s face had gone white.
Neva flicked the end of her tail. “We do not have time for timid cubs,” she said. “This is how we help our more reluctant young get used to the water.” The cat let
out a rumbling purr and swam up to Alice and nuzzled her chin. “Come, you can hold on to me, and I will lead you,” she said.
Alice shook her head, the scowl slipping off her face. “I...I...can’t,” she said, her lips trembling.
“You can, Alice," said Rommy. “You’re already in here. Besides, Finn and I won’t let anything happen to you, and Neva said she will be right next to you.” She leaned forward. “We don’t have a choice, Alice. This is the fastest way to the Old Willow, and we have to beat Pan there.”
Alice pressed her lips together and lowered her eyebrows. “This is the second time Pan’s made me get dunked,” she said. “He better hope I never get the chance to return the favor.”
Rommy squeezed her hand. “On three, Alice. We’ll all go under together.”
Neval treaded water next to Alice, and the little girl buried her hands in the cat’s fur. Rommy counted, and when she got to three, all of them took a big gulp of air and dove under the surface.
The water was murky and choked with vegetation, but in less than a minute, they were going through a hole and surfacing into a tunnel. Strange glowing lines lit up its sides and ceiling. They pulled themselves up and sat on the edge. A few moments later, Balo flitted into the tunnel with them, spraying water from his wings.
Neva shook herself and started walking. The tunnel was tall enough for Rommy to almost stand up straight, but Finn had to walk in a crouch. The cat glanced over her shoulder and then sauntered ahead.
Rommy, Finn, and Alice, along with Balo, followed the tasseled yellow tail into the glowing darkness. Rommy just hoped they hadn’t made a big mistake.
Chapter 8:
Under the Earth
The tunnel dipped and curved, and several times they came to a fork. Neva never hesitated but kept moving forward at a steady pace. Rommy followed close behind her, each of her steps squelching in the damp earth. At what seemed like regular intervals, they came to openings in the floor like the one where they had surfaced. Water lapped over the edges of these openings, but Neva would skirt it and keep going.
As she walked, Rommy started to dry off. The muddy water left a film of slime behind, making her clothes feel stiff, and her hair hung in clumped bunches, her braid long since undone. She was rather glad it was dark at the moment.
Alice had taken hold of the back of her shirt when they started walking and hadn’t let go. She could hear the others’ soft breathing, but, otherwise, it was silent in the tunnels. They just kept walking and walking into the glowing darkness.
Rommy tried not to think about the fact that if Neva left them, they’d be lost down here probably forever. She felt the press of the earth above her and focused on breathing in and out. Even if they turned and went back the way they came, she didn’t think she could remember all the turns Neva had made. She shuddered. She still didn’t know why the cat was helping them in the first place. Balo had said the grommins could be helpful, but why Neva had chosen to help them, she didn’t know. Maybe Pan had made another enemy. He seemed to have quite a few of those.
After what felt like hours, they came to another opening like the one from which they had entered the tunnel. Unlike the others, this one didn’t have visible water at its mouth.
Alice was already shaking her head. “I ain’t going in no hole,” she said.
Neva rubbed against the little girl’s leg. “It is not like the one where you entered the tunnel, youngling. The tide is still out.”
Alice reached down and stroked the cat’s soft fur and she rumbled again. “There ain’t no water down in there? You promise?”
“I cannot promise you won’t get wet, but the tunnel is still dry yet. When the tide comes in, that is a different tale. Come.”
Neva paused at the lip of the opening and looked at Rommy and Finn. “You must slide in and lie flat. If you sit up, something may hit your heads. Come, Alice, you will follow me.”
Alice looked at Rommy, who nodded her head. “You heard Neva. Sit at the edge and slide into the opening.”
The cat slunk into the hole and disappeared. Alice sat down and raised an eyebrow at Rommy. She scooted a bit further in, and suddenly she disappeared. Her shout echoed up after her.
Rommy slid her feet into the cavity and carefully eased down. She could feel the wetness seeping into her shirt as she shifted flat onto her back. She cautiously let go of the edge, and then she was flying.
Twisting and turning, she rocketed through the darkness until she shot through another opening and landed in waist-deep water. She spluttered to the surface just as Finn came sailing in and almost landed on top of her.
It wasn’t until she was standing and wiping water from her face, that Rommy realized it was salty. They must be at the edge of the far end of the island where the marshes emptied into the ocean.
Although the moon was still only a sliver, compared to the darkness of the tunnel, it seemed almost bright. She could clearly see Alice standing in the middle of the salty pool grinning.
“Are you all right?” Rommy asked her.
“All right? That was bang up the elephant, that was,” said Alice. “I didn’t even mind the dunk at the end.” Then she giggled.
Rommy grinned back. “It was quite the ride, wasn’t it?”
Finn was shaking water out of his eyes, but he was smiling, too.
Neva had climbed out of the pool and was grooming herself. She paused and looked at them. Rommy wasn’t sure, but she thought the cat smiled.
They all clambered out of the water and sat on the rocky sand on the edge of the pool. There were still patches of the long grass, but they had thinned out. At the very edge of the land stood an enormous willow tree.
Its bark glowed a dark red in the moonlight, and its long trailing branches shone gold. They were in Tinkerbell’s front yard, so to speak. With a gasp Rommy felt in her pocket. Sighing with relief, she pulled out the colored stones that Little Owl had given her, careful to avoid the leaves.
Alice touched them and then looked up at her. “What are we waiting for? Shouldn’t we go get that key from the crazy fairy?”
Rommy shook her head. “We need to wait for Nissa and the rest before we do anything,” she said. “I’m not sure the best way to approach Tinkerbell.” She looked at Finn, and then Balo. “You know the fairies better than I do, and you are a fairy. What do you two think?”
Balo scowled. “Why would I know what a half-cracked fairy would think?”
Finn shrugged one shoulder. “This is different,” he said. “Tinkerbell isn’t like the other fairies.”
Neva stood up and stretched. “I wish you luck on your task. I must go rejoin my family.”
Rommy walked over to the cat. “Thank you, Neva, for your kindness. I don’t know why you decided to help us, but we are very grateful.”
Neva rubbed herself against Rommy’s leg and purred loudly. “I don’t like Pan.” The cat’s eyes narrowed to slits. Her voice took on a hissing quality. “He likes to play games, and one of those games cost me a cub.”
Rommy’s eyes widened. “I’m so sorry, Neva.”
Alice squatted down and hugged the cat. “That ole Pan, he’s a right git.”
The cat ran a sandpaper tongue over Alice’s cheek. “You are sweet younglings. I wish you luck on your journey.” Alice let Neva go, and the cat sauntered back toward the heart of the marsh. She glanced over her shoulder.
“One piece of advice,” she called back. “Wait until the sun comes up before going to see the fairy, and if she seems happy, be watchful.”
It only took a few moments until Neva melted back into the Salt Marshes.
“Whadda we do now?” asked Alice.
Rommy sat down on the rocky sand. “I guess we wait for the sun to come up.”
Chapter 9:
Out of the Marsh,
Into the Frying Pan
Dawn had turned to morning when Rommy opened her eyes with a start, her chin slipping off where it had rested on her hand. Nissa hovered in front of
her. Rommy looked around. Alice’s head was in her lap, and Finn was stretched out on the sand with his arms behind his head. He cracked his left eye open and then sat up.
“I can’t believe we all just fell asleep,” he said.
“I know,” said Rommy. She looked over at Balo, who was perched on a piece of driftwood with his arms folded across his chest. “It’s a good thing we have someone like you to guard us.”
Balo harrumphed. “With all your snoring, it’s a wonder Tinkerbell didn’t hear us and come out to see what all the ruckus was about.”
“Never mind that,” said Nissa. “We led Peter Pan to the far side of the Salt Marshes. I do not know if he will be fooled for long, though.”
Kalen and Talen raised the tiny spears they always had with them. “We will stand guard outside the Old Willow while you reason with the fairy inside,” said Talen.
“Thanks, Talen,” said Rommy. “But how do you think we should approach her? Neva told us to wait until the sun was up. It seems the sooner we get this done and get out of this marsh, the better off we’ll be. I’d rather not spend another night here.”
“Me, neither,” said Alice.
Finn stretched his arms overhead. “Maybe it would be best if only one or two of us goes to talk to her. If we all show up, she might feel like we’re ganging up on her.”
Rommy put a hand on his arm. “Finn, I think you and I should go. You have a natural affinity with the fairies, and maybe I can explain things to her.” Rommy dug out the sparkling stones that Little Owl had given her, careful not to disturb the silvery leaves. “I hope these do the trick.”
Nissa nodded and looked around. “I do not think we should approach her,” she said, gesturing to herself and the other fairies. “Tinkerbell has chosen to leave our community. She can only see our coming as something ominous.”
Rommy pushed to her feet and dusted off her pants. “Well, that’s settled then. We’ll go and talk to her.”
Alice was staring at her.
