by Thomas Hayes
Chapter Twenty-Two
In the still of the night, with the honking horns of New York City below us, Peter brought us in for a landing. When my feet hit the balcony outside my room, I let go of Peter’s hand.
“Finally,” I said, closing my eyes.
Tim flung open the door and ran inside. “Mom? Dad?”
“I doubt they’re home,” Peter said. “Not yet, anyway.”
“What? We’ve been gone for hours.”
“Take a look at the time.”
I peered inside my room. The clock near my bed read 11:37. Only about an hour had passed since we’d left for Never Land.
“What? How’s that possible?”
Peter smiled. “Time ebbs and flows in Never Land. Passes differently. Part of the reason we don’t grow up and all that.”
I nodded. That was a relief. I was so worried about what we were gonna tell my parents; turns out, they hadn’t even come home to find us missing.
“Well, I guess this is it, Emily,” Peter said. “I should be going before they get back. I’ve already said my thanks, but I really can’t tell you enough.”
“Peter, I didn’t even really do anything. I just kept Hook distracted long enough and tried not to die.”
He laughed. “That was enough. That was everything. You’re as brave as you ever were. Braver than you know.”
I squinted. “You know, you didn’t need me there. Not really. You could have faced Hook just like that without me, and had the same outcome. I watched you out there—you were gonna fight Hook until you couldn’t fight anymore.”
Peter shook his head. “No, that’s the thing. I couldn’t have. Not without you. Over the past many months, since Hook’s return, I faced him dozens of times. Maybe hundreds. And every time, I ran away. When it got too tough and I thought I was gonna lose, I ran. I gave up. Like a coward. I couldn’t handle the fact—physically and mentally—that I couldn’t beat Hook. But not this time. Because I had you with me.”
“That doesn’t make you a coward. That makes you smart.”
Peter ignored me. “I wasn’t me, without you. I needed you by my side, Tink. I wasn’t Peter Pan without you. I was just a fool dressed in green without any friends. Without anyone to have adventures with. Life wasn’t an adventure without you.”
I thought a moment. “I appreciate that, but I don’t think that’s true, Peter. That boy I saw on the beach, battling Hook to his dying breath, not giving up on saving Never Land even if it meant the end of him—that was all you. I had nothing to do with that. You could have faced him with your Lost Boys or Wes by your side and it would still have been the same thing.”
Peter smirked. “It’s like I always say, Tink. I can get more accomplished with one girl than I can with 20 boys. Especially if that girl is you.”
I looked him in the eyes.
“You’re the other half of myself, Tink. Always have been, always will be.”
“And now what? That I’m leaving again?”
Peter shrugged. “I’ll figure something out. I’ll be fine, now that Hook’s gone. Everyone will be. We’ll have to be, since this is where you belong.”
I looked toward my room.
“I know maybe that was my old life,” I said. “I’m ready to admit that. In some crazy past life, maybe I did live with you guys, in Never Land. But even after everything you showed me—everything I saw—I still remember none of it. Not a single second. That’s not my home. My family, my life, is here. I’m sorry. All my memories are of here. Not Never Land.”
“You don’t have to be sorry,” Peter said. He shook his head. “Not for a bit. I’m glad, in a weird way. I’m glad all this happened to you. You have a good life. A good mom. That’s more than any of us have in Never Land. And, really, I think it’s what we all want. I’m glad you got that. It’s a better life. It is. You have my greatest wish. And I’m glad you have it rather than me.”
I looked down. That might have been the nicest thing anyone ever said to me. In fact, I knew it was.
“Promise me one thing,” Peter said.
“What?”
“If you ever wanna come back, even for a visit, you let me know. I’ll take you back as quick as I can.”
“How will I let you know?”
He reached into his satchel and retrieved a little golden bell.
“Ring that. I’ll hear it, and come flying. That was yours. Back when. I’ll hear it wherever you ring it.”
I took the bell and looked it over. I couldn’t imagine a time when I would ever use it.
“Peter, I—”
“Thanks for having an adventure with me, Tink. Even if it was the last, it was the best we ever had. I’ll never forget that adventure, or any of ‘em.”
He leaned forward and kissed me. He let it linger, our lips touching, for a long time. And, dammit, I let him. What the hell. It was like a seal on a card, to let me know this was all over. I didn’t exactly mind it. And I figured the old me would have wanted it, too. Who knows.
Peter stepped back. He was smiling wider than I had seen him smile this entire time. There was a look in his eyes—a glow—that I hadn’t yet seen.
“Bye, Tink,” he said. “Don’t grow up too much. I don’t want you to be suddenly older than me.”
He floated into the air.
“And whatever you do, don’t get so old that you forget Never Land. And your crazy friend from the village of the Lost Boys.”
And with that, he took off, his arms outstretched, his sword hanging from his belt. He headed for the stars—the second to the right, and straight on till morning.
And me? I headed straight for my bed, with the intention of sleeping for the next two days.
And, I had to admit, with the memory of Peter still very much on my mind.
