Peter by day, Pan by night

Chapter 29

        Time runs together in an endless night.

        I do not know how long I have been here. The moon hangs in the sky-round and full-and doesn’t move. I miss the sun more than I thought I would. All my life I have peeked into the bright windows of families whose children don’t have to worry about food. They not only have enough for what they need, but plenty left over for what they want.

        I was always jealous and never appreciated the simple things that life still gave me. Time, for one. Days that changed and nights that ended. A bright sun and colorful seasons.  

        Peter never bothers locking me up. There is no escaping Neverland. Nowhere to run. I try to count the days, but eventually I give up because I have no way to measure time.

        London starts to fade in my mind.

        So much has happened since I met a runaway called Kelvin. Sometimes I wonder where we would be if we’d never heard Felix play his song. Would I still be wondering the streets, begging for something to eat or looking for some odd job?

        I don’t miss the filth or the gray skies. But I do miss the normality and the sun and the chiming of Big Ben.

        Peter is busy. He avoids me for the most part. I know he is figuring out how to attack my world, but I don’t understand why he hasn’t already done it. He has the magic, the darkness. What is he waiting for?

        And how am I supposed to change his mind when he will barely look at me?

        I spend most of my time alone or with the lost boys. Several of them ignore me like their leader. Others will laugh and walk away. I try to learn every name and every face. But their stories are hidden deep inside them. Their past is their own and they will not share it.

        Daine is just as quiet as before, but now he is darker. There is always a scowl on his face while he practices throwing knifes. Many times I sit next to him while he whittles, but he rarely acknowledges me.

        Kelvin won’t look at me. He is aloof and different from before. The evil must have completely taken over his mind, because now he picks fights with the other boys. Nothing too serious, because thankfully most of them ignore the small boy. But I am afraid that one day someone will fight back. And I know he won’t be the one who wins.

        I walk with Bert even though he continually makes fun of me. He is the jokester like before, but he no longer makes me laugh. Now his witty comments are cruel and mocking. His words are sharp and jagged, but I’ve learned not to cry.

        Peter is right, the darkness is changing me too.

**

        “So is this what you do when you are alone?” Peter plops onto the cliff beside me. “Staring over the ocean for hours seems rather boring.”

        I glance at him. Why is he talking to me now?

        “You should be careful climbing these cliffs. You might fall again.”

        “I learned my lesson. I fly now.”

        Peter grins and leans back on his elbows. “No more damsel in distress?”

        “Well, you were never a good knight.”

        “Knights were boring. And smelly.” He wrinkles his nose. “They weren’t just story characters in my time. They were real.”