(She learned to play guitar, and you'll see more of her playing in these next few chapters. I know I play this song over and over, but this song is a perfect fit for Aricka.)
*Aricka*
"We're almost ready," Patton says and comes over to fix my bow. "There. Perfect." tonight I was dressed like Roman. "Are you ready, my little Peter Pan?" I nod and smile.
"Are you ready to hear me play guitar for the first time?" I ask, gripping my guitar tighter. Virgil got it for me before the tour.
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Patton nods and hugs me. "I'm so proud of you kiddo," he says. I grin, and we let go. Logan comes in, and I run over to him.
"Dad!" I hug him, and he says,
"Are you ready?"
"So ready. But a little nervous."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*time skip*
"And here's my daughter-or sister, she's a little of both-Aricka Sanders!" I run out, guitar strapped around my neck, and wave.
"Hi, guys!" I walk over and sit next to Roman. Then I look out at the audience. "Um-there's people. Thomas, you didn't tell me people were here! You know I'm shy."
"Aw, it'll be okay kiddo!" Patton says. "Just pretend they're not here, and talk to us!"
"Alright-I have a song I want to sing for you-it's my Peter Pan song-Never Neverland. Can I play it for you?" they all start clapping, and I smile. I loved this part. "Alright, if you believe in Peter Pan, close your eyes, and clap your hands really hard, and he'll appear!" Surprisingly, a lot of people go along with it, and I run offstage to change into my outfit and the harness.
They "fly" me out, and I land next to Virgil. "Ahoy friends! I am Peter Pan, and I heard you believe in me!" I heard a few girls whisper, "Look, he's here!" I smile and continue. "Let me tell you about my home."
"What's it like?" Roman asks. I smile, and grab my guitar, and start singing,
"I have a place where dreams are born,
And time is never planned. It's not on any chart, You must find it with your heart. Never Never Land...
It might be miles beyond the moon,
Or right there where you stand. Just keep an open mind, And then suddenly you'll find Never Never Land..."
"It sounds amazing," Patton says, and I walk over to him, still singing,
" You'll have a treasure if you stay there,
More precious far than gold. For once you have found your way there, You can never, never grow old...
And that's my home where dreams are born,
And time is never planned. Just think of lovely things. And your heart will fly on wings, Forever in Never Never Land..."
"What's it look like?" Dad asks. (Dad=Thomas in this one.)
"It's amazing, not very big, but small. You can see it if you like. Close your eyes. What do you see?" Thomas closes his eyes.
"I see a lagoon full of mermaids. A rock shaped like a skull...and a pirate ship!"
"That's it, Thomas, that's my island," I exclaim, and keep singing,
"You'll have a treasure if you stay there,
More precious far than gold. For once you have found your way there, You can never, never grow old...
And that's my home where dreams are born,
And time is never planned. Just think of lovely things. And your heart will fly on wings, Forever in Never Never Land..." I stop singing and hand Virgil my guitar. The audience claps, and I bow, and crow. "Well, I must be going, but never stop believing. Think lovely thoughts, and keep an eye out for old Codfish Hook!" I laugh, and they "fly" me backstage, so I can change back into my Roman outfit.
"Ugh, Patton, I don't believe this! We're lost!" I yell, now in my "Mom" outfit. "I told you we should have taken the last turn! Now we'll never get to Disney land." Virgil, as our "son" comes out, and says,
"I wanna see Jack Skellington!" and then, big brother Roman walks out, and says,
"Dad! I lost my sword!"
"Okay, okay, so maybe I took a wrong turn, but look at all the people!" Patton says, and we do. As scripted, I walk over to Virgil and take his hand.
"Are they safe? I don't want them to hurt our children!"
"Well, sure-look at 'em, they seem harmless."
Then Thomas and Logan walk in. "Welcome to the Ultimate Storytime tour! The show's about to begin!" Thomas says, dressed like a circus ringmaster.
"The Ultimate Storytime? What's that?" Roman asks. Then we all start singing:
Thomas started, of course:
"It's the moment I know you've planned for
The hour is finally here A musical that you have to stand for Excuse me while I disappear Analytics indicated we should have an opening number At the top of our little play So we wrote an opening number To match the flow of our jampacked show That's sure to blow you away." then I joined in.
"It's the ultimate
Yeah it's the best that ever was Though you might not believe it meets the title but yes it does It's number one Yeah it's incomparably great So sit back relax just wait It's story time..."
Logan added his voice:
" We're prepared to tell you a story
The likes of which you've never seen Well sprinkle in a couple of subplots With some songs layered in between.." Patton was next:
" It's sort of about self-expression
And freedom to be who you are But don't get the wrong impression Its mostly jokes from jokesy folks And lots and lots and lots of rhymes!" then Roman, Thomas, and I.
" It's the ultimate
The best that one could ever be Better than the things online On vine potentially It's the maximum Yeah it's the best that ever was And you better believe because It's story time!
Down from the ground up to the sky It's like a metaphor except for when it's not As long as nothing goes awry Then you're in store for more than you could hope So buckle your seatbelt strap on in
That has got nothing to do with the song I just want to be safe while driving."
Then Virgil:
"It's the ultimate
Yeah it's the cream of the crop And we're here to make sure that the fun is nonstop Its number one as far as storytimes go So let's get it in full swing It's story time Now it's your turn to sing It's story time Sit back relax just wait It's story time, yeah...!"
