Antuki: A Little Boy's Story

Chapter 4: Good Form

A moment later, a cheer erupted from the Lost Boys. Rushing towards their newest member, they bore him up in the manner of ecstatic football players (for the blue energy had since dissipated, restoring him to his former self). Proudly parading him round the ship, they wasted no time rubbing their triumph in the pirates' faces.

"Behold the end of Hook, you scoundrels!" cried Froyd pompously. "Never trifle with the Pan!"

"The glory of Peter overshadows you!" exclaimed Kamar.

Lehigh let loose a Picaninny victory yell.

"'Tis possible to win without fighting!" rejoiced Trenches.

"All hail our new champion!" crowed Black Swan triumphantly.

"You did it, Akio mi amigo!" laughed Tobal. "You made Hook rue the day he met you!"

Akio himself was in a daze. By some miracle, he'd escaped from the wicked pirate and discovered faculties he'd hitherto been unaware of. At first, his relief at being alive eclipsed all reason, so that he gladly joined his comrades in their exultation. Only when a familiar shadow crossed the afternoon sun did he realise his error.

The celebration ended as Peter landed on the deck. He'd been carried away from the battle after stopping to talk with some mermaids, quickly forgetting his purpose for being there. It'd taken a flying Froyd, returning to the shore for more coconuts, to stir him from his reverie. Returning to the scene of action, he'd been greeted by the sight of Hook swimming away and the Lost Boys lifting Akio on their shoulders.

The seven boys fell silent as their leader drew near: his countenance inscrutable. None of them dared say a word lest they provoke his wrath.

At long last, he spoke. "What, pray tell, is the meaning of this?"

An uneasy Froyd answered first. "Well, you see, Peter, the fact is..."

Peter silenced him. "I wasn't addressing you, Froyd, but him," he said, pointing at their newest recruit.

Stepping forward, Tobal interposed himself between his captain and his comrade. "Mi señor," he said reverently, "if you seek an explanation, I might give you one."

"Are you allying yourself with him, Tobal?" asked Peter, with the hint of a threat in his voice.

"I take no sides," Tobal replied. "In my eyes, there are no parties among the Lost Boys. Whatsoever one does, all do so together."

"One of us seems not to have gotten that message," said Peter, nodding towards Akio.

"Enough!" said Black Swan. "Can't we all just agree that today was a banging day, and go home for dinner? That's what's important, isn't it?"

"What's important," said Peter impatiently, "is that Sakai defied a clear order and engaged James Hook in battle! You know the rule full well – if you meet Hook in a fight, you're to abandon him to me!"

"But Peter," cried Trenches, "in vain did we call for you!"

"That matters not!" hissed Peter. "I know when I ought to return to a battle. Was it too difficult to survive in my absence?"

Lehigh would've spoken but held his peace, knowing that his private opinion would avail nothing.

"Wherefore," said Peter, raising his sword above Akio's head, "I shall do what I must."

"Wait!" interjected Tobal suddenly. "Do you remember Mother?"

"Why, certainly," answered Peter. "I recall her plainly as the noonday sun."

"What would she bid you do if she were here?" asked Tobal insistently. "Slay a boy who wrought a wondrous thing? Would it not make her greatly ashamed?"

"Ashamed?" asked Peter in astonishment. He seldom thought of his actions as shameful, though he knew it was a disgrace to choose the easy way. It was that wonderful fickleness of his that endeared Wendy and her daughters to him.

"Ay," said Tobal again, "A shame to the great Peter Pan. Has she not taught us about good form, about justice and mercy? I assure you, father, that were she in your stead, she would swiftly release him."

A murmur of approval spread among the Boys, and one by one they began clamouring for the Oriental's release.

Peter studied their faces in disbelief. Somehow, the little Mongoloid had captured their hearts, to the point where they were willing to defy him for his sake. If he allowed this to persist, the upstart might soon replace him as leader. There was only one sensible course of action to take.

"Very well, then," he declared, "I shall indeed release the Jap."

Turning to Akio, he said, "Your comrades' pleas have saved your life. I will not slay thee, though thou art worthy of death. But if you're not gone from Neverland by dawn, you'll wish you'd perished at the hand of Hook."

***

Akio gathered his meagre belongings and prepared to leave the Land of Dreams. He'd never anticipated such an ignominious exit, but his life had been nothing but full of surprises.

"Are you really going away, Aki-chan?"

Akio turned towards the speaker. Born from his first laugh, the fairy Yoko had been with him since birth, though he wasn't introduced to her till he came to Neverland. Peter had said that each child had their own fairy, so Akio supposed that she was his, the same way that Tinker Bell was Peter's.

"Yes, Yo-chan," he told her. "I'm afraid I'm not welcome here anymore."

"But why?" she asked him. "You've only just arrived here!"

"That's not strictly true, Yo-chan," he corrected her. "While I haven't been keeping detailed records, I'm sure I've spent more than a few months in Neverland."

"Did they say why they're making you leave?" she asked.

"Peter-san did," he replied. "He was upset that I fought Captain Hook and won. It took Tobal-san and the others to keep him from killing me."

"That's outrageous!" exclaimed Yoko, incensed. "I can't believe he'd actually kill you!"

"This is Neverland, Yo-chan," Akio reminded her. "And over here, Pan-sama's word is law, which is precisely why I'm leaving."

Taking a last look at the home he'd enjoyed, Akio prepared to emerge above ground. He planned to say goodbye to the Boys, but there was one question he needed to ask first.

"Do you want to stay behind, Yo-chan?"

Yoko seemed offended at the suggestion. "What? And abandon you to wander the world by yourself?"

She strode indignantly out of her apartment, clad in silk and carrying a backpack. "I'm surprised you think so little of me – of course I'm coming with you!"

Akio broke into a grateful smile. "All right then," he told her cheerfully. "Let's go!"