Most everyone knows the famous story of Peter Pan and Wendy, but what if I told you the stories were wrong. What if I said these are not just mere fairy tales, but are true stories about real people, and they did not happen they way you thought? You wouldn’t believe me, would you? Well that’s about to change.
Once upon a time, in a land not far from ours, there was a man. He was a gambler, a good for nothing rotten scoundrel. He was always up to new antics, and the townspeople were sick of being tricked by his games. One night the man dreamed of a portal to a land he created when he was still a boy. Much to his surprise, when he awoke, he was washed upon the shores of an island called Neverland. Neverland was surrounded by jagged rocks and treacherous cliffs, which threatened death to those who sought entrance. Most of the island was dense forest filled with predatory creatures and exotic, dangerous plants. Immediately he found the highest point on the island and began work on his citadel. In order to establish total control, the man made the only port into and off the island directly in front of his manor. The man worked day and night without rest until it was completed.
Once his fortress was complete, he looked at his shabby state of being, and knew he could never rule this land in this condition. He remembered as a boy he would play in a cave near the south end of the island. This foreboding cave was shaped like a human skull. However, when he was a boy it brought him great solitude. Hurriedly, he rushed to the cave and found exactly what he had hoped. Hundreds of glittering stalagmites hung haphazardly in all directions. These stalagmites were special however, for inside of them they were filled with fairy dust. The man wasted no time in destroying many a stalagmite with a pickaxe he found on the side of the cave. After he was done, he took out a golden hourglass from his coat and began to extract the fairy dust from the rubble and put it into his hourglass. When the hourglass was filled, it began to glow and spark. The man dropped the hourglass on the ground, for it began to glow white hot and started to burn him. Then a beam of orange light shot out of the upturned hourglass. The dust inside went from an ocean blue to a poisonous green, and the man uttered a strange sentence. “I wish to be lost here forever” he said. At the moment these words were spoken he was transformed from a man to a seemingly teenaged boy, and thus was born, Peter Pan.
Pan was ecstatic at his newfound longevity, because you see, not only was he turned back into his younger self, but as long as there remains fairy dust in the hourglass he will be immortal. As the days in Neverland trudged on, Pan’s life became quite blasé. One day he had a rather intriguing thought. What if he brought all the mistreated orphan boys, like himself, to his island where they could live forever? He wanted so badly for this idea to become reality, but he knew that he could not leave the island because the fairy dust would not work. He then remembered that on this island he had magic on his side. When the sun was setting that night he walked onto the beach. As soon as he could see his shadow he got to work. He took his dagger and began cutting his shadow away from him. When he cut his shadow away, the ghostly apparition would do any task he assigned. When this painful process ceased, Pan’s eyes were level with his new minion. Peter then assigned the servile shadow his first mission. The shadow was to go into the town of London and cry the call of a lost boy. Only truly lost and unwanted boys would be able to hear it, and when they did they would be drawn to this island where they would have to stay forever. These boys would become the legendary and audacious Lost Boys, and Peter Pan’s constant companions.
For weeks Pan basked in the warm adoration and loyalty the boys had for him. They would obsess over his every need and vie over who would come to his aid. Every few weeks the shadow would bring in new recruits, but not all of those boys became part of the Lost Boys. Some had great enmity towards the shadow for bringing them here, and others became turncoats and tried to overthrow Pan. These problems were easily dealt with; however, one day a significant change came to the island that no one knew how to deal with. When the shadow dropped with his next delivery on the shore a most unexpected thing happened. A girl rolled out from underneath the pile of boys. Pan turned to his boys as soon as he saw the strange figure.
“I need all of you to keep a vigil on her. My shadow’s call should only be heard by boys, so there must be something divergent about her. I do expect to find out what it is.”, Pan said. With that, Peter walked across the shore to greet the new recruits.
“Hello. My name is Peter Pan, and yours?” Pan asked the girl.
“Wendy. My name is Wendy Darling. Forgive me but, where are we?” Wendy questioned.
“Neverland. Where dreams come true and you never have to grow up. Would you care to join my boys and I for a lovely dinner by the beach?”
“I’m not going anywhere with anyone until I know I’m safe. How can I trust you when I’ve been kidnapped and sent to this deserted island?” Wendy said willfully.
“You were not kidnapped. I believe you were wrangled. As for the trust, have I given you any reason not to trust me?” Pan asked gingerly.
“Well I suppose not. What’s the harm in a little dinner?”, Wendy said.
This dinner became the start of many more, for Peter grew very fond of Miss Darling. They did everything together, and were attached by the hip. He never did find out how she could hear his call, but it seemed that the immortality that affected everyone on the island did not affect her. Peter wanted desperately to make Wendy immortal along with him, so they could rule side by side forever, but he knew she wouldn’t comply. The more time they spent together the more his qualm grew. One night he finally worked up the courage to ask her if she wanted to live forever at dinner. Her reply was that she loved him very much and would love nothing more than to be with him forever. This made Pan’s heart swell with joy, however, one particular Lost Boy had something more to say on the issue.
“You liar! You said this life was all you ever wanted and that as long as you have us Lost Boys you don’t need anyone else. Now you have her. How could you turn your back on us when we have been nothing but loyal to you. You’re volatile.”, Kris spat to Peter.
“Are you belittling me? Did you forget who you’re talking to? I brought you here. You would be sitting, unwanted, in an orphanage if it weren't for me. You should be grateful.”, Pan said.
Kris veered to the left then swiftly moved his fist to Pan’s jaw. Then the two boys began to grapple. Pan drew his dagger and Kris his sword.
“Please stop! Oh please!”, Wendy cried, “ Stop before you maim each other!”
Pan stepped out of reach of Kris’ sword and began to tell him to stop when…
“WENDY!”, Pan screamed.
When Peter moved out of range of Kris’ sword, Kris accidentally wielded it right into Wendy, creating a fairly large gash across her chest. When Kris saw what he had done he sank to his knees.
“Peter. I am so sorry I didn’t mean to. How could I have gotten so perturbed?”
Peter didn’t hear him, but instead held Wendy in his arms wishing he had made her immortal sooner. He was whispering to her how much he loved her as the last light faded from her eyes.
Peter Pan, a boy whose life was driven by one purpose. To be loved. He, an orphan, had never felt true love, and thus he was vacant inside. He thought he had filled the void with the love from the Lost Boys. However, he never had truly experienced love until he met Wendy. She was his ultimate match, his soulmate. The loss of her grieved him so terribly, so deeply, it took him years to return to his boyish self. As soon as she had perished, he looked around for his hourglass, hoping to smash it so as to be reunited with his lost love. However, he could not find it. This troubled him greatly, but not greater than the loss of his Wendy. Now, he and his pack of Lost Boys roam Neverland creating great chaos, while his shadow roams the earth looking for new Lost Boys. Even while Pan seems to have returned to his former self, he will never be. A piece of him will always belong to Miss Wendy Darling.