1913:

Peter sat in the Jolly Roger, anxious for his upcoming meeting. It had been a while since he returned to Earth. In the past, every Earth year he would make a stop and pick up Wendy, John, and Michael to continue their adventures.

But unfortunately, each year had been less fun for the lot. Peter still felt like they were having fun, but the group felt like it was dragging each year. They told him they should take a break for a few summers. It seemed Neverland was too much of an escape for them. They used to have fun and escape their boring lives, but lately, as they stated, they were getting pretty excited for their futures and felt like Neverland was putting a pause on everything. Wendy in particular told him she felt like she was having to put her life on hold whenever they left. This particularly hurt Peter, making him believe he was the one putting a stop on their life. It was a tough conversation they had and it completely blindsided Peter as these trips were some of his most exciting times.

It had been a few Earth years since the last trip. But luckily, he received a message from Wendy a few days ago stating she had wanted to go on another trip with him, a long one. Nothing made Peter’s heart leap like that message did. A part of him wondered why the sudden change of heart. But he quickly disregarded it, truly not caring what the reason was. He would be back with Wendy and they would go back to having fun, something he hadn’t done since their last trip.

“Approaching Earth’s atmosphere Peter,” Tink said, controlling the ship outside of her vessel.

“Thanks, Tink!” Peter said with his legs jiggling from excitement.

“Sir, if I may speak a few thoughts?”

“Of course, Tink! What are your thoughts? Are they filled with holiday ideas of what we’re going to do? Where we’re going? Share everything!”

“Sorry to be a quote, ‘Debbie Downer’.” Tink began.

“A what?”

“I have picked up that term from broadcasts. It is someone who presents bad news when everything seems grand.”

“Well why would you want to be one Tink? They don’t seem fun at all and what bad things can be happening at a time like this? Postpone them! Whatever you have to do! We’re seeing Wendy Tink! Aren’t you excited?”

“Yes sir, I’m very excited to be out and about again. It’s been quite a while since I’ve had to board my vessel since you’ve been content with staying in the ship lately. But I’m worried about Wendy.”

“What’s to worry about?”

“Her message seemed a bit strange, did it not?”

“Not at all! Sure, it’s been a while since we’ve heard from her but now we have, so it’s great!”

“I’m not so sure, sir. It seemed like something may be wrong. When we last spoke with them, they stated they had lives to live and we were keeping them from living it.”

“Maybe they’ve come around to their senses and realized that we add to their lives, not keep them from it!”

“Sir, I’ve been analyzing human behavior for quite some time now. And this does not match typical human behavior.”

“Tink, you’re saying some massive words here, but I also think you’re just beating around the bush. Are you saying Wendy is lying?”

“Possibly sir. I believe her life could not be going to plan and she sees you as an escape.”

“So what if she does? My life is awesome and she wants to be a part of it!”

“I don’t think you understand what I’m saying Peter.”

“Maybe you’re not making sense Tink!” Peter said leaping up from his chair, yelling to an empty ship. He quickly calmed himself down. “Sorry, it’s just, I’m excited to see them. And it’s been kind of boring here.”

“I understand sir. We will be approaching Darling manor at any moment. We will park above the manor with cloaking activated.”

“What time is it?”

“It is 1pm, their time sir.”

“Yikes, well guess I’ll kill time.” Peter was supposed to arrive at nightfall, per Wendy’s message. Guess he got a tad excited and pulled the trigger too fast. “I’ll be in my quarters.”

Peter had to make a quick stop in the bathroom before returning to his room. As he was washing his hands, he looked in the mirror and was quite shocked at what he was staring at. What he saw in the mirror, was not Peter Pan as far as he was concerned. His hair was now long and shaggy. He had dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn’t been sleeping well. Contrary to the fact that he had slept more hours in a night than he ever had. His skin was quite pale. He tried thinking of the last time he stepped foot on an actual planet and not just a rest stop in the stars. Tink was right. He mainly had been stuck on the ship the past few months.

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He couldn’t let Wendy see him in this state. He couldn’t do anything about the eyes or skin tone, but he could at least do something about his hair. With a quick check around his bathroom, he was able to find a pair of clippers he hadn’t used in a while.

Peter pressed the ‘On’ button and a holographic screen projected in front of it. It scanned his face and then projected a picture of himself. Electronic text reading ‘Choose a Cut’ displayed above the projection of his face with arrows on either side of it.

He swiped the display and his hair completely disappeared! In the hologram that is. It was shocking to see himself completely bald. He quickly swiped again through various hair styles. Some that Earth would be familiar with, others that were popular across Neverland. He stopped on a Mohawk and even considered it. Maybe Wendy would enjoy this? He tapped his hair and changed it to a deep blue, Wendy’s favorite color. He quickly decided against this decision and went with usual cut. Peter tapped to confirm and the clippers flew around his head, chopping away all the months he had been alone. When it was done, he walked out looking just as Wendy last saw him.

As he left the bathroom, he stood a bit taller than he used to. “Glad to have you back, sir” he heard Tink say.

“Never left Tink,” he said as he walked to the corridor far on the left.

“That’s not where your quarters are, captain.”

“Since when have you cared so much about what I do on this ship?” Tink remained silent, and Peter couldn’t be mad. She caught him. “I’m just making sure things look fine in there. I don’t want her to have messy quarters.

“Mmmhhmmm,” Tink stated with a sassy tone.

“God you’re overbearing,” Peter said with a smile. He couldn’t blame her though. There had been a few too many trips to this room, reminiscing about the old days.

Peter walked into Wendy’s quarters and the lights automatically illuminated the room. It was clear that no one had lived in there for a while as everything was still nicely stored and there was a thin layer of dust on everything. He walked over to the closet and pulled out Wendy’s spacesuit. He remembered picking it out for her. It was a deep blue slim fit suit. It was made more for stealth and agility than it was for armor, playing to Wendy’s strengths. He laid it out neatly on the bed.

He sat in the middle of the room reminiscing about all the good times they had. When the good times were over, he imagined the future good times they would have. He thought of revisiting all of their favorite places, practicing sword fighting, flying through the cosmos. He couldn’t wait. In fact, he was done waiting.

He marched out to the ship’s cargo hold and grabbed his trusty tunic. It looked ridiculous he agreed, but it hid all features of his outfits rather than his boots. And the public tends to avoid people who look crazy, he had learned.

“Going somewhere?” Tink asked.

“Just a walk around. It’s getting stuffy in here you know?” Peter dawned the tunic.

“Oh, so now you’re agreeing with me that fresh air would do you good. Suspicious timing.”

“I’m just curious about what’s going on out there,” Peter grinned.

“Even though Wendy asked you to arrive at night?”

“I’ve been here several times before. It’s not like I didn’t used to blend in with the crowd. It’s just been a while.” With his outfit disguised, Peter pressed the button to lower the hatch. “I won’t be long I swear!” Peter yelled out as he left.

He got to the end of the ramp and looked out across London. It looked just the same to him as when he left it. As he would later learn and experience, things can look the same as you remember, but the inner workings are far from the same.

Peter leaped from the ramp and landed on one of the roofs nearby. He slid down, breaking pieces of the clay shingles the roof consisted of. As he got to the end, he leapt to a smaller building nearby and repeated. It was as if he was surfing the London sky. Now he was a bit closer to the ground, so he looked to his right and tracked what resources that building could provide. He jumped off the roof towards the wall to his right, grabbed a drain pipe, and slid down to safety. He looked around to ensure no one had seen him. Something he definitely should have done before his stunt, but luckily, he landed in a deserted alley.

He wandered into the heart of the city. It was a bit more dreadful than Peter remembered, but it was home nonetheless. He was about to head back to Darling Manor as sunset approached, but something caught his eye at the local theater. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw.

At the local playhouse, the marquee read ‘Now Playing: Peter and Wendy’ with a description at the bottom reading ‘Experience the world of Neverland as Peter and Wendy fight to beat the tyrant Captain Hook!’.

Peter could not believe his eyes. What happened and why was his and Wendy’s story out in the public eye, and more importantly why had no one cared? Neverland’s technology was far greater than anything Earth would ever see and these people were simply accepting such a ludicrous tale!

Peter stopped a man that was passing by the marquee. “Um excuse me, sir,” Peter made sure to keep his manners, it was London after all, “What’s this play?” The man produced a look of confusion as if Peter was an idiot.

“Blimey you stopped me for this? It’s Peter and Wendy!” he shouted in a thick cockney accent.

“But what is it? Have you seen it? Is it any good?” Peter couldn’t contain his curiosity if anyone enjoyed his life story.

“‘Course I seen it! Everyone in London has!” The man started to walk away.

“Wait! What’s it about?”

“Why don’t you go see if for yourself! Or read the book ya blanket wearing buffoon!” The man slammed out of his mouth as he disappeared into the crowd.

“There’s a book too?” Peter shouted, but the man was either too far or stopped caring about him to answer. He looked back to the marquee and read the author’s name, J.M. Barrie. “Such a weird name Wendy chose,” he stated as he left.

He found a nearby bookshop and rushed in and found an old hunched over lady behind the shop counter. “Excuse me, do you have the book Peter and Wendy?”

“Of course, love” she stated with a grandmotherly tone. She walked him over to a shelf that had dozens of copies. “This is our best seller. Have you not read it yet?” She asked as she handed him a copy. Peter immediately flipped through all of it, checking every word as quickly as he could. It was his and Wendy’s story, but not exactly. There was never a crocodile or Native Americans in his adventures. He got to the end where he found an old black and white photo of a man with a mustache, dressed in a tie.

“Who’s this?”

“Why that’s J.M. Barrie.”

“That’s J.M. Barrie? But he’s a man!” The old woman chuckled.

“Of course, he is! A woman can’t be a writer!” She trailed back to the shop’s opening. “That book your holding tells tales of fairies and mermaids and that is more believable than a woman writer.” Well at least they got the mermaids right, Peter thought as he skimmed to find them in the novel.

“What!” Peter exclaimed as he found the mermaid portion of the book. “Mermaids don’t wear bikini tops of shells and have fish tails!”

By the time Peter got back to Darling Manor the sun had set. Despite every confusing thing that just happened, he was still focused on seeing Wendy. He knocked on the door and waited for Wendy to open the door. Nothing could have prepared him for what happened next.