Peter Pan and Me

CHAPTER 13: DON'T SHOOT AN ARROW OFF MY HEAD

It happened when we were not watching. Well, to be fair we were busy with
the pirates and Kickai and getting adventures out of them and getting rid
of them. Well, mostly Peter and the Lost Boys were. I was merely a
catalyst. Anyway, others came to Neverland. It always amazed me how they
got here. Time Warps? Time tunnels? Space holes? Someone's imagination
creating them? I often wondered about this last thing. It seemed that I
was always really into Indians and here they were, so was Wendy, John and
Michael. They were into pirates too and Neverland had a largely fair
share of them too. And I was definitely into gladiators, for obvious
reasons. And here they were now. They built an entire stone arena in the
jungle unknown to us, the mermaids or even the fairies. How were we to
know? A river was near their arena but no mermaids or merboys swam near
this river. It was called the River of Blood. How did we come to know
that a strange evil twisted and incredibly handsome Roman boy was ruler
of all this? Well it started with the Lost Boys as so many things do...

Jennie, Rico, Aoi, Sole, Pare, Rollin, and Je'ne, Landen, Oliver (a boy
not to be confused with the fairy Olivier) were out on one of their food
gathering missions. But today they looked more for water than anything.
"Fresh water! There!" Sole, a sturdy blond who planned some of the
battles, taking over the parts Nibs used to play.

Nibs. How I wondered about all those other Lost Boys, long gone, long
grown up. They lived with Peter for so long when no one else would have
them. They had untold adventures and openings into powers beyond mortal
beings and yet...yet they still left him. With that Wendy. Wendy. I would
have loved to have met her. Just what was she thinking. She wanted to
grow up? I don't know, I could see her point. It could become boring here
sometimes. Especially when Peter's game was: a non game. He would sit and
stare, or just throw a ball up and down and do absolutely nothing. It was
novel to him to do nothing. I mean he was so used to fighting monsters
from the dawn of time, pirates, aliens, and all manner of beasties. For
him THAT was boring I'd guess. Yet no matter what, Peter was in charge,
and in charge of my life...and that's how I wanted it. I had the other.
Had the real life. And boy, did I hate it. Hate it. Hated it and whatever
Peter wanted I wanted. I worshiped him. Often when he was asleep, prone
on his back or his belly, I would run my finger up and down his smooth
skin, putting it under green leaves he wore and some brown. Feeling the
perfect skin, the light pressing in hitting zones that Peter didn't know
he had. It was these that I cherished. Loved it and him. Sometimes he
stirred and his stirring made me wonder if he had some kind of erogenous
zones and if I did titillate them, would that cause him to grow up? I had
to shake that as I don't think unless he wanted to, he could grow up. I
particularly loved pressing my finger tip into his belly button, that
shallow half innie half outtie.

In any event, the lost boys were out and the fairy Olivier was out
watching them for his own amusement. You see Olivier loved boys and loved
watching them, unlike the long dead Tinkerbell, who only watched them to
make fun of them and play pranks on them. You see she only loved Peter.
And in his own way Peter loved her. Olivier was almost always totally
naked and smooth with feathery wings as opposed to Tink's more butterfly,
insect like wings. Olivier looked like an angel. With short white hair
and a very handsome face.

"Uh ho!"

Jennie, Rico, Aoi, Sole, Pare, Rollin, and Je'ne, Landen, and Oliver were
there. "What's uh ho?" Rico asked the fairy.

"And it's uh oh, not...." Rollin, dark Italian from Italy said.

Suddenly a giant rope net fell over the boys and they yelled as the heavy
net weighted down by metallic balls fell over them. From the trees
dropped Roman soldiers in metal thongs and no shirts on. They had swords
but they hardly needed these. The fairy saw this and took off
immediately. Jennie started to take off from the ground. But Rico, the
Latino whispered to him, "No, we can always do that. If they see it now,
they'll be ready for it and besides we can't take off out of these rope
thingies!"

Jennie looked and nodded agreement.

"We saw you boys here the other day..."

"Peter always says never go to the same spot twice but do we listen?"
Aoi shrugged. "NO!"

"Take them to the arena!"

The fairy was telling Peter what had happened. It had flown in, saw me
stroking his unruly blond locks and yelled. It didn't tell Peter what it
saw me doing and I'm not sure it understood the significance. I didn't
really care if Peter knew or not. He knew I loved him. Peter was arming
himself to the teeth presently. He wore tons of weapons and little else.
"It's high time I run someone through," he said joyously. He had two long
rapiers on his back, in holsters, a thick dagger as his waist, small
knives on his ankle vines, and a thicker sword on his left side. "You
stay..."

"No, I'm coming!" I put my hands up, "I know I'm no killer but if the
boys are in trouble..."

"Chase, they aren't really...I mean I'm not really their father..."

"Peter, now is not the time for doubt...you know everything you do is
make believe..."

"Except, it..."

"What?"

Peter came close to my ear and whispered in it, "It isn't. I...that fact
that I love you is not make believe..."

"We'd better hurry..." I said and flew up. Peter shrugged and heaving a
sword upward and around, caught it in his same hand. He flew after me.

The boys were put in the arena stables. They watched out a cage door as
they recognized some of the pirates that were in the arena. The black
cook was there. The boys watched as the Roman guards lead other Romans,
and a few Indian braves into the arena. None of them looked friendly.
They were almost all bare but for flimsy loin cloths. Jennie looked up at
Landen, who seemed to read his mind. "No, Jen, I don't like this either."

"I do!" Aoi said, "Let me have a sword, I'll slay them dead in no time!"

Pare looked and held Aoi's back, "They are awfully big."

Oliver snorted, "I will hold them all off until you all fly away."

Oliver was conceited and he tried to act like Peter but he didn't have
Peter's skill, not really. In fact, Aoi, Pare, Sole, Rico, Rollin were
all better fighters then he. The one thing he did better than the others
was fly. Not as good as Peter mind you but he flew faster than any of the
other boys. Jennie looked away as the Indians and Romans mass
slaughtered the pirates. The black cook got a sword into his bare belly
button and it slid in and killed him. Jennie looked like he wanted to
cry. Landen held him to his chest and being taller, let the boy cry in
his arms, "Uhm, surely they wouldn't put those grown ups against us
little boys."

"When they do, the rest of you fly out," Oliver said. "Fast."

"You should be the one to do that, you fly faster than the rest of us,"
Aoi said.

"Look!"

The ruler, a young boy came out to watch the battle's end...as pirates
were put out of their misery, wounded and hurt, the Roman gladiators
stepped over the pirates that were left alive and finished them off with
well placed swords and tridents. Points dug into flesh. "Welcome, Lost
Boys of Neverland, well known to us through our pirate captives. I am
Lucius, ruler over all that is Rome..."

"What? He's ruler of Rome?" Rico snorted.

"You shall fight for us and give us our fun. We grow bored of pirates and
Indians. Let them out!"

The cage door was opened by two impossibly huge muscle guards, the boys
surprised that these men could even move with such tight and bulging
muscles. Je'ne lead the boys into the arena. He was dark skinned and
Puerto Rican just like Rico and Pa're. Who followed him out. "Fly now,"
Oliver whispered.

"That would do no good," Landen said and pointed upward, "Look!"

Above a huge steel net was sliding over the sky from end of the arena to
the other. They would not fit in between the steel ropes of it. Lucius
yelled, "There are weapons there, on the ground, take them. You best do
so if you want any chance of survival."

The boys looked up. Coming out of another stable on the other side were
teens, boys older than themselves. Muscled, some thick bellied, some lean
and skinny, some in between. A few were men. The boys were outnumbered.
The men, boys and teens against them had their weapons: tridents, swords,
spears, and knives. "Take these," Aoi passed out weapons.

The teens included some Indian braves that while were friends with Peter,
would not hesitate to slay the boys to protect their own lives. They
thought of the boys are acquaintances rather than friends and just
braves of Peter's. Lucius yelled, "Let the games begin! KILLLLLL!"

Je'ne had a thick sword in each hand and he met two attackers, an Indian
with a pair of knives and a young cabin boy, who wore a short cut striped
shirt. He wasn't from Kickai's ship, that much he knew. Je'ne knocked the
knives out of the Indian's hands with one sweep and the Indian backed
off. The cabin boy had two swords too and met Je'ne's swords.

Landen and Jennie were not fighters and kept behind Aoi and Pare, who
stabbed swords into thick bellies and slew at least five attackers, one
Indian, one pirate, two Romans and one black Zulu. Rico had a spear and
knocked several attackers down using it as a staff. One large muscle man
came at him and Rico had enough and said so, "I've had enough of this
nice stuff!" He leveled the spear and the muscle man zoomed his own
belly right onto it. "NICE!" Rico stabbed it in and jerked it some. He
heard the satisfied groans of a stuck gut and pulled the spear out and
flipped it around and hit another attacker: a Roman boy, handsome in his
need for violence. "Die!"

Above, the boys heard a laugh. Peter! "Peter!" Landen looked up.

I flew to the ropes, "It's steel, Peter, we'll have to find another way
in to get to..."

"Stand back or rather fly back!" Peter raised both swords in his hands,
and yelling he snapped the swords down at the steel and cut them apart.
"Distract them out if you can!"

"I can!" I flew in and flew straight at Lucius, who had archers near him
and who took aim at me. "Oh really?" I caught two arrows and ducked
under two more. He flung the arrows at the guards and the arrows didn't
kill them but made them duck back behind the ruler.

Lucius yelled, "What? You fools, protect me!"

Peter yelled, "Fly boys! Leave these losers to me!"

Aoi flew up and held Jennie's hand, "Come on!" He tossed his weapon into
a guard's belly and took the mute boy upward. Arrows launched at them.

I flew and kicked the arrows away and then launched myself, yelling a war
cry at the archers. My foot connected with bodies and knocked some off
the walls. A spear came at me and I caught it and broke it and flew at
Lucius with both ends. Lucius tried to run but I crisscrossed the spear
halves over his neck and shoved into him, not killing him but making him
choke a bit, "Call off your guards!" I flew behind him and landed,
"NOW OR THIS SPEAR WILL FIND IT'S WAY TO YOUR WINDPIPE!"

"It's already there!"

"Through your skin?"

"Guards leave them go!"

Aoi pulled Jennie up through the steel opening Peter cut. Landen was
helped out by Pare. The other boys were flying after them.

Oliver looked down, "Peter!"

Peter turned and saw the arena wall open and a large catapult opened up
to move out and a giant arrow came at him. Oliver flew back down as the
giant arrow flung at Peter. From behind Peter another wall opened up and
spear flew out at Peter's back. Oliver kicked the spears downward out of
the way. Peter laughed and ducked under the giant arrow and banged his
feet against it so that it flew at Lucius's area. I turned and saw this
and let go of the spear halves and took to the air.

Lucius yelled as the arrow flew above him and hit the stands, cracking
it. "YOU! BOY WHO NEVER GREW UP!"

I flew upward but saw Oliver land on the arena floor, "Oliver get out of
there!"

Indians in the arena had picked up some fallen bows and arrows and were
pointing them at Peter. Oliver flew between them and kicked them both
down. A Roman boy got over the fallen Oliver and waved a sword down at
him, pointing at his belly. Peter flew down and kicked them into other
warriors. Peter laughed. He saw musclemen coming at him and he flew over
their heads sideways, "Lugs, you can't beat me, so just stop and I'll let
you live!"

I got under Oliver and put both hands under his arms and flew him up.
Peter knew his words fell on deaf ears so he killed all the gladiators,
Indians, and warriors in the arena and flew up after us. Laughing. Then
he flew back down. "Where are you going?"

Peter confronted Lucius, "You are a boy just like I. Why do you want
this?"

"I am not a boy. I'm a ruler! I have what adults don't. Not even you have
all that I rule."

"I don't know where you came from and I don't care. Leave Neverland today
or I will be back for you."

"You threaten me?"

"Yes!" Peter laughed, "It's a sad and tragic thing that a boy with your
looks and your youth has already grown up before his time even. Remember
what I have said."

"Peter!" I yelled. I flew Oliver to the ground of the forest.

Peter came to us and we both saw that Oliver had an arrow sticking out of
his navel. "Did I save you, Peter?" Was all he said.

Peter had tears in his eyes. "Yes, little Oliver, you did."

I felt the arrow out Oliver's back and realized it was fatal. Oliver died
in my arms. I sank my head to his chest and cried. For a long time. It
has been said that Peter Pan is the one who feels for dead children. He
used to save them from Kensington Gardens when he could. When they got
lost. He wasn't always successful. Sometimes he had to build graves and
make headstones. This was one of those times. Lost boys die. It's a fact.
But this one was tougher than the others. This one was one of mine. Ours.
It is also said that Peter Pan is the betweener. One who takes the dead
children to their afterlife. He felt for the fearful children who died.

"I'm dead, aren't I, Peter?"

"Can I help you take him, Peter?"

"No."

"But why not?"

"It's...it's not allowed...not while you are on this side."

"Is it cause I'm human?"

"Yes. But so am I."

"You? You're half human?"

"I'm all boy."

"Peter, you don't know what...I mean good traveling...goodbye sweet,
sweet Oliver..."

"Goodbye, Chase, don't worry, I'll be fine." He didn't sound convinced
but Peter did.

Peter said, "He will be fine. I'll see to it. Come, Oliver, God awaits
you. You will like it there."

"Goodbye, all."

Peter turned and took Oliver into the orange purple sky and they kept on
walking and walking until they vanished. "I'll be back," Peter's words
hung in the air.

A sense of loss overwhelmed me. I wasn't sure if it was because I lost
Oliver or because Peter was leaving. I knew he'd be back. I didn't know
how long it would take. Oliver wouldn't be back at least not in his
physical form. I wondered if the guilt I felt was because my sense of
loss was more about Peter than it was about Oliver. Still, we all cried
that night as we all slept in the same bed awaiting Peter's return and
news of Oliver.


The play Peter Pan and its characters are trademarks of and copyright
J.M. Barrie