A Peter Pan “Tail”

It was a great day for a “play”.  The kids were getting squirmy & TeacherPerson knew that homeschooling was a lost cause.  There had already been several squabbles and numerous spillages at breakfast and by 9:17am there were many-a close call with insanity!

Mom (TeacherPerson) scuffled her crew into the next bus she could find and they were all bundled off to the playground.  They were not just going to any old playground, but, the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground and, as legend has it, it’s never just “another day in the park” when there you play!

Upon arrival, several things happened which, at present, couldn’t quite be explained.  Little Miss had a funny “fluttery” feeling in her stomach and could not understand why she was so drawn to the big pile of rocks over yonder.  “Could it just be the bagel with strawberry cream cheese she had had at breakfast?”  Mom thought.  Next, she noticed a sparkle, no, a twinkle in Gockle’s eyes when he gazed upon the pirate ship.  He almost seemed to grow two inches in his stature and became quite dramatic, which, was not entirely out of character for him.  Not the least of “happenings” was when Friend J gave a little laughed, her laugh sounded just like the tinkling of tiny bells echoing in the distance.

After an initial “inspection” of the grounds, everyone scattered in different directions to whichever area interested them the most.  As Mom suspected, Gockle boarded the Pirate ship, Little Miss ran off to  the Mermaid Lagoon, but, Friend J just seemed to flit from place to place, never finding one specific location to which to attach herself. 

Mom took out her book from her bag and nestled down on a park bench for a nice bit of reading while the children were safely playing nearby.  She had just started to get lost in her book when she was startled by a shadow that had blocked the sun from her page.  When she looked up, her heart sank as she made out the distinct form of… you’re never going to believe this, but,… a pirate!  She had the most sickening feeling in her stomach, but, kept telling herself, “It’s just someone from the park dressed in a costume!”.  She stood up and the man spoke with a slithering, British accent, “Hast thou seen Peter?”.  “Uh…. no!”, was all she could force out.  “Pity.”, he said, and, then, as swift as it had come, the shadow disappeared.  She looked around the playground.  It was, apparently, deserted!  At this, her mind raced and panic had struck her heart and face.  She ran all over like a woman insane calling out for her children,  “Gockle!!! Little Miss!!!  Friend J!!!!”.  Every area of the playground was empty.  She was screaming, still frantically running and calling, demanding that they answer her and stop this horrible, mean game.  Her voice seemed to echo back to her as evidence that no one was there.  She slumped down.  She cried.  She wept.  She was on the largest rock of the Mermaid Lagoon and held her face and sobbed.  What would she do?  Who could she call? 

A touch on her shoulder made her jump.  It sent a warm tingle through her body and, as she turned, she heard a jingle or a tinkle of sorts and saw a very bright, tiny light.  It spoke, “Come with me!” in such a heavenly, almost familiar voice that sounded like a gentle brook, jingling icicles, and mist rising, all at once.  She followed without even knowing what she was doing and found herself entering one of the playground’s Wigwams.  There, she recognized several of the children whom she had seen playing earlier, but, now, they were all dressed in Indian garb and even had Indian-type features about their skin and faces.  Is this truly a game?, she thought.  Then, the sweet voice she’d heard before spoke, again, only, this time, she recognized it as Friend J’s.  “Peter has been captured.”, she said.  She then described how he was being kept in the belly of the pirate ship and being tortured for information to the whereabouts of the most beautiful mermaid, Little Miss, who was being hidden in a remote place in the depths of the sea.  She had misguided the pirates by singing her luring siren and caused the former pirate ship to be dashed on the boulders that were hidden beneath the storm-tossed waves.  Hook had never forgotten it and had a vendetta against her that he vowed he’d pay back.  The tiny, sparkling creature laid out a skillful, brilliant plan on how to get Peter free from the nasty pirate, Hook, and to assure Little Miss’s safety by taking her back to England and setting her in an uncharted area in the Pacific ocean and give her her own set of coral reefs to rule and play in with the other local mermaids.

Just as “Tink”, as the Indians called her, was finishing her story, smoke filled the Wigwam and they all struggled to escape to get fresh air.  The wigwam was on fire and Hook’s familiar laugh filled their ears.  He and his men were waiting outside with nets and weapons, forcing them all to cooperate “or else”.  He tied them all up and took them to his ship,  locking them up in cells in the belly of the ship.  As Mom passed by Hook, she looked deep into the face of her captor.  “Could it be?”, she thought, “Could this twisted smile be the smile of my darling Gockle?”.  “Gockle!!?”, she cried out, “Is that you?”.  “I know ye not, Woman!”, came the sneering response, with a jab in the back with the butt of his sword.  “Now, get ye into thy cell before I lose patience with ye!!”.  Tink had somehow escaped the pirates and was already planning a way to free her friends. 
 
There lie Peter.  He was barely conscious and had no strength to even tell them of his horrible experiences.  One of the Indians brought out a small skin of some herbal, healing remedy and gave some to Peter every hour until he could sit up and speak.  After talking & scheming, the Indians & Peter had formed a plan to trick the pirates into letting them out of their cells.  Pirates, as everyone knows, are very low in I.Q. and never seem to catch on… at least not here in Neverland, which is where they certainly seemed to be now. 
 
On another shore, Tink had gotten a message to Little Miss to be waiting on the rocks, once more, in the Mermaid Lagoon that morning.  She knew it would be a great risk, but, she also knew that Hook could never resist the chance to capture Little Miss and repay his “debt” to her.  Little Miss, who was the bravest of any mermaid and more brave than even the most brave eleven year old little girl,  would not shirk her duty to Peter Pan, who had saved her life on numerous occasions.  She was ready and waiting, bright and early next morn, perched high on the tallest rock in the lagoon. 
 
Back at the ship, Tink had shown up in the Captain’s cabin late, late that night, hoping to get into one of Hook’s ghastly dreams.  She waited quietly, watching his eyelids, listening to his breathing, and making sure that his bumbling idiot assistant had drunk his usual keg or two of brew that night.  When she was quite sure of his deepest sleep, she whispered the most preposterous dream into his ear.  Something about the lagoon.  Something about revenge.  Something about… that mermaid!  It was something so real, that even in his dream, he knew this could not be a dream!  He awoke with a start.  He called his idiot, I mean, his assistant.  He ordered that the ship be readied immediately and set sail to the Mermaid Lagoon, where, he was convinced, would be waiting his most favorite delicacy… Little Miss fish!
 
The ship set sail for the lagoon.  The Captain was on the deck, poised, watching, telescope in hand, looking for the delicate figure of the lovely Little Miss on the rocks.  He knew she’d be waiting.  He knew she’d be alone.  He just knew it!  What he didn’t know, however, was that, below deck, the crew leaders were already being ambushed, muzzled,  and locked into the cells methodically by their former captives.  Once the leaders were taken care of, the rowers, who were still half drunk from the night before,  could be attacked from behind easily enough and the oars dropped into the sea. 
 
The ship made the final turn toward the lagoon.  The Captain called for the ship to halt.  He had gotten a small boat ready to lower and a few armed men were on deck with him so they could safely approach the rocky lagoon and, as he said, “Catch me a lit’l fishy!”.   But, what happened when Hook cried, “Halt!”, was not what he had planned.  The ship did not halt.  He cried, “HALT!” again and again, but, the ship did not stop.  It just kept barging full speed toward the rocks.  Not again!! No! NO! NO! Not again!, thought Hook, but, it was too late. He could hear the screeching and the scratching and the moaning and groaning of the ship’s belly against those heinous, hateful rocks.  It was like they knew it was him who approached and were out to destroy him yet again!  As the ship began to break up like a matchstick toy, Hook could see his “lit’l fishy” waving to him and then diving deep down into the waves that enveloped her like the embrace of a close friend.  He would never see her again.
 
The Indians, Peter, & Mom all had planned to jump from the ship and swim to shore after loosing the oars from the ship.  They all jumped and began to swim, but, just as Mom was getting close to shore, a huge wave came and dragged her down and back, away from shore, headed right for the rocks.  Her heart began to race and she panicked.  She was flailing and grasping for what seemed like ages.  She could not reach the surface and didn’t even know which way that was.  Finally, her breath gave way and, shortly after, everything went dark, and she felt herself floating away with no strength left to fight. 
 
She saw a light!  A tiny little light before her eyes!  Tink?  Could it be Tink?  As she lifted her head and tried to open her eyes, she saw the sun, shining behind the image of a man.  Or was it a boy?  “A-a-a-a-y-y-e-e….”, cried a familiar voice, “… want to go home, now.”.  As she shaded her eyes, there before her was her own, sweet, spunky boy, Gockle, with Little Miss and Friend J beside him, staring at her in amusement.  “Here, Mom.  You must have fallen asleep!”, as Little Miss handed her the book that had dropped from her lap while she had dropped off to “Neverland”.
 
The End
 

O.k….. that was way too long and I took way too much time on that, but, it really was fun, and, btw… no, I do not believe in fairies!

@MHyatte - ng! … There, I finished it for you!  Yes, I am saying that, because, the difference between writing about fairies and believing in them is about $100 per hour in psychotherapy!