You Can Fly

"You can fly, just take my hand." I told her. "We can fly together".

On one of my forays into the real world, I found her. Wendy caught my eye perched between the real world and one of her own, sad and alone, in need of attention. I would come back to visit her and her eyes would sparkle. Unable to resist we took flight.

Our worlds overlap like layers of mist and I pulled her away from the real world on shared adventures. She is no stranger to the clouds and I longed to keep her here with me-- for a part of her wanted to be.

We lay stretched out on the rocks staring at the stars. "I hate what she has done to you," Wendy says to me.

I look at her confused. There was sadness in her eyes. "I don’t know what you mean."

She doesn't elaborate. Something nags at me, an ache at the base of my spin. 'I should know', I find myself thinking. The thought escapes me quickly, caught on the wind. "You may cry for me. I’ve forgotten how," I laugh.

"Come on, my shadow has gotten away from me again,"I shout, all other thoughts forgotten. "This time we'll fix it good."

“You ever think of the future?” Wendy wonders aloud. We are in a cove away from the mermaids, the pirates, the monsters and fairies. The day is our own.

“Why would I do that? Nothing changes here.” I dive into the clear water, then turn and pull her in with me. Surfacing we laugh. She is close to me and I can smell the fragrance of her hair. “Save those thoughts for someday. Someday never comes,” I continue smuggle, proud of my wisdom.

"Have you seen yourself in the looking glass? You are not as young as you think."

"It is a trick of the real world. I refuse to believe it ." I say brushing it away with a nonchalant wave of my hand. "I have no time for the looking glass. We still have much to do."

Shaking her head, she smiles. "Never change Peter," she whispers.

Wendy’s visits became fewer. Flying is harder for her. Our time together never seems to come. She tries pulling me into the real world. I don’t understand why she feels the need. I resist, kicking and pouting. "Why would I want to do that? You belong in Never Land. Come with me, let’s fly again."

---

Tinker Bell flutters about me partially ignored. Her blond hair flowing in the breeze, mischief surrounds her. She is eager for fun. The night is bright and calm. I am cloaked within my world, lost in thought.

She surmises where my thoughts are. "You spend too much effort on this, Wendy girl." She says carefully, irritation creeping into her voice.

"Come on Tink, don’t be that way. She is not like the others." I stare out at past Mermaid Lagoon, planning elaborate adventures for Wendy and I.

TinkerBell's impatient buzzing increases. Hands on her hips, poised to speak, she stops. The fairy girl watches me for a moment. Resigned, she shrugs her shoulders and flies off only to return later and repeat her complaints again.

My plans come to not. When next I visit the real world Wendy's room has changed. "Why have you put away your toys?" I ask. "It’s not someday."

"It is time for me to grow up a little Peter." She turns from me and feigns interest in the folds of her dress. "You should consider it too," she continues.

Her words sting me. suddenly my heart is in my throat blocking my words. The room closes in around me. 'You can not get older', I try to shout but the words are trapped inside. Trembling, I fly out her window in rage.

Returning later, I sit on her window ledge and peer at her through the glass. She is sleeping peacefully, her thoughts far from me. The night is cold. Light from the full moon shines through the window, casting shadows about the room, but my shadow is nowhere to be seen. It has escaped me again. My fingers pull absently at the frayed stitching hanging from my sock where Wendy once sewed my shadow to me.

I raise my hand to the glass, as if to touch her. "Don’t leave me too, Wendy," I whisper.