From the Memoirs of
Peter Pan
One day, the lost
boys and I flew to another tiny island, flying free and happy, we saw
the single tree in the distance, a huge tree, and it was perched on
the top of a slab of land, and inside that slab of land was the face
of a giant. We hovered to look close, and the face awoke, its eyes
like craters, its mouth like a hollowed out cave, and he suddenly
blew at us in a big puff of smoke and ash sending us tossing and
twirling back over a hundred feet. We were not stopped though, and
went to the top of the slab to see what this place was all about.
There was a long
channel of water, weaving through the land, around the tree, and
spilling down the sides in a shower for the giant. It was green and
mossy when we landed, spongey on our feet. It seemed that nothing
was here, until we saw a woman emerge from a near distance, standing
there with a walking stick, staring at us. The lost boys asked,
“What shall we do, Peter?” So I made the first move and starting
walking toward the woman with the boys right behind me.
“Hello,” I said
to her, stopping in my tracks before getting too close. “Where are
we?”
“This is
Figureland, and I am the only inhabitant on it. It is named after
the great figurehead in the center.”
“Yes, we saw the
giant,” I said to her.
“That figures head
grows nappy hair, thick rock of a skull; that figure is a thinking
thing, and we are standing in his brain.”
“Oh, no, what do
you mean by that?! Are we hurting the island?”
“I have done all
that. I have left traces in its brain, and he seems to like me
alright, doesn't quake or quiver, doesn't get boiling hot mad.”
“But he blew us
away!”
“He may not have
wanted the pressure. Headaches, you know?”
“Oh, yes, I know,
I know.”
“And who might you
be?”
“I'm Peter Pan,
and these are the lost boys.”
“Are you always
this curious, Peter Pan?”
“Yes, mostly. We
aren't ever going to grow up!”
“Ha, yes, it does
take time, but no choice in it. Would you like to have some fish and
papayas?”
“Yes, we would
like that.”
“Come with me.”
I had never caught
the woman's name, but she was dressed in a bamboo skirt, and a
coconut top. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, with
silver hair, and sharp blue eyes, standing about 6 foot. We followed
her across this giant's head, into a sunny, bald spot, where she had
made a small home out of evergreen branches tied with milkweeds. The
first thing I noticed was the smell, it was the freshest, most
comforting smell. It was very small, we had to crawl to get in, and
it barely fit all of us.
“I live on fresh
fish in this island,” she told them. “And I'm willing to share.
But tell me, where are you from?”
“We're from
Neverland,” I told her. “It's a neighboring island.”
“Ah, never heard
of it. I climbed all the way up to the top of this island on the
spine of the giant. I will spend out my time here, I told myself,
and so I have. That one big tree you saw when you got here, that is
a magic tree. It changes. It grows all different kinds of fruits
and nuts. That's the giant's sweet spot.”
“Oh, my! That
sounds wonderful!”
“Yes, but you
can't stay,” she me, tearing up the fish, and passing around for a
bite of fruit.
“Alright, we won't
stay,” I told her. “But wouldn't you like to come live with us,
we always have fun, dancing, singing, never growing tired or bored.”
“I mustn't. I am
preserving the great head of the giant!”
“Yes! Alright
then, we must be going.”
“It was nice
meeting you, Peter Pan, and all you young fellas.”
“Same here. I bet
you didn't know we could fly.”
“I kind of figured
that. Magic, huh?”
“Yes, Pixie has
just arrived, ready to take us home. With her dust, we can do
anything. (pause) Well, so long.”
“Yes, so long.”
We crawled out of
the makeshift house, with Pixie going crazy. I knew she was on our
smell, and wouldn't be left behind. We stood together, holding
hands, I told the boys to think of all of these wonderful thoughts
from today, and they did, then we got a strong smell of Pixie dust,
and off we flew, back to Neverland.
Comments
Post a Comment