* * *
After walking for some time, Peter asked, “What is that smell?”
The determined Alice continued walking while she answered him, “Pepper.” They walked past a fence and when Peter heard voices he looked over it and saw the Hatter, the March hare and a mouse having tea, “Alice, Alice,” he called to her but she kept walking completely unperturbed. He left the fence and tried to catch up with Alice. When he did he exclaimed, “I saw talking animals and they were having tea!”
“Yes of course you did Peter, but we were not invited and so showing up would be considered very rude. Besides, does it really matter how a raven is like a writing desk? Or how you say, “I breathe when I sleep” or “I sleep when I breathe” or, “I see what I eat” or, “I eat what I see”? Speaking of which keep an eye out for smoke, the caterpillar smokes a hookah.”
“A smoking caterpillar?” Peter began to wonder if he was indeed going mad. His only comfort was the determination and quick walking pace of Alice. She often made no sense to him, but she did seem to know exactly where she was going, “Alice you are not going mad are you?”
Alice stopped walking, turned around and jabbed her finger into his chest, “YOU are the one who brought us here and therefore it is YOU who is mad!”
Peter had never been more scared in his life. He considered returning to Wendy’s house but the forest of The Neverland had changed so drastically that he could not bear to walk it alone. He looked around at the woods, he felt like he was being watched. It was then that he spotted a faint bit of smoke rising from between a few blades of grass. It was nearly impossible to see, in fact, he only noticed it because of the break in the breeze. When he looked up to call Alice she was no longer there. These woods Peter did not know and he grew scared. “If she is right about that caterpillar, then perhaps he will have some answers,” Peter said quietly to himself.
Peter walked towards the smoke, got down on his hands and knees and pushed the blades of grass apart. There, sitting on top of a mushroom was a tiny caterpillar smoking a tiny hookah.
“I don’t believe it,” Peter whispered to himself. To his utter disbelief the caterpillar-upon seeing the giant Peter- stopped smoking. He broke off a piece of mushroom and offered it to Peter. It was barely a crumb in Peters fingernail but he licked and felt himself growing smaller and smaller. “Alice, Alice!” Peter screamed as he shrunk towards the ground.
“Who are you?” the caterpillar asked.
“I…I …I am Captain Peter. I mean that’s who I usually am,” he stuttered backing away from the bug that was now larger than he.
“Captain? Where is your crew, your ship? Explain yourself!” the caterpillar shouted.
“I don’t know how exactly. I mean I went back for Wendy and found Alice. When we arrived a talking cat told us that the mermaids, the Indians and Tiger Lily have all lost their heads. The lost boys are still lost and the drowned fairies sank the Jolly Roger you see?”
“I don’t see!”
“…and now I’m talking to a bug.”
“Explain yourself! Who are you?”
“I can’t explain it any better. The Neverland is different and I just want it to go back to the way it was.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Can you at least return me to my normal size so I can find Alice?”
“Yes, the other side will make you grow taller,” The caterpillar motioned slightly.
Peter had no idea what the bug was referring to so he asked, “The other side of what?” he asked.
“Of the mushroom!” The caterpillar said and resumed smoking his hookah. Peter pulled a piece off the opposite side of the mushroom and took a bite. Instantly he felt himself grow to his normal size. He looked down at the bug who was still busy with his hookah.
“Peter!” Alice shouted. When Peter turned around, he saw a large bare foot in front of him. He looked up and saw that it belonged to Alice.
“Alice?”
“Oh Peter. You found him!”
Peter had never seen Alice so happy. Alice reached down and pulled off a few pieces of mushroom from each side, being careful not to disturb the caterpillar.
She bent down and spoke to Peter, “When I couldn’t find you, I went back to that dreadful tea party you were so interested in. You were not there but I was able to get a piece of cake. When I ate it, I got this big! I returned to the path to look for you but ended up at a black lagoon. There was a rope leading into the water. Thinking it might have a boat at the other end of it I pulled and pulled. It was not a boat, it was a ship!”
“The Jolly Roger?”
“I guess so. Just when I thought I would have to sail home by myself, fairies shot out of the portholes. They were not drowned, they were just sleeping.”
Peter was so overjoyed with the news he wanted to run to the fairies but Alice continued on talking.
“The fairies thanked me by putting fairy dust all over the ship and offered to fly me back to London.”
“To the mainland?”
“Yes if that’s what you call it.”
Alice was in a hurry to leave Wonderland and return to her family, so she turned away from him and ran back to the lagoon. Anxious to see the fairies again Peter ran after her. Alice was so tall that her size put her far in front of Peter. Fortunately he was always able to see the very top of her head. Eventually they arrived at the Jolly Roger. Alice took a bite of the mushroom that was in her pocket and shrunk down to her normal size, “Peter, come with me,” she said.
“I don’t want to grow up.”
“Sure you do Peter.”
“No. I don’t it’s against the rules.”
“What are you afraid of?”
“School, suits, all of it.”
“Nonsense Peter, growing up is fun. I can’t wait to do it. It’s the best adventure ever.”
“I won’t go.”
Alice looked behind him and saw the Queen of heart with her army of cards rapidly approaching, “Very well Peter stay here if you like,” she turned and boarded the Jolly Roger which was floating inches above the water. Fairies surrounded the ship ready to take Alice home to London.
“OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!” the Queen shouted. The entire suit of cards was upon Peter. Peter finally understood why no sane person bothered to confront the Queen. Not only was she mad, but she had an army of cards at her disposal.
“Peter hurry come with me to the mainland!”
“I don’t want to grow up!” he shouted back at her.
“It better than losing your head Peter!” Alice screamed, “Please Peter, if you come with me I will tell you what a real kiss is,” Alice shouted from the ship.
Peter did not care about a kiss, he was more worried about losing his head. That fear drove him to run as fast as he could across the dock and with the help of a few fairies he was lifted up into the Jolly Roger. Soon the two children were floating off towards the mainland leaving the mad Queen and her army of cards on the beach. Peter worried about where he would live once they got to the mainland, but he knew for sure that he never wanted to return to The Neverland.
* * *
Peter and Alice arrived in London early the next morning. Alice ran into the arms of her parents and sisters. When she explained to her parents who Peter was, they agreed to adopt him into the family. They had many daughters but always wanted a son. Peter never thought of Wendy or The Neverland again. He attended lessons with Alice and enjoyed reading stories about Captains, and Kings from other lands.
Years rolled on and Peter was no longer so gay, so innocent or so heartless. When they were old enough Alice asked Peter to escort her to their very first ball. In his top hat and tails he felt like the prince in a fairytale he once heard. Alice’s gown sparkled like the evening stars and she felt like a grown up princess. In the end it was Peter who gave Alice a real kiss, and they lived happily ever after.
The End
Copyright 2014 © Sta
cy Sorrells
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