Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2004 21:27:30 EDT
From: J
Subject: PETER PAN AND ME 40--part one

PETER PAN AND ME 40: BATTLEMENT, WEDDING, AND HONEYMOON MONSTERS

The Viking Captain was Acun. He was big, really big but not as big as his
second in command Graham. Both would be known as villains but truth be
known neither man was psychopathic like Kickai, or demonically evil like
Seth and his father. Nor were they even troubled and paranoid like Hook.
But they were Vikings and Vikings were little more than pirates, no
matter what romantic notions were given to them. Vikings did not wear
horns on their helmets, that would be Valkeryies--those female
supernatural creatures. They wore horns. They were nicer, most of the
time. Well, some of them weren't really. Anyway, Acun was big and blond
and he, unlike most of his men, had long blond hair and beard and
moustache. Graham had long red hair and a beard and moustache. Neither
wore helmets but many of their men did. This ship was not typical of
Viking ships. It had much room beneath but it was a row powered craft,
which were usually slender and sleek. This was that but also had a huge
area below for comfortable living quarters.

The Lost Boys and their new nanny, the fairy queen, Mab, were watching
Vikings attacking and killing Indian braves while the women, children,
and older males took off for safer places. The Indians did get some good
kills that day but the Vikings were winning from the start and would
eventually win the day. Running was not in these Indian warriors' ways.
The Lost Boys had no such standard and running or in this case flying
away would have been smart. Yet they boys were so entranced by the
battle, that they watched, probably far longer than they should have.
They needed me there to watch over them, not that Mab didn't do a good
job, she...well, she wasn't ready for all this.

"Boys!" Mab yelled, "I say fly!"

"We need some fairy dust!" Landen yelped.

"Better hurry, cause they're coming this way!" Rollin pointed out.

Mab sprinkled Jennie, Sole, Bo, Je'ne, Rico, and Rollin. "My but you are
a large group..." Just then an ear piercing falcon cry hit the sound
waves and the falcon came flying at her with claws outstretched. She
screamed and flew off, lighting up the falcon's face to scare it off
some. It dove at her anyway. Mab flew toward a tree that she knew had a
hole in it, big enough for her but not for the falcon.

Graham laughed, "That's right Waldren, attack the fairy guardian!"

"He knows about us!" Landen said and ran toward Bo and Jennie, "You
guys fly out of here now! You can!" He put his arms to them
protectively.

Vikings came forward at them, some slouching past the water and some
avoiding it altogether. Aoi was ready for a fight and had his swords out,
both of them, long slender swords. His face showed that he meant
business. And the first two Vikings that came at him, found out just how
much he meant business. Sole pushed Rico and Rollin back and the others
moved back some more but just then, from the forest, came huge snarling
sounds, like wolves or hyenas. But they were men. Men as big as tree
trunks and tall. They were Vikings to be sure but they wore little
clothes and one pulled up a tree trunk by the roots and smashed it aside.
The Lost boys backed toward them. Rollin flew up with Rico, "What are
they?"

"Beserkers!" Landen said, "Sole, you take these two out of here and fly.
We haven't a chance against Beserkers! They...they..,well, they're
berserk."

"Thanks that gives me a good description!"

A better description would be to picture the worst, biggest pirate,
motorcycle punk, pony tailed, bear slash man and you'd have the barrel
chested Beserkers. They were said to feel no pain. They wore little but a
few did have bearskin shirts on and what is known as death caps, skulls
of fallen warriors they've slain. They had dirty beards and dirtier hair.
Some had shields, which they bit into! Others had thick swords,
impossible for boys to lift, some had only their bare hands! They had
hair on their chests, arms, legs. Peter would have hated them. For they
were manly men. But he would have loved slaying them. Pity he wasn't
there.

As it happened, Sole took out his sword and whirled at one Berserker who
was near him. He sliced open the Berserker's big chest and then flew up
and kicked the Viking in the face. The man looked down at his chest and
fell back but another Beserker pushed him out of the way and grabbed
Sole's leg and pulled him down toward him, face to face. Aoi sliced
across a regular Viking warrior's stomach and then pulled the sword all
the way to the other side of himself and hit another Viking's chin with
his hilt, bringing the blade to a third Viking's neck, cutting it open
all the way so that this Viking's head almost fell off and then used his
second sword to slice the guts of the one who's chin he just hit. "I'm in
just the mood today! C'MON!"

Je'ne ran to Landen and the two smallest boys Bo and Jennie as a Viking
rushed them. Landen rushed the two boys back and aside and stuck his foot
out and tripped the Viking up. Je'ne used a knife to slash the back of
the Viking and the man rolled away. "Boys, fly, fly! Landen, I'll carry
you!"

"You can't do that!" Landen yelled as another Viking came at them, "I'm
taller than....YOUUUUUU!"

Je'ne shoved Landen aside and ducked under the Viking's legs, between
them and behind him, and turned as the Viking turned. Je'ne stuck his
knife right into he Viking's belly button and slashed across to pull it
out. The Viking fell.

"I"ll take that!" Rico grabbed one shield from the Berserker and noticed
it had a bite mark in it, "Yuck!" He tossed the shield into a Viking
head and that man fell.

Rollin managed to toss the remainder of his loin cloth over another
Berserker's face, enabling Aoi to gut him , for Aoi finished off a large
group of the regular Vikings off already, leaving Barry and Bailey to
fight the remainder of the more normal Vikings.


There was still Sole being held. "Leave him alone!" Rollin smacked the
Berserker from the air and Rico got behind the Beserker. This one was the
one who held Sole's ankle and now face to face, the Beserker moved to put
his other hand around Sole's neck and one move and Sole would be dead.
Rico and Rollin got in the area of the Berserker's head and began to swat
at it with pieces of wood. "Leave him go! Bloody hell, why am I bothering
with this!" Rollin took out his sword and cut the man's head off and
the body still moved. "Take that!"

Another Berserker grabbed Rollin's legs, both of them and as Rollin tried
to fly, he began to sink to the ground, face first. Aoi dashed over to
them and yelled, "Let them go!" For another one grabbed Rico's arm and
another grabbed Sole's waist. Aoi cut the hands off the Berserker holding
Rollin. This one looked at his bloody stumps as if he was not sure what
to do now. Rollin took off into the air. Aoi didn't wait for the
Berserker to react to him. He kicked this one in the balls and stabbed
his ankle as he rushed behind him. That made this one sink down and fall
backward into two others.

Bailey was finishing off two Vikings of his own who were giving him a
hard time in fighting. They were good. But he was better. He ducked down
and as one came at him yelling, "You just a boy, see here, I'll teach ya
some manners and how to fight--from Valhalla you will learn!" Bailey
stuck his sword up and the Viking ran onto it at the last moment. The
second one came at Bailey and swung over and over and over. Bailey jumped
over the sword, ducked under it, and kicked toward it but nearly got his
foot taken off for that. He rolled down and rolled into the man's legs,
reached up with his knife, which he took out quickly and cut the man's
legs, just under his knee caps. The man yelled and swung his sword at
Bailey but Bailey blocked it with his sword. Bailey stood up and hit the
man's back from behind with the hilt of his sword.

"From Valhalla you'll teach maybe!" Bailey said. Then he saw about five
Berserkers still standing.

Acun looked from the Indian fight to the Lost Boy fight. "Who are these
mere children who are finishing off not only my Viking warriors but
also the Berserker clan?"

Graham looked, "I'll see to them!"

Acun waved his sword and took a group of Vikings up toward the Indian
braves who were left and were still cutting into Vikings. One Viking lost
his head to a tomahawk. Another had his guts cut out of him by an Indian
knife. Another was speared in the chest, just by his nipple.

Aoi put an elbow into a Berserker's face, jumping up and using his sword
to cut the man from hip to center of lowest belly. Then he put his hand
out, hit the man with his knuckles and waved his sword to chop off the
man's wrist that held Rico's arm. Rico took the air and shook off the
bloody hand on his arm, still clamped there. "EWWWWLLL!" He yelled and
then laughed, "Thanks Aoi!"

Sole was yelling to the Berserker that was squeezing his waist, "We
don't' want to kill you!"

The Berserker just yelled and as he did so, another Berserker swung a
sword at Aoi and this would have killed him if it just hit him sideways
from the razor sharp edges. Bailey and Barry rushed over. Barry reached
down and took a handful of dirt and threw it at the man's eyes and he
swung wild, hitting another Berserker. Bailey dove headfirst at the
Berserker holding Sole's waist but as he did so, he turned himself and
kicked the man's sword away and put his own into the man's neck. The man
still didn't let go of Sole but Aoi came running to them and the man
grabbed Aoi's shoulder and shook him. Aoi wobbled but carved the man's
stomach away from his body and then split him in two with two savage
swings through him. Sole felt the hands cling to him but he was able to
fly up. He looked to his side and saw the man's upper body going with him
so he yelled in disgust and kicked it off.

Soon all the Berserkers were dead. Landen herded Bo and Jennie to the
back of the wooded area but Je'ne was still clanging swords with three
Viking men. Bailey and Barry ran to him and took a Viking each.

"STOP! STOP FIGHTING OR I'LL RUN HIM RIGHT THROUGH!"

Sole was standing on the head of a Viking man who had a helmet on and he
flew up from it. The others, fighting, stopped. They saw who was talking.
Aoi was -de-sworded by three other Vikings and the main one there,
Graham, had a sword point right in Aoi's belly button, not pushing, just
resting there. Aoi scowled and curled his lip up in anger. Sole kicked
the Viking face near him.

Bailey removed a knife from a Viking belly and the man fell. He went to
take on Je'ne's Viking, "Je'ne go, you can fly outta here right now!"

"No, I can't!" Je'ne said as Bailey interfered with his sword and got
between the Viking and Je'ne, now Bailey effectively fighting this Viking
who was making all sorts of grunts as though he had victory over the two
smaller boys. "I can't and won't leave you!"

Bailey reached back and backhanded Je'ne with his knuckles, the hand
holding a knife, "Get goin!"

Je'ne looked wounded and he took to the air just then. 

"Go!" Landen urged Jennie and Bo up and finally, the two little ones,
obeyed.

"You come down here now! And you two too!" Graham pointed to Jennie and
Bo as they took to the air. "Or trust me, I shall run this sword right
through your little Chinese friend here...."

"I'm Viet..."

"Shut up!" Graham yelled, "And since he showed no mercy to my men, I'll
show him no mercy when I run this in him and leave him to die for hours
on end in burning pain."

Sole flew down and landed near Graham, "Do I have your word, you will not
kill us here and now?"

"Yes, of course." 

"No, Sole, don't do it! Let em kill me!" Aoi snorted, "My stomach can
take anything he can push into it!"

"You two, also! I said now!" Graham looked at Jennie and Bo, who were
face first near him. Jennie nodded his yes to the man and they landed,
holding hands, near Aoi. Jennie put his hand on the sword and moved it
out of Aoi's navel. "What's wrong with him? Doesn't he speak?"

Landen came over to him, "No, he doesn't. He can't."

"You, blond one. You are the Nordic one, are you not?"

Sole put his sword down, "I guess so." His voice was full of disgust.

Rollin, Rico and Je'ne had flown off before they knew the threat to Aoi.
Bailey and Barry just stopped fighting and the Vikings that were left
took them over to Graham. "You are the brave one. I want you to take a
message to the other ones that got away..."

"No, I want to stay here..."

"You WILL DO as I say!"

"You have a leader?"

"Yes."

"Tell him to come to me in three day's time and I will spare these
children."

"We are all children."

"Awww," Aoi snapped, "Now why'd you go and tell him that."

Sole nodded, "I'm not ashamed of it."

"Nor should you be. You cost me all of my Berserkers."

Aoi tut tutted, "Poor little Berserkers, they're gonna feel real insecure
when they wake up in Valhalla." 

Graham lifted his sword to hit Aoi but a running Viking came to him,
"Sir! The Captain, he's been shot!"

"Shot!!!???"

"With an arrow! I think he's...I think he's still alive though..."

When Graham took to one side to see who these boys were, Acun the leader
moved up to the Indian battle. When he did, he surveyed that his men were
winning. But hidden in the bushes, a young brave pulled his bow hard and
long and the arrow shot straight into Acun's belly button and in between
his armor plating. It was a good shot and soon the Viking captain would
be dead. Graham told his men to tie up the boys and he let Sole leave,
walking away. He had to threaten Sole with the lives of the others to
make him leave. 

The Captain was brought back to the ship. So were the Lost Boys Aoi,
Jennie, Bo, Barry, Bailey, and Landen. All were tied up. Landen tried to
tell the new Captain, Graham, that he knew women were healers in Viking
society, even doctors. Graham told him to shut up and mind his own
business. Landen knew of course that Graham would stay captain only if
this captain died. Landen asked, "Don't you have any women on board?"

Being taken to a cell, Landen asked a guard, "Aren't there any women on
board?"

"There are. In that room." The man pointed to a dark wooden door below
deck. "But you don't want nothing to do with the likes of them, boy."

"Why?"

"They're Valkeryies."


The Mummers Dance song by Loreena McKennsitt starts...

Bridges over drying puddles we crossed. We heard voices singing, angels,
female mostly, or at least they sounded female. The ivory twilight was
slowly turned into an indigo velvet night. We were glowing with the
blueness of it all and misty light created outlines around us and the
others in the forest which became more and more lush and thick. Green
luminescent leaves hung out to the sides and a huge roof of brush
created a type of open roof over our heads. The trees below the larger
trees were Christmas Trees, decorated as such and lit up like, well like
Christmas time. "We are in Christmas Land." There were also Manger
Scenes, rabbits hopping along, one with a stop watch who reminded me of
Alice In Wonderland's rabbit, areas where there were snow on the ground
despite the warmth of what felt like summer but the air was alive with
fallen leaves and the smell of spring and fall all at the same time. The
musty leafy smell I always enjoyed. Then I smelt something like mowed
grass and inhaled with vigor. Peter held my hand as he lead me. Awhile
later he turned and grasped my other hand, holding me by both hands now
and he lead me by walking backwards. Fairies began to fly around us again
and jellyfish glowing in the air, bubbles blowing from their bottom,
filling the air. Cloud beings floated past us and laughed a cheery hello.
I was filled with that roaring peaceful energy again and again and
Peter's eyes were wide with love and excitement. Then he smiled, his lips
closed this time as he did so and he looked so lovely there in the center
of all of this. I felt love purely fill me and tingle every cell. Giant
cut out Christmas Toy soldiers were there waving at us as we passed. And
of course Santa Claus was there. I wanted to stop and talk to him as he
waved, his elves all around him, his reindeer taking a stretching fly
around the giant redwood trees, which shouldn't be here in Kensington
Gardens. I was in a dream, a fantastic colorful lovely dream but I was
awake and this was all real. Very real. Peter spun me in front of him and
a giant frog lady whipped out her tongue and licked me. It wasn't
unpleasant. It smelled like vanilla and felt like whip cream or soap
caressing my cheek. I was awed. Peter said, "Bow." So I did to her and
she smiled and went on her way. A family of Littles, creatures not unlike
humans, but with tails and smaller than us, passed us. Dinky and Tom
Little waved to me. They seemed like mice. But there were living mice
people too and cats (some were very white medium haired British Turkish)
and dogs (German Shepard, collies, beagles, Labrador, mixed). All getting
along. 

Mummer's Dance was playing and being sung. Was Loreena McKennitt a fairy?
Or an angel singing. As it sounded like it was from heaven...a sort of
mix of Christian and Pagan music. I felt like I was no longer flesh and
blood but of course, I was. I felt like my spirit was more present than
my flesh and skin. The part of me that would survive death was alive and
thriving and throbbing. I was just so in the air, while not even being in
the air. Amazing. Giant roses were everywhere, Christmas Trees.

Loreena:
When in the springtime of the year
When the trees are crowned with leaves
When the ash and oak, and the birch and yew
Are dressed in ribbons fair

When owls call the breathless moon
In the blue veil of the night
The shadows of the trees appear
Amidst the lantern light

Peter brought me to a tree, the biggest of them all and a huge crack
opened up and inside was the wedding. Fairies were everywhere, in the
air, coming up under the ground, burrowers I think they were called, and
on the sides. The men wore long blue robes and sword belts with swords.
While many were milling about, a long row on either side of the center
were making a kind of tunnel using their drawn swords. The bride and
bridegroom walked under it along a red carpet. Females were throwing
flowers of all kind and magic sprinkles filled the air. Peter nodded for
me to go into the tree.

"But we haven't any gift."

Peter nodded and smiled. He moved me by holding my shoulders. We moved
away from the tree opening and to a bunch of thin branched trees which
has garland wrapped all over them, stems, leaves, and trunks. "These too
came from Christmas Land." These thin skinny things bowed to Peter and
offered their branches to him. One bent down. Peter untied a garland
string. "They'll love these."

Chorus:
We've been rambling all the night
And some time of this day
Now returning back again
We bring a garland gay

Peter handed me one of the garland strand and it glew. Then he took
another from a bending tree. They were delighted to help Peter.
Vegetation loved him. Didn't almost everyone? We moved to the wedding.
Inside magnolias, and lilacs, purple filberts, roses, and carnations, all
floated about, their stems in water bubbles beneath them. The fairies
were Asian, Persian, Middle Eastern, Norwegian, Irish, British, even
American. Males, females, and those that were both flew about. Some
walked. There were some that were silly and didn't know what they were,
male or female. Some that were both and some that choose to be both. The
ones that didn't know what they were, reminded me, oddly enough, of
Tyler. There were leprechauns, elves, the much larger trolls. Balls of
light spiraled around the bride and groom. Cupid was here too, firing
arrows at almost everyone. Arrows of light and love. Oddly enough the
little baby passed me up because he knew he and Peter were in love. He
also did not even glance at Peter, who dismissed him with a wave of his
hand. Peter and I, as we entered the tree crack, seemed to shrink in
size, so as to be fairy size. Peter went over to the bride and held her
arm. She was dressed in white and with a flowing bridal tail, and a hint
of gold color laced the entire whiteness of it when the lights struck it
a certain way. Peter tied the garland around her arm. The Duke of
Christmas Daisies was there and with his bride, found and exalted by
Peter's own girl friend Maime, whom he once almost married when he was
but a few weeks old, was with him. Trumpets played out and the bride
bowed to Peter and Peter to her. I found no jealousy in that but I might
have if not surrounded by this beauty. Peter tied the ribbon around her
arm. The couple moved to the King at a throne. Peter hung back but did
not come back to me right away. The King did the ceremony and married
them. The groom held out his arm. Everyone looked around. Peter pointed
to me. Thank you very much. Now all eyes were on me. Male, female, and
those that were in between, all stared at me. You would have thought
Peter would have told me that I was supposed to now go to the groom and
tie the ribbon of garland around his arm. But no. He enjoyed my not
knowing. Now I was the one who naive. I shook my head. 

Who will go down to those shady groves
And summon the shadows there
And tie a ribbon on those sheltering arms

Peter had to put down his shadow who kept coming out at him and wanting
to dance. It was the ceremony so Peter who also wanted to dance, couldn't
let it out on its own. There was enough problems when he did that last
time. Other shadows tried to tempt it, including my own, but Peter
smacked them down and threw things from the dirt floor at them. I
laughed. The formal ceremony was short and they were married.
Professional criers were there in shadowy hooded robes. I wanted to yell
at them, "Shut up!" For they cried and cried. At weddings apparently.
The happy couple's own shadows urged the happy couple to dance.

In the springtime of the year
The songs of birds seem to fill the wood
That when the fiddler plays
All their voices can be heard
Long past their woodland days

I saw the band. Loreena was indeed an angel singing. The band was the
strangest but nicest menagerie of animals, insects, unearthly creatures,
and one giant troll in the center. The choir consisted of mostly birds to
either side of the troll, Olaf, whom Peter once fought but befriended.
Peter knew that trolls lie and cheat and accepted that. Olaf had a
terrific singing voice and hit notes no one else could. High notes. Who
would have known, heh? At his big solo, the birds parted and let him move
forward until he finished. The birds were alive, living, thinking
intelligent beings. Most of them were common birds but with great singing
voices. There were robins, cardinals, blue birds, black birds, even crows
and ravens. To their right was a giant set of drums with the greenest
frog on them, hitting all the right symbols and drums with amazing speed.
I would have thought he had four arms but he used his feet to play too.
It was amazing. A small crack in the upper tree roof held moonlight beams
which reflected off giant antique mirrors, creating a wave of moon beams
across the tree room. Singing fairies, sirens, even some transformed
leggy mermaids were part of the choir. I wondered if it was safe to have
sirens as singers. I also saw some beings that might have worried me
elsewhere: gods or so they were called mingled with demons and ogres and
bridge trolls.

Chorus:
We've been rambling all the night
And some time of this day
Now returning back again
We bring a garland gay

la la laaaaaaa...

There was a banquet of course. I sat and ate chicken and enjoyed it so
much until I saw a chicken family walk past, their noses in the air. The
mother told her children not to look. Peter floated behind me his ass in
the air, "Eating meat?"

"Damn, you're..."

"Don't curse in here," Peter whispered conspiratorially.

"Oh shit I forgot!"

"Shhh!" Peter said, "They will kill you, you know."

I raised my eyebrows and twisted my mouth, knowing the answer to my next
question, "Figure of speech?"

"No," Peter nodded, his naivete not present. "The males are only
forgiving if the women ask them to be and even then it takes a lot of
crying."

"God knows I've had enough of those crying criers tonight."

"But the women hate foul language, except Queen Mab of course and
Tink...she used to call me a silly ass all the time."

"You just cursed too."

"And you told the boys not to eat meat."

I put the chicken down and found some food that begged me to eat it. It
was its goal in life, to be tasty to someone.

Peter said, "You're the only human who has ever been allowed to attend a
fairy wedding in, oh, over a 100 years or so, I think."

I felt honored. I turned to say something to Peter about his great memory
when it came to catching me eating meat, but he was gone. There were
fairies begging for him to play his pipes. So he did. I could eat no
more. Peter's music lifted me, literally, in spirit and the air. The
music was making me fly up and up and up. Moonbeams caressed me and
moaned lightly. Hummed. I shut my eyes. Could anything get better than
this? Nothing else compares. I crossed my arms over my chest and rose up
higher. Tears dripped down my eyes, even though they were shut. Peter
played for a long time. I was not sure how long. I lost track of time and
even space. Peter was in front of me soon enough and in the air, still
singing and playing the pipes alternately. He put his hands out when he
was finished playing the pipes and I put my hands in his...fingers
intermixing...

Music

And so they linked their hands and danced
Round in circles and in rows
And so the journey of the night descends
When all the shades are gone
Guitar music. Banshee playing.
Fiddler playing. Peter grabbed a fiddle and did a song!
Violin playing. Leprechaun named Mickey. His brother Patrick played a
horn.

Peter spun me around in the air and in the tree. We landed and danced on
the ground of the wedding reception. Peter dipped me and I dipped him. We
landed on the ground but Peter rolled me and rolled me. We danced even on
our sides. We floated up and took to the air again. Peter danced with me
sideways in the air. It was like nothing I ever felt before... I saw
angels in his eyes. Bats humbly flew around us.

A garland gay we bring you here
And at your door we stand
It is a sprout well budded out
The work of Our Lord's hand

Chorus:
We've been rambling all the night
And some time of this day
Now returning back again
We bring a garland gay

Chorus:
We've been rambling all the night
And some time of this day
Now returning back again
We bring a garland gay

PETER PAN SOUNDTRACK: Fairy Dance:
The wedding was over, the reception splitting up, everyone was going
their separate ways. Peter and I were still dancing. He gently glided at
me and flew me out the crack of the tree, party goers, wedding attendees
below me, filing out. I glided outside and to a row of giant trees that
reminded me of Neverland. "Oh man, I mean oh boy..." Peter's look of
scorn at the word man made me change to oh boy. "Oh boy, I'm beat." I
landed. Peter followed.

"Is that why you stopped dancing? Don't you love me?"