Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2004 14:59:22 EDT
From: J
Subject: Peter Pan and Me 44

PETER PAN AND ME 44: FIRE AND FIGHT IN HALF MOON LAKE

She was one who had escaped from the Viking ship. She saw the man
following Sole. Sole knew he was there and was trying to lose him in the
jungle. He had no idea the woman was there and that she was flying. Sole
saw a site for sore eyes, "Peter!" For there among the woods, was Peter
and Je'ne, Pare, Rollin, and Rico. He wondered where Chase was.

The shorthaired Viking with the metal helmet looked up, away from Sole,
and saw the flying blond woman. The woman looked harried and hurried. She
flew as though one pursued and looking back at the ship, she didn't see
the man in the thick foliage below. He pulled his arch and like some
magical demon the arrow flew of its own strength at her. She heard the
whoosh of the arrow and turned to see it coming. Her hand held out, she
tried to grab it but this arrow was enchanted. Enchanted to resist any
flying woman's hand. It went through her palm and struck her in her lower
neck just above her armor breast plate. The woman just went limp in the
air and fell straight down. "Look!" Sole pointed upward! "A flying
woman!"

Peter squinted, "Who flies no more!"

Pare looked, "Did you see where she went?"

"I did!" Peter slapped him on the back, "We shall find her and find out
why she flies without my permission!"

"We have to hurry though, it looked like....like someone shot her down!"
Sole said as Peter and Pare shot ahead of him. Rico and Je'ne stared at
each other for a moment and shot after them. They gathered soon enough
around the fallen woman. Peter stared, not knowing what to do. For a
moment he wanted to just skip away. The others would gladly have followed
but then he realized he had need of this woman and her armor. Sole bent
over her. Rollin joined them from the rear. "She's...old....maybe 19...."

"Old?" Rollin pushed ahead of the group.

"And she's done for," Sole said, sadly.

Peter heard rustling in the woods, the thicker part of the undergrowth.
Someone was coming to check his work. Peter bending down to look at the
woman, turned toward the sound, "Well, she shant die alone." He stood
up and marched heavily, or as heavily as a boy of his weight (NONE) could
do. He bravely just approached the thickness of the ferns nearby and as
he did, the Viking archer came forward, out of the brush. At the same
moment, Peter asked, "Who's arrow?" He plucked it out of the Viking
woman.

"His!" Sole pointed. "He's been following me for days!"

"Oh." Was all the Viking archer said. It was all he had time for.

Peter was wild and feral now. He had his sword already out, having taken
it out quietly this time and he hacked and slashed, the Viking moved
backward, gasping and shocked that so small a boy could be so savage and
deadly. He backed away fast but Peter was faster, half flying, half
running at him. "Who do you think you are to shoot down any flying thing
in the air in my Neverland!" With each word, Peter hacked and swung left
to right and followed the Viking back into the thick ferns, which came up
well over Peter's shoulders and at times, his head but only came to the
Viking's stomach or chest. The boys followed.

Pare: Kill him Peter!
Rollin: Yeah, run em through!
Je'ne: Gut em!
Even Sole joined in: Slay em dead, Peter!
Rico: Aerate his innards!

Peter was spurred on by their primal desire for blood and his own. He
moved at the Viking who had his sword out but Peter easily deflected it
for all of two blows before knocking it from the man's grasp. "You killed
a perfectly good mother for us! She who would have made a good mommy for
the lost boys!" 

Rico said, "Yeah, mommy!"

Peter continued, "For I have no further need for a mother, for know, now
I have Chase! But where is he? Have you slain him too? Or does your
leader have him?" 

"No! No, I don't know what you're...." The man backed up to a tree and
hitting it, put his hands up to block Peter. "Talking about!" The man
saw his own arrow in Peter's other hand, raised, the blood of the
Valkeryie still on it. Peter lowered his sword.

Peter stopped and tilted his head, wondering what to do now. "What to
do?" He hummed to himself. "I want you to tell your leader something for
me...." The man cowered but then swallowed and tried to stand up
straight, away from the tree at his back. "I want you to tell
him....nevermind...." Peter swung the sword and but the man rushed at
him. As the body rushed at Peter, The Viking held the sword arm away but
Peter rounded the arrow in his other hand and put the point right into
the belly, between breast armor and lower breeches, cutting into the
navel. Sidestepping, Peter pulled it out and took out some innards. The
boys cheered and this gave Peter a moral high ground. "For she who was
avenged." Which made no sense of course. The body no sooner hit the
ground, then Peter forgot it and moved to the woman's body. "She was very
pretty."

"She has all this armor," Sole said.

"So she does. Strip her."

"What, Peter?" Rollin asked.

"Strip her. For I have need of it."

"You do?" Sole asked. "You need her stripped? What are you gonna do with
her?r"

Rollin shrugged, "It had to happen sooner or later. He's reached the
point where he wants you know, from a lady."

"No!" Peter yelled.

"The armor?" Sole asked. "You have need of it?"

"No," Peter said, "Not really me. You do."

"I do?" Sole wondered, "I'm afraid to ask, why?"

"My dear Lost boy, you are about to become a flying lady."

The others laughed and Sole rolled his eyes.

"You're the only blond here, seeing as how Landen was foolish enough to
get himself captured by the Vikings."

Sole protested. "But Peter why not full frontal attack."

At the words full frontal, Rollin's eye brows went up.

"We do it MY WAY," Peter urged. "This time."

"Since when have we done it any other way any other time?" Sole asked.

Peter slapped him lightly. "Get ready for your breast..."

Rollin's eyebrows went up further than he thought they could have.

"....plate."

"Oh Peter!" Sole ranted. "You are blond...too..."

"For shame. Do you ask your brave leader to dress as a...as a...no, I
can't even say it...as a..."

"Full grown adult lady?" Rollin said it.

"Thank you, Rollin, my boy."

"You're welcome, Peter, my brave boyish captain."

Sole nudged into Rollin, "Rollin, shut up."

"Besides, for this..." Peter shut his eyes and his hair turned jet
black, "I shall need this color."

"Crap," Sole said.

"It's not!" Peter said.

"Not your hair! This situation!" Sole stamped his foot. As mature as he
was compared to the others, he was still, after all, a boy.

I waited in the water for almost a whole day. Then I saw the Vikings
leaving the ship, with the body of their leader floated on a wooden raft
they made during the day. There were two small boats to the side, with
men in each hauling the wooden raft, the body of the leader on it. I drew
in air. For on the wooden raft were Barry, Jennie, Aoi, Bo, Bailey and
Landen, all tied up! It would be so easy to swim underwater and cut the
ropes connecting the boats to the funeral raft and sail it off. It wasn't
the best plan but the only one I had. I started underwater, getting a
good amount of air into my lungs first. As I went under, I kicked but
found that my legs couldn't move! I was pulled down. A slimy tentacle was
under me and I knew other tentacles had my two legs. I bent down and saw
a giant octopus pulling me down. He didn't let out his ink yet because,
apparently, I was no threat to him. Just food. I tend to remember some
story about Peter and Jane encountering an octopus, one that wanted to
eat a returned and still alive Hook, but was that just a story? Or some
encounter in one of those many parallel universes and alternate times I
learned about? It didn't matter for now, I was once more being dragged
down to my water logged death! What is it with me and the water? I
struggled but knew it was no use. I didn't even have a knife with me.
That was a mistake. I needed to get some of Peter's love for blood and
killing in me if I were to survive in Neverland far longer than I might
not. Or something. I stared in wide eyed horror at it and then looked
elsewhere, panicking for some escape. Then I saw something far, far worse
than the octopus. A raging mass of concrete like spinal fins. A squat
nose. Teeth. Lots of teeth. The Croc! It swam like a rocket undersea at
me. Then it dove. It wasn't swimming at me. It was attacking the octopus!
For me! I let my air out slowly, however, I knew soon that it would be
gone and I'd be done. I was dragged down further as the croc, nose first,
hit the octopus in the head, just above and between its scary eyes. Ink
started to fill the water. Great! Not only was I out of air but this
ink...I wondered if the ink could kill me. There was red too. I bet the
Croc was winning the fight. But the tentacle kept me prisoner. Then I
looked up, feeling something lite brush across my cheek and chin. It was
the merboy who loved me. And his muscled lover. They held their mouths
closed. The boy put his mouth over mine and I opened it for him, locking.
He put air in my mouth. I seem to recall I once saved him so maybe this
was just a return favor. Or was he doing this because he loved me? Ink
and blood made a giant cloud around us and, ewl! YUCK!

I had air in my lungs and it was enough to float up to the surface. I saw
mermaids trying to get to the raft but Graham, now in the lake near the
sea, where Scen had taken his shower, moved into the water, getting out
of the third rowboat to personally put his spear into two of the
mermaids.

"Were they...." I turned, wondering. Two of the mermaids were dying in
the lake now and the boys and the raft were too far away from me.
"Helping me?"

The merboy and his merman came up next to me in the water, bobbing. I dog
paddled toward the lake. "No!" The merboy sent to me, "No, do not try it
on your own. The mermaids wanted to take the raft to send it far out to
sea and be rid of all those Lost Boys at once."

"Well," I frowned, "They didn't get their chance too, did they?"

"No."

"And I don't want you two getting killed, you've done enough for me, just
helping me against the octo."

Somewhere down below, the croc, having its dinner, thought, "What about
me? I saved you too."

I smiled and sent him a kind message telepathically. It took a lot out of
me, but it was worth it. I didn't want the croc mad at me. It was, in
fact, a great ally. "No, I need Peter, now you two get away from here."

I swam. I had to find Peter.

Night came swiftly. It was not a full dark night. The moon was half moon
again and while it gleamed on the lake, the dark shadows created by the
torches and the half moon mixed to create strange imaginary terrors...or
were they imaginary? By that time, the raft was set out near the far end
of the lake and a fire started with a burning torch. A viking put the
fire to the raft and the body of the Viking leader would soon be on
fire...but what concerned me was the bodies of the still alive, tied up
lost boys on the raft along with it! Bailey, Barry, Bo, Landen, Jennie,
and a still struggling Aoi were on the raft and the fire would consume
raft and them! The boys sweated as the fire spread ever so slowly. Aoi
wanted to put his hands in the fire to burn the ropes off himself but he
couldn't reach it. The wooden planks were many, having been cut to
perfection and tied together.

The Rowboat Vikings were ordered by Graham to turn back to the ship. It
was night and the fire would take their former leader to Valhalla. But as
they turned, Peter, myself, Rollin, Je'ne, and Rico landed on the raft.
Pare kept watch in the jungle. Earlier, I found Peter, explained what
was happening. All of us save Sole, had crawled on our bellies through
the brush. Peter insisted we not fly. He knew they would be expecting us
that way. Poor Sole. He was in the sky. But he wasn't dressed as Sole.
And he was an easy target. Peter forced us to wiggle like snakes in the
grass! Then we slipped from bushes and leaves, into the water, silently.


Landen was near the smaller boys, his wrists and ankles tied and his
mouth gagged, like all the others. Aoi turned to try to get free of his
bonds. He saw something sit up. It was The Body! It suddenly sat up! Acun
moved! Then Aoi saw who was behind the body, propping it up. I pulled
the gags out of the boys' mouths but motioned for them to be quiet.

"I am back," a female voice said, from the air, "Do not shoot. I am
raising your leader."

"Turn back! Turn back!" Graham snapped to the Vikings and the rowboats
all turned back toward the far end of the lake.

The female voice was Sole. Pretending to be female and doing a helluva
great job at it. Yet it was in his male voice he chastised Peter.

"Peter, that's not fair!" Sole said, hovering above the raft, in full
Valkeryie outfit, "You made your hair blond again."

Peter laughed, having heard him but only because he had good ears, even
if they were a bit pointed. His hair was indeed back to its shiny
blondness, apparently Peter, hiding behind the leader's body, didn't care
if anyone saw his blond curls. He was too excited by this plan to care.

The rowboats neared and stopped at a safe distance from the fire.

Graham looked as the fire spread on the funeral pyre raft. "Who are you,
my leader?"

"Ja!" Since Peter hadn't heard the real leader's voice, he used
Graham's voice. Graham didn't seem to notice, for he and Acun had almost
the same sound to their voice. And Peter ignored the fire that was all
but nipping at his heels.

"You're back!?"

"Ja!"

"And you command?"

"Ja!"

Untying Landen, Rollin whispered, "What's that mean?"

Landen whispered, "Yes."

Rollin pulled the ropes, which were heavy duty, off, "I said what does
that mean."

"Yes!" Landen said.

"But..."

"That's what it means---yes."

"Shhh," I said, trying to untie Jennie.

"Shh with the shhhs." Aoi whispered.

I rolled my eyes. Jennie came undone, "Don't fly yet. We all have to
leave together."

Jennie shook his head, nodding his understanding.

"But the fire...." Barry whispered.

Graham asked, "My leader, you....you've...your my leader? Come back to
life?"

"Ja!"

"And that Valkeryie has come to save her friends?"

"Ja!"

"Did you promise her to free her friends on my ship if you were to be
brought back to life?"

"Ja...."

"And...and! That Valkeryie brought you back!?"

"Jaa!"

"She is under your control?"

"Jaaa!"

"And they will do the same for me if I fall in battle?"

"Nein!"

"How is it they will not?"

"Because you.... are a flounder."

Peter laughed as Graham fumed with rage and his ears turned redder than
his long and braided hair. Graham jumped off the rowboat. Peter laughed
and waved the dead leader's hand with his own hand, standing behind the
body, which smelled but didn't effect Peter, for he may have liked the
smell. He made the hand do a limp wrist wave to the Viking Graham. He
laughed and as usual, his laugh gave away this fantastic plan to the
leader. But was it a fantastic plan? Peter covered his mouth with both
hands to stop his laughing but this made the dead leader's body he was
holding start to fall so he grabbed it up again and laughed again! That
boy is insufferable! As he did this, Graham waved for his men, who were
waiting behind the rocks near the lake, the ship off behind them, to move
around. Waiting there long before the fire had been set, they were
ordered to do this by Graham, a trap set for the remaining Lost Boys and
their horrid leader the flying boy. They were in just loin cloths and had
swords at their hips, shoved through the cloth and six of the twelve men
had bows and arrows. They all had helmets on and all had short hair.
They moved around the rocks and slowly past brush that hid them from view
as they dipped into the water. Graham began to move forward into the
water. As he asked Peter questions, he moved slowly but surely through
the water at the wooden funeral raft. Peter either didn't see, with the
dead leader's head blocking his own view or...or he didn't care that
Graham was coming so close. 

"Tell me leader, are you ready to take over again?"

"Ja."

"Just like that?"

"Ja."

"Are you sure you are my leader?"

"Jaaaaa!"

"A full Viking man?"

"NEINNNNNNNNNNNN!" Peter yelled.

Landen looked at Rollin as they untied Bo and Barry. "No."

"What? What I do?"

"Nein means no!"

"Shh!" I said.

"Untie me next!" Aoi said.

"You're the only one left!" I said.

The new Viking leader, Graham, asked, "Then what are you now? Better
than a man!?"

"Jaaaaa!" Peter's eyes grew wide with love of self.

"More magical?"

"Jaaa!"

"With the heart of a ruler?"

"Jaaa!"

"And the desire to mate and bed all the women you could possibly want?"

"NEEEEINNNNNNNN!"

"Then you have one love?"

"Jaaaaaaaa!"

"Can I ask the name?"

"Ja."

"Is it a professional sex woman?"

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Peter went to English now. Which of course didn't matter
since in Neverland everyone automatically understood everyone else,
usually. Unless there were other circumstances. Such as fairy talk. You
had to learn fairy talk.

"A lady?"

"NOOOOOOOO!!!" His boyish voice cracked.

"A girl then?"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO! NEINNNNNN! NEINNNNNNNNN!"

"Could it be? A man?"

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Peter's voice broke.

"A boy?"

"YES!"

"A marvelous boy?"

"YES!"

"Does he have a name?"

"He is called.....CHASE!!!!!" Peter yelled in his own voice. He sprang
up over the body's shoulder on the left side.

"You are not my leader!!!!"

"Nein! I am not! FOR I am PETER PAN!" He threw the body at Graham and
it hit him just as Graham was about to thrust his sword through both body
and Peter.

In the air, Sole, the disguised Valkeryie yelled, "Peter lookout!"

I called too, "Peter, behind you!"

For the 12 Vikings swam up behind the funeral raft and now surfaced. Five
had arrows ready in bows already. Another waved a sword at me. Graham
wrestled with the body of his former leader and as he did so, Peter
turned to see the others and laughed, partly, and partly gasped as if to
meet a challenge. "And PETER PAN IS BETTER THAN ANY MAN!" He flew up
and landed with both feet one infront of the other, both on top of the
wrists of an archer and he used his feet to separate the man's hands from
his bow and arrow, which both fell uselessly into the water. "BETTER...."
Peter then vaulted his feet up and kicked the man in the chin and back
flipped over and over and kicked the man again and again, laughing and
"WHOA WHO" ing all the time. He left this man to fall into the
water...left him to drown. Peter began to fight another who did not have
an arrow and bow but took out two swords. Peter landed on this man's
wrists too. "YOUNGER!" He forced his toes to shake the man's hands and
the man dropped his weapons. Peter took this Viking's helmet off and
hit him in the head with it and kicked him in the chest with both feet
before turning back to the raft. "FASTER!!!!!" He tossed his knife into
the throat of another swordsman and the man fell. "SMARTER!" He turned
and grabbed another man's bow and arrow, one hand on the arrow and the
other on the bow as the man was about to fire. He turned the bow and
arrow around and then let go. The arrow zipped into the man's belly
button and he too fell.

"Six million dollar man?" I said as I leaned to Aoi and tried,
continuously to untie him, "This knot won't come loose!" 

Aoi yelled, "Chase! Duck!"

"In the water? What's a duck got to....oh!" I ducked and an arrow flew
where my head was a second before. Aoi held up his wrists and the arrow
flew between them, breaking the ropes and freeing Aoi. We both stared at
the arrow which was embedded in one of the posts of the raft. We went
wide eyed.

Aoi untied his legs, "Let's fly!"

"Okay I...go! GO! GO! Everyone up and out!" I saw three more archers
coming close to us. I urged Aoi up and he flew. The others followed. Like
Sole, they dodged a few arrows, but the attack's focal point was really
Peter Pan.

I turned to go the other way but as I moved, I realized I had turned
toward the front of the huge wooden funeral raft and the body of the
leader was there, a seeming zombie. The smoke from the fire began to
choke me and it obscured the view of the body coming at me. Behind this
body was Graham and he flung it at me. I fell under it and yelled. I
wanted it off. As I yelled, Aoi turned, from pushing Bo and Jennie into
the air. "I'm goin back!" And he did. He darted back at me and started
to pull the body off me. As he did, Graham who was so close to cut us up,
raised an axe and a sword over Aoi's back and my belly, as that was the
only part I managed to tug free. 

"And I CAN FLY!" Peter bragged into the face of another swordsman who
waved his sword up at Peter. Peter kicked it and grabbed the man's arm
and twisted in a ju jitsu move and flew around with the arm, making the
man come with it. Then he let go and the man sank into the water,
yelling. 

The archers were on us too! Peter came by and Sole flew overhead, "Peter
catch!" Sole, glad to be free of the heavy armor breast plate, dropped
it and the arrows hit it instead of us. Peter missed it too though but he
managed to kick at it and with both feet. This made it sail into the
faces of the three archers who fell. Peter managed to grab one of their
swords as they sank into the water and he saw Graham ready to strike me
and Aoi. He flew over the raft, picked up his sword and flew behind
Graham, for any move from the front, and Graham could have easily killed
both me and Aoi.

Peter lunged at him from behind, "Turn so I may fight thee fairly and
squarely, unkind sir."

Graham didn't turn, "What think I? A fool?"

"Well now that you mention it...goin up against me is..."

"I have you at a disadvantage! I have your friends in my sights."

Peter yawned, "Really? I thought you a brave warrior who fights fairly
not a bloodthirsty slayer of helpless little fair boys."

Graham yelled, "I am BOTH!" He began to swing at me and Aoi and lower
his sword on us heavily. At this range, he would not miss, for his chest
was over the raft now and any hit would kill both of us. 

Peter clearly didn't expect this. He yelled, "NOOOOOOOOO!" And as he
yelled, he swung his sword and the Viking sword.

The body came off me just as Peter struck. Graham's arm flew at me.
Uselessly. For Peter had cut it off. The hand still oddly holding the axe
that meant to chop out my belly guts. I yelled, for it was grotesque. As
this happened, Peter used his own retrieved sword, at the same time, to
cut off Graham's other arm. Both neatly cut at the shoulder. Graham
yelled. The other arm crisscrossed the first one, and hit Aoi's butt as
he moved up from helping me. We were too shocked to move. Peter just
laughed, "Now you're an armless pirate."

"Peter!" I yelled in protest to his little joke.

"Oh Chase, just fly, you bother-ation." Peter said, annoyed as though
he had just burned the toast and not chopped off someone's two arms.

"Peter!" I flew up with Aoi, "You have to do something."

"Pray tell, why?"

"Peter please! It's so cold blooded..."

"Oh, allright," Peter grabbed the Viking Graham and as the man yelled,
Peter moved him to the side of the raft and clumsley turned the right
shoulder into the fire and as the man screamed, Peter awkwardly turned
the left shoulder into the fire and then, "Stop yelling and get into the
water!" He shoved the Viking down with both hands while taking off for
the air, forcing with all power downward. The Viking was not on fire any
longer and the wounds were stopped by this. Graham was yelling the
entire time.

The last archer came forward but dropped his weapon and began to help
Graham as Peter flew off, saluting him. The other survivors regrouped and
helped this archer take Graham out of the water and back to their ship,
Graham now passed out.


The play Peter Pan and its characters are trademarks of and copyright
J.M.Barrie.