Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2006 11:43:46 EDT
From: J
Subject: PETER PAN AND ME 56

I was unceremoniously  thrown into the same cell as Je'ne. By a worm
encrusted zombie. "You  alright?"
"Yeah. I'm sorry you got  caught."
"Who me?"  I chided him, trying to sound cheerful,  "I live for this."
"Do you indeed?"  Graham said, trotting back and forth  along the cell's
length.
"Yeah,"  I said, holding the bars, "Which is more  than I can say for your
friend there. Former crew member, isn't he? Killed by  Peter or he looks so
lowly maybe he was killed by one of the littler Lost  Boys."
"Hold thy tongue or I shall  hold it for you,"  Graham said,  "After I cut it
...no, wait. Maybe I shall let him hold it for you...as he pulls it  from your
mouth."
I looked over the zombie.  "First rate, he's not. I mean the living dead?
What'd you do make a deal with  the devil? Been there, not done that."
"Where is that boy?"  Graham looked  around.
"Is that your plan?"  I gawked. "Lure Peter into an enclosed  cell like this
one?"
"He'll come. You are  here."
"You know little of Peter  Pan. Now, Captain Hook then again, HE was a real
adversary. He knew Peter well.  Peter could almost count on Hook to just about
defeat and kill him. Come within  inches of his life...but you?"
"Shut  up!"
"Ohhhh, Wooden Bodied  Graham Cracker."
Graham's face lit up. "He  IS here."
I began to sweat. It was  Peter's voice, alright. "Peter, you imbecile."
"I'm here, alright,"  Peter's voice said.
"Where? Where?" Graham  removed his sword and swung his axe arm.
"Peg arm, look out the  window."    Peter was  there, or rather just his
face, as he hovered horizontally so his tail and legs  were behind him and could
not be seen.  "You have what I want and I have what you  want."
"What do you have that I  want?"
"Luck....I have luck. And I  know what bad luck you have or will have if you
continue to hold my  friends."
Above, the Vikings tossed  spears at Peter but he caught two of the spears
and flung them back. One Viking  ducked, "The Pan's right. My aim is never that
 off."
"Mine either!"
A third said, "It must be  that girl. We have to get her off this ship."
"Oh, come on, Graham, we  have no need for this stand off..."  Peter smiled
through the bars, holding onto  them.
Graham swung his axe at the  bars, ripping them. Peter, of course, jumped
back, laughed, and flew a bit away.  Then he turned and flew straight back at the
window. "I shall kill your friend,  Chase ! NOW!"
Hanna was suddenly at the door, "You will  do no such thing, captain."
"What are you doing down  here? Didn't my men lock you in your room?"
"They did but I escaped  through the window!"  Hanna smiled.  "I can climb
like a turtle, too. Even though I'm becoming a  woman."
"Oh, I'm surrounded by  fools, fairies, and imbeciles! Talon, Malice! Take
this girl back to her  quarters."
"I will go and stay there,  captain, but please, please, do not kill the one
called  Chase."
I noticed Je'ne's name did  not come up as a candidate for slaughter. It was
because Captain Graham  had plans for him.
Talon came to the room with  Malice. The two Vikings looked nervous. "Please,
missy, come back with  us."
"Oh, okay."   She said. She screamed when she  turned and saw the zombie
Strang standing in the corner. "What's that?"  The zombie moved at her. She
screamed  again and fainted.
Peter, outside the window,  again, laughed as Malice and Talon caught her in
their arms and began to carry  her out. "Bad bad luck, you are all in for it
soon!"
"What do you suggest?"  Talon  asked.
"Keep your tongue in your  mouth!"  Graham  said.
I spoke up, "You have  tongue on the mind..."
Peter murmured, "Kinda like  you, last night, uh, Chase?"
"Peter, be  quiet!"
"Chase, shut  up!"
"No, you shut  up!"
"NO, I won't. You stow the  gab!"
Graham yelled over us, "IF  I MAY stop this lover's quarrel for a moment!"
"Your men are nervous, sir.  I say you can win the pretty maiden, the Lost
Boy Je'ne there, and my love  Chase...squarely and fairly..."
My eyebrow went up. What  was he planning now, my little minx? "Peter....you..."

"I shall challenge thee  before all thy men..."   Peter  looked up at the men
gathered on deck, crowding to see him.
"A challenge? How  nice."  Graham motioned to the  zombie as Peter looked up
at the Viking men. In the shadows, it shuffled  forward, came toward the
window, reaching. "What do you have in  mind?"
"I shall shoot an apple off  Chase's head. If I do without harming even  a
hair on his brown/black fluff...then I get Je'ne and Chase's  freedom..."
Je'ne called forth, "And  the turtle girl, too, Peter..."
"And the turtle girl, too,  Peter...I mean what's her name?"  Peter asked.
"Hanna,"  Je'ne called out, "Hanna. It's a lovely  name,"  he added,
saying it to no  one in particular.
"Deal."
"Viking word of  honor."
"Peter, you can't trust  him!"   That was  me.
"Chase,"  Peter said, "Trust is trust. Faith is  faith. A man's word is his
word. A Viking's word more so. More so than a  pirate's or an Indian's... so,
fair captain, shall I shalack your arms on  it?"   He  laughed.
"Oh yes, but if you lose,  not only does your Chase die but I get to carve
you  alive."
"Deal!"
"Shake on it!"  Graham put out a wooden hand, putting  his sword in its
sheath.
Peter put his hand out.  "Peter, be careful! Be careful!"  I  yelled.
Peter puffed, tut tutted me  away, and waved his hand at my warnings. "Get
him,"  to the zombie, Graham whispered that. To  Peter, he said, "My word on it.
"   He put his hand out and Peter took it and shook it. "Now, get him!"  The
zombie lunged at Peter's arm but  Peter had a toy buzzer in his hand and as
Graham shook the hand, the toy buzzer  went off and shocked Graham, who let go,
yelling. Peter  laughed heartily and the zombie lunging,  nearly had Peter's
neck.
But Peter moved back in the  air, his hands free, "In the first sunrise, we
shall conduct our challenge,  unkind sir!"  As Peter moved back,  the shambling
zombie lunged out the window. Peter's feet moved to walk on it and  kicked it
as they did so, connecting harshly to the monster. It plunged to the  water
and once there, the mermaids used their harpoons and pitchforks on it to  tear
it apart. Graham looked at his hand and then at the water.
"Foul  thing!"
Peter flew nearby the  Viking's head, "Yes, it was."
"Not IT! YOU!"  Graham snorted. "Tomorrow then. It shall  be your undoing."
"I hate to  brag..."
"WHAT?"  I yelled. "Since  when?"
"...but I am the best archer  in Neverland and ...if I may say so myself..."
"No, you may not..."  I said. Of course, I was not the least  bit worried
about Peter shooting an apple off my head. I knew he could do it. I  was more
worried about the plans Graham was making to make Peter mess up or to  betray his
word that he gave Peter. For Peter Pan was still a little boy at  heart and
once a word was given, he believed it. He forgot the many times Hook,  Kickai,
and other enemies had given and broken their word. Each infraction was a  new
one for him, the old ones forgotten, the new ones a shock to him. As would  be
this one. But what was it going to be?
"I shall return!"  Peter said, "Sunrise, wood  body!"
Graham stormed and wanted  to kill me then and there but he calmed himself
down. "Captain, captain,"  I said, more serious now. "I don't'  understand why
you...well, I understand why you keep the Valkeries and why you  want the
turtle girl, they are supposed to bring you good luck. The flying  ladies, of
course, can go on missions for you...and you still want your son Scen.  But why hold
Je'ne and I?"
"Isn't it obvious? Even to  a bunch of rag muffins like you?"
"Oh, that again,  revenge."   I guessed. "Old  hat...by the way, Vikings don'
t really wear horns, do they?"
"No, but if we chat any  longer, you shall be seeing mine!"  Graham turned
to go.
Before he was out the door,  I asked, "Soooo, when do we get bathroom breaks?"

I sighed as he  left.
Peter flew off into the  night, laughing. The fairy boy was suddenly with
him. "A monster? Now? Have you  seen it? No? Ahh, there're hundreds of monsters
in Neverland. This one will just  have to wait, Oliveer. I have more important
things to do and you can help  me."   The fairy shook its head  no but then
as Peter grabbed it up and whispered to it, it smiled, laughed, and  flew off.

Later that night, Talon was  coming up onto deck again. He had a huge mug in
his hand and began to drink from  it.  "Oh, the girl makes me nervous.  She's
nice enough but..."   He  drank some more.
Malice came up from below,  behind him. "I know it. Our relief is on watch
now. They will take the blame if  she transforms and becomes a turtle again. How
fast can a turtle and a girl be?  She's a girl, right? They're slower than
turtles!"   He  laughed.
Peter was flying above  them, and angered.  He whispered to  no one,  "Girls
may be many things  but slow they are not!"   he  dropped two bars of soap
before the feet of Talon, who walked right onto the  pair and as they were dipped
in salt water just moments before, Talon slipped  and fell. He fell back onto
Malice, who fell back down the steps. Talon landed  with his mug on his head,
mead pouring down. Peter almost laughed out loud but  covered his own mouth.
Another Viking came over to  the pair, "What's going on here?"
"It's having that girl on  board, First we lose the zombie, then we can't
hit the Pan god...with dozens of  spears, now this!"
"She wants out,"  Malice said, getting back  up.
Peter flew to a rack of  spears and chopped his sword at the holder bars over
them. He jutted straight  back up into the air. The Viking looked at the
other two, "That's silly talk.  Stow it or..."  Suddenly the spears  all fell off
the rack and rolled at them, tripping him up. Cannon balls were  loose too and
rolled at them. This new Viking yelled and ran. Talon saw the  balls coming
at him and he followed, still protecting his precious mug. Malice  closed the
door to the lower area but the balls rolled and smashed  right through the
door. He was screaming  for his life.
Peter flew overhead and  released a huge bag of feathers and turtle shells. "
Okay, turtled and  feathered...."
In the turtle shells were  turtle poop. These landed first and the lighter
feathers made their way onto the  Vikings on deck. Soon all were covered in
turtle poop, feathers sticking to  it...and their skin. Graham came up from another
door and looked at the deck.  There were dozens of turtle shells on the deck. "
What's going on  here?!!!"
"It's the girl, sir, you  have to let the Pan take her if he wins. She's
angry or  something."
"Tis true, sir. We have had  nothing but bad luck since she came on board."
"She's good luck, you  morons! Good luck! Got that?"
Suddenly several loud  splashes happened. Peter was releasing all the
rowboats from the sides. Cutting  them with swords. Flying to the next one and
cutting the next. "I have all the  fun."
"It's him, you idiots, him.  The Pan himself is doing it."
"We ain't seen him,  captain, not at all."
"He's camouflaged or  something..."
"Sir, all our rowboats are  out to sea."
"Well, recover them, you  ...get them back!"
"How  sir?"
"Swim to them if you have  to but get them!"
"Yes sir. We'll fight the  mermaids if we have to."
The weapons locker burst  open and the swords all came flying out. "Peter Pan
is there!"   but it was the fairy boy, having  flown through the key hole,
lighting up the door knob, and opening the doors,  after having tipped every
weapon off its stand, sprinkling the weapons with a  very special fairy dust. The
swords flew at the men. Most of them dove off the  side of the ship. Graham
hit a few swords away using his own sword. He also used  his axe arm to knock
some swords away. "If I find out it was you,  Pan!"
The fairy boy swooped down,  picked up the two bars of soap. It was
struggling with the heavy bars...heavy for  it. It was also cursing Peter Pan for making
it do this. But  soon...
The fairy boy rejoined  Peter in the air. Peter put some soap in a bucket he
had and then dropped the  bucket...which held soup. Peter made sure it would hit
Graham sideways so that it  rained into Graham's eyes. Peter said to the
fairy boy,  "Hot or not you ask? Not hot, I  say. Oh the soup...that's not hot, but
 neither is he..."
Talon, nearby, said, "It...it  smells like turtle soup!"
"This reminds me of how  I've not eaten..."  Graham said.
Peter laughed as he flew  off, having to re-cover his mouth with his hands.
The fairy boy followed  him.
It was at times such as  these that my love  for Peter had to  carry me
through.  As I sat in a  dingy barred cage with a boy who was unsure whether or not
he wanted to grow up  and love a girl, who was at times, a turtle and needed
him---possibly using  him?---while the manboy of my dreams bargained with my
life, shooting an apple  off my head no less...I thought of the alternatives...a
normal life on Earth. A life  where I didn't want to be gay, didn't want to be
a part of the gay community,  especially where I lived. It was all pomp and
circumstance with them...one  shallowness after another. Sure, I was as shallow
as the next gay boy but I  needed a relationship along with great looks, blue
eyes, blond hair, any color  hair really, and a hot body with fantastic abs. I
wanted more than just a  serious of make out sessions, staring at go go boys,
strippers, and anonymous  sex. Truth is, I never made out with a guy before
Peter and never had sex ...with  anyone...before Peter and no doubt would not in
future. Only Peter was for me. All  I wanted was him. The unfulfilled life I
lead in the Real World couldn't compare  to this, even this night, lasting as it
did forever in a dank cell that I'm sure  someone went to the bathroom in
previously to us. Zombies with worms on their  bodies, suspicious turtle girls,
and boys...what more could I ask for? As long as  we have each other...sad little
song from a sad little sitcom...what show was that?  I remember hot Kurt Cameron
was in it. I think he's a born again Christian now.  You know the kind? They
tell you are going to hell while also shunning you as a  person...very
unChrist-like I'd say. Christ fled to the sinners...in that sense, He  was always with
me. And I'm sure even if Peter didn't know it, He was with Peter  too, for I
doubt there was a bigger sinner than Peter Pan.
The next morning as the  suns came up over Neverland, all orange and yellow
and red and the heat had  never been worse..., well, not as bad as that whole
Seth-Devil thing...I was roughly  taken up to the deck. Graham told Je'ne, "You,
my boy, shall not be dragged up.  For you are my guest."   He  took Je'ne up
with him and when they emerged onto the deck, two other Vikings  had Hannah,
holding her by the arms. "See...her beauty..."   Graham raised an eyebrow as Je'ne
 moved over to Hannah.
"You take your hands off  her!"  Je'ne yelled and grabbed  their arms off
her. The two Vikings looked at Graham and he gave them an okay  nod unbeknownst
to Je'ne. He also moved over to Je'ne, "She may be free to move  about the
deck...however, your enjoyment of her relies on you...making your  choice."
"Choice?"
"You know the  one."
"Leaving Peter and growing  up..."
I, who was being chained to  the side of a wooden wall on the ship, yelled, "
He means growing old, Je'ne, do  you want to grow old?"
"I..."  Je'ne  fumbled.
"Take your time. As she  grows up, and finds another to take your place...she
will become a full fledged  human female...if you don't grow up, you can't keep
pace with  her."
I called as Malice put a  blindfold on him, "Je'ne, he's right. You have to
make up your mind. Bailey did  it. He's grown up now. He's adult. Do you want
to have the pleasures of a real  world or the pleasures of  Peter?"
"I've..."  Je'ne looked at Hannah, who just smiled  dumbly, and he moved over
to me to talk, eyeing Malice and the nearby Talon.  "I've..." He whispered, "I
've just never experienced what it's like to have  pleasures of the grown up
world..."
"I have."  I gasped, "And it's nothing compared to  this. Nothing else
compares."
"For you. Even if I decided  to try it, do you really think Peter would come
back for me and make me young  again, like he did for you. Do you know how
many people Peter has made young  again, how many adults, how many?"    I opened
my mouth to speak  but before I could answer, Je'ne answered.  "One...you.  How
many Lost Boys have grown up, changed  their minds and wanted to become lost
little boys again, and then Peter returned  to them and made them young again?
None. You are the only one that Peter ever  worked that kind of magic on. I
think you won him over the moment he saw you.  It's so funny, an adult won
Peter. You. For you have Peter's heart. I don't. Nor  do I think  I want  it."
"Maybe it's because you're  not g..."
"Want what?"  Peter landed, soft footed, bare footed,  next to them.
I looked, "Peter, uhm, can  we just get this nonsense over with so I can get
outta  here..."
"So WE can get out of  here."  Peter  said.
Noticing Peter had included  him in on the escape,  Je'ne gulped,  "Of...of
course...all of us..."
"And it's not  nonsense."  Peter moved off, "I bid  thee good morning,
Captain No Arms..."
"You shall use our arrows  and our bow,"   Graham nodded  to two more
Vikings and they gave him the bow and arrows.
Peter pushed the extra  arrows back to the Vikings who handed them to him. "I
shall need only  one."
"One?"  Graham gasped, "That wasn't part of our  ...you can have as many as
six tries..."
"I shant need six,"  Peter puffed out his chest, "But first,  my audience
awaits...are they safe as well until the contest is  over?"
"Aye!"  Graham  said.
Peter whistled and Landen,  holding Jennie and Bo, floated down to the deck.
"Hi."
The others followed:  Rollin, Aoi, and Sole.  They cheered on Peter with
whoops, cat  calls, and the like. Aoi whistled.
Sigh. Talon put an apple on  my head. I murmured, "I hope there's no worms
in  it."
Talon put a calloused hand  on my bare shoulder, "Aye, naught. For there'll
be plenty of worms in you soon  enough..."
Peter looked at the arrow  and the bow. "It looks sturdy enough for this
NONSENSE..."  Peter emphasized the last word so that I  could hear it. Was he going
to...naw, he wouldn't be that mean, would he? Of  course not. Shoot me just
for calling his plan nonsense. Some plan. I'd rather  have had an old fashioned
rescue but considering the last time when like three  of us got killed...this
would suffice.
Peter tested the arrow in  the bow, "Straight enough..."
Graham yelled, "There be no  trick! Shoot, enough stalling for time."
"Stalling?"  Peter felt wounded. "I don't  stall."
"Just shoot the fucking  thing!"  I called, "I wanna see your  face again,"
 I added, more calmly,  embarrassed by my first  outburst.
As Peter drew the bow, his  ribs sticking out, his hot abs sticking in,
Graham put a hand on Peter's arrow,  "To prove there is no trick, first, let my
men  try..."
"What?"  Peter and I both  said.
I gasped, "That wasn't part  of the plan..."
"If any of them kill  Chase..."  Peter said, "I shall be  very angry..."
"What?" I gawked. "That's  some comfort..."
Graham said, "And I shall  severely reprimand them verbally..."
"What?"  I balked. "That's making me feel quite  secure..."
Talon stepped up and took  the arrow and bow. Peter smiled, "Remember Hannah
is on board..."   Talon sweated and fired. It hit to  the left of the apple. I
heard it. I had to resist moving at all, for even in  chains I could dally to
the left or the right. The chain was from hip to hip,  cold to the touch at
first, then sorta warm on my bare lower belly. Another  chain held my left foot
to the deck. I could move my body somewhat. It was  mostly so that I could not
fly away. But now it was me sweating. Malice laughed  as he took up the bow,
Peter eyeing him suspiciously. "Malice, malice will be  your name in the dim
after life of the Turtle gods..."  Malice missed also. I didn't move this  time
and was proud of myself that I did not. About 16 Vikings tried, all missed.  "I
'm bored of this game. I want to go now."
"And deprive me of my  turn?"  Graham  said.
Malice came up behind  Graham, "Captain, fear not, the turtle girl is
protecting him. Our luck be bad  because-eth because of her being on board. We should
free her  now."
"Get off me,"  Graham said, even though Malice had not  touched him.
Graham looked at Hannah,  who smiled vacantly at him. He swallowed, shook his
head, and told himself nah.  He couldn't get the image of a turtle out of his
mind. A giant one. A flying  one. Fire coming from its orifices. He shook his
head. I looked at the arrow  point. Graham pulled it back. It then came
forward. I watched as the point grew  and grew as though sailing in slow motion. It
grew because it was coming closer  and closer to me. To right between my
eyes!