"You're almost eighteen years old! GROW UP!"
She woke with a start. Her breath rough and uneven. She fell back into her pillow and let out a sigh of relief. But she knew her nightmare was not over. She heard those words every day.
She hated the idea of growing up. She longed to stay forever young. To be whisked away to a magical island by the boy in her dreams. Peter Pan. A smile tickled her lips and she sighed. To live forever free in Neverland. Fighting pirates, swimming with mermaids and flying. Oh to fly.
But Peter Pan would never come. He wasn't real. He was merely a story told to young children in hopes of keeping their innocents alive for yet a little longer. But he was real to her. Every night in her dreams he came to her window and held out his hand asking her to come with him... "Come away... come away to Neverland." It rang loud in ears long after the dream was over.
In the darkness of her room she could feel the sun on her skin and smell the aroma of the ocean. She could hear the birds and the waves and she could taste the salt in the air. She took a deep breath and sighed, her eyes closing in bliss at the thought. A girlish smile graced her aged face. Then she remembered that Peter Pan wasn't coming. She'd have to grow up, get a job, get married, have kids, grow old and evidently die.
The only part of growing up she looked forward to was having kids. She could pass on her dreams of Peter Pan and his adventures. She could even make up her own adventures and her children would believe that their mother had actually flown away to a magical island filled to the brim with dreams.
She thought of Peter Pan every waking moment of her life. He was a part of her some how. A part of her that no one could tame. Many believe that he is a part of all young children but she felt that he'd been especially made up for her. She believed that his adventures were made from her dreams and thoughts and were meant for no one else to have. She saw herself as Wendy in the storybook and as Tinkerbell in the movies. Yet if she were Wendy, she'd not go back to London to grow up. And if she was Tinkerbell she'd have never turned against Peter Pan and gone with Hook. It was horrible to admit and quite embarrassing to say but she loved him. Pathetic as it was, she knew, Peter Pan would always be her one true love.
Her alarm clock rang loud waking her from her thoughts. She grimaced at the sound. Hitting it repeatedly till it stopped she glanced at the time. 5:40.
"Crap!" she pronounced.
She jumped from her bed and rushed to her dresser. Pulling on a pair of jeans she thought looked clean in the dark she hurried to her closet. Pulling a T-shirt on she grabbed her shoes and pulled them on as she rushed out her bedroom door. Next to her room was the bathroom. She stumbled in, still tying her shoe and went to brush her teeth. Cleaning her face and brushing her hair at the same time she finished twice as fast. She rushed back to her room and grabbed her backpack. Hoping that all she needed was in there she rushed out of her room and down the hall. She quickly made a lunch. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, two bags of cheetos and a coke. She threw it in a brown bag, stuffed it in her backpack and rushed out of the house.
She'd not noticed the shadow that loomed outside her window or the brightness of the streetlight just outside her door. She only heard the slight ringing of the smallest bells yet she cast it aside thinking it was only in her dreams as it had been so many nights.
She woke with a start. Her breath rough and uneven. She fell back into her pillow and let out a sigh of relief. But she knew her nightmare was not over. She heard those words every day.
She hated the idea of growing up. She longed to stay forever young. To be whisked away to a magical island by the boy in her dreams. Peter Pan. A smile tickled her lips and she sighed. To live forever free in Neverland. Fighting pirates, swimming with mermaids and flying. Oh to fly.
But Peter Pan would never come. He wasn't real. He was merely a story told to young children in hopes of keeping their innocents alive for yet a little longer. But he was real to her. Every night in her dreams he came to her window and held out his hand asking her to come with him... "Come away... come away to Neverland." It rang loud in ears long after the dream was over.
In the darkness of her room she could feel the sun on her skin and smell the aroma of the ocean. She could hear the birds and the waves and she could taste the salt in the air. She took a deep breath and sighed, her eyes closing in bliss at the thought. A girlish smile graced her aged face. Then she remembered that Peter Pan wasn't coming. She'd have to grow up, get a job, get married, have kids, grow old and evidently die.
The only part of growing up she looked forward to was having kids. She could pass on her dreams of Peter Pan and his adventures. She could even make up her own adventures and her children would believe that their mother had actually flown away to a magical island filled to the brim with dreams.
She thought of Peter Pan every waking moment of her life. He was a part of her some how. A part of her that no one could tame. Many believe that he is a part of all young children but she felt that he'd been especially made up for her. She believed that his adventures were made from her dreams and thoughts and were meant for no one else to have. She saw herself as Wendy in the storybook and as Tinkerbell in the movies. Yet if she were Wendy, she'd not go back to London to grow up. And if she was Tinkerbell she'd have never turned against Peter Pan and gone with Hook. It was horrible to admit and quite embarrassing to say but she loved him. Pathetic as it was, she knew, Peter Pan would always be her one true love.
Her alarm clock rang loud waking her from her thoughts. She grimaced at the sound. Hitting it repeatedly till it stopped she glanced at the time. 5:40.
"Crap!" she pronounced.
She jumped from her bed and rushed to her dresser. Pulling on a pair of jeans she thought looked clean in the dark she hurried to her closet. Pulling a T-shirt on she grabbed her shoes and pulled them on as she rushed out her bedroom door. Next to her room was the bathroom. She stumbled in, still tying her shoe and went to brush her teeth. Cleaning her face and brushing her hair at the same time she finished twice as fast. She rushed back to her room and grabbed her backpack. Hoping that all she needed was in there she rushed out of her room and down the hall. She quickly made a lunch. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, two bags of cheetos and a coke. She threw it in a brown bag, stuffed it in her backpack and rushed out of the house.
She'd not noticed the shadow that loomed outside her window or the brightness of the streetlight just outside her door. She only heard the slight ringing of the smallest bells yet she cast it aside thinking it was only in her dreams as it had been so many nights.