Peter by day, Pan by night

Chapter 24

        No flash of starlight this time.

        We stand in a tight circle as Tink flies around us. She scatters golden fairy dust onto us and when I open my eyes, we stand in the Kensington gardens.

        The other Indians hurry off. I don’t know where to go. How do I find the fairy queen? I walk out of the forest and sit down on a bench. Children laugh and play. I am in London now. Why didn’t I ever come back here to this garden?

        Because I was too busy surviving to remember that I left a piece of my childhood here.

        Even though it has been a decade, I almost expect to see my little bear forgotten on the grass.

        “Girl, why are you crying?” Someone asks.

        I stand and wipe my cheeks. “I am not crying. Wait, who said that?” I look around, but no one answers me.

        A butterfly lands on my shoulder. Then the insect shifts into a fairy for a second. “I did. Are you Wendy Darling? Tink sent us the message. You are to come with me.”

        “You’re a fairy!”

        “Is that a question, or are you merely stating the obvious?” the fairy tosses red locks over her shoulder. Her purple dress and filmy wings turn back change as she turns back into purple butterfly with red spots. “All butterflies are fairies in disguise. Now, are you coming or not?”

        I nod and follow her deeper into the garden.

**

        “Wait here.”

        The fairy, who hasn’t offered me her name, flies away. Am I still in Kensington gardens? I didn’t even know this part of it existed.

        A pool of water glistens before me. Bulrushes stretch high above the surface.

        Places like this look like they belong to Neverland, not my world full of poverty and desperation. But maybe Neverland is only an echo. Only the reflection of beauty that has been here all along.

        “Wendy Moira Angela Darling. A beautiful name. Do you like it?”

        I turn, expecting a fairy. Instead I face a queen. She is several inches taller than me. Her blond hair falls down the length of her white dress and whispers against the grass. A twisted crown of gold rests on her lifted head. Her eyes are bright and blue, her lips pink. Large silver wings splay from her back.

        I curtsey. “Your majesty.”

        The fairy queen laughs. “Oh, my dear. There is no need.” Her eyes soften as she walks toward me. “You are beautiful.”

        “I-I am beautiful?” I am staring at a mesmerizing fae creature and she calls me beautiful? “Thank you.”

        “Well, my darling, you never answered my question. Do you like your name or not?”

        “Um…” I tangle my fingers together. How did she even know my complete name? “I like it all right. But I just go by Wendy Darling. Almost no one knows my other two names.”

        The fairy queen lifts the hem of her flowing dress. “Why not?”

        “It just seems rather long. Besides, it is the only thing my parents gave me. I don’t even know their names. They are probably dead by now.”