“Well, what do we do now?” asked Michael.
“We need to get a paper from somewhere else. Let’s try the market.” He turned and walked back towards the center of town, taking a sharp left and heading down Firth Street until he reached the plaza at the east end of the village.
In the plaza, small tents and carts overflowing with fruits and vegetables and wares of all different sorts lined the perimeter of the square. There were chickens in a small pen, pecking and crowing, while a man with a fiddle played a chipper melody and nodded his head in thanks whenever a passerby dropped a few coins into his upturned hat.
James scanned the booths until he found what he was looking for. Under a particularly tattered tent sat a young boy surrounded by stacks of newspapers nearly as tall as he was. James approached the boy.
“Do you have today's Post?” he asked.
“I sure do, mister,” said the boy. He hopped up and took one of the papers from the top of the stack and handed it to James, who handed the boy a shiny silver coin.
James unfolded the paper and looked over each page. He made sure to study the fine print carefully. As he flipped to the last page, he realized that there was no need to pour over the tiny words that filled every inch of free space. The ad he was searching for took up an entire page all on its own.
Borelli Brothers’ Traveling Circus
Come one! Come all! Young and old!
The most magnificent, resplendent, magnanimous collection of sights you will ever behold!
“This is it!” James said excitedly. Michael peered over his arm and read the words.
“James, it says the circus is in Kamden County. That's not far from here.”
James felt a rush of panic wash over him. “Look at the dates. It says the circus will be in Kamden from the fourth to the sixth.
“Yes... So?”
“Today is the seventh, Michael.”
Michael hung his head. “So that's it then.” He let his arms fall hard against his body, huffing loudly and looking completely crushed.
“We will go to Kamden County. We have to try. Maybe they are close by.” James grabbed Michael by his elbow and spun him around. “Michael, if you want to go back to St. Catherine's and wait there, you can. I will return for you. I don't know what we are headed into, and I don't want anything to happen to you.”
“No,” said Michael defiantly. “Wendy is all I've got. John is lost to us—he is with Pan now.” His eyes welled up.
James pulled the boy close and patted his back. “Come now, we will get her back. And if you're willing to jump into the fray with me, well, I cannot stop you. We should set out now. We can make it there in less than an hour on foot.”
Sticking close to the main road, James and Michael set out for Kamden County. They walked for close to an hour before they rounded a bend and saw the little hamlet of Longview glistening in the sun. All of these little places had a magical quality to them.
Longview was a fascinating little town, but James stuck to the road that led directly past it. They soon found themselves at the very spot where the circus had been.
There were paper sacks and bits of food strewn about. Areas in the green grass had been pressed flat by the weight of the tents and the people that had filled them. The distinct smell of animal waste assaulted James's nostrils. He felt that familiar sinking sensation: it was too late. He began to despair when all of the sudden, beneath a small grove of trees, he saw something familiar.
A ragged tent with a tattered piece of cloth for a door and a sign that read: O’Malley’s Mysterious and Magical Wonderments
“He's here!” James shouted. He broke step and ran full-speed to the tent with Michael at his heels. He flung the cloth door back and stepped inside. His heart almost stopped.
In his mind, James was immediately taken back to that dreadful night. Everything in the tent stood just as it had on that fateful evening. The jar-lined shelves; the clocks tick-tocking. That sound bore into James's brain. He closed his eyes and tried to block it out.
“James, my God! Is it really you?” That voice, rough and thin with age snapped James out of his horrid nightmare.
There, sitting at the wooden table, was O’Malley. Withered and frail, the man looked like a ghost. His tattered and yellowing suit hung like a rag from his bones. His left eye was coated milky white with cataracts. Had it been so long? O'Malley had been an old man when James first met him, but now he seemed to have one foot planted firmly in the grave.
“Yes, it’s me. James.”
O'Malley stood and extended his right hand.
James stuck out his left hand.
“Oh, forgive me, James,” said O'Malley quickly grasping James hand with his own left. “A habit, I'm afraid.”
“Think nothing of it,” said James.
“And who is this young fellow?” asked O'Malley, eyeing Michael a little too closely.
“This is my friend Michael.” Michael stood, steadfast, behind James.
“Mr. O'Malley, I need your help.”
“Of course. Anything,” said O'Malley, staring unabashedly at James’s right wrist.
“You spoke of Neverland. You said you'd been there,” James started. “And, well, I need to find a way to get there. As soon as possible.”
O'Malley stared blankly at James. A small smile crept across his lips. “Do you think that I would be here if I knew how to get back?”
“You have the fairies,” said James. “Can’t they take you?”
“It’s not as simple as that James,” said O’Malley, echoing Michael’s earlier sentiment. He walked to the wall of jars and clapped his hands, causing them all to light up. “When I was a young man, I found my way to that place called Neverland. I was brought there with the aid of a fairy, yes, but I was not alone. My sister was with me. She was very young—just five or six years old. I can’t recall exactly. She begged the fairy to take me with them. I got the distinct feeling at the time that the window in which one is allowed into that other realm was closing on me. I was seventeen.”
“Neverland is for children only then?” asked James.
“Yes, I believe so,” said O'Malley.
“No,” said Michael “That's not true at all.”
“How so?” asked James.
“Well, I've seen my fair share of adults. Even an old man. Mostly with Tigerlilly's tribe. Tigerlilly herself is older than Wendy, and Wendy is eighteen. Or at least in Neverland she’s eighteen.”
“Tigerlilly?” asked James. The inscription on the little wooden sword blazed bright in his mind. He looked at O'Malley, who seemed to have collapsed in on himself.
“She's a princess. The leader of a tribe of folks native to Neverland. She was born there,” explained Michael.
“You knew her, didn’t you?” James asked O'Malley.
The old man took his seat again and leaned forward, resting his head on his hands. “I had never met anyone as beautiful as she. She was tough as nails and smart to boot. She was like a ray of the brightest sunshine. I loved her, and she loved me.” The man was crying now, outright.
“Why didn't you stay with her?” asked Michael softly.
“My sister became ill. So ill that I thought she would die. Not even fairy magic could help her, so I took her back to be treated by a doctor. I was going to return as soon as she got better but....” He trailed off then cleared his throat and sat back in his chair. “She never got better. She lingered between life and death for two years. When she passed, I couldn't find my way back to Neverland, to Tigerlilly.”
“There is a way back,” said James.
O'Malley looked at him, a faint flicker of hope dancing in his one unclouded eye.
James set about recounting the previous night's events. The shadow's escape and James’s certainty that it was headed for O'Malley's at this very moment.
“If this is true, then we may only have one shot at this,” said O'Malley excitedly.
“We should just make one of them take us
there,” said Michael. He gestured to the wall of glass jars.
“I shared my thoughts on the matter with James,” O’Malley began. “I do not believe that all fairies are willing or even capable of going back and forth to Neverland. I've spent my life studying them, thinking that they were they key. And they are, but only if she’s willing and able to cooperate. Fairy folk are tricky. They are creatures born and bred in that magical world, and I reckon they want it for themselves. Only people of their choosing can go.
“When I returned from Neverland with my sister, the fairy that helped us leave promised to help me return to my beloved Tigerlilly, but I never saw her again, and I'm sure that blonde-haired pixie devil was the reason.”
“Blonde? A blonde fairy?” asked Michael.
“Aye,” said O'Malley. “Blonde with eyes blue as the summer sky.”
“Tinkerbell,” said Michael.
“Who?” asked James.
“Only one fairy I've seen has hair as yellow as the sun and blue eyes. Her name is Tinkerbell, and she's Pan's constant companion. Never leaves his side.”
“That's right!” said O’Malley. “Yes, Tinkerbell! Oh what a crafty devil she is.”
“She's much worse than crafty.” said Michael. “She torments my Wendy. She wants Pan all for herself. I think she loves him, if that’s even possible. She sees Wendy as a threat. She pulls her hair and knocks her food and drink from her very hands. I think she likes to see other people in misery, especially if she is the cause of it.”
James felt an immediate dislike for this Tinkerbell.
“O'Malley, I am sure Pan's shadow will find its way here, to take advantage of your fairy collection. We have to be here when that happens.”
“Yes, of course,” agreed O'Malley.
“If we can manage it, you are welcome to come with us,” said James.
“An old man like me? I hadn't thought it was possible, but I'm willing to give it a go. I'd like to see her face one more time before I die.”
James smiled reassuringly at O'Malley.
James, Michael, and O'Malley hunkered down in the tent. James took a seat on the bare floor and propped his legs up on a pile of dusty books. Michael balled up in a corner with an old blanket and fell into a deep sleep. O'Malley stayed seated at his desk, resting his head on his forearms.
James closed his eyes, and when he opened them again it was night. He sat up in a panic. Night had fallen, and darkness had enveloped the tent. He looked over to see Michael still sleeping soundly. O'Malley was still seated at his desk, but he had leaned back in his chair and his mouth hung open. The air passed noisily in and out of him as he slept in this seated position.
James stood up and stretched. It seemed like only a moment had passed, but the nighttime noises and stifling darkness told him it had been several hours.
He walked to where Michael was resting and gently nudged him. He shifted under the blanket and woke with a start.
“James, I'm sorry. I fell asleep!”
“It’s all right.”
Michael stood up and straightened his trousers. The cold night chilled the inside of the small space, and they both pulled their collars close around them.
Suddenly, James realized that there was someone standing just outside the doorway. He pressed his finger to his lips, signaling for Michael to stay silent. O'Malley still slept noisily at the table. The figure shot straight up and hovered on the inside of the tent's roof.
“The shadow,” Michael whispered.
James saw that it was indeed Pan's shadow. It hung on the ceiling like a cobweb, gently shifting in the dim luminescence of the moonlight.
The shadow trickled down the inside wall and seemed to become a part of the shelves on which the fairy-filled jars were situated. Then, with a clamoring so great it startled O'Malley awake, the shadow upended each shelf in quick succession, sending its contents crashing to the ground. Dozens of tiny lights filled the room. O'Malley stumbled to his feet. James watched as the fairies, released from their glass prisons, danced together in a great circle. Without warning, James saw the shadow dash forward and encircle O'Malley in what looked like a swirling cloud of smoke. He cried out, and James rushed to his side, grabbing ahold of O’Malley’s jacket.
To James’s horror, he saw that Pan's shadow had somehow affixed itself to O'Malley and was pushing him towards the circle of fairies.
“Michael, help me!” screamed James.
Michael rushed in and grabbed O'Malley's leg.
The shadow extended its arm and plucked a fairy from the air, shaking her violently over O'Malley's head until he was covered in fairy dust. The shadow appeared to be heaving in a bent-over posture. James realized that it was laughing silently and then, with a deafening pop!, O'Malley and Pan's shadow were gone.
“No!” screamed James.
Michael collapsed into a heap, sobbing uncontrollably. James felt the tears rise up as a bereaved moan escaped his throat. He dropped to his knees and put his arm around Michael. It was over. All of their effort was for nothing.
James looked up to see that only a few inches from his face hovered the red-headed fairy that had disappeared with Peter and the others that awful night so many years ago. Her hair in a plait, she smiled softly. She floated in closer and wiped the tears from James's cheeks with her tiny fingers. The fairy flew upwards and showered James and Michael with fairy dust and then landed lightly on James’s shoulder. She pointed to the apples of her cheeks while grinning broadly. James thought of his dear Wendy, and, even in the depth of his despair, he found a beautiful memory of her face to hold in his mind. He felt himself float upwards, and he held on tightly to Michael, who had only just realized what was happening. A handful of other fairies encircled them, each one glowing and bright. They flew in a furious circle, whipping up a stiff breeze. The red-haired fairy fluttered in close and kissed James on the forehead. He knew what he needed to do. He closed his eyes.
“Second star to the right and straight on ‘til morning,” James murmured.
A loud pop echoed in his ears, and James felt a tug pull him down. It felt as if he were being pressed into the ground. A ringing stayed in his ears and then a warm feeling flooded his body and the smell of jasmine filled his nose. The pressure subsided, and he opened his eyes to find himself lying flat on his back in the greenest grass he had ever seen.
“James.” A woman's voice called his name.
“Wendy?” James sputtered. He felt as if he had just woken from a deep sleep. A small laugh rang out.
“No, I'm afraid not,” said the voice.
James looked up. Soft pastel-colored clouds floated in the pale blue sky. The sun warmed every inch of his body.
“You've made quite a journey,” said the voice. James turned his head to see that standing over him was a young woman. Her black hair was bone-straight and fell down to her waist. She was wearing some sort of leather tunic. Her beautiful golden skin shone like the sun, and her large brown eyes studied him carefully.
“Help him up,” she ordered.
James felt several hands on him, and he at once jumped to his feet. He backed up slowly, watching the small crowd of people before him closely. The young woman stood in front of them and gently raised her hands.
“You are among friends,” she said.
James felt his heart racing. He saw Michael standing just behind the woman, and he was smiling.
“My name is Tigerlilly,” said the woman. “It seems you and I have a common enemy.”
“Peter,” whispered James. “How can you know that?”
“Oh, I have my ways,” she said, smiling.
From the small group of people standing behind her, a man emerged, his brown hair long and billowing. He was tall, and James felt as if he had seen the man before.
“There's no need to be afraid, James,” he said.
James recognized the voice.
“O'Malley?” he sputtered.
The body didn’t match, but the voice he recognized
immediately. Here was O'Malley, made young again!
“How can this be?”
“James, there is much to discuss, but we must save that for another time. We are not safe here,” said Tigerlilly.
O'Malley reached out and rested his hand on James's shoulder.
“Where are we?” asked James.
“Neverland, my boy,” said O'Malley.
CHAPTER 16
TIGERLILLY’S CAMP
The sun was warm, and the air was thick and sweet. Neverland. James couldn’t believe his eyes. So many times he had questioned his own belief in this place.
James trudged along through the thick underbrush. He stayed close behind O’Malley, who led the way. Tigerlilly and her troop brought up the rear. Michael skipped along beside James, giving him a wink and seeming much happier than he had been over the last few days.
O’Malley’s transformation was astonishing, and James couldn’t help but stare at him as they made their way through the trees. He was tall and strong and looked as if he belonged there. Nothing seemed off limits. After all, James had only just an hour before been swept up in a ball of light and pixie dust and plopped down in this place. Impossible things were possible, and this thought gave James a modicum of hope that he could be reunited with Wendy.
After a short while, he noticed that the trees were growing thinner and the ground was visible through the underbrush. The sun beat down on them more intensely as they approached a clearing. O’Malley stepped out of the tree line first and James followed.
The clearing was actually the edge of an expanse of vast, open country and rolling hills that seemed to go on forever. There appeared to be a large body of water in the distance. Just a short ways away from him, James could make out the shapes of hundreds of tee-pee-like tents and wooden stalls. Smoke billowed up from several fires, forming gray circles in the powdery blue sky.
Tigerlilly swept past James and took O’Malley by the arm, pulling him towards the settlement. O’Malley tossed James a fleeting glance with tears in his eyes. Tigerlilly and O’Malley ran headlong into a group of waiting villagers who embraced O’Malley, cheering and touching his face and hands.
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