by Thomas Hayes
Chapter Twenty
Tim, Blue, and I walked carefully through the trees and toward the mansion. We made sure to stay in the forest and out of sight, pausing behind tree trunks when we needed to. Finding a spot behind an old shed, we stopped, watching the mansion. Surprisingly, this section of town was eerily quiet—most of the battle was in the other end of town, with Hook’s pirates still locked in chaotic combat with the Natives and Lost Boys. In this area, the only people left were Hook, Peter, and Smee.
“Is this it, Peter, my boy?” Hook said, twirling his sword playfully in his non-hook hand. “After decades of fighting and chasing like rogues, have we finally come to the end? Has our book reached its last chapter?”
Peter lay on the ground, unmoving. He looked utterly defeated, while on the other hand, save for some slash marks on his coat, Hook was untouched. Smee was also untouched, but not because of his great fighting skills, I assumed, but because he had simply stayed out of the fight.
“Finish him off, Captain,” Smee said, fists clenched, bloodthirsty. “Walk over there and end him now! Then we won’t have to worry about him and his Lost Boys ever again. It’s finally over!”
“Patience, Smee,” Hook replied. “There’s no need to rush. Let’s enjoy our final moments with Peter, and make sure he knows everything we—”
Peter flipped onto his back and flung a firecracker at Hook. It burst in his face and the pirate staggered backwards, screaming.
“Finish him, Captain!” Smee shouted, jumping up and down. “For god’s sake, Hook, he can’t be kept around anymore! You know what the witch said—he’s only getting in the way! We need to get rid of him, now, before she gets here!”
Hook stepped toward Peter, wiping the firecracker ash from his eyes. The smile and playfulness was gone from his face.
“I’m afraid he’s right, Peter,” Hook said. “We can’t deny it any longer, you and I. This is a new world. Our Never Land has changed with the arrival of this witch, and she’s only going to change it even more. We only have days left. The time of the pirates, the Lost Boys, the Natives—it’s all gone. I’m not happy about it, but I am happy to know I came out on top in the end, after all was said and done. I always knew I had more fight in me than you.”
Hook held out his hook-hand. It glowed bright red.
“You can be happy for me,” Hook asked. “Can’t you?”
Peter shot up into the air like a rocket, right as Hook let off a blast of magic. The red magic created a crater in the road and sent rocks and dirt flying, as all of us—Hook, Tim, Smee, and me—looked up to see where Peter had gone. He was now flying in the air, but not very well. Because of his injuries, he was bouncing up and down like a sputtering airplane, trying to stay in flight, holding his side. One of his legs simply dangled like a piece of rope.
Careening awkwardly, Peter flew as fast as he could into the trees behind the mansion, away from Hook’s town. He wasn’t heading toward us—he was heading toward the shore. Even now, as hurt as he was, he was following the plan.
“After him, Smee,” Hook growled. “Let’s go. Rip him down from the sky and bring him to me. I want to finish him without any magic—just my hook and my sword. It should end like the old days.”
Smee dashed into the woods, with Hook following close behind. Through all of this, no one had seen us yet, but I knew it was now or never—if I was going to contribute anything, and help Peter, this was my only chance. With Tim and Blue behind me, I followed Hook and Smee from a distance. After several minutes, we reached the end of the forest and the beginning of a sandy shore. The ocean was now only about seventy feet away.
Hook stayed near the tree line, realizing how close the water was.
“Bring him here, Smee,” he snarled. “The coward is starting to depress me, flopping around like a wounded chicken like that.”
Peter flew slowly toward the waves, to the water, but he didn’t have enough strength, and he crashed to the ground. He lay there, his cheek against the sand, his body rising and lowering. He had run out of steam.
I turned around and whispered to the fairy.
“Blue, can you take Tim up there, into the tree? The tallest one there? Away from Hook, but close enough so I can see him?”
Blue looked up at the towering palm tree behind us, about fifty feet off the shoreline. She nodded.
“Take him up there, and stay with him. No matter what happens down here, don’t try and help. After about twenty minutes—or if things get really bad—take him and fly with him back to the village of the Lost Boys. Okay?”
Blue made a twinkling sound. Then, she doused Tim with fairy dust from her wings.
“One more thing,” I asked. “Can I take your bag?”
Blue took off her knapsack and handed it to me.
“Where are you going?” Tim asked.
I didn’t answer. When Tim and Blue reached the top of the palm tree, I looked back to the beach.
Smee had reached Peter’s unmoving body. As he laughed and laughed, he grabbed Peter by his leg and dragged him across the sand, practically trotting with glee.
“Look at me!” Smee shouted. “I got him! I got the coward! Finally, I’m bringing him to you, Captain! Like you always wanted me to! It’s over, it’s all over! Oh, you don’t know what joy this brings me, Captain!”
Hook adjusted his hook-hand and stepped onto the sand. “We’ll celebrate in a moment, Smee, I promise, but it’s not time for that yet. We must first remember what Peter once was, all those years ago. He bested me many more times than I bested him, let’s not forget that. Even now, at the end of his life, we need to remember what Peter once meant to this world. Before everything changed, before the witch, he was a worthy enemy of Captain Hook and his men.”
“What are we gonna do with him when he’s dead?”
Hook thought a moment. “I haven’t decided yet. Perhaps throw him into the ocean to surprise his beloved mermaids. Or maybe take him on a train tour across Never Land.”
“Stop!” I shouted. Hook turned around, surprised, as I stepped out of the trees and onto the shore. Filled with anger, I felt my eyes scrunch and my teeth grit, but I also felt my arms tremble. “You aren’t going to do anything. You’re not going to hurt him any more.”
“What on earth?” Hook cocked an eyebrow as he looked me over. He got excited when he realized who I was. “The girl from America? Is that you? What the hell are you still doing here?”
“Saving him,” I said, pointing to Peter. “And getting rid of you.”
“With what?” Hook asked. He walked toward me, amused. “Oh, my dear girl, you better get out of here while you can. Captain Hook used to be a gentleman toward ladies, but I’m afraid that changed along with the rest of me. I don’t have any qualms about fighting women anymore. No more worrying about bad form and all that.”
“Emily, get out of here,” Peter groaned, laying on the sand near Smee. “Get back to Tiger Lily and the others. Go.”
“Yes, listen to your boyfriend, Emily,” Hook said, enjoying the sound of my name on his lips. “Go back to America and forget about your friends in Never Land. Go back and try to forget you met old Captain Hook. Before it’s too late.”
Hook removed his sword from its sheath and walked toward me. Looking to my waist, I saw the sword Peter had made for me—the one with the golden handle and fairy markings. I had forgotten it was there.
Pulling the sword from my belt, I held it toward Hook, with both hands. The blade shook from my nerves.
Hook laughed. “Oh, this is wonderful! What an amazing day! This is great, Smee: before I kill Peter, I get to fight one of his foolish friends from the World of the Grown-Ups, one last time. An innocent soul, about to meet her end, simply because Peter thought it would be fun to bring her here. Oh, I like this. This is perfect.”
With Hook approaching me, I grabbed the bag of fairy dust that Blue had given me, dumped it on my head, and thought of a happy thought—me and Tim, back home with my mom and dad. As the dust twinkled ove
r me, and before Hook could lunge with his sword, I jumped up and flew into the air. Whether it was through panic or instinct or what, I soared pretty perfectly over Hook’s head and landed near the water. I stood there with my arms out, trying to catch my breath and thinking of what to do next.
Hook looked at me, his eyes squinted. “That noise,” he said. He thought a moment. “That noise, when you flew. The way you flew.”
He stepped toward me, stopping only a few feet away. I raised my sword, but his was lowered. “Could it be?” he asked, his eyes darting around my face. “Could it be you? Is that why Peter brought you here?”
Smee’s eyes went wide. “It is her, Captain. It is. It’s the fairy brat. She’s back. That blasted fairy.”
“Oh my goodness gracious.” Hook’s eyes were locked on me. “I cannot believe it. I cannot believe it’s you. Tinker Bell. The queen of the fairies.”
“My name is Emily,” I said. “I’m not who you think.”
“Oh, you certainly are.” Hook nodded. “I should have known. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize your face and your blonde ponytail. I should have known, by the way Peter looked at you.”
A moment passed. I debated what to do, but it seemed, for the moment, that the last thing on Hook’s mind was attacking me. He stood still, remembering the past.
“It has all led to this, hasn’t it, my dear,” he said. “The girl from America. The fairy queen. Peter’s lost love.” He held out a metallic finger. “This is where it was meant to end. All these years, all these decades, and it was all meant to end here. With you, Peter, me, and Smee, on this beach. This was where our story was always meant to end. With the four of us together. It’s all so bloody perfect.”
“It’s not perfect,” I said. “This is all a twisted nightmare. Especially you.”
As fast as I could, I slashed my sword forward with both hands. It sliced against Hook’s metallic chest, ripping through his jacket and sending sparks flying.
“Arrrgh,” he grunted. “Now we’re back. Here we are. I always liked it when the little fairy fought back to protect her love.”
“I’m doing a lot more than that.”
I took another swing, this one clanging off Hook’s shoulder. When that didn’t work, I tried the other shoulder, but he only blocked that swing with his forearm. Then, with a smile, he lifted his hook and sent a blast of red magic my way. It went past me and erupted against the sand behind me. I knew he missed on purpose. He could have ended it all right there, but he didn’t want to. He wanted this to continue.
“It’s funny,” he said. “This is the last thing I expected, but it’s like a gift to me. I get to fight the new you, and you get to fight the new me. A whole different Hook than the one you knew.”
I swung my sword at him, with more ferocity than ever, but he easily dodged it. I brought it back for another swing, and he caught it with his hook.
“Oh Tinker Bell,” he smiled. “You still have that nasty little temper.”
His hook lit with red magic and released a blast, and this time he didn’t miss. The magic barreled into me from only a few inches away and sent me flying backward across the sand. My body tumbled, and when I tried to stand, I suddenly couldn’t move, or even breathe.
“Emily!” Peter shouted.
“I do wish you’d call her by her real name,” Hook said. “It would make all of this much more appropriate.” Hook watched me writhing on the sand. “All right. I’m suddenly depressed. First we had the coward Peter Pan, and now we have the new terrible Tinker Bell. Not at all improved from the old Tinker Bell. I can’t take much more of this. Smee, grab Peter and drag him next to the fairy queen.”
Smee grabbed Peter and dragged him toward me. Peter kicked at him, but it was no use.
“Can I have the coward’s sword when he’s gone, Captain?” Smee said. “I’d like to keep it in a glass case in my room, if that’s okay. Only fitting after all he did to me over the years.”
“I think that’d be all right, Smee. Something to remember him by.”
Hook fired another blast of magic from his hook, but I knew that’s what he was gonna do, so I pulled Smee down by his shirt, holding him in front of me. The magic blast seared into his back and he bellowed, rolling on the sand with his hands clenched and his face contorted.
“You stupid little girl,” Hook snarled.
I used all the strength I had left and jumped up. With my body in agony, I ran across the sand and lunged at Hook, banging on him with both of my fists, screaming with anger. My fists bounced off his metal body harmlessly.
Hook placed his hand on my forehead and pushed me down. I fell back, and with my face covered in sand, I crawled toward Peter.
Hook grew furious. “What were you thinking, Tinker Bell? Didn’t you know?” He stomped to me and leaned over, waving his hook in my face. “Didn’t you know you could never beat me? With you, in this new body? It was always going to end this way. How could you have ever beaten me?”
“Oh, I wasn’t trying to beat you. I was just trying to keep you out here long enough.”
“Long enough for what?”
“For that.”
I pointed to the ocean. I had seen it coming from the corner of my eye.
Hook looked out to the waves.
“Oh my,” he said. “Oh my.”
Hook walked forward.
“What is it?” Smee asked, sitting up. “What is it, Captain?”
“It’s her.” Hook stared out into the ocean. “It’s my love. My girl.”
“Who?” Smee asked.
“It’s the Jolly Roger.”
I turned and looked. It was getting closer and closer, heading toward us: a giant, gorgeous, caramel-brown, wooden pirate ship, its black sail billowing in the night sea air. The ship looked perfect—right down to the white skull and crossbones painted on the side.
Hook stepped toward the water.
“Oh, my girl,” he said. “Oh, my beautiful girl. It’s as if we never parted.”
I watched in silence, sitting in the sand, as the ship sailed nearer to us. I looked to Peter, and saw that he was also silent. Both of us knew that we needed to just shut up and let this happen. If one of us spoke, or moved, it might throw the whole thing off.
But, we weren’t the only silent ones. Hook was watching in quiet as the ship sailed toward us, and he was crying. Real tears, from his one eye that was still human, streaming down his metallic face. He was also laughing, every few seconds, and letting out little gasps of air, as if his gleeful crying was causing him to need to catch his breath.
Smee was also quiet, but in a different way. He kept darting his eyes from the ship, to Hook, and back again. He knew what was possibly about to happen.
Finally, after what felt like hours, the ship stopped, only a few feet away from the shore. Hook stepped forward, looking up at the ship. His feet were now in the water.
I could see many people on the ship—the Chieftess, and about two dozen Natives. They were the men and women who had repaired the ship and sailed it here so quickly.
At the ship’s railing, two of the Natives pulled on a rope, which lowered a ramp from the ship and onto the sand.
A moment passed. Hook stared up at the sail.
“It’s even got the sail,” he whispered. “It’s even got a new sail.”
And with that, Hook stepped onto the wooden ramp. The Natives onboard raised their weapons, but I noticed Hook’s sword was sheathed.
“Wait,” I said. “Let him be.”
Hook walked up the ramp with wide, quick strides. His footsteps were strong and deliberate, as if he was walking up a steep hill and determined to get to the top.
“Get off my ship,” he said loudly. “All of you, get off the bloody Jolly Roger.” It was like Hook was no longer aware—or didn’t care—that we were his enemy. All he cared about was the ship. “None of you fools are fit to sail the seas on the Jolly Roger. Get off her, now, before I grow bloody angry. This ship belongs to Hook
and only Captain Hook.”
“Peter?” the Chieftess asked. “Emily?”
“Go ahead,” I replied. “Chieftess, come down onto the shore. All of you.”
The Natives walked down the ramp, hesitant and cautious, led by the Chieftess. They had their eyes pinned on Hook, but he was simply impatient.
“Move it!” he said, pushing through the crowd of people, as he was heading in the opposite direction. “For god’s sake, move out of the way. I’ve got a place to be. I’ve got an ocean to see.”
The Natives didn’t much like Hook shoving them side to side—he almost knocked two of them off the ramp—but they kept their cool. They knew what was happening.
So did somebody else.
“Hook,” Smee said. “You can’t, Captain. You know what’ll happen. You know what this will do. Come back. Please.”
Hook stood on the ship’s deck. He tugged on the rope around the main mast and looked up at the sail.
“Are you coming, Smee? The wind is perfect. It’s a perfect night to push out and find some wonders to plunder.”
“Don’t you see,” Smee said. “They’ve tricked you, Captain. It’s all a trick.”
Hook’s eyes darted toward Smee. “Don’t you think I know that?” he bellowed. “Don’t you think I know exactly what’s going on? They’ve given me back exactly what I wanted, Smee. Trick or no trick, they’ve made me the happiest man in Never Land. The happiest man in all the worlds.”
“It’ll kill you, Captain,” Smee said quietly. “It’ll kill you.”
Hook looked down at Smee. He held out a hand.
“Are you coming, Smee? Will you come with me, and sail to lands we’ve never seen before?”
Smee didn’t move.
“You said it yourself,” Hook told him. “This era is over. Never Land is over. The witch has changed everything. Our Never Land is gone, never to return. Let us get our men and explore into another world—whichever world it may be.”
A moment passed. Then, Smee walked up the ramp.
“Is she all ready, Captain?” he said, his voice cracking. “Is she ready to go?”
Hook stomped around the deck as if nothing was amiss. He stomped around as if this was the greatest day of his life.
“Oh, she’s ready, Smee,” he said with a smile. “She’s as good as new. I haven’t seen the girl like this since we built her ourselves, oh those so many hundred years ago.”
Hook looked down at Peter and me.
“I have you to thank for this, Peter my boy.” He saluted us. “You and your friend Emily, from America. Tinker Bell.” He smiled. It was the same look someone has when they say goodbye to an old friend. “You know me all too well. Both of you. After all these decades, you know me better than I know myself. You’ve finally found a way to do in old Captain Hook.” He bowed. “I commend you. You won. I never could have gotten up the guts to kill you, Peter, but by god, you don’t have the same problem with me.”
Hook walked up the stairs that led to the steering wheel and stood high above us. With the wind blowing in his hair and his robotic eye raised to the horizon, he spun the wheel quickly, his hands moving one over the other. Soon, the sail changed direction, the wind caught it, and he and Smee were sailing off.
“Goodbye, Peter my boy!” Hook shouted. “I was right: this was the end of our last story. And what a glorious ending it is.” They sailed further away. Smee stood by the side of Captain Hook. “You were a wonderful enemy, Peter. The greatest foe I could have ever had. My better. And, it turns out, you could not be the best you—you could not be the real Peter Pan—without Tinker Bell by your side.”
Peter looked to me. He smiled. Then, he looked to the sand with a laugh. I smiled back, squinting, trying to decide if I was happy, relieved, excited, scared, out of my mind, or everything all at once.
“Do one thing for me, Tinker Bell,” Hook shouted. “Never grow up. Do that, for me. You’ve already grown up far too much. Looks like we almost lost you. Always keep that fight in you, girl. I always quite liked that. Never let Never Land out of your bones.”
Soon, the ship was out of our eyesight, and into the fog. But, we heard Hook yell out one last thing.
“To the unknown, Smee! To the greatest adventure we’ve ever had! To oceans our eyes have never seen.
“To the ends of eternity itself.”