by A. C. Wise
Mary nudges Wendy’s shoulder, bringing her out of her reverie. At the same moment, Wendy hears the front door open, Jane and Ned returning.
Her heart beats a complicated rhythm. Mary gives Wendy a look as she withdraws, taking the tea things with her. It takes all of her will, but Wendy stands, brushing away a cascade of crumbs. Her chest is so tight, she can barely breathe. The whole house waits, holding its breath. It’s time to grow up. Past time, really.
Wendy thinks of the first time she flew, holding Peter’s hand, falling into the sky and waiting to see if the wind would catch her. It has to be the same now; she must believe that when she steps into the unknown, the love, the family, the life she’s built for herself will be there to catch her. She may have lost Neverland, but she stands to gain so much more. A life without secrets. The truth laid out between her and Jane and Ned. It is the same with Ned and Jane as it is with Mary. In order to truly choose each other, there cannot be secrets. Once Ned knows who she truly is, Wendy has to believe that he will still choose her, and they will continue to love each other as they always have. The way she chose him when he gave her the secret of Henry. It will bring them closer together than they ever were.
She can do this. Wendy Darling, the girl who learned to fly, who survived, who refused to be afraid.
Wendy lifts her chin, straightens her spine, and steps into the hall where her husband and daughter are waiting. Ned and Jane look to her, expectant, wary. Wendy tries to smile. She opens her mouth to speak, the truth gathered up and heavy on her tongue, ready to step into the sky, trusting she won’t fall.
Acknowledgments
This book started as a joke. Well, not a joke exactly, more like a “ha, ha, what if I wrote…” and I didn’t tell it to anyone but myself. But I did write a flash fiction story, because of course that is the most logical place to start when writing a novel. My first thanks are due to Michele-Lee Barasso and Jonathan Laden who published the original short story “Wendy, Darling” in Daily Science Fiction. Without them, this novel would not exist. My second thanks are due to everyone who read that original short and responded positively, who let me know how much they loved Wendy, and that they wanted to know more about her story. Their enthusiasm helped me realize there was indeed more to Wendy’s story, and that I very much wanted to tell it. My thanks, always, to A.T. Greenblatt, Stephanie Feldman, Fran Wilde, Sarah Pinsker, Siobhan Carroll, and E. Catherine Tobler for patient reading, amazing feedback, and wonderful friendship. This book would not exist without them either. Thank you to my agent, Barry Goldblatt, who believed in Wendy from the start, and my incredible editor, Sophie Robinson, who saw Wendy and truly understood her. My thanks also to Jo Harwood, Hayley Shepherd, and the entire team at Titan Books for helping to make Wendy’s story shine, and making the book look absolutely beautiful. Thank you to Matt and Amy Bush for years of laughter and wonderful friendship. Thank you to my husband, Derrick, for everything, and for being the best partner in life I could have asked for. Thank you to my entire family, for believing in me, supporting me, and being enthusiastic cheerleaders even when the stuff I write isn’t exactly their kind of thing. I am so lucky to have all of you in my life. Finally, thank you to J.M. Barrie for his enduring tale of a boy who refuses to grow up and all the threat and darkness that implies.
A. C. Wise is the author of two collections published by Lethe Press, a novella published by Broken Eye Books, and short stories appearing in publications such as Uncanny, Tor.com, and The Best Horror of the Year Volume 10, among other places. Her work has won the Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, as well as twice being a finalist for the Nebula Award, twice being a finalist for the Sunburst Award, and being a finalist for the Lambda Literary Awards. In addition to her fiction, she contributes semi-regular review columns to The Book Smugglers and Apex Magazine.
@ac_wise
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