Welcome to Sleep Stories with Steph,
Your go-to podcast that offers you a calm and relaxing transition into a great night's sleep.
It is time to relax and fully let go.
There is nothing you need to be doing now,
And nowhere you need to go.
Close your eyes and feel yourself sink into the support beneath you and let all the worries of the day drift away.
This is your time and your space.
Take a deep breath in through your nose and let it out with a long sigh.
There is nothing you need to be doing now,
And nowhere you need to go.
Happy listening.
Chapter Eight Continued The boat drew nearer.
It was the pirate dinghy with three figures in her,
Smee and Starkey,
And the third a captive,
No other than Tiger Lily.
Her hands and ankles were tied and she knew what was to be her fate.
She was to be left on the rock to perish,
An end to one of her race more terrible than death by fire or torture.
For is it not written in the Book of the Tribe that there is no path through water to the happy hunting ground?
Yet her face was impassive.
She was the daughter of a chief.
She must die as a chief's daughter.
It is enough.
They had caught her boarding the pirate ship with a knife in her mouth.
No watch was kept on the ship,
It being Hook's boast that the wind of his name guarded the ship for a mile around.
Now her fate would help to guard it also.
One more whale would go the round in that wind by night.
In the gloom that they brought with them,
The two pirates did not see the rock till they crashed into it.
"'Luff,
You lubber,
' cried an Irish voice that was Smee's,
"'is the rock.
Now then,
What we have to do is hoist the red skin onto it and leave her there to drown.
'" It was the work of one brutal moment to land the beautiful girl on the rock.
She was too proud to offer a vain resistance.
Quite near the rock but out of sight,
Two heads were bobbing up and down,
Peter and Wendy's.
Wendy was crying for it was the first tragedy she'd ever seen.
Peter had seen many tragedies but he'd forgotten them all.
He was less sorry than Wendy for Tiger Lily.
It was two against one that angered him and he meant to save her.
An easy way would have been to wait until the pirates had gone,
But he was never one to choose the easy way.
There was almost nothing he could do and he now imitated the voice of Hook.
"'Oy there,
You lubbers,
' he called.
It was a marvellous imitation.
"'Captain,
' said the pirates,
Staring at each other,
"'it must be swimming out to us,
' Starkey said when they'd looked for him in vain.
"'We're putting the red skin on the rock,
' Smee called out.
"'Set her free,
' came the astonishing answer.
"'Free?
Yes,
Cut her bonds and let her go.
"'But Captain,
At once you're here or I'll plunge my hook into you.
' "'This is queer,
' Smee gasped.
"'Better do what the captain ordered,
' said Starkey.
"'Aye,
Aye,
' said Smee and he cut Tiger Lily's cords.
At once like an eel she slid between Starkey's legs into the water.
Of course,
Wendy was very elated over Peter's cleverness,
But she knew he would be elated also and very likely crow and thus betray himself,
So at once her hand went out to cover his mouth.
But it was stayed even in the act,
For,
"'Boat to hoy!
' rang over the lagoon in Hook's voice,
And this time it was not Peter who had spoken.
Peter may have been about to crow,
But his face puckered in a whistle of surprise instead.
"'Boat to hoy!
' again came the cry.
Now Wendy understood.
The real hook was also in the water.
He was swimming to the boat and as his men showed a light to guide him,
He had soon reached them,
And in the light of the lantern Wendy saw his hook grip the boat's side.
She saw his evil swarthy face as he rose dripping from the water,
And quaking she would have liked to swim away,
But Peter would not barge.
He was tingling with life and also top-heavy with conceit.
"'Am I not a wonder,
Oh,
Am I a wonder!
' he whispered to her,
And though she thought so also,
She was really glad for the sake of his reputation that no one heard it except herself.
Peter signed her to listen.
The two pirates were very curious to know what had brought their captain to them,
But he sat with his head on his hook in a position of profound melancholy.
"'Captain,
All is well?
' they asked timidly,
But he answered with a hollow moan.
"'Me sighs,
' said Smee.
"'Me sighs again,
' said Starkey.
"'And yet a third time.
What's up,
Captain?
' Then at last Captain Hook spoke passionately.
"'The game's up!
' he cried.
"'Those boys!
' Her founder-mother.
" Afrighted though she was,
Wendy swelled with pride.
"'Oh,
Evil day!
' cried Starkey.
"'What's a mother?
' added the ignorant Smee.
Wendy was so shocked that she exclaimed,
"'He doesn't know!
' And always after this she felt that if you could have a pet pirate,
Smee would be her one.
Peter pulled her beneath the water for Hook had started up crying.
"'What was that?
' "'I heard nothing,
' said Starkey,
Raising the lantern.
As the pirates looked over the waters,
They saw a strange sight.
It was the nest I had told you of floating on the lagoon,
And the Neverbird was sitting on it.
"'See?
' said Hook in answer to Smee's question.
That is a mother.
What a lesson.
The nest must have fallen into the water,
But would the mother desert her eggs?
No.
' There was a break in his voice,
As if for a moment he recalled innocent days when…' But he brushed away this weakness with his hook.
Smee,
Much impressed,
Gazed at the bird as the nest was borne past.
But the more suspicious Starkey said,
"'If she's a mother,
Perhaps she's hanging about here to help Peter.
' Hook winced.
"'Aye,
' he said,
"'that is the fear that haunts me.
'" He was roused from this dejection by Smee's eager voice.
"'Captain,
' said Smee,
"'could we not kidnap the boy's mother and make her our mother?
' "'It's a princely scheme,
' cried Hook,
And at once it took practical shape in his great brain.
"'We will seize the children and carry them to the boat.
The boys will make Walk the Plank,
And Wendy shall be our mother.
'" Again Wendy forgot herself.
"'Never!
' she cried and bobbed.
"'What was that?
' But the pirates could see nothing.
They thought it must have been a leaf in the wind.
"'Do you agree,
My bullies?
' asked Hook.
"'There's my hand on it,
' they both said.
"'And there's my hook.
Now swear.
'" They all swore.
By this time they were on the rock and suddenly Hook remembered Tiger Lily.
"'Where's the red skin?
' He had a playful humour at moments and they thought this was one of those moments.
"'That's all right,
Captain,
' Smee answered.
"'We let her go.
'" "'Let her go?
' "'Twas your own orders.
You called over the water to us to let her go.
'" "'Brimstone and gore!
What on earth is this?
' Hook's face was black with rage.
But he saw they believed their words and he was startled.
"'Lads,
' he said,
Shaking a little.
"'I gave no such order.
'" "'It's passing queer,
' said Smee and they all fidgeted uncomfortably.
"'Spirit that haunts this dark lagoon tonight,
' continued Hook.
"'Dost hear me?
' Of course at this Peter should have kept quiet but he did not.
He immediately answered in Hook's voice.
"'Odds,
Bods,
Hammer and tongs,
I hear you.
'" In that supreme moment,
Hook did not blarch,
Even at the gills.
But Smee and Starkey clung to each other in terror.
"'Who are you,
Stranger?
Speak!
' Hook demanded.
"'I'm James Hook,
' replied the voice captain of the Jolly Roger.
"'You are not!
' Hook cried hoarsely.
"'Brimstone and gall,
' the voice retorted.
"'Say that again and I'll cast anchor in you.
'" Hook tried a more ingratiating manner.
"'If you are Hook,
' he said almost humbly,
"'come tell me,
Who am I?
' "'A codfish,
' replied the voice.
"'Only a codfish.
'" "'Codfish?
' Hook echoed blankly.
And it was then that his proud spirit broke.
He saw his men draw back from him.
"'Have we been captained all this time by a codfish?
' they muttered.
"'It's lowering to our pride.
'" Now in Hook's dark nature,
There was a touch of the feminine as in all the great pirates.
And it sometimes gave him intuitions.
"'Hook,
' he called,
"'have you another voice?
' Now Peter could never resist again and he answered blithely,
"'I have,
' in his own voice.
"'And another name?
' "'I?
' "'Vegetable?
' asked Hook.
"'No.
' "'Mineral?
' "'No.
' "'Animal?
' "'Yes.
' "'Man?
' "'No.
' "'Boy?
' "'Yes.
' "'Ordinary boy?
' "'No.
' "'Wonderful boy.
'" To Penny's pain,
The answer that rang out this time was yes.
"'Are you in England?
' "'No.
' "'Are you here?
' "'Yes.
'" But none of the pirates could guess who he was.
And of course,
In Peter's pride,
He was carrying the game too far.
"'Well,
' he cried suddenly,
"'I am Peter Pan.
'" "'Pan!
' In a moment,
Hook was himself again and Smee and Starkey were his faithful henchmen.
"'Now we have him,
' Hook shouted.
"'Into the water,
Smee.
Starkey,
Mind the boat.
'" Take him.
Dead or alive.
