Bedtime Story: Peter Pan Pt. 4

Hello beautiful souls,

Please enjoy the fourth instalment of Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up, written by Sir James Matthew Barrie.

Let's continue our adventures with Peter, Wendy, John, Michael, the Lost Boys, and, of course, Captain Hook.

You can find all parts of this wonderful story in my Peter Pan playlist on my profile.

I hope you have a wonderful sleep and wake up feeling relaxed and refreshed.

Transcript

Good evening beautiful souls and welcome to tonight's reading of Peter Pan part 4.

So making yourself comfortable in your bed,

Stretching out your arms overhead and pointing and flexing your feet,

Stretching out your legs and letting it all go and sinking into the mattress and taking a big big yawn releasing any tension from your jaw and taking a few deep inhalations and exhalations allowing your muscles to relax arriving here in this moment knowing that it's time for rest and relaxation there's nothing else for you to do it is time to relax and get ready for a peaceful night's sleep and when you have found yourself in your most comfortable position we will continue with our story of Peter Pan.

The mermaid's lagoon if you shut your eyes and are a lucky one you may see at times a shapeless pool of lovely pale colors suspended in the darkness in the darkness then if you squeeze your eyes tighter the pool begins to take shape and the colors become so vivid that with another squeeze they must go on fire but just before they go on fire you see the lagoon this is the nearest you ever get to it on the mainland just one heavenly moment if there could be two moments you might see the surf and hear the mermaids singing the children often spent long summer days on this lagoon swimming or floating most of the time playing the mermaid games in the water and so forth you must not think from this that the mermaids were on friendly terms with them on the contrary it was among Wendy's lasting regrets that all the time she was on the island she never had a civil word from one of them when she stole softly to the edge of the lagoon she might see them by the score especially on marooners rock where they love to bask combing out their hair in a lazy way that quite irritated her or she might even swim on tiptoe as it were to within a yard of them but then when they saw her and dived probably splashing her with their tails and not by accident but intentionally they treated all the boys in the same way except of course Peter who chatted with them on marooners rock by the hour and sat on their tails when they got cheeky he gave Wendy one of their combs the most haunting time at which to see them is at the turn of the moon when they utter strange wailing cries but the lagoon is dangerous for mortals then and until the evening of which we have now to tell Wendy had never seen the lagoon by moonlight less from fear than from the sun less from fear for of course Peter would have accompanied her than because she had strict rules about everyone being in bed by seven she was often at the lagoon however on sunny days after rain when the mermaids came up in extraordinary numbers to play with their bubbles the bubbles of many colors made in rainbow water they treat as balls hitting them gaily from one to another with their tails and trying to keep them in the rainbow till they burst the goals are at each end of the rainbow and the keepers only are allowed to use their hands sometimes hundreds of mermaids will be playing in the lagoon at a time and it is quite a pretty sight but the moment the children tried to join in they had to play by themselves for the mermaids immediately disappeared nevertheless we have proof that they secretly watched the interlopers and were not above taking an idea from them for john introduced a new way of hitting the bubble with the head instead of the hand and the mermaid goalkeepers adopted it this is the one mark that john has left on the netherland it must also have been rather pretty to see the children resting on a rock for half an hour after their midday meal wendy insisted on their doing this and it had to be a real rest even though the meal was made believe so they lay there in the sun and their bodies glistened in it while she sat beside them and looked important it was one such day and they were all on maroon as rock the rock was not much larger than their great bed but of course they all knew how not to take up much room and they were dozing or at least lying with their eyes shut and pinching occasionally when they thought wendy was not looking wendy was busy very busy stitching while she stitched a change came to the lagoon little shivers ran over it and the sun went away shadows stole across the water turning it cold wendy could no longer see to thread her needle and when she looked up the lagoon that had always been such a laughing place seemed formidable and unfriendly it was not it was not she knew that night had come but something as dark as night had come no worse than that it had not come but it had sent that shiver through the sea to say that it was coming what was it there crowded upon her all the stories she had been told of maroon as rock so called because evil captains put sailors on it and leave them there to drown they drown when the tide rises for then it is submerged of course she should have roused the children at once not merely because of the unknown that was stalking toward them but because it was no longer good for them to sleep on a rock that had grown chilly but she was a young mother and she did not know this she thought you simply must stick to your rule about half an hour after the midday meal so though fear was upon her and she longed to hear male voices she would not waken them even when she heard the sound of muffled oars though her heart was in her mouth she did not waken them she stood over them to let them have their sleep out was it not brave of wendy it was well for those boys then that there was one among them who could sniff danger even in his sleep peter sprang erect as wide awake at once as a dog and with one warning cry he roused the others he stood motionless one hand to his ear pirates he cried the others came closer to him a strange smile was playing about his face and wendy saw it and she shuddered while that smile was on his face no one dared to address him all they could do was to stand ready to obey the order came sharp and incisive dive there was a gleam of legs and instantly the lagoon seemed deserted marooners rock stood alone in the forbidding waters as if it were itself marooned the boat drew nearer it was the pirate dinghy with three figures in her smy and star key and the third a captive no other than tiger lily than tiger lily her hands and her ankles were tied and she knew what was to be her fate she was to be left on the rock to perish and 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 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 until they crashed into it love you lover cried an irish voice that was sneeze here's 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's and wendy's wendy was crying for it was the first tragedy she had seen peter had seen many tragedies but he had 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 peter was never one to choose the easy way there was almost nothing that he could not do and he now imitated the voice of hulk ahoy there you lovers he called it was a marvelous imitation the captain said the pirates staring at each other in surprise he must be swimming out to us starkey said when they had looked for him in vain we are putting the red skin on the rock smith called out set her free came the astonishing answer free yes cut her bonds and let her go but captain at once do you hear quiet peter or i'll plunge my hook in you this is strange smith gasped better do what the captain orders said starkey nervously aye aye smith said 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 that he would be elated also and very likely crow and thus betray himself so at once her hand went out cover his mouth but it was stayed even in the act and the captain was very pleased with the result for boat ahoy rang out over the lagoon in hulk's voice and this time it was not peter who had spoken peter may have been about to crow but the captain's face puckered in a whistle of surprise instead boat ahoy again came the cry now wendy understood the real hook was also in the water he was swimming to the boat as his men showed a light to guide him he had soon reached them in the light of the lantern wendy saw his hook grip 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 budge 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 she was really glad for the sake of his reputation that no one heard him except herself he signed to 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 is all well they asked but he answered with a hollow moan he sighs said shmi he sighs again said starkie and yet a third time he sighs said shmi what's up captain then at last he spoke passionately the game's up he cried those boys have found a mother affrighted though she was wendy swelled with pride oh evil day cried starkie what's a mother asked the ignorant smi 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 smi would be her one peter pulled her beneath the water for huck had started up crying what was that i heard nothing said starkie raising the lantern over the waters and as the pirates looked they saw a strange sight it was the nest i have told you of floating on the lagoon and the never bird was sitting on it see said huck in answer to shmi'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 but he brushed away this weakness with his hook smi much impressed gazed at the bird as the nest was born past but the more suspicious starkie said if she is a mother perhaps she is hanging about here to help peter huck winced i he said that is the fear that haunts me he was roused from this dejection by smi's eager voice captain said shmi could we not kidnap these boys mother and make her our mother it is a princely scheme cried huck and at once it took practical shape in his great brain we will seize the children and carry them to the boat the boys we will make walk the plank and wendy shall be our mother again wendy forgot herself never she cried and bobbed and bobbed what was that but they could see nothing they thought it must have been but a leaf in the wind do you agree my bullies asked huck there is my hand on it they both said and there is my hook hook swear they all swore by this time they were on the rock and suddenly huck remembered tiger lily where is the red skin he demanded abruptly he had a playful humor at moments and they thought this was one of those moments that is all right captain smi answered complacently we let her go let her go cried huck it was your own orders the bosun faltered you called over the water to us to let her go said starkey brimstone and gore thundered huck his face had gone black with rage but he saw that they believed their words and he was startled lads he said shaking a little i gave no such order it is passing queer smi said and they all fidgeted uncomfortably huck raised his voice but there was a quiver in it spirit that haunts this dark lagoon tonight lagoon tonight he cried dost hear me of course peter should have kept quiet but of course he did not he immediately answered in huck's voice odds bobs hammer and tongs i hear you in that supreme moment huck did not blanch even at the gills but smi and starkey clung to each other in terror who are you stranger speak huck demanded i am james huck replied the voice of the jolly roger you are not you are not huck cried brimstone and gall the voice retorted say that again and i'll cast anchor in you huck tried again if you are huck he said almost humbly come pray tell me who am i a codfish replied the voice only a codfish a codfish huck echoed blankly and it was then but not till 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 is lowering to our pride they were his dogs snapping at him but tragic figure though he had become he scarcely heeded them against such fearful evidence it was not their belief in him that he needed it was his own he felt his ego slipping from him don't desert me bully he whispered hoarsely to it in his dark nature there was a touch of the feminine as in all the great pirates and it sometimes gave him intuitions suddenly he tried the guessing game hook he called have you another voice now peter could never resist a game and he answered answered blithely in his own voice i have and another name i i vegetable asked huck no mineral no animal yes man no boy yes ordinary boy no wonderful boy to wendy's pain the answer that rang out this time was yes are you in england no are you here yes hook was completely puzzled you ask him some questions he said to the others wiping his damp brow smi reflected i can't think of a thing he said regretfully can't guess can't guess crowed peter do you give it up of course in his pride peter was carrying the game too far and the miscreants saw their chance yes yes we give up they answered eagerly well then he cried i am peter pan pan in a moment hook was himself again and smi and starkie were his faithful henchmen now we have him hook shouted into the into the water smi starkie mind the boat take him dead or alive he leaped as he spoke and simultaneously came the gay voice of peter are you ready boys aye aye from various parts of the lagoon then land into the pirates the fight was short and sharp first to draw blood was john who gallantly climbed into the boat and held starkie there was a fierce struggle in which the cutlass was torn from the pirate's grasp he wriggled overboard and john leapt after him the dinghy drifted away here and there a head bobbed up in the water and there was a flash of steel followed by a cry or a whoop or a whoop in the confusion some struck at their own side the corkscrew of smi got tootles in the fourth rib but he was himself pinked in turn by curly farther from the rock starkie was pressing slightly and the twins hard where all this time was peter he was seeking bigger game the others were all brave boys and they must not be blamed for backing from the pirate captain his iron claw made a circle of dead water round him from which they fled like a frighted fishes but there was one who did not fear him there was one prepared to enter that circle strangely it was not in the water that they met hook rose to the rock to breathe and at the same moment peter scaled it on the opposite side the rock was slippery as a ball and they had to crawl rather than climb neither knew that the other was coming each feeling for a grip met the others arm in surprise they raised their heads their faces almost touching and so they met some of the greatest heroes have confessed that just before they fell too they had a sinking had it been so with peter at that moment i would admit after all this was the only man that the sea cook had feared but peter had no sinking he had one feeling only gladness and he gnashed his pretty teeth with joy with joy quick as thought he snatched a knife from hook's belt and was about to drive it home when he saw that he was higher up the rock than his foe it would not have been fighting fair he gave the pirate a hand to help him up it was then that hook bit him not the pain of this but its unfairness was what dazed peter it made him quite helpless he could only stare horrified every child is affected thus the first time that he is treated unfairly all he thinks he has a right to when he comes to you to be yours is fairness after you have been unfair to him he will love you again but he will never afterwards be quite the same boy no one ever gets over the first unfairness no one except peter he often met it but he always forgot it i suppose that was the real difference between him and all the rest so when he met it now it was like the first time the first time and he could only stare helpless twice the iron hand clawed him a few minutes afterwards the other boys saw hook in the water striking wildly for the ship no elation on his face now only white fear for the crocodile was in dogged pursuit of him on ordinary occasions the boys would have swum alongside cheering but now they were uneasy for they had lost both peter and wendy and were scouring the lagoon for them calling them by name they found the dinghy and went home in it shouting peter wendy as they went but no answer came save for mocking laughter from the mermaids they must be swimming back or flying the boys concluded they were not very anxious for they had such faith in peter they chuckled boy like because they would be late for bed and it was all mother wendy's fault mother wendy's fault when their voices died away there came cold silence over the lagoon and then a feeble cry help help two small figures were beating against the rock the girl had fainted and lay on the boy's arm with a last effort peter pulled her up the rock and then lay down beside her even as he also fainted he saw that the water was rising he knew that they would soon be drowned but he could do no more as they lay side by side a mermaid caught wendy by the feet and began pulling her softly into the water peter feeling her slip from him woke with a start and was just in time to draw her back but he had to tell her the truth we are on the rock wendy he said but it is growing smaller soon the water will be over it she did not understand even now we must go she said almost brightly yes he answered faintly shall we swim or fly peter he had to tell her do you think you could swim or fly as far as the island wendy without my help she had to admit that she was too tired he moaned what is it peter she asked anxious about him at once i can't help you wendy hook wounded me i can neither fly nor swim do you mean we shall both be drowned look how the water is rising they put their hands over their eyes to shut out the sight they thought they would soon be no more as they sat something brushed against peter as light as a kiss and stayed there as if saying timidly can i be of any use it was the tale of a kite which michael had made some days before it had torn itself out of his hand and floated away michael's kite and in the next moment he had seized the tail and was pulling the kite toward him it lifted michael off the ground he cried why should it not carry you both of us peter it can't lift to michael and curly tried let us draw lots said wendy bravely and you a lady never already he had tied the tail around her she clung to him she refused to go without him but with a goodbye wendy he pushed her from the rock and in a few minutes she was born out of his sight peter was alone on the lagoon the rock was very small now soon it would be submerged pale rays of light tiptoed across the waters and by and by there was to be heard a sound at once the most musical and the most melancholy in the world the mermaids calling to the moon peter was not quite like the other boys but he was afraid at last a tremor ran through him like a shudder passing over the sea but on the sea one shudder follows another till there are hundreds of them and peter felt just one next moment he was standing erect on the rock again with that smile on his face and a drum beating within him it was saying to die will be an awfully big adventure