In my column last week, I told you about the new sequel to Peter Pan I have written, which has just been released. Today, I am sharing an extract. I hope you enjoy it.
A tiny island in the middle of the ocean
“Is there no escape from this wretched sun? Smee? Smee? Mr Smee!”
The hot empty beach echoed to the irritable bellow. “Where the devil are you?” Then, more quietly and to himself: “Now, where’s my hat?”
The old man needed his hat more than ever these days. With his black, curly hair long gone, his bare head burned within minutes.
Not that his famous flowing black curls were ever real – he’d been bald for years. But no one knew he wore a wig, apart from his second in command, his loyal servant, Mr Smee.
It was the best-kept secret in Neverland. Or one of them, anyway.
And who is this pitiful, bald, complaining old man? Of course, it’s Captain Hook, the pirate once feared above all others. Can you see him in your mind’s eye right now?
Standing tall and commanding with his hook gleaming, immaculately dressed, his captain’s hat at just the right angle, and that long black hair flowing down around his face and proud moustache. Confident, scary, powerful.
But it was always a sham.
And now, with his glorious captain a shadow of his former self, Smee was worried. After nearly being eaten alive by that crocodile, Hook had been stranded on this tiny uninhabited island in the middle of the ocean for almost a year, with only Smee for company.
Captain James Hook was without a doubt, a broken man.
Smee had long known Hook wore a wig, along with the special shoes with secret insteps to make him look taller. And the false teeth. Oh, the thought of those teeth made him shudder – it had been Smee’s job to remove them from Hook’s mouth every evening and put them in a glass of water by his bed. He even knew that, for many years, Hook had secretly worn a lady’s corset to hold in his ever-growing belly.
But once he’d got the boss fully kitted-out every morning and he walked out onto the deck of the Jolly Roger, there stood a man to be feared. Captain James Hook. The greatest pirate who ever lived.
Carrying an armful of assorted fruits, Mr Smee walked back along the hot, sandy beach towards their little hut, taking in the sight ahead of him. Sitting on a rock, a bald, short, toothless man. His saggy belly hanging out over dirty, torn trousers.
Smee walked over to his captain and handed him a large, ripe lemon, which he’d just picked from a tree.
“Now, eat this, we don’t want you getting scurvy. Oh, and cheer up – I still love you, Cap’n!”
Hook sucked at his lemon. As juice ran down his stubbly chin, he replied, without once looking up: “Love? You are truly disgusting, Smee.”
“…where did it all go wrong? Where? I had everything. I ruled Neverland…”
Between you and me, that’s not entirely true, but it’s what Hook believed. The funny thing was that just about everyone believed that they “ruled” Neverland. Hook did, Peter Pan and the Lost Boys did. But the Opacanta tribe, the original humans on Neverland, who live in the island’s north, no doubt had the strongest claim to the island.
As for the waters surrounding Neverland, that was disputed by no one, not even Hook, if he were being truthful. The mermaids ruled the waters.
Now, before you get misty-eyed and picture fun-loving creatures diving in and out of the water with their tails waving in the air, I must warn you, that’s a myth. Mermaids are majestic, beautiful, flirty, mysterious, yet cunning and dangerous.
Protectors of their fellow sea creatures, these mermaids helped rescue turtles and stranded dolphins. They even attacked pirate boats which tried to harpoon whales – and they had lured many a pirate to a watery grave by enticing them in and dragging them under.
Everyone was wary of them. Even Peter Pan. And for good reason. You needed eyes in the back of your head when it came to the mermaids of Neverland.
But the most dangerous inhabitants of Neverland were the witches. They lived in the “No-No Zone” on the far west coast of the island, totally cut off from the inner jungles by huge, misty mountains, and they were pure evil.
When they were selling their wares to the outside world, they looked just like sweet old ladies. But come darkness, they flew over Neverland looking for bodies, dead or alive.
You could see them on a clear night, silhouetted against a starry sky. It was one of the last things a Lost Boy in his canopy tree-house could see as he dropped off to sleep.
Neverland may be beautiful, but with the wild animals in its dense forests and jungles, the chance of pirates finding you, mermaids who will drag you under if you get too close – or worse, witches – you definitely don’t want to be outside after dark…
***
Mermaid Lagoon, Neverland
“Good morning Peter Pan…”
“Good morning, Ilba”’
Known to everyone as the mermaid leader, Ilba was stunning. A woman from head to waist, and fish from the waist down. She had long, flowing black hair, flawless skin and piercing blue eyes.
Ilba swam over to Peter and rested her arms and chin on the rock directly in front of him.
“What’s up?”
“Oh, nothing much.”
“Where are you, Peter Pan?” she asked.
Peter thought it a stupid question.
“I’m sitting here, of course, right in front of you.”
“You may be physically here, but not up there you’re not,” she said, pointing to his head.
“What d’you mean?”
“You’re far away, your mind is somewhere else…”
If only she knew, thought Peter. Did she know, though? She was not only attractive, but also very clever indeed. Some people even believed that mermaids could read human minds.
“You are a free spirit, Peter, you never have to grow up, you live in paradise,” Ilba reminded him.
“I know, but it’s just not the same without Hook. I can’t believe I’m saying that, but it’s true.”
Ilba, despite having no time for pirates, understood.
“You need to find a new focus, Peter.”
Ilba started to flirt, tracing a long, elegant wet finger down Peter’s left arm. Her nails were sharp, yet Peter was surprised to find that he quite liked the sensation. However, a warning voice in his head reminded him she could draw blood at any moment if she wanted to. Peter carefully moved his arm out of her reach, which made her smile a knowing smile.
You won’t be surprised to learn that Tinkerbell was very jealous of the mermaids, especially when they flirted with Peter.
***
As another day began back in Neverland, the Lost Boys, safe in their tree-houses deep in the inner jungle, were waking up.
“Where’s Peter?” asked Nibs through a mouthful of honey.
“He flew off once you boys were asleep,” said Tinkerbell, matter-of-factly.
“Where’d he go, Tink?”
“London, of course.”
“To visit Wendy again?”
“Who else?” said Tink, with a sneer. Tink had been thrilled when Wendy left Neverland and returned to London. But soon after the euphoria of Hook being gone forever had calmed down, Peter had started to fly to London again, just to look in on Wendy and her brothers, he said. Yeah, right, thought Tink. He always came back, but recently he was flying there more often and spending more time there than ever.
Tink was worried. She loved Peter, and was fiercely protective of him. But it seemed he was slowly drifting away from her, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. If she challenged him, it only pushed him further towards London.
Suddenly, Slightly said: “I miss Hook!”
Everyone gasped.
“Are you crazy?”
“No – think about it. Ever since Hook was killed, we’ve not exactly been happy, have we?”
He was right, of course.
“What if…”
“What if what?”
“What if Hook isn’t dead?”
“Don’t be stupid, the croc swallowed him, remember? We all saw it – it took him in its mouth and dragged him away to eat him.”
Slightly wasn’t convinced though. “But what if Hook somehow managed to escape? We never saw blood or guts, and no remains of him have washed ashore, or the mermaids would have told us.”
“Nah, not possible…” Curly dismissed such thoughts.
They all thought about it for a moment or two – but no, it wasn’t possible.
Twin 2 scratched his chin. What strange times we live in, he thought. We’ve only just got rid of Hook and now we want him back…
Tink was suddenly intrigued. It was a valid point. None of them had actually seen Hook die and not even a scrap of his clothing had washed up on Neverland’s shores. Could Hook still be alive?
“I’m off boys, catch you later,” she said, and off she flew through the trees, going in no particular direction.
Maybe old Hook is still alive after all… and maybe that’s exactly what we need… thought Tink. Time to do some investigating.
An Awfully Big Adventure – on sale now from Amazon.
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