Knjigice
Fairy tale · Classic fairy tales
Peter Pan
The story of the boy who would not grow up
Also in: Peter Pan (Slovenian) · Peter Pan (Slovak)
In London, in a warm nursery, three children lay asleep: Wendy, John and little Michael. Wendy could tell the most wonderful stories in the world, and so a mysterious boy liked to listen at the window in the evenings. One night he slipped into the room, but Nana the dog caught his scent — the boy darted out of the window, and his shadow was left trapped inside. Mother folded it up and put it away in a drawer.
1
A few evenings later the boy came back for his shadow. He found it, but it would not stick to him any more! He sat down on the floor and cried. Wendy woke up. "Who are you?" — "I am Peter Pan. I am never going to grow up." Wendy carefully sewed the shadow back onto his feet. As a thank-you she wanted to give him a kiss, but shy Peter held out his hand — and Wendy placed a thimble in it.
2
"Fly with me to Neverland!" said Peter. "Nobody ever grows up there." Beside him danced Tinker Bell, a tiny fairy as bright as a golden spark. She sprinkled the children with magic fairy dust and — look! — Wendy, John and Michael rose off the floor like soap bubbles! "But where is Neverland?" asked Wendy. "Second star to the right and straight on till morning!"
3
They flew high above sleeping London. Below them glowed the street lamps, the rooftops and the chimneys, and the great clock on the tower struck midnight. John held on to his top hat, Michael whooped with joy. Then they rose higher still, past the clouds, straight toward the second star to the right — and in the morning an island glittered below them, green as an emerald.
4
On the island the lost boys were waiting — boys who had once fallen out of their prams and nobody had come to fetch them. "Peter! Peter is back!" they shouted, throwing their caps in the air. When they saw Wendy they stood quite still: they had never had anyone to tell them stories. "Would you be our mother?" they asked. And Wendy said: "Gladly."
5
They lived in a secret home under the ground, entered through hollow tree trunks. In the evening everyone washed — well, almost everyone — and Wendy told stories by the fire: about Cinderella, Snow White, and a mother who always leaves the window open. Peter listened from a corner. Only stories about growing up he disliked: "I will always be a boy, and always play."
6
By the shore of the island lay the mermaids' lagoon. All day long they basked in the sun, combed their long hair and dived in graceful arcs into the green water. They were friendly with Peter, but secretly a little jealous of Wendy, and splashed water at her. "Don't mind them," laughed Peter. "That is simply how mermaids are."
7
Around the island swam a big smiling crocodile. Long ago he had swallowed an alarm clock, and ever since, his tummy ticked loudly: tick-tock, tick-tock. Whenever he came near, everyone heard him from far away. The children were not afraid of him — for the crocodile was looking for just one single person in the whole world.
8
That person was Captain Hook, the pirate chief. He wore a scarlet coat, long black curls and an iron hook instead of his right hand — for he lost that hand in a duel with Peter, and the crocodile had swallowed it. It had tasted so delicious that ever since, the crocodile longed for the rest of him. At every tick-tock the brave captain turned white as a sheet.
9
One day, while Peter was far away, the pirates crept up to the secret home. They caught the lost boys, Wendy, John and Michael, tied them up and took them to their ship. "Now no one escapes me," chuckled Hook. But he had forgotten one thing: Tinker Bell had seen it all, and off she flashed like a golden spark to fetch help.
10
Peter swooped onto the ship like a storm. "Let my friends go, Hook!" The swords rang out: thrust, parry, a leap onto a barrel, a somersault over the mast! The lost boys wriggled free of their ropes, and the pirates jumped into the sea one after another. At last only Peter and Captain Hook were left on the deck.
11
Peter was quicker. He drove the captain back to the rail, and when Hook took one step back — splash! He fell straight into the sea, where the patient crocodile was already waiting with his mouth wide open. Tick-tock, tick-tock — and that was the end of Captain Hook. The children on the ship cheered, and Peter took a bow like a true captain.
12
"Let's sail home!" said Wendy, who missed her mother and father. Tinker Bell sprinkled the ship with fairy dust, and it slowly rose out of the water. They sailed among the stars, past the moon, straight for London. Michael fell asleep on a coil of rope, John took the wheel, and Peter stood at the bow, laughing into the wind.
13
The nursery window was open — Mother had never closed it. Wendy, John and Michael slipped into their beds, and Mother hugged them with tears of joy. But Peter stayed outside on the window sill. "Stay with us," begged Wendy. "I can't — then I would have to grow up." And every spring he came back for Wendy, so she could help him with the spring cleaning and tell him stories once again.
14The End
