Lost Pirate

Lost Pirate







Blue light and battle cries filled the room. Elythia held onto the carpet, eyes wide and lips trembling. Swords clashed, and grins flashed.

“Old…alone…done for.”

She chanted along with Captain Hook, amazed by his last decision. Before his eyes closed, she thought she saw something, not unlike heartbreak. Yawning she reached for the remote and the blue light faded. Rectangles of yellow called attention to the wall, and Elythia stumbled out of the living room.

“I wonder how Captain Hook got into Neverland in the first place. He’s not a child. And…that’s basically the only way he could get in, right? I doubt any of the lost boys would have taken him.”

Her silver eyes scanned the stairs and she let herself sink onto the first few steps, careful not to make any noise.

“…What if he was a child at heart? He could have gone then…but, why did he turn out…so bitter?”

Elythia used her arms as cushions letting her gaze wandered around the house. Long and dark shadows towered over everything. She could barely see the outlines of the furniture, though she could clearly see the lamps by the window. Her eyes closed, in the hopes that she would fall asleep.

“I wish I could recall the book a little better. I mean, I bet Peter is the one who started the whole rivalry thing anyhow.”


Elythia’s nose scrunched up in curiosity. Minutes passed but her mind couldn‘t--or wouldn’t rest because of Captain Hook and Peter Pan. At last she gave up on sleep and her eyes opened. She stayed on the steps a little longer, but eventually got back onto her feet. Silently she plopped on the couch, her mouth curved into a frown as her hands twirled themselves into her chocolate hair.


“Ok…only children can get to Neverland…only Peter, by what I’ve read and seen…can take children to Neverland…so how did Hook get there? How did all the pirates get there?”

Suddenly restless, she jumped from the couch and quietly ran to the sliding doors. Going behind the heavy curtains, she carefully unlocked the doors and stepped into the cool air. Shivering, she began to pace the wooden deck.

“He couldn’t have gone in as an adult…unless he had known the way as a child. But, still there is no way he could have gone in without pixie dust.”

A curious thought entered her mind, and refused to let go. Her eyes filled with a story untold and her mouth opened and closed though no sound came out.

“…What if…as a boy…James was taken in by Peter Pan?”

She nodded at her logic as she climbed down the steps, careful not to slip. It was well past midnight and she should have been in bed. True, Derek and her mother had given up long ago on getting her to sleep early. As long as she woke up on time it was fine. Though she had never stayed up past midnight and so didn’t know the consequences, if any.

Sighing, she fell onto the grass.

“So Peter Pan must have taken James to Neverland…and they must have been great friends or something…but then…Hook grew up… “


It was then that Elythia remembered that “All children, except one, grow up.”

“This means, the lost boys grow up! And then…then they become pirates! And so--”

Sirens sounded in the distance, disturbing her thoughts--but only for a moment. When the initial fear had passed she let her mind wander back to the problem at hand. Something about Hook was always so tragic, and he seemed quite lost.

“But…WHY is Peter the only child with eternal youth?”

Elythia turned onto her back, wincing where a soft breeze touched the wet patches of her clothes. The stars winked at her, and she so wished she could understand them. She scoffed at the idea. Surely the stars would know nothing--or too much of anything.

“I recall…Peter has all his baby teeth--the gurgle laughter that matches a baby’s. And he did run away the day after his birth.”

Her eyes gleamed mischievously, having discovered Peter Pan’s secret. He would always be a boy because he didn’t give himself the chance to grow. Hook never had that luxury.

“So that’s it. Hook grew up against his will, and became everything he hated. No wonder he’s so miserable…”

Elythia felt her eyelids fall, and knew that this time they wouldn’t open. Without a second thought she stretched out on the lawn, ready to answer her dreams. Prior to losing her senses, she whispered to no one in particular, a smirk on her lips

“Too bad the crocodile had to catch up to you, Captain Hook"