Keeping Fantasia: The Third Book of the Fantasia Series

Chapter 19: Neverland Misadventures - Crash Landing

Chapter 19: Neverland Misadventures – Crash Landing

(When: 12ish Years Ago)

After the tea party, Jim brought Wendy to the crow's nest.

"Are you certain this can't wait?" Wendy climbed testily after him, her brow glistening with sweat. "After cleaning the bottom of your ship, I'm going to need several baths."

Jim half laughed. "Yeah I can smell you."

"Lovely."

"Just kidding. But seriously, we need to talk. I had an idea about finding Hook, but need your help. Trust me, this overrules a bath."

Wendy frowned. "You've found a way to locate Captain Hook?"

"I'm not sure, but I think so. It all depends on you."

"Me?"

"Yes. Here's my idea...I think that we can use Shadow to track Captain Hook."

"Shadow? Peter's shadow?"

"Yes, the really annoying prick that kinda looks like Peter. Shadow. "

Wendy closed her eyes. "Language, language, language. No, don't apologize. Just get to the point please."

"Okay. Here's the point...Queen Illysa said she saw Captain Flint on the Jolly Roger, right?"

"Well she thought she did." Wendy opened her eyes. "But claiming that you saw something doesn't necessary make it true. Everything at this point is conjecture. We don't know for certain that Captain Flint is alive. And we've neither seen nor heard anything about the Jolly Roger for three years."

"Okay." Jim consented. "But what do we know for certain about the Jolly Roger? One, we know it got sucked into the Black Hole. Two, we know that Captain Hook, Pitch Black, and Facilier were on the Jolly Roger when it got sucked into the Black Hole. Three, we know the Jolly Roger escaped the Black Hole. And four..."

Wendy finished the thought. "It's reasonable to assume that Captain Hook, Pitch Black, Facilier and Facilier's shadow also escaped the Black Hole."

"Exactly. So..." Jim nodded at the stars. "Shadow might be able to sniff them out. He might be able to find Pitch's nightmares or Facilier's shadow, which could lead us to the Jolly Roger and Captain Hook. So all you have to do is send Shadow...and we'll hunt the shadows with a shadow."

"Not exactly." Wendy spoke stiffly. "You'll hunt the shadows...with a shadow worker."

Jim paused. Something in Wendy's voice made him feel uneasy. She almost seemed resentful that Jim was asking for her help. Automatically Jim wanted to dismiss his uneasiness, but then he remembered a conversation he'd had with King Arthur, when the young king had counseled him on the unpredictability of shadow workers.

"Here's the truth." Arthur had warned. "Shadow working is dangerous...before, shadow workers were dangerous, feared people. Entire wars were fought by shadow workers. They were hunted...tortured...killed."

Jim reflected on King Arthur's warning. He tried to imagine Wendy as a shadow worker from historical times, ordered to fight rival shadow workers...in order to win someone else's war.

It was easy to see why Wendy could be resentful.

But, Jim thought, this situation was different. He wasn't ordering Wendy to fight for something she didn't believe in, and he definitely wasn't taking her powers for granted. The 'war' they were fighting was a mutual one –it was a means to an end, their ticket home! And furthermore (if Jim wanted to be painstakingly blunt) it was their job! King Arthur had said: Make sure Neverland is safe. Then you can come home to Fantasia and I won't close the realms.