Keeping Fantasia: The Third Book of the Fantasia Series

Chapter 24: Neverland Misadventures - The Math Song

Chapter 24: Neverland Misadventures – The Math Song

(When: 9 Years Ago)

Three years passed.

Wendy continued her secret reconnaissance with Eris, but without significant results. They were no closer to Captain Hook than a handful of empty rumors.

Notwithstanding, Wendy and Eris maintained their friendship. Secrecy permitting, they met to explore their powers. 

Because both could only control other people's shadows (and not their own), they experimented on each other. It was a rapid, exciting period of learning! Through trial-and-error, Wendy and Eris felt their powers grow.

The guardians also grew. As did their children: Jon was nine. Gwendolyn was six. And Melody was three. Wendy and Peter had been unable to conceive a second child (despite arduous effort), but their existing children were proving enough of a handful.

Especially Melody.

Melody was a wild child. When she wasn't crying she was pooping, and when she wasn't pooping she was running around stark naked, whacking into everything and giggling like an imp. 

She never slept, she never ran out of energy, and she completely exhausted Ariel and Jim.

This continued for three years, until Ariel discovered the antidote to Melody's hyperactivity: 

Singing.

"I was singing in the shower..." Ariel had explained to Jim. "Then Melody started singing from the bedroom. Before I knew it, she climbed into the shower with me, clothes and all, and kept singing. And she wasn't half bad. She concentrated on every word. She nailed every note. It's like...I dunno...my singing helped her to calm down."

Jim had made a joke. "So you're a snake charmer?"

"Tease all you want." Ariel had said sweetly. "But I'm not the one that doesn't know how to sing. You are. So if you're planning on 'snake charming' your daughter, then you're going to have to learn!"

Jim had almost vomited. "I'd rather rip out my own vocal cords than learn how to sing."

It was an empty threat. Although Jim was a terrible singer, he did learn how for the sake of his daughter. 

(And by "learn," I mean "attempt." Jim couldn't carry a tune, but he was good at creating songs). 

By the time Melody turned three, father-daughter sing-alongs had become part of the 'before bedtime' routine.

Such as this typical night: 

Melody was three (almost four), Silver was steering and Wendy was keeping watch in the crows nest. Wendy had been volunteering more and more for the night shift, which was odd because (1) shadow workers required LOTS of rest (to recharge the brain), (2) Wendy was a PROFOUND believer in beauty sleep, and (3) Wendy liked to read stories to their children before bed.

As a result, Wendy was frequently unavailable around bedtime. Therefore, the responsibility of 'putting the children to bed' was bestowed upon Ariel, Peter, and Jim. However, since neither Peter nor Ariel believed in curfews, the duty was passed almost exclusively to Jim.

Putting Jon and Gwendolyn to bed was relatively trouble-free. Once they stopped fighting (yes, they still fought), it was a competition to see who could fall asleep first. And if neither was tired, it didn't matter: they would just pretend.

Melody was not so easy.

"The Math Song Daddy!" Melody bounced on Jim's knee. Jim had brought her up-deck (as not to disturb the other children), and Melody was thrilled to be out of the nursery.

"Can we sing Daddy?" Melody begged, Ariel's seashell locket thumping against her tummy. "Can we sing the Math Song, can we sing it please, please please?"

Jim unfastened the locket. He would return it to her tomorrow. "Aren't you tired, yet?"

"No!" Melody proclaimed. "No, no, no!"

"I think you mean yep, yep, yep."

"But Daddy!"

"Sorry Guppy. It's bedtime. You know the rules. We brushed our teeth, we braided our hair, we already sang a song –"

"But I want to sing The Math Song!"

"Meldoy—"

"Please?!" Melody snuggled into Jim. She looked up with enormous teal eyes. "I love The Math Song. Just once?

Jim smiled. Glancing over his shoulder, he started to sing in a low voice. "One and one is...?"

"Two!" Melody sang (very loudly).

Jim continued. "Two and two is...?"

"Four!"

"Three and three is...?"

"Six!"

Together they sang. "Let's sing it some more."

A cozy feeling spread over the ship. Morph and Silver swayed to the music, and Wendy leaned over the crow's nest. Even the stars bobbed as Jim and Melody continued their duet.

"Four and four is...?"

"Eight!"

"Five and five is...?"

"Ten!"

"Six and six is...?"

"Twelve!"

And together they sang. "Let's sing it again."

Jim bundled Melody in his arms. Rocking gently to the beat, they repeated The Math Song together.

"One and one is two.

Two and Two is four.

Three and three is six.

Let's sing it some more.

Four and four is eight.

Five and five is ten.

Six and six is twelve.

Let's sing it again."

And they did sing it again.

And again. 

And again. 

And again. 

And again until Melody fell asleep, dreaming of numbers and musical cords.

It was a tender moment that inevitably turned bittersweet. As Jim returned Melody to bed, he thought of home. He thought of Sarah and Sinbad, Michael and John, Admiral Triton, Doctor Doppler, Headmaster Mickey and everyone in Fantasia that would never experience these moments with their children.

Wistfully, Jim stroked Melody's chestnut hair. As Ariel appeared behind him, he gave a long sigh.

"Nine years. We've been away from home for nine years."

Jim reached back a hand. Ariel took it, and then hugged his waist. She didn't speak, and she didn't need to; Jim read her thoughts.

"I know Queen Illysa thinks she saw The Jolly Roger. But we've been searching Neverland for years and nothing has happened. Ariel do you think...do you think The Jolly Roger, Pitch Black, Captain Flint, and Captain Hook...might be gone?"

It was a lovely notion. But alas, it was only a dream.

"Ariel? Jim?"

They turned. Wendy stood in the doorway, Shadow at her side.

Her news sent shivers down their spines.

"I've just heard from Eri...I mean Shadow. The Jolly Roger has been found. Captain Hook...and all of our enemies...are alive."