Cherry Meets Peter Pan

chapter 2

It was getting late after Cherry met her cousins for the first time and they were now playing while their parents were getting ready to go out for the night. The younger kids were easily influenced by Wendy's stories about the one they call Peter Pan. Mary was with Michelle.

"I wonder why it takes such a long time for men to get ready." Michelle said.

"Tell me about it," Mary said, adjusting her earrings. "George, dear! Do hurry, we musn't be late for the party, you know."

"Mary, unless I find my cufflinks, we won't go to the party," George said from the other room. "And if we don't go to the party, I can never show my face in the office again! And if-OW!"

"Is your husband alright, Mary?" Michelle asked.

"I'm sure he's fine, Michelle." Mary replied, fixing her hair.

Upstairs, there was fighting. John had a red bandana on his head with a wooden sword, Michael had one too, and Cherry had a feather in her hair. John was playing as Captain Hook, Michael was Peter Pan and Cherry was Princess Tigerlily.

"Curse you, Peter Pan!" John called in a gruff voice.

"Give up, Captain Hook!" Michael called. "Give up?"

"Never! I'll teach you to cut off my hand, you racking fracking brat!"

"Be careful!" Cherry cried and hid under John's bed as the boys fought.

Wendy then walked in, wearing her night-gown. "Oh, no, John, it was the left hand." she told her brother.

"Oh, yes," John moved the closet hangar to his other hand. "Thanks Wendy."

"The boys are wild, huh?" Cherry laughed as she walked over to Wendy to help her get ready for bed.

"You'd get used to it, you have any brothers, Cherry?" Wendy asked.

Cherry nodded. "I have two older brothers, I never met one of them, but the other one I grew up with is in college now."

"I love my brothers dearly, but I wouldn't mind if John went to college already." Wendy whispered and giggled with Cherry.

"Wendy!" John growled, hearing that.

"Grow a sense of humor, John boy." Cherry pushed her glasses back with a laugh. She then went back to the boys as they continued to play.

"Release Princess Tigerlily!" Michael demanded.

"Never Pan!" John cackled and clutched Cherry with his free hand.

"Oh, Nana, must we always take that nasty tonic?" Wendy asked as the dog came in with a tray of tonic with four spoons for the children.

"Aw, I have to take it too?" Cherry cringed.

"Sorry Cherry, but Mother wants us to stay healthy." Wendy replied.

"I never have to take it back home."

"Lucky!" John and Michael whined.

Nana walked in and looked up with Cherry with a smile. Cherry smiled back and pet the housemaid dog which got her a lick to the hand.

"I'll cut you to pieces!" John called, letting Cherry out of his grip.

"Owch!" Michael cried. "Careful John, you almost hurt me!"

"I'm sorry, Michael." John told his brother. "You'll never leave this ship alive!" the two boys then bounced all over the beds, messing them up.

Cherry held the tray steady as Nana was pouring tonic into the spoons. Just the smell and color made the guest wrinkle her nose, knowing she wasn't already going to like it.

"Insolent pup!" John sneered at Michael.

Nana glared at the boy, but then the tonic fell on her paw. She tried to lick it off, but it made her stomach crawl. Cherry couldn't help but laugh.

"Wicked pirate!" Michael yelled. "Take that! And that! AND THAT!" Michael stabbed his sword under John's arm.

John groaned, clenching his heart and fell to his fake death.

"You got him!" Cherry cheered and clapped.

At that moment, George walked in. "Boys, boys, less noise, please." he walked through the blocks Nana had arranged.

Nana turned and went back to organize the blocks back to normal.

"You old bilge rat!" Michael told his brother.

"What!?" George turned as he heard that. "Now, see here, Michael-"

"Not you, Dad," John explained. "He's Peter Pan."

"And John was Captain Hook." Michael added.

"I was the princess!" Cherry finished with her feather still in her hair. "How are you tonight, Uncle George?"

"Yes, yes, that's lovely," George ignored her question as he looked through the drawers. "Have you seen my cufflinks?" he then knocked down Nana's blocks again. "Oh Nana, for goodness sake! Where are those cufflinks?"

"Cufflinks, Father?" John scratched his chin.

"Yes, the gold ones." George replied.

"George, I'm sure they'll turn up eventually, Michelle always finds things whenever I'd looking for them." Bud said.

"I'll find them, I know I will." George said.

"Guys, where's the buried treasure?" Cherry whispered to John and Michael.

"I don't know." Michael replied.

John shrugged.

Bud helped George look for the cufflinks so they could finish getting ready to go. George then found his shirt front and freaked out over it, due to the state it was in now.

"Good heavens, my shirt front!" George gasped.

"Hooray!" Michael cheered. "You found it! You found it!"

"Yes, so I have," George said and set it on himself, but it popped up and he saw that it had been drawn on to look like a treasure map. "No,... NO!"

"Bud, George, we really must hurry or we'll be late." Mary walked in with Michelle.

"Mary, look!" George point to his shirt.

Mary turned to look at her husband. "George..."

"It's only chalk, Father." Michael said.

"Why, Michael!" Mary sounded firm now.

"It's not his fault, Aunt Mary," Cherry spoke up. "We were only using it as a treasure map for Peter Pan to find Captain Hook's treasure."

"Treasure?" Bud asked.

"What are you talking about?" George asked.

"Cherry's right," John said. "It's in the story, and Wendy said-"

"Wendy? Story? I might have known." George turned furious and crossed his arms. "Wendy? WENDY!"

"Yes Father?" Wendy asked as she walked in the room.

"Would you kindly explain-"

"Oh, Mother!" Wendy ignored her father and made her way to her mother instead. "You look simply lovely!"

"Thank you, dear." Mary smiled.

"Wendy..." George tried to get her attention.

"Just my old gown made over," Mary told her daughter. "But it turned out right, and I-"

"Mary, if you don't mind-" George began.

"You look nice too, Aunt Michelle." Wendy smiled.

"Indeed." Cherry added.

"Aren't you two just the sweetest?" Michelle smiled at them.

"Why, Father," Wendy turned to George. "What have you done to your shirt?"

"What...have...I? UGH!" George groaned, slapping his hand to his face.

"Now George, really, it comes right off." Mary wiped the doodles off of George's shirt.

"Kids will be kids, George." Bud added.

"That's no excuse!" George glared at his daughter. "Wendy, haven't I told you about stuffing the boys' and Cherry's heads with a lot of silly stories?"

All of the children gasped.

"They aren't, Uncle George!" Cherry cried.

"I say they are!" George snapped. "Captain Crook! Peter Pirate!"

"Peter Pan, Father." Wendy corrected.

"Peter Pan, pirate, poppycock!" George snapped as the kids protested, but he ignored them. "ABSOLUTE POPPYCOCK! And let me tell you the radical-"

"Now George." Mary was tying his bow.

"Now George," the Darling father growled. "NOW GEORGE!? Well, now George will have his say!" he tried to fix the bow himself, but it ended up being a stressed out tangle from his anger and frustration.

"Please, dear!" Mary spoke up.

"Mary, the girl is growing up," George said to her. "It's high time she gets a room of her own and Cherry sleeps in the guest room!"

"Father!" Wendy cried.

"George!" Mary, Michelle and Bud gasped.

"What?" John gasped.

"No!" Cherry and Michael gasped.

Even the dog gasped.

"I mean it!" George snapped, shooting a look at Wendy as she hung her head in shame. "Young lady, this is your last night in the nursery! And that's my last word of the matter!" he turned to leave, but tripped over Nana. The dog tried to run off, but George landed on roller skates and Nana knocked over with George flying in mid-air in the bedroom. He crashed into a drawer while Nana crashed into the wall.

Everyone in the room groaned and rushed over quickly.

George smiled, as if they were coming for him, but instead they were more concerned about Nana.

"Poor Nana..." they all said, comforting the dog.

"Poor Nana!?" George got angry and shot up. "This is the last straw! Out! OUT, I SAY!" he pointed to the door.

"No, Father, no!" Michael moaned.

"YES!" George hissed, grabbing Nana by her collar and taking her outside. "There'll be no more dogs for nursemaids in this house!"

Michael grabbed onto Nana's tail to stop this, but Mary grabbed him and held him in her arms.

"Goodbye, Nana..." Michael waved sadly.

Nana waved back as she bumped down the steps.