The Pan of Neverland

Chapter 6: Slightly

The boys tore through the jungle, a haze of movement in pursuit of something elusive. It was Nibs who had spotted it first, and despite Slightly insisting it was a Pepperskin, they decided to give chase anyway. Slightly had a penchant for crafting wild claims, making it difficult to take him seriously.

"I can remember my mother!" Slightly had boasted one evening as the three Lost Boys gathered in Hangman's Tree. "Just like I can remember my name."

Tootles and Nibs burst into laughter. "Tell us again how you remember your name, Slight," Nibs teased, unable to resist.

Slightly looked at Nibs, excited to recall the story again. "Well, there I was just mending my favorite shirt. You know the red one."

"You mean the one you have on?" Tootles chuckled.

"The only one you own," Nibs added, joining in the laughter.

Ignoring their quips, Slightly continued. He explained how, while fixing his shirt, he noticed the word 'slightly' stitched into it, followed by another word he couldn't make out. In his childlike innocence, he had convinced himself that was his name. The truth, however, was that Peter had given Slightly that nickname because of his consistent use of the word.

Nibs loved the story and knew Slightly was only joking around, but he enjoyed it every time, nonetheless. Slightly, on the other hand, always felt a lingering emptiness after telling it. He knew that wasn't his real name. Despite being smart and quick-witted, Slightly hid behind this tale because he was afraid. He was scared of not remembering anything before Neverland, and the worry had begun to consume him. He became increasingly paranoid, even convinced that he was being watched during his adventures around the island.

Peter and Tink had been closely observing Slightly before bringing him to Neverland. Tink, in particular, was intrigued by him, claiming his IUL was even higher than Nibs'. She was excited about the potential of adding him to their gang. Peter, too, saw the opportunity to strengthen their forces against Lady Bell, the council, and the mighty Fairy Kingdom. Peter realized they needed more boys on their side to stand a chance. The fairies had shown their willingness to go to great lengths to stop them, and next time, Peter vowed to be prepared.

Tink suspected Lady Bell had sent the Snarback Sloth after them as punishment for bringing the boys to Neverland. That her guardian was determined to halt their progress and was furious about their recruitment efforts. As a result, Tink's access to the Well of Essence had been restricted, leaving her low on pixie dust. This had strained the already tightly coiled relationship with her mother, a bold move by the Fairy Kingdom to limit Tink's ability to create the powerful dust. The fairies feared that completely cutting off Tink from the essence of the mountain would lead to war, a conflict they didn't wish to wage against a Lord of Neverland once again.

Peter absorbed Tink's concerns and felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. He knew they needed to act swiftly and decisively to protect their new way of life. Before bringing Slightly, he had suggested they gather more information about Lady Bell's plans, wanting to discover what other Never-creatures she might have at her disposal. Also insisting they needed to ensure there was enough dust to get more Lost Boys.

Tink nodded in agreement. "I'll do my best to stretch what we have left, but we gotta find a way to get some more. I have a plan for that, but in the meantime, we need more support and I know just the boy."

. . .

Raphael Wood found peace in his secret hideout, tucked away in the narrow alley behind his family's apartment complex. The entrance to his sanctuary was an old cylindrical furnace with a rusted-out floor, covering a small grate that led down to the sewers. Months ago, when Raph had discovered this grate, he found a hole in the wall leading to a crawl space in an abandoned neighboring building. It became his refuge, shielding him from the taunts and jabs of is older brothers.