"So you see, Neverland is not a bad place. It is supposed to be the place of our imagination and magic. There is always trouble round the corner, that's what makes life fun over 'ere. Otherwise, we would just be sitting on our asses all day staring...
It must have been the 12th century or even earlier, definitely a long time ago. A dreamer trapped in a body of a little boy aspired what it would be like to be forever young. His mother was a musician, and had passed on music to her son which infuriated his father, a rich merchant. He wanted his son to carry on his legacy.
If we started at the port of the wealthy yet dangerous city, one can easily smell the salty fresh seawater. The wooden harbor had swollen up and rusty nails were holding it all together. Working sailors were fighting the breeze and the waves to tie the mast of their ships, while Captains were busy making deals with few merchants for money to buy their supplies which would ensure their survival while they try to tame and make their way through the seven seas.
Walking towards the marketplace, smell of fresh breads would hit you like a truck, or in this case like a cart run by a 1500 pound bull. The successful bakery proudly stood at the corner of the square, which was lit by warm oil lanterns as they flicked in one's eyes. If you stared at them long enough, you could feel fire ignite in your chest but that would be a story for a later time.
Stalls were fashioned with hand woven cloth, that protected the loud shopkeepers from the blazing sun but left the consumers at it's mercy, and ornamented with fresh fruits and vegetables and spices. At the left side was the line of hardware stores and on the other side was the blacksmiths and shops which sold "Pirate's Gold".
Dark alleys ran throughout the city, where homeless and poor lived along with the bandits which caused havoc and destroy the city if they ever united. Random horsemen rode through, some wealthy landlords and some merchants. But from the market, you could catch a glimpse of the gigantic mansion, which would definitely send paranormal chills down your spine, belonging to the Dark One of the city. Dark ones were like wizards and quite evil. People always avoided them and never dared cross them.
On the right side was a beautiful bright mansion where the biggest and successful merchant lived. If you could see more clearly, you could see the distinct outline of a young boy...
:::Flashback:::
The little boy's POV (8 years old)
I was happily sitting under a tree, trying to fix the bird's wings. By the time the bird was finally able to fly, my mum came to me, taking me back into the huge mansion we called home. "I found this at the market today. Would you like to give it a try?" It was a panflute. My mum excitedly showed me how to play it.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I blew through it, trying to make various musical sounds like my mother had...
Heavy footsteps drew near. My father had arrived and I quickly ran to hide my new gift. I wished one day, I could play it in front of him proudly. But unfortunately, the walls boomed of shouting. I hid under my bed. That was the last time I saw my mother.
The next morning, they found her body. My father had gone behind our back and cut a deal with the dark one. My father soon remarried after a month of mourning for my mother. It was a hard time for me, and it dawned on me that he had forgotten his own son's hardships. If only he took the time to actually talk to me...
I never talked to anyone after that. The new step-mum was always trying to be good to me. But no one could replace my mother. The same year, I lost my closest best friend Jacob, to his abusive parents. The weight of my Mother's and Jacobs death crushed me to my knees.
&*&*&
About 10 years later, he himself got into a tangled mess with the dark one. It was unintentionally walking in the alley where shady deals were being made. His punishment was severe: ending up in a realm with dark magic. Losing his mother and Jacob had crushed him but losing his home and family had brought him to his knees. Was there a way out?
