Chapter 11
When I woke up I was alone and sunshine flooded the room. From the window I could see the pirates working on a raft. Today was the day to leave Neverland. Last night the Captain had talked about the islands out there, beautiful and mysterious places. A part of me felt anxious to leave, but on the whole I dreaded the moment the raft would be finished.The work progressed very slowly. Soon I realized that the pirates had problems with their work. Axes broke when they tried to cut down trees. Tools diappeared and once the raft mysteriously started to burn.
"It must be Peter", I thought and I felt quite sure that it wouldnīt be so easy to leave the island. The Captain hovered over his men, shouting at them and from time to time striking out at them. To my relief he didnīt kill anyone, but as the day proceeded and the mischiefs went on, his temper got worse and worse. When he nailed a poor mans hand to a plank with his claw, I stopped watching the building process. Instead I paced the small room feeling nervous and agitated.
Not until the evening did they finished, but eventually the completed raft was ready and the Captain came to get me. But as we neared the raft, Peter came into sight for the first time. He flied low over our heads and landed in front of us, his face furious.
"Wendy belongs here with us", he yelled. "I wont let you take her with you." The Captain just smiled. The sight of Peter didnīt seem to surprise him, rather the opposite. They both draw their swords and started to circle round each other. The rest of us was totally forgotten, for them only the other one excisted. The pirates and I quickly moved away from them so they cold move around freely.
The two antagonists started slowly, but soon they moved so fast that it was hard to make out what was happening. Peter had his youth and ability to fly on his side, but the Captain was stronger and agile as a cat. Suddenly I noticed that we were not alone here, the pirates were quietly attacked by the lost boys and the indians, and all around me people were fighting. I could see Jean-Baptise waving at me from the other side of the fighters. He looked pale and his arm was held in a sling, but apart from that he seemed well enough.
A cry from the Captain made everyone look at him. Peter had managed to wound him in the face and blood was running freely down his cheek. In his fury the Captain fought even harder, but it was clear that it was Peter who was holding the upper hand. Without any warning the Captainīs sword flew away from him in a glittering arc and landed in front of Jean-Baptiste. He quickly picked it up, pointing it at the Captain when he tried to retrieve it.
Without his weapon and with Peter moving in on him, the Captain didnīt seem to have any other choice than to surrender. The pirates were either giving up, or fleeing, so from them no help could be expected. But the Captain surprised us all with a sudden move. Throwing himself to one side, he quickly rolled and stood up in one fluid movement. It was a quick and unexpected maneuver and suddenly I found myself being held by the Captain. His claw pressed against my throat and draw blood, I could feel it trickle down my neck.
"Donīt any of you move, or I wont hesitate to kill her." Everyone paused, but Jean-Baptiste called out:
"You are bluffing, Captain, we all know you want Wendy alive." But the Captain laughed.
"Oh, I want her alive if I can take her with me. But if I have to leave her with you, I rather leave her dead." There was no doubt that the threat was real so no one tried to stop the Captain as he hauled me away into the jungle.
As soon as we were out of sight the Captain released me, only to take hold of my hand. He started to run and I had to run with him to avoid being dragged. He didnīt stop until we abruptly came out from the forest and found ourself on the edge of a cliff high over the sea. Suddenly the Captain froze, staring into the jungle behind us. From behind the trees an enormous crocodile appeared. Not just any crocodile but the crocodile, larger than I remembered her and more monstrous. The Captain didnīt hesitate a second, he picked me up and started to run again, along the side of the cliff. A crocodile can run very fast and I could see her gain on us when I looked back. The Captain stumbled and fell, releasing me as we tumbled to the ground.
When I looked up I saw that the crocodile was approaching me and though I scrambled backwards as fast as I could, I realized I had no chance at all to escape the monster. I stared into the eyes of the beast as she came closer, reading death in her unblinking gaze. But then I heard the Captains voice and the crocodile stopped.
"Crocodile, look at me. Iīts me you want, isnīt it? Come to me, crocodile, leave her be." The beast swung her head and looked at the Captain, who crouched on the ground near the cliffīs end. For a minute she seemed as unmovable as a statue, but then, so fast she was momentarily a blur, she throw herself at him.
I could see the Captain face, as incomprehensible it may seem, he was laughing. The crocodile snapped at him and he sunk his claw in her back and she roared and rolled and the Captain rolled with her. And then they reached the edge of the cliff and they disapperad. I heard the splash when they reached the water below and I screamed his name.
I crawled to the edge and looked down into the dark water. I stared down for a long time, but neither the Captan nor the crocodile ever reached the surface.
End of Chapter 11