The fight at the lagoon changed everything. Peter Pan saved Tiger Lily from a terrible end. Now, Tiger Lily and her warriors are friends with Peter. They sit above the ground all night. They watch the home under the ground. They wait for the pirates to attack. During the day, they stay near the home. They smoke a pipe of peace.
The warriors call Peter the Great Leader. They bow down on the ground before Peter. Peter likes this very much. This is not good for him. He becomes very proud.
"The Great Leader is happy," Peter says to them. "He is glad that the warriors protect his wigwam from the pirates."
"I am Tiger Lily," the beautiful girl replies. "Peter saved me. Now I am his good friend. I will not let the pirates hurt Peter."
Tiger Lily bows very low. Peter thinks this is right. He speaks to her in a very proud way. "It is good. Peter has spoken," he says.
When Peter says "Peter has spoken," everyone must be quiet. The warriors show great respect for Peter. But they are not respectful to the other boys. They think the other boys are just ordinary people. They only say "Hello" to them. The boys are angry because Peter thinks this is okay.
Wendy feels a little sorry for the boys. But Wendy is a loyal housewife. She does not listen to complaints against the father. Wendy always says, "Father knows best." In her heart, though, Wendy does not like the warriors either.
Now we come to the most important evening. This night has many adventures. During the day, everything was quiet. Now, the warriors are at their posts above the ground. Below the ground, the children eat their evening meal. Peter is not there. He has gone outside to find out the time. On the island, you find out the time by listening to the crocodile. You stay near the crocodile until the clock inside him strikes.
The meal is a make-believe tea. The children sit around the table. They eat very quickly. They talk a lot and they are very loud. Wendy says the noise is very bad. She does not like it when they grab things. They always make excuses. They say Tootles pushed them.
There is a rule for meals. The children must not hit each other. They must tell Wendy about any problems. They must raise their right arm and say, "I complain about this person." But usually, the children forget the rule. Or they do it too much.
"Silence!" Wendy cries. She tells them many times not to speak at once. "Is your cup empty, Slightly darling?" Wendy asks.
"It is not quite empty, mother," Slightly says. He looks into an empty cup.
"He did not start his milk!" Nibs says.
Slightly is angry that Nibs told on him. "I complain about Nibs!" Slightly cries.
John holds up his hand. "Yes, John?" Wendy asks.
"Can I sit in Peter’s chair?" John asks. "Peter is not here."
Wendy is shocked. "Sit in your father’s chair, John? No, you cannot."
"Peter is not really our father," John answers. "He did not know how to be a father. I showed him how."
"We complain about John!" the twins cry.
Tootles holds up his hand. Tootles is very humble. Wendy is always kind to Tootles. "I do not think I can be the father," Tootles says sadly.
"No, Tootles," Wendy says.
Tootles continues to speak. "If I cannot be the father, can I be the baby, Michael?"
"No, you cannot!" Michael says. Michael is already in his cradle.
"If I cannot be the baby," Tootles says, "can I be a twin?"
"No," the twins reply. "It is very hard to be a twin."
"If I cannot be anything important," Tootles says, "do you want to see a trick?"
"No!" everyone replies. Tootles stops talking. He is very sad.
The children start to tell on each other again. "Slightly is coughing on the table!" "The twins are eating the cakes first!" "Curly is taking both butter and honey!" "Nibs is talking with food in his mouth!"
"Oh dear," Wendy cries. "Sometimes I think life is easier for spinsters."
Wendy tells the boys to clean the table. She sits down with her work-basket. She has many stockings to fix. Every stocking has a hole in the knee.
"Wendy," Michael says. "I am too big for a cradle."
"I must have a baby in the cradle," Wendy says. "You are the smallest. A cradle is a very nice thing for a home."
Wendy sews and the children play. They are very happy. The fire is bright and warm. This is a very common scene in the home under the ground. But this is the last time we see it.
Wendy hears a step above them. She knows that step. "Children, I hear your father’s step," Wendy says. "Go to the door to meet him."
Above the ground, the warriors bow to Peter. "Watch well, warriors," Peter says. "I have spoken."
The happy children pull Peter into the home. Peter brings nuts for the boys. He tells Wendy the correct time.
"Peter, you are too kind to them," Wendy says with a smile.
"Hello, old lady," Peter says. He hangs up his gun.
"I told Peter that mothers are called old lady," Michael whispers to Curly.
"I complain about Michael!" Curly says.
The first twin goes to Peter. "Father, we want to dance."
"Then dance, my little man," Peter says. He is in a very good mood.
"But we want you to dance, too."
Peter is the best dancer. But he pretends he is old. "Me? My old bones will make a noise!"
"And mother must dance, too," the children say.
"What?" Wendy cries. "A mother with so many children cannot dance!"
"But it is Saturday night," Slightly says.
It was not really Saturday night. The children do not know the days of the week. But when they want to do something special, they say it is Saturday night.
"Of course it is Saturday night, Peter," Wendy says.
"We are very old, Wendy!" Peter says.
"But we are only with our children," Wendy says.
So they agree to dance, after the children put on their nighties. While the boys get ready, Peter and Wendy stand by the fire.
"Old lady," Peter says to Wendy. "It is very nice to rest by the fire after a long day. It is nice to have the children near us."
"It is very sweet, Peter," Wendy says. Wendy is very happy. "Peter, I think Curly has your nose."
"Michael looks like you, Wendy," Peter says.
Wendy puts her hand on Peter’s shoulder. "Dear Peter," she says. "I have many children now. I am getting old. You do not want someone else instead of me, do you?"
"No, Wendy," Peter says.
But Peter looks uncomfortable. He looks like a person who is not sure if he is awake. "Peter, what is wrong?" Wendy asks.
"I am thinking," Peter says. He looks a little scared. "It is only make-believe that I am their father, right?"
"Oh yes," Wendy says.
"I am glad," Peter says. "It makes me feel very old to be a real father."
"But the children are ours, Peter," Wendy says.
"But not really, Wendy?" Peter asks.
"Not if you do not want it," Wendy replies. Peter sighs with relief. Wendy tries to be firm. "Peter, what are your feelings for me?"
"I feel like your son, Wendy," Peter says.
"I thought so," Wendy says. She goes to the other side of the room. She sits by herself.
"You are very strange," Peter says. He is confused. "Tiger Lily is the same. She wants to be something to me, but she says she is not my mother."
"No, she is not your mother!" Wendy says loudly. Now we know why Wendy does not like the warriors.
"Then what does she want to be?" Peter asks.
"A lady cannot tell you that," Wendy says.
"Fine," Peter says. He is a little angry. "Maybe Tinker Bell will tell me."
"Oh yes, Tinker Bell will tell you," Wendy says. "She is a bad little girl."
Tinker Bell is in her room. She hears them. She makes a loud, rude noise.
"Tinker Bell says she likes being bad," Peter says. He has a new idea. "Maybe Tinker Bell wants to be my mother?"
"You are a silly fool!" Tinker Bell cries in a very angry voice.
Tinker Bell says this often. Wendy understands her. "I agree with Tinker Bell," Wendy says. Wendy is very cross.
None of the children know what will happen tonight. Maybe it is better that they do not know. They are happy for one more hour. It is their last hour on the island. They sing and they dance in their nighties.
It is a scary song. They pretend to be afraid of their shadows. They do not know that real shadows are coming soon. The dance is very loud. They have a pillow fight on the beds. Then they tell stories. Even Slightly tries to tell a story. But the beginning is very boring. Slightly is bored by his own story.
"It is a boring beginning," Slightly says. "Let’s pretend it is the end."
Finally, the children get into bed. They wait for Wendy’s story. It is the story they love the most. It is the story Peter hates. Usually, Peter leaves the room when Wendy tells this story. Or he puts his hands over his ears. If he did that tonight, they might still be on the island. But tonight, Peter stays on his stool. We will see what happens next.