If you close your eyes, you might see beautiful colors in the dark. If you squeeze your eyes tight, the colors become very bright. Then you see the lagoon. On the mainland, you can only see it for one moment. You might even hear the mermaids singing.
The children spent many summer days at this lagoon. They liked to swim and float in the water. But the mermaids were not friendly to them. Wendy wanted to talk to them, but they never spoke to her. This made her very sad.
The mermaids sat on Marooners’ Rock to brush their long hair. When Wendy came near, they dived into the water. They splashed her with their tails on purpose. They were only friendly to Peter Pan. He sat with them and talked for many hours.
In the sun, the mermaids played with bubbles. These bubbles had many colors like a rainbow. The mermaids hit the bubbles with their tails. They tried to keep the bubbles up in the air. When the children tried to join the game, the mermaids always went away.
Every day after lunch, Wendy made the boys rest. They sat on Marooners’ Rock for half an hour. The rock was only about the size of their big bed under the ground. The boys closed their eyes in the warm sun. Wendy sat near the boys and mended their clothes.
One day, the lagoon suddenly changed. The sun went away and the water became cold. Dark shadows moved across the water. Wendy could not see to thread her needle. The lagoon did not look happy anymore. It looked dangerous and scary.
Wendy remembered stories about Marooners’ Rock. Bad captains left sailors on this rock. When the tide came up, the water covered the rock completely and the sailors drowned.
Wendy was afraid. She heard the sound of a boat in the water. She wanted to wake the boys, but she followed her rule. She let the boys sleep for the full half hour. Then Peter woke up suddenly. He smelled danger like a dog.
"Pirates!" Peter shouted. He had a strange smile on his face. The boys stood near Peter and waited for his orders. "Dive!" Peter cried. All the children jumped into the water. Now Marooners' Rock was empty.
A pirate boat came near the rock. Smee and Starkey were in the boat. They had a prisoner named Tiger Lily. Her hands and feet were tied with rope. The pirates wanted to leave her on the rock to drown.
Tiger Lily was the daughter of a chief. She was very brave and she was not afraid to die. Peter and Wendy watched from the water. Peter wanted to save Tiger Lily. He decided to play a trick and copied Captain Hook's voice.
"Set the girl free!" Peter shouted in the captain's voice. The pirates were very surprised. They thought Captain Hook was nearby. "Cut the ropes now!" Peter cried. Smee cut the ropes, and Tiger Lily dived into the water like a fish.
Wendy was happy, but then the real Captain Hook arrived. He swam to the boat and climbed inside. Wendy wanted to swim away, but Peter stayed to listen. He was very proud of his trick.
Captain Hook was sad. He told his men that the boys had found a mother. "What is a mother?" Smee asked. Wendy was shocked that Smee did not know. Peter pulled her under the water so the pirates did not see her.
The pirates saw a bird on the water. It was the Never bird. Her nest had fallen into the water, and she was sitting on it to protect her eggs. "Look," Captain Hook said. "That is a mother. She will not leave her eggs." Then the pirates decided to kidnap Wendy. They wanted her to be their mother.
Captain Hook asked about Tiger Lily. The pirates said they set her free because of his orders. Captain Hook was very angry. "I did not give that order!" he shouted. He asked the "spirit" of the lagoon to speak to him.
Peter answered in Captain Hook's voice again. He called Captain Hook a "codfish". Captain Hook was very upset. Then they played a guessing game. Finally, Peter told them his real name. "I am Peter!" he shouted.
"Catch him!" Captain Hook yelled. The pirates jumped into the water to fight. The boys came to help Peter. John climbed into the boat and fought Starkey. He took the pirate's cutlass. The lagoon was full of fighting and noise.
Peter looked for Captain Hook. They both climbed onto the rock at the same time. The rock was very slippery. They met at the top and looked at each other. Peter took a knife from Captain Hook’s belt. He saw that he was higher on the rock than his enemy.
Peter wanted a fair fight. He gave Captain Hook a hand to help him up. But Captain Hook was not fair. He bit Peter's hand and cut him with his iron hook! Peter was shocked and hurt. He could not move because he was so surprised by the unfair action.
Suddenly, Captain Hook saw the crocodile. He was very afraid and swam away quickly. The boys found the boat and started to go home. They called for Peter and Wendy. When they did not hear an answer, they thought the two of them had already gone ahead, so they went back to the house.
The lagoon became quiet and cold. Peter and Wendy were still on the rock. Wendy had fainted because she was very tired. Peter was wounded and weak. The tide was rising, and the water started to cover the rock.
Wendy woke up and saw the water. "We must go, Wendy," Peter said. Wendy asked if they should fly or swim. Peter told her the truth. He was too hurt to fly or swim to the shore. He could not help her.
A kite flew past the rock in the wind. It was the kite that belonged to Michael. Peter grabbed the tail of the kite. "This kite can carry you, Wendy!" Peter said.
Wendy did not want to leave Peter alone. But Peter tied the tail of the kite around her. The wind pulled the kite into the air. It carried Wendy away from the rock. Now Peter was alone in the middle of the lagoon.
The rock was very small now. The water was almost over Peter's feet. He heard the mermaids calling to the moon. Peter stood up straight on the rock and smiled. "To die will be a very big adventure," Peter thought.