Peter Pan and the Airship Darlings

Nibs perched on one of the thick branches of the Banyan Tree, his legs swinging idly as he watched the others prepare for their journey. Below him, John was focused on the airship’s wrecked engine, surrounded by tools and scattered parts. The ship had taken a real beating when they crashed, and John had been working tirelessly to fix it, though progress was slow.

Peter had come bounding into the scene earlier, grinning from ear to ear with an idea. “We need something special to fix this,” he had said. “A part that I saw washed up on the Hidden Island. I’m sure of it.”

Nibs knew Peter had a knack for finding things, especially in places where no one else would think to look. The Hidden Island, shrouded in fog and mystery, was one of those places Peter loved to boast about. It was only visible to those who knew where to look, tucked away behind strange currents and hidden from the rest of Neverland.

Now, as Peter, Wendy, Michael, Slightly, Curly, and Tootles prepared to leave, Nibs couldn’t shake the feeling that he should have gone with them. But something kept him here, tethered to the airship and to John’s quiet determination to make things right.

“You sure you don’t want to come along?” Peter called up to him, one hand resting on his hip while the other gestured toward the horizon. “Hidden Island’s full of surprises, you know.”

Nibs gave him a small smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll stay here and help John,” he said, the words feeling both right and wrong at the same time.

Peter shrugged, his grin widening. “Suit yourself. We’ll be back with that part before you know it!”

As the group set off, Nibs watched them disappear into the trees, Peter’s laughter echoing behind them. Normally, he would have been the first to volunteer for an adventure like this. But lately, something had changed. The thrill of endless games and excitement didn’t stir him the way it used to. Instead, a nagging feeling tugged at the edge of his mind—an unfamiliar sense of restlessness.

Nibs and John Bonding

Once the others were gone, the air around the Banyan Tree felt strangely still. Nibs climbed down from his branch and landed lightly beside John, who was hunched over the airship’s engine with a focused expression.

John looked up, his face streaked with grease, and gave Nibs a small nod. “Peter always does this,” he muttered. “Runs off on some grand adventure and leaves the actual work behind.”

Nibs smiled faintly, though his thoughts were elsewhere. “Yeah, but that’s Peter. Always chasing the next big thing.”

John wiped his hands on a rag, frustration clear on his face. “I just need one more part. Something to hold the whole thing together, and we could be out of here.” He paused, staring at the twisted metal in front of him. “I hope Peter’s right about finding it on that island.”

Nibs crouched next to him, looking over the mess of wires and gears. He didn’t understand much about how the airship worked, but he could see the determination in John’s eyes. For John, this wasn’t just about fixing a machine. It was about getting back home, leaving Neverland behind.

“Do you really want to go back?” Nibs asked quietly.

John stopped what he was doing, glancing at Nibs with a curious expression. “Don’t you?”

Nibs hesitated, his mind torn between the life he had always known and the strange, new thoughts that had begun to surface. Neverland had always been his home, a place where nothing ever changed, and that had been enough. But now, watching John work so hard to leave, Nibs wondered if maybe there was more to life than the endless adventures and eternal youth of Neverland.

“I don’t know,” Nibs admitted. “I never thought about it before. But lately...”

John raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. “Lately what?”

Nibs shrugged, feeling the weight of his thoughts. “Lately, it feels like nothing ever changes here. It’s always the same. The same games, the same adventures. Sometimes I wonder if there’s more out there.”

John sighed, setting the wrench aside. “There is more. The real world isn’t perfect, but it’s real. Things change. You grow up. You learn new things. Neverland’s... it’s great, but it’s not everything.”

Nibs stared at the ground, the idea of growing up feeling both foreign and frightening. But there was also something about it that intrigued him. Something that made him wonder if maybe, just maybe, growing up wasn’t as bad as Peter made it out to be.

Isolation from the Other Lost Boys

As the hours passed and the sun began to dip lower in the sky, the clearing around the Banyan Tree grew quieter. The Twins had grown tired of their games and were now sprawled out on the roots of the tree, lazily tossing pebbles into a nearby stream. The laughter that had filled the air earlier had died down, leaving only the sounds of the jungle—birds chirping in the distance, the rustle of leaves in the wind.

Nibs leaned back against the trunk of the tree, his gaze drifting toward the horizon where Peter and the others had disappeared. A part of him wished he had gone with them, to escape this growing sense of unease that had been building inside him for days. But the other part of him—the part that had chosen to stay behind—felt oddly detached, as if the adventures that had once thrilled him no longer held the same magic.

He glanced at the Twins, still content in their carefree existence. They didn’t seem to have the same worries, the same thoughts about what lay beyond the borders of Neverland. They lived for the moment, for the joy of Peter’s games and the endless days of adventure.

But for Nibs, something had changed. The sense of belonging that had once filled him whenever he played alongside the other Lost Boys was fading. Lately, he found himself wondering more and more about the real world, about what it would be like to grow up, to experience something new. The idea both excited and terrified him, and he didn’t know what to make of it.

“Are you okay?” one of the Twins asked, breaking the silence.

Nibs looked down at him and forced a smile. “Yeah. Just thinking.”

The Twin shrugged and went back to tossing pebbles. “You’re always thinking.”

Nibs didn’t reply. He wasn’t always thinking—not until recently. Not until John and the Darlings had arrived and reminded him that there was more to the world than Neverland. And now, he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it.

Contemplating the Future

As the day gave way to evening, Nibs found himself sitting alone at the base of the Banyan Tree, staring up at the sky. The first stars had begun to appear, twinkling faintly against the fading light. The jungle around him seemed to grow quieter with every passing moment, as if even Neverland was settling in for the night.

John had finished his work for the day, leaving the tools scattered around the base of the airship. He had muttered something about needing rest, but Nibs had barely heard him. His mind was elsewhere, lost in the maze of thoughts that had been consuming him lately.

What would it be like to leave Neverland? To grow up? To face the unknown? Nibs didn’t have the answers, but the questions kept coming, unrelenting and insistent.

He glanced up at the Twins, who were now dozing on one of the low branches of the tree, their breathing soft and even. They didn’t have these thoughts. They were content to remain Lost Boys forever, living in a world of endless fun and adventure. But Nibs wasn’t so sure anymore.

A breeze stirred the leaves above him, and Nibs closed his eyes, feeling the cool air against his skin. Maybe he was overthinking things. Maybe this was just a passing feeling, something that would go away once Peter returned with the part and the airship was fixed.

But deep down, Nibs knew that wasn’t true. The seed of doubt had been planted, and it wasn’t going away. Not this time.

The stars twinkled brighter now, dotting the sky with a thousand tiny lights. Somewhere out there, beyond the boundaries of Neverland, was a world where people grew up. Where things changed. Where life moved forward, rather than staying frozen in a perpetual state of youth.

And Nibs couldn’t help but wonder what that world was like.

Tomorrow, Peter and the others would return, hopefully with the part that John needed to fix the airship. And they would all be swept up in another adventure, just like always. But tonight, as Nibs sat alone beneath the stars, he couldn’t ignore the feeling that maybe—just maybe—his place wasn’t here anymore.

Maybe it was time to find out what lay beyond the shores of Neverland.