Chapter 16 The Return Home Everyone woke up early next day.
It was a very long journey back home, and the sea was quite rough, so the going would be slow.
With slight alterations from Wendy, the pirates' clothes fit the boys just fine pants cut off at the knees and jaunty hats and eye patches.
The scowls they added themselves.
Peter, of course, was the captain.
Nibs and John were first and second mates.
None of the boys had any training in sailing a pirate ship, but they pretended they did, which in Neverland is always enough.
As they worked securing jibs and sheets and all sorts of other sailor words, they sang and cheered heartily.
Finally, they got the ship out into the open sea, let loose her sails, and started for England.
It was time.
Peter had decided that they would sail as far as the Azura Islands and then fly the rest of the way.
He stood at the wheel and addressed his pirate crew.
"'You scum!' he cried.
"'You mangy dogs!
There will be no mutiny on my ship or else!'
The boys knew that Peter was only pretending to be a pirate, but unlike them he couldn't always tell the difference.
He was even wearing Hook's old clothes, and so they laughed, but nervously.
Let us leave the boys on the boat and travel back to the Darling's home.
It seems a shame to have neglected it all this time, but Mrs Darling wouldn't have wanted us to focus on her when we could instead be keeping an eye on her little ones.
It would serve those naughty children right if their beds were not made and their room was all dusty, and their parents weren't even home, having forgotten all about them.
Of course, this is not the case, and this is the kind of thing children count on, so they can have their adventures.
The only difference from when they left is that Nana is no longer chained.
Mr. Darling could admit when he was wrong.
The second the children had flown, he had invited Nana back into the house where she had stayed.
Then, however, he had done a most unusual thing.
He had gone down on all fours and crawled into Nana's kennel himself.
Mrs. Darling had begged him to come out, but he had said, Not until the children come back.
Every morning the kennel was carried with Mr Darling in it, to the office and then back again at night.
This is my punishment, and it is proper, he thought.
Given how much he cared what other people thought of him, it was a hard punishment indeed.
People laughed and pointed, peering inside, and he became known as Darling in the Kennel.
The true beauty of his sacrifice, however, soon shone through.
When the public learned why he had confined himself to Nana's kennel, they began to follow him.
Not to laugh, but to praise.
Girls asked for his autograph.
Society types invited him to dinner in his kennel and black tie, of course.
Kennel, one headline in the papers read.
The new good form.
It was what he had always wanted, and yet Mr Darling could not enjoy his new status in the community.
Mrs. Darling was sad as well.
When she managed to fall asleep, usually in her chair by the fire, she would dream of her children.
This night was no different.
Tonight, however, let us whisper in her ear that the children are on their way home.
But perhaps we should not, because she has wakened with a start, calling out their names.
There is a chill in the air, but the darlings would never dare close the window.
It must always stay open for the children.
Little do they know that at this moment there is someone at that window.
It is Peter.
He has flown ahead with Tinkerbell.
Open, Peter muttered bitterly upon seeing the window.
I knew it would be.
Peter came up with one final plan.
He would fly in quietly so as not to wake Mr Darling in his kennel, lock the window and then sneak out through the front door.
That way, when Wendy and the boys arrived, they would think their parents had forgotten about them and they would have to come back to Neverland.
Oh, this is a brilliant idea, he thought.
He didn't care about Wendy's or her mother's feelings, only about what he wanted.
Children can be selfish that way.
On his way back out of the house, however, Peter passed Mrs. Darling, sleeping by the fire.
Seeing the dried tears on her puffy face, he felt guilty for the first time.
I need her too, he wanted to shout.
We can't both have her.
He jumped and sang and made funny faces, but as hard as he tried, he couldn't get poor Mrs Darling's tears out of his head.
Maybe he was growing up a bit after all.
The thought enraged him.
Oh, fine, he huffed.
Come on, Tink.
They unbarred the window and flew away.
Moments later, the children found the house in the open window.
They landed softly on their old bedroom floor.
Michael didn't even recognize the place.
"'This looks familiar,' he said.
"'Of course, silly, it's our room,' said John."
There's Nana's kennel.
Wendy cried and they all rushed to look inside, but in place of Nana they saw a man.
It's father, Wendy said.
Let me see a father, Michael begged.
He didn't remember his father.
He said, a little disappointed, the pirates were bigger.
It's a good thing Mr Darling was asleep and didn't hear his son, for it would have broken his heart.
Did he always sleep in the kennel?
John asked, confused.
Suddenly, Wendy couldn't remember either.
Just then, they heard the piano downstairs.
Mother!
Wendy gasped.
Aren't you our mother?
Michael asked.
Oh dear, Wendy said.
Perhaps they had waited too long to come back.
Let's go downstairs and surprise her, John suggested.
We can yell, boo!
Let's be a bit gentler, Wendy said.
We owe her that much.
Let's get into our beds and she'll come in and find us.
And that is exactly what they did.
