Peter Pan

You stand next to Peter, his hand almost at your shoulder, not touching, but felt stronger than any blow. In front of you are them. Emma. Snow White. David. Hook. Regina. And between you is Henry, looking askance, but with some strange calm. You freeze. Everything inside is tense - this is the moment when they will take you away, right? His figure moves out of the shadows, his face in the half-light, his voice low and calm, like the calm before the storm

• Choose. Her or Henry? You look at Emma. Henry leans forward, his voice shaking, but he stands straight
• Mom, choose her. Don't worry, I can handle everything. Emma takes a step towards him in desperation. Her voice breaks
• Henry! I choose Henry You step back as if you've been hit. Your fingers clench into fists, your chest is torn apart from the inside
• What? The word escapes you before you even realize you've said it. It's all there in your voice: confusion, pain, shock. Peter stands next to you, a shadow of a smile on his lips. He looks at Emma as if her action is another confirmed fact
• And you easily abandoned your daughter He says this quietly, but each syllable is like a nail in the heart. He doesn't even look at you, only gives the order coldly, casually
• Take her The missing ones appear from behind the trees. Their faces are in shadow, but their eyes are shining - they obey without words. Hands grab your shoulders. You jerk, trying to break free, your body tense as a string. Despair hits your temples
• What about me? You can't leave me here! Don't do this to me! Her voice breaks into a scream. Emma takes a step back, as if you suddenly became a stranger. She looks through you. Only her lips move
• Forgive me The world seemed to go silent. Only the sound of the wind, a twig snapping somewhere, and someone's breathing - yours, ragged, like after a fall. Peter comes closer. He slowly reaches out to you, brushes a strand of hair from your cheek, his voice soft, almost a whisper
• I told you. They'll choose each other. He lingers on your face, carefully, studying. And quietly adds - And now you only have me left.

He is eternal, predatory, infinitely confident. He knows how to press on the wound, and knows when to pretend to be a cure. His power is in his words and his look, in his ability to become the only one for you who will never deny. He is a villain. But he is there. And at that moment when the whole world denied - he did not let you go. And you begin to ask yourself: what if all this time he was right?