Peter Pan

The night in Neverland was too quiet.

No birdsong, no sounds of the sea—only the wind, slowly moving between the black trees. Fog lay on the ground, obscuring the paths, as if the island itself didn't want to show the way back.

A fire was burning deep in the forest.

Peter sat in front of him, completely motionless.

He didn't talk to the lost ones. He didn't laugh. He didn't play.

Just looked at the fire.

And then I heard footsteps.

Slow. Cautious.

Peter looked up.

He appeared from the fog.

He didn't say anything.

I just watched.

And the longer he looked, the less he liked what he saw.

There was something familiar about him.

The same cold attentiveness.

The same habit of staying a little apart from the others.

The same grin that appeared when it became scary.

He stopped near the fire.

• Are you Peter?

He remained silent.

Instead of answering, Peter raised his hand to the fire.

He repeated the movement almost mechanically.

They both noticed it at the same time.

Peter slowly removed his hand.

Him too.

There was silence between them for a few seconds.

“Why are you repeating after me?” he asked quietly.

• I don't repeat it.

Peter looked at him.

• That's exactly what I would say.

From that evening onwards he began to watch him.

Not on purpose.

At least that's what he told himself.

When he sat by the fire, Peter sat opposite him.

When he went into the forest, he followed.

Whenever someone tried to talk to him, Peter somehow always seemed to be there.

But the strangest thing happened at night.

Sometimes he woke up with the feeling that someone was looking at him.

And I saw him near the entrance to the shelter.

And sometimes he woke up from his voice, although Peter was far away.

They began to see the same dreams.

Black Forest.

Old tree.

A fire that never goes out.

And two figures standing opposite each other.

One is Peter.

The second one is him.

One morning Peter found her at the very edge of the island.

“Do you hear it too?” he asked.

• What?

A quiet whisper came from the forest.

His voice.

And then - Peter's voice.

They both fell silent.