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Chapter Twelve

Peter

Present Day

I n the middle of the night, I heard the tinkling of bells—

I was getting paranoid. Keeping my eyes closed as I lay there in bed, I counted my breaths, trying to ground myself in reality. But I heard another tinkling bell. I closed my eyes tighter and pulled the sheets into my fists.

It is just in your head.

I grunted.

Tinkling bells again sounded, growing louder and louder, and I knew it then.

They have come for me.

I opened my eyes to see glittering lights outside my window, the small pixies’ sparkling bodies unsuccessfully attempting to enter my room by slamming against the glass, over and over.

There was a fleeting moment when I thought, perhaps, I can just hide and not open the window , and that nothing would happen.

But I’d read too much about pixies, and I knew better than to believe I could hide from them without incurring dire consequences.

I had searched and found countless books on pixies and their deal-making, which were all scattered about my desk and on the floor.

There was no hope, though; there was no way to get out of a deal, until I fulfilled it.

No, if they were there, I had to let them in.

I couldn’t take the chance that they would go after Gwen to take my place.

I walked to my window, opened the latch, and was shoved back as the pixies flew into the room, buzzing past me, like larger than average glow bugs, their movements traced in golden sparkles.

After a few moments, the pixies settled into a floating pack, and they all looked down at me.

“It is time! Time, time!” they chimed in unison.

“And if I come and repay my debt, will Gwen be left alone?”

“Yes! Yes, yes!”

“How long will I be on Pixie Isle?”

“As long as the debt requires!” they chimed.

I wasn’t sure I would get a straight answer from them, so I nodded. I just hoped it wasn’t too long and that Gwen would forgive me .

“Go! Go, go!” The pixies pushed me toward the window.

In a desperate last act to somehow communicate with Gwen, to let her know that I would be coming back for her, I took a piece of paper from the mess on my desk and stuffed it into the pixie book at the page that talked about deals made with pixies.

I could not say the words out loud, nor could I write them down, but perhaps, I could do that.

“I love you, Gwen,” I wrote out quickly, signed it with a “P” for Peter, and then I let the pixies tug me toward the window.

“Second star! Second star to the right!” they chimed.

They moved about, each of them holding onto pieces of my clothing, and I began to float, my feet rising from off the ground. I was carried by them out of the window and into the air.

With one last look at Walden and my castle, I prayed to the Creator that Gwen would not give up on me.

“Second star to the right,” I said softly, looking at the stars as the pixies pushed me along. “And straight on till dawn. Please forgive me, Gwen.”