Finding Neverland Page #4

- Good show !

I finally get the courage

to invite the boys to a game

and we have to suffer

this grave humiliation.

It's perfect actually.

Spend a good deal of time with them,

don't you ?

Every moment I can spare, in fact.

I'm glad for you.

And Mrs Davies seems to be

having a good time of it as well.

You should be aware though, James,

what some people have been saying.

Mind you, I wouldn't bring it up

if I thought the rumors would pass.

I'm not surprised. What are they saying ?

Very well.

That you spend much more time with Mrs

Davies than you do with your own wife.

She's a widow. And...

And a friend. That's it. Nothing more.

There have also been questions about

how you spend your time with those boys.

And why.

That's outrageous. How could anyone

think something so evil ?

They're children.

They're innocent children.

You find a glimmer of happiness

in this world,

there's always someone

who wants to destroy it.

No. Thank you, Arthur, but I don't think

many will give credence to such nonsense.

Then why is no one sitting with them ?

Once you get a bit of notoriety, James,

people watch you and they will

look for ways to drag you down.

Are you sure your wife doesn't

object to us taking over your cottage

for the summer, James ?

- She doesn't go there anymore.

- Really ?

It's such a relief to get away.

You'll come and visit, I hope ?

- Of course. Are we in ?

- Everyone in ?

- Can I drive, Uncle Jim ?

- Er, no.

Out of the way

or I'll make haggis out of you.

Get the sheep out the way.

- Are we there yet ?

- Almost. Almost there.

I can see the cottage !

- Shall we explore, Michael ?

- Don't tear your clothes, please.

- Come on. Follow me.

- Be careful of stinging nettles.

Hurry up, everyone.

- Would you like to see the rest of it ?

- Mm. Yes.

'Ello !

Thought you could escape

from Captain Swarthy, eh ?

Off to the ship with you, then.

Off to the ship, son !

So now you can either choose

to become a pirate with the rest of us,

or we'll toss you to the sharks.

- How marvelous.

- Well, maybe the crocodiles, eh ?

- No one's escaped, Captain.

- Excellent work, matey.

Now then.

Now is your only chance to speak.

Who amongst you is ready

to tie your hopes and dreams to the sea ?

- I am !

- Not finished yet.

To enter upon

the most dangerous chapter

in your young

and soon-to-be-wasted lives ?

What did you say ? What are doing, son ?

Are you giggling ? On my ship ?

Giggling ? What did you say ?

- I said I'm ready, Captain.

- What's your name, boy ?

I'm Curly, the oldest and wisest of the crew.

Cut him loose, matey.

Welcome aboard, Curly.

Your job will be to mop the deck.

And who be you, young squire ?

My name be Nibs the Cut-throat. Feared

by men and greatly desired by the ladies.

Jack !

Welcome aboard, Nibs.

You shall polish all wood surfaces.

Grab a hold of that rigging.

- And you, lad ?

- I'm Peter.

That's not a pirate name.

What about Dastardly Jim, eh ?

No. Just Peter.

I like my name.

Very well.

In punishment for lack of an interesting

pirate name, Peter shall walk the plank.

Cut him loose.

- What are you playing again ?

- The boy.

What have you got... ? Excuse me.

Mr Barrie, sir ?

There's been a mistake here, sir.

It says here I'm to play the nanny.

- I don't imagine I quite fit that part, eh ?

- You're not actually the nanny.

You're a dog.

- What ?

- A Newfound land.

We'll put you in a great big fluffy dog suit.

Rrr.

Oh, right.

Actually, we don't have a Tinker Bell cast,

do we ? He could play Tinker Bell.

Heavens, no. Tinker Bell's a light.

It moves around the stage.

Just a wee light

that moves around the stage.

Bit worried about this.

Let's see.

We've got John Darling, Michael Darling,

Tiger Lily, Smee, Skylights.

It's a play for puppets.

Tootles, Nibs, Curly.

All these names are absurd

when you see them all together.

Captain Hook, S...

Oh, hello, James.

You're out of your mind.

How were rehearsals ?

Fine. Great. They're going... quite well.

- Good.

- Yes. Thank you.

- Hello.

- Hello.

- How was your journey ?

- It was quite long. I'm exhausted.

- Let's get you some tea.

- That'd be nice. Thanks.

- Can you come to the playhouse ?

- In a moment, Michael. He's just arrived.

But I said I'd get him. They always

send Peter to do things. I said I'll do it.

- It will spoil the surprise.

- What surprise, darling ?

It's a great surprise. We've taken

most of the day preparing for it.

- Everybody's waiting for you.

- Then we mustn't keep them waiting.

Please don't tell them that I told you

the surprise. I said I wouldn't.

Oh, well, you didn't really tell us

anything about it, did you ?

- Yes I did. It's a play.

- It's a play ?

"The Lamentable Tale of Lady Ursula."

"A play in one act

by Peter Llewelyn Davies."

- This is just a bit of silliness, really.

- I should hope so. Go on.

I just wanted to take a stab at writing,

you know.

Well, the others do

a good job with it anyway.

Well, let's see it then.

"The Lamentable Tale of Lady Ursula."

"One morning, just after sunrise,

Lady Ursula, the most beautiful daughter

of Lord and Lady Dubon,

made her way up the steps of the great

cathedral to pray to her blessed saint."

"Suddenly, as she reached

the cathedral doors,

the gargoyle that guarded

the sacred structure

came to life and swooped down upon her."

"The people of the village all ran to safety,

but Lady Ursula slipped

on the cathedral steps

and the gargoyle descended upon her,

wrapping her in its huge wings

and taking her high up into the spires

of the cathedral."

- Go on, Peter.

- "Not long after this sorrowful event,

a young knight named JM Barnaby

came into the city."

Sylvia.

- Do you want some water ?

- Mother ?

- No, James.

- Let's get her back to the house. Go on.

She won't discuss it with me at all.

She claims it was nothing.

I tell you, Doctor, she couldn't breathe.

You can't very well treat a patient

who won't admit there's anything wrong.

Well, you'll have to make her understand

that something is.

- I'll try and do my best.

- Great. Just there.

Get your hand flat like that.

Ow.

Then... Like that.

Come in.

The good doctor didn't feel

up to the challenge on this one.

He thinks you need to go to hospital

for further tests.

Nonsense.

When would I have time for that ?

Besides, this family's

had enough of hospitals.

- Perhaps they can help you.

- I know what they can do for me.

I saw what they did for my husband.

No, James. I've no interest in hospitals.

I'm keenly interested

in having some supper.

What did you and Mother decide

to tell us this time ? "It's only a chest cold" ?

- We hadn't decided anything.

- Stop lying to me !

I'm sick of grown-ups lying to me.

I'm not lying to you.

I don't know what's wrong.

"Father might take us fishing,"

that's what she said. "ln just a few weeks."

And he died the next morning.

That wasn't a lie, Peter.

That was your mother's hope.

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