“Good evening to you, ladies. Please forgive me for disturbing you,” he said, smiling at the mermaids. And it suddenly hit James in that moment that Never Land was real. He didn’t understand why it hadn’t hit him before; perhaps it was the excitement of finally being there again, and seeing his old friends Peter and the Lost Boys, but something about seeing the mermaids, these almost magical beings that weren’t part of his own world, made it all seem real. He hadn’t realized how much he had let his parents make him doubt himself or his memories, and though he staunchly pursued his dream, he realized there was a tiny bit of him that wondered if it wasn’t all in his imagination. But he was really there. He was in Never Land and he couldn’t be happier.

“So, you found your way back to Never Land after all these years,” said a mermaid with golden hair and an impish smile. She was splashing her tail in the rock pool as a cat might flick its tail when agitated.

“We all wondered if you would ever make your way back. But I guess Peter was right, he knew you’d find Never Land again,” said a ginger-haired mermaid giving him the side-eye.

James didn’t understand why no one in Never Land seemed happy to see him again. Though only flashing, his memories of Never Land were always good, and he started to wonder if it wasn’t his impression of Never Land he was wrong about, but he reminded himself that everything would be better in three days.

“What do you mean?” James squinted to see which of the mermaids had said that. It was dark in the lagoon, and the light of the moon was now obscured by clouds.

“I remember your wailing the day you were claimed; it was terrible, and hurt my ears. I have to admit I was happy when your mother finally found you.”

“But your cries were nothing compared to your poor mother’s. We could hear her all the way from the Labyrinth of Longing, crying your name again and again,” said the dark-haired mermaid. “I wonder if she is there now?”

“Don’t be silly. James isn’t a Lost Boy. Only the mothers of Lost Boys are trapped in the labyrinth,” said the golden-haired mermaid.

“What are you talking about?” asked James. “What is this labyrinth?” James didn’t remember any such place, and he was sure the mermaids were teasing him.

“What are you doing in Never Land anyway, James? There’s nothing for you here. Peter and the Lost Boys won’t trust you; you’re an adult. It seems like a foolish journey to make all the way from London,” said the ginger-haired mermaid.