NEVERLAND

• Nathaniel Digges-Lagula, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2022

The small grains of sand brushed the bottom of my feet as I walked across the shore. My feet then became cold from a shallow wave. I sat down on the beach face to let the blue tide wash up my legs as it is a warm sunny day. Suddenly my legs were pulled by a scaly slimy arm. I turned behind me to scream for help, but all the people were gone. I held my breath preparing for the worst, but instead I was greeted by a beautiful woman with a long pink tail, a Mermaid…
The woman passed me a small stone and a wet metal can with a message inside it. As I looked down at the can, the woman with the tail had dived back into the water and left me. I opened the bottle and read the short message:
‘Dear Peter,
I know this is odd and I will explain a little bit later
Keep the stone in your pocket and swim across the equator
When you see the tall blonde man
Give him this rainbow metal can
And you will be royalty in Neverland
Yours sincerely,
King Neverland’
Mystery clouded my mind with preposterous thoughts as to how any of this could be reality and not a dream. Without thinking I put the stone into my pocket. I woke up washed upon a black rock deep into the sea, when I looked around no land was to be found. Then a podium rose from the water with a figure in the middle. When I swam closer the words from the message became clearer and clearer. After I had gotten closer to the man I could see his tall structure and blonde hair. Once I reached him I gave him the metal can. The water under me had formed a whirlpool that pulled me under into a magical sea world.
The waters I was in were completely different to the waters I had seen earlier in the day at the beach. There were pink glowing fish swimming in the sea in groups of 10 or more, whales that sang beautiful tunes, coral that vibrantly stood out on the seafloor and lastly creatures that looked like the woman with the tail I saw earlier.
I swam to the surface and rose out of the water to see magical creatures standing under a large rainbow waiting for me. When I started to walk on the sand people bowed down to me and took me to a man with a large crown. He looked at me proudly and said, “Son I have waited to see you for many years now, I can't wait for you to become the heir of this kingdom and rule of all the people around you.” Something about the way he spoke gave me a little suspicion. I became fearful and ran away, suddenly the ground collapsed under me and took me back to reality, as if none of it ever had happened.