Peter and Wendy lay on Marooner’s Rock. The water was rising. But Wendy had fainted. And Peter was too weak to fly.
Just then something brushed Peter’s cheek. It was the tail of a lost kite.
Peter woke Wendy. “It can carry only one of us,” he said. He tied the kite tail around her waist.
“Shouldn’t we draw straws?” called Wendy. But the kite was already lifting her into the sky.
Peter was alone. The rock grew smaller as the water rose. Soon it would be completely under water.
A wave of fear ran through Peter. But then he smiled. A drum began to beat within him. And the drum seemed to say: “To die will be an awfully big adventure!”
Peter waited bravely, staring at the sea.
He thought he saw a piece of paper floating on the water. It seemed to fight the tide. Peter clapped for the paper. He always cheered for the weaker side.
But it was not a piece of paper at all. It was the Never bird floating in her nest.
Once the bird and her nest had fallen into the lagoon. Peter had given orders that she not be harmed. Now she always made her nest upon the water.
The Never bird saw that Peter was in trouble. Now it was her turn to help him. Her nest was filled with eggs. But she bravely offered it to Peter.
Peter had an idea. Smee had left his hat on the rock. Now Peter laid the eggs in the hat. Then he set it upon the waters. It floated beautifully.
Then Peter sailed away in the nest. When he reached land, he left it where the Never bird could find it. But she liked the hat much better. To this day all Never birds build their nests in the shape of a pirate hat.
At last Peter reached the home under the ground. Everyone was safe. Each had an adventure to tell. But the biggest adventure of all was that they had stayed up hours past bedtime.
“To bed, to bed,” Wendy said at last. And the boys gratefully obeyed.