Into the Dust

Chapters:

Lost

Avast

The Lily or the Tiger

Hollow

Labyrinth

The Mermaid’s Tale

What Dreams…

All That Glitters

Shadow

A Hawk from a Handsaw

That is not Nana's unhappy bark, Wendy said, little guessing what was about to happen; that is her bark when she smells danger.

Even Michael, already half asleep, knew that she was perturbed, and he asked, Can anything harm us, mother, after the night-lights are lit?

Nothing, precious, she said; they are the eyes a mother leaves behind her to guard her children.

She went from bed to bed singing enchantments over them, and little Michael flung his arms round her. Mother, he cried, I'm glad of you. They were the last words she was to hear from him for a long time.

No. 27 was only a few yards distant, but there had been a slight fall of snow, and Father and Mother Darling picked their way over it deftly not to soil their shoes. They were already the only persons in the street, and all the stars were watching them. Stars are beautiful, but they may not take an active part in anything, they must just look on for ever. They are not really friendly to Peter, who had a mischievous way of stealing up behind them and trying to blow them out; but they are so fond of fun that they were on his side to-night, and anxious to get the grown-ups out of the way. So as soon as the door of 27 closed on Mr. and Mrs. Darling there was a commotion in the firmament, and the smallest of all the stars in the Milky Way screamed out:

Now, Peter!

~ J. M. Barrie

Lost

By Ren Cummins

They were together in the armchair by this time, and Wendy plied him with more questions.

If you don't live in Kensington Gardens now—

Sometimes I do still.

But where do you live mostly now?

With the lost boys.

She sat up, rubbing the delicate grains of sand from her eyes. It was…really bright, she realized. It hadn’t been this blindingly sunny a moment ago, had it? Or…had it? Where had she been a moment ago? Hadn’t she been falling? That didn’t make sense, though. She shook her head, blinking her eyes until they started to adjust. Didn’t matter, anyway. She awoke on a grassy hill that was covered in wildflowers; their scent filled her lungs and pushed all less-important matter back into the less-visited sections of her mind. The meadow was surrounded by a loose grouping of trees that probably would have qualified as either a forest or a jungle. From somewhere beyond the tree line, she could smell the sea air, wafting through pine trees and heat-ripened tropical fruit. And towering above it all to her left was the tallest mountain she’d ever seen, from which rose a pale grey column of smoke.

Um, hello? she asked nobody in particular. She stood up, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. It had a taste to it; that struck her as amusing, for reasons she couldn’t immediately put her finger on. Hello? Anybody?

She squeezed her eyes shut and re-opened them, shaking her head at her surroundings. Okay, this is just…weird. Where the hell am I?

Brushing a few errant blades of grass and flower petals from her faded black jeans, she wriggled her toes inside her sneakers and stretched. It was as if she’d been asleep for days; she felt more rested and relaxed than she could remember having felt for years. Also, hungry. Her stomach growled, clearly annoyed at her. She patted it reassuringly through the t-shirt she wore beneath her plaid shirt and electric purple frock coat. A moment of panic surged through her as she searched through the pockets, which were, to her relief, not so empty as she’d feared. Her cell phone, mp3 player and wallet were here, all tucked into their individual pouches.

This reassured her for a moment, until she lifted one hand to her throat and felt… nothing. It was gone, she noticed with a start, but couldn’t quite recall exactly what it was she was looking for. Had there been something around her neck? A necklace, a chain… anything? She shrugged; just like that, the sense of it fluttered away from her, vanishing past care or concern.

She pulled out her cell phone and frowned. No missed calls, no email, no texts… oh. No signal. Crap. With a reassuring glance around her to ensure no adults were around, she corrected herself with a satisfied grin. I’m almost sixteen, I think I’m allowed to swear when I want to. "Or, shit, anyway. She paused a moment, and when she heard no parental rebukes, she exhaled deeply. Silver lining? Check."

A bell pealed in the distance. It was faint and distorted, but very certainly a bell of some sort. The girl tried to determine the source, but with the surrounding vegetation, it could be from almost anywhere. Well, I know it’s not coming from you, she mentally told the mountain. Process of elimination for the win.

Slipping the phone back into its pocket, she turned until the smoking volcano was behind her and began walking down to the tree line in search of civilization. She paused a moment on the border, hearing a flood of animal noises floating out at her, but she knew she couldn’t very well stay in the meadow until she died of starvation, so she continued on.

The heat struck her instantly, and she stopped to move all her things to her jeans and her shirt so she wouldn’t lose them while she carried her jacket in her arms. Heat or no heat, she loved the jacket far too much to leave it here. Wherever here is.

Now that she was well inside the trees, she realized why it had seemed so unusual before. Pine trees stood alongside tropical evergreens, moss-covered red cedars and thick-trunked banana trees. Ferns and bamboo stalks were scattered among thick vines that hung down in a decidedly creepy network of vegetation, and, everywhere she looked, things seemed to be moving.

Just keep walking, she thought, maintaining that as her mantra as she pushed her way through the dense undergrowth. Twice, she saw the mountain looming down out of the corner of her eyes; each time, she’d swallow back her frustration, turn until the mountain was once again directly behind her and resume her march.

After more than an hour of walking, she emerged - dirty, sweaty and with a small collection of mosquito bites - once more into the sunlight. What she saw was shockingly unexpected enough that she nearly stumbled over a fallen branch that lay in her path.

The hill she was descending continued down until it met a latticework of cobblestone streets and ramshackle brick buildings that surrounded a broad cove, with deep enough water to support a dock system at which were parked – docked, she corrected herself – a dozen or more tall-masted ships. The sun was halfway down the sky, poised to slip below the horizon directly ahead of her, and sparkled brilliantly off the innumerable crests of the ocean. The wind coming in from off the ocean struck her head-on, and she shrugged her jacket back on.

"Hot, cold, volcanoes and sailing ships, what the hell? she breathed. What is this place?"

Oh ho! A new arrival! The voice from above startled her, and she spun around in place until she looked straight up. Above her, a young boy – perhaps three or four years her junior – floated downwards, wearing what could only be described as a superhero outfit, complete with cape and a skull-and-crossbones emblazoned across his chest.

"Well, now I know I’m dreaming," she muttered, her eyes taking note of a small sword that hung at his waist.

Dreaming? The boy laughed. Nonsense! This is real, I assure you, fair lady! He hovered an inch or two off the ground, but she remained several inches taller than him.

Uh-huh…And who would you be? Super-pirate?

He scoffed at that. "No, good lady, I am none other than the Pirate Hunter, leader of a small but notorious band of rebels who fight against the evil machinations of the forces of…evil."

She managed to hide her smile. "Yeah, all right, um, Pirate Hunter. Can I call you Pirate Hunter? Or is it, like ‘Mister The Pirate Hunter’ or something?"

Pirate Hunter, if you please, he replied with a bow. Eyeing her coat, his eyes narrowed. You wouldn’t be a…pirate, perchance?

What? Pirate? her eyes followed his to her coat. Oh my god, no, this is just - - I mean, I got this at… I’m not a pirate. I’m just…well, I’m just a girl. Totes not a pirate. Promise.

He seemed content with her answer. And who might you be, then?

She chewed on her bottom lip, not yet sure if she felt like telling this obviously crazy person anything about her.

Ah! he exclaimed after noting her reluctance to answer. Amnesia! It happens to a lot of new arrivals. Well, fear not, it should pass in time. Or it might. Either way, until then, I shall call you… ‘Lady’. Yes, Lady – I believe it suits you wondrously!

Lady, she echoed, dryly. The Pirate Hunter was too enthusiastic to her to be angry with him, however. She sighed. "Fine, Lady it is, then."

Splendid! He glanced back over his shoulder down into the bay, and seemed both content and slightly disappointed by what he saw – or didn’t see – there. Well, Lady, it would seem I have no Pirates to hunt today, so I shall earn my valor by showing you around our fair town.

She was already attempting to refuse his offer before she even knew why. In the end, she decided it was going to be less effort to simply allow it. Fine, lead on, she said, gesturing ahead of them.

Come with me, Lady, I will be both your guide and your sworn protector!

She recognized a faint touch of an accent in his voice. So, where are you from, Pirate Hunter – are you from, like, England or something?

He looked at her as if she’d grown a pair of wings out of her nose. Ing-land?

It’s a… She shook her head, thinking better of the direction that part of the conversation might eventually lead. Never mind. It’s somewhere else, I guess. So, what’s this town called? she asked, gesturing ahead of them at the smattering of buildings.

Her question stopped him briefly. With a shrug, he continued hovering forward. "It doesn’t really have a name, I suppose. It’s just the town. Only one town, so if anyone who lives here mentions the town, everyone else knows what you’re talking about."

That makes sense, she conceded. "But what if I was talking to someone else who wasn’t here?"

Who else would you tell?

The question didn’t stump her so much as the implication. Does this happen a lot, she began, people just showing up here like I did?

That’s how everyone comes to Uphoria, he said simply.

Euphoria? she repeated.

He shook his head. No, Uphoria. With a U.

She wondered briefly how he could have known how she had pictured the word in her mind, but decided instantly that there just might be things about this place she’d be better off not knowing.

Before she could respond, they’d arrived in the town, and his attention instantly shifted to their surroundings. These are all houses, here – the people who work in the fields, and do all the boring jobs around Uphoria live here. Up ahead is the outdoor market. His grin broadened appreciably. That’s a great place, you’ll love it.

As they continued on, the monologue ensued. Down there are the docks. They’re pretty empty today, but they always fill up later. Scary place there for the unprepared: full of pirates, malcontents and worse. But it’s a great place for people like me.

People like you?

He placed his fists against his hips and stuck his ten-year-old-boy chest out as far as he could. Superheroes.

She managed once again not to laugh. Just barely. Superheroes?

Yes.

You’re a…superhero?

His answer was quick and matter-of-fact. Yes.

Like, with superpowers?

Yes, he responded proudly.

His conviction surprised her, but then again, he was floating about a foot off the ground, which all by itself made for a fairly convincing argument. What kind of powers? Like, what can you do?

Oh, the regular superhero stuff: flying, super-strength, heat vision, all the basics.

She nodded appreciatively. She’d never read comic books as a child, but she’d watched all the movies and conceded that there seemed to be something of a theme as to their powers; at least, there was at least one thing most of the franchises had in common. "Well, what’s your…what’s it called – your origin story? You know, were you an alien that came to earth and got powers? Or was it a failed experiment, a radioactive insect or something?"

He laughed, reminding her that she was talking to a boy, after all. I don’t have anything like that. Things here just are; they don’t need something like that to make them happen.

So anyone could have superpowers?

He rolled his eyes as if her question was the stupidest thing since unsliced bread. "No, dummy. Only superheroes have superpowers."

Could I be a superhero?

Pausing again, he looked at her with a renewed scrutiny and curiosity. "I don’t know, Lady. Could you? You have to really want it."

You make it sound so easy.

I do? he shrugged. Well, it is kind of easy, I guess. You just have to want it, that’s all.

Her brows furrowed, disbelief evident on her face. He’s just a kid, she thought. He just can’t wrap his head around it, whatever it was.

In spite of her certainty, however, his next words sent a chill up her spine. "You have to want it more than anything."

His words continued to resound in her mind as he led her through the marketplace. On display in the various shops were all manner of incomprehensible goods, ranging from the garish and remarkable to the ridiculous and unimaginable. Strange clothing that might have seemed right at home across the canvas of a surrealist painter and crates of fruits and prepared animal carcasses which she couldn’t identify stood side-by-side, all the while her de facto tour guide prattled on as she struggled to keep her bearings.

This isn’t possible, she insisted. I’m dreaming, there’s no other explanation. No way this can be on Earth, let alone New York City.

At some point, the Pirate Hunter had stopped rambling, but the silence was almost instantly filled by the sounds of raised voices. She snapped out of her confused state to realize that a few nearby vendors were pointing at him and screaming angrily. He was floating a bit higher than he had been before, and she suddenly noticed that he appeared to be shoving some sort of pastry into his