A Castle Made Of Dreams

SILVER LINED EACH fluffy white cloud that hung from the heavens above. Perched on the flying broomstick, Wallace could even touch the clouds when he reached out his hands. They were cool against his skin, leaving lingering droplets of water on his fingertips.

Birds soared through the skies with them as they rode, gliding like kites with the wind that had no other care in the world other than freedom. Occasionally, they would turn their feathered heads to eye Wallace, almost as if squinting at him and wondering why a wingless man like him could fly alongside them.

Maybe it was just that the Neverland air had drugs of childishness perfumed in them, or maybe because he had just hung out with a bunch of children and was influenced by them, or maybe even it was just that Wallace’s suppressed inner childishness had been set free, but he stuck out his tongue at the birds. The birds, appalled by his behaviors, let out a squawk of surprise before flapping harr, desperate to get away from this strange weightless man that dared to fly alongside them.

Paige, who had witnessed it all, let out a bark of laughter, tears forming at the corner of her eyes. She shook her head, similar to a mother watching the antics of her young child, before turning around to ruffle Wallace’s hair.

“Don’t tease the birds,” she warned. “They hold a grudge.”

That drained Wallace’s face of its color, all receding into a ghastly pale shade of paper white, lips pushed into a thin wrinkly line as he gulped.

Beneath them, the pair passed by many scenic sights that Wallace had already spotted when they first flew across Neverland when he first arrived. Behind him was the waterfall that flowed near the orphanage’s grand turrets, along with the pool where mermaids dwelled. When he spotted a few heads that bobbed out to the surface in curiosity, Wallace silently wondered to himself if the mermaid that he saved had already returned to her sisters. Further beyond in the vast ocean was the pirate ship that they had rescued the mermaid from, lying dormant in the cerulean waves.

However, Paige didn’t spare much attention on the sights that they had already seen. Instead, she swerved towards a section of the forest, flying past a hill first that had multiple torches that glowed even during the bright day. Many tipi tents lined the small hill’s territory, and when they flew past, a few of the people inside stuck out their heads to take a look at what the commotion was all about.

“Red Indians,” Paige explained when she noticed Wallace’s slack jaw. “They guard a portion of the forest along with that hill. That’s where they reside.”

“Then who guards the other side?” Wallace asked.

Instead of answering, Paige offered an ambiguous smile. She turned back to face the front, obstructing Wallace from seeing her expression, which, made him all the more curious.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” was all she said before increasing the speed, sending the wind roaring in their ears.