Mom was late again. She always is. Ever since Dad left she’s been a wreck. Why did she have to leavee me and my brothers in this state, especially little Michael who called me “mommy” yesterday. Sometimes, I wish Dad never left so I would’ve never grown up so fast and have to take care of my brothers when my mom couldn’t even take care of herself.

It was 11 o’clock at night when I just got started on my homework. John and Michael were upstairs quietly sleeping, or so I thought.

“Give up now?” John’s muffled voice said from above.

“NEVER!” said Michael’s squeaky little four year old voice. The sound of things dropping and fumbling soon followed. Irritated, I put my pencil down and stormed up the stairs.

Finally Reaching the last step I opened the only door in front of me.

“What do you guys think you’re doing?! I thought I told you guys to go to bed!”

“We are! See?” John said pointing to the matress Michael and him were standing on top of, with toy swords in hand. John was wearing his fake eye patch from Halloween and Michael, well, he was trying to keep the big heavy sword not falling out of his hand.

I moved towards them snatching the swords out of their hands. Putting the swords back in their place, I said, “I meant in bed sleeping not pretending to be pirates.”

“Well, Captain Hook and Peter Pan to be exact” John, once again, corrected.

“Fine, just go to sleep!”

“NO! Tell us a story about Peter Pan.” Michael pleaded.

“Yea, you even tell them as good as mom.” Said John

So I told them. Mostly because I wanted them to go to sleep, but part of me just wanted to give them the moments I used to have with Mom, the moments that has been taken away from me with just one door slam. Sure, John had them too but he was to little too fully enjoy them as much as I did. And Michael, he didn’t even have them at all! He wasn’t even one when Dad left. Sometimes, I make myself believe Peter Pan is real and cling on to the hope that I go to Neverland and never have to grow up.

I felt Michael’s head slowly fall down on my lap and I kissed his forehead and told him good night. I tucked both of them in and turned off the light. I slowly went back downstairs to see how much I could get done of my homework before my eyelids couldn’t take it anymore.
_________

When the clock was almost at one, I decided to head to bed. Moving towards the stairs, I thought I saw something zip right by me. No, I take that back I knew I saw something swift by. I whipped my head around, not wanting to make any noise. Then I saw a shadow. Thanks to the silvery light coming from the moon I would’ve never noticed. THERE! I saw it again! It wasn’t making a sound, however. I problably saw it another five times before reality hit me again. I bolted up the stairs heart pounding fast and as quietly as possible, but I know that didn’t have much success. I shook my brothers awake.

“Huh what’s going on?”

“Shh! There’s something the house!” The precise moment I say that I relize the shadow has found its way into the room, dancing around like a maniac. Then I hear fumbling downstairs. John, Michael and I rush towards a safe corner in our room. Squished together, I prayed the mysterious intruder wouldn’t find us.

As the door flew open I saw a figure chasing the shadow. Yes, that’s right, the person didn’t have a shadow and the shadow didn’t have a person! How can this be? Holding our breaths, Michael, John and I watched the odd goose chase. I had Michael in my lap so he would be less likely to make any noise.

“Gotcha!” I heard the person say. He was grabbing his shadow by the foot and was trying to attach it with a bar of soap (which I’m pretty sure John and Michael were using as a cannon ball earlier)!

I noticed that we were by my unfinished biology project with a perfect pair of sharp scissors right by my hand. I grab them slowly and move Michael off of my lap. I press my finger to my lips telling both of them to stay quiet. I slowly get up and move towards the light switch. I switch it on and point my sciscorss toward the intruder like the idiot I am.

The second the light goes on I am shocked who is on the ground trying to reattach his shadow.

“Oh no! You made it leavee!” said the teenage boy no older than me. Most likely 13. He was wearing the most exotic outfit I’ve ever seen. He was wearing something that looked like a toga made entirely out of leavees. The leavees were all different shapes and sizes but were all a fresh shade of green. The leaf-toga’s length was low-thigh. He was wearing a pair of dark brown shoes made out of burlap. Lastly he wore a cone shaped hat that covered most of his coppery brown hair made out of, surprise, surprise, a giant leaf and on the side he had a single scarlet feather attached, with the tip sticking out, for a final touch.

“I’m not afraid to use this on you!” I said feeling stupid. Really what are scissors going to do? He problably has a gun right there!

“Woah! I’m not here to hurt anyone. I’m just here to catch my shadow.”

“How do you lose your shadow?”

“Well you gotta be really careful, because if you don’t pay attention to it, it can escape and before you know it, its roaming around doing who knows what!”

“Well can you catch you shadow somewhere else and leavee our home! I could call the police on you, you know?”

“No! Don’t call the police on Peter!” said Michael, poking out of the corner. John did the same.

“Guys! I thought I told you to stay down!”

“Well, don’t you see its Peter…Peter Pan” John exclaimed.