If Pan had known the way the girl longed to grow up, he would have wept for her – for nothing in this world was as sad as growing up.
Pan had lived a long time – far longer than most would realize when looking at him. He was a lifetime older than her, a lifetime older than her parents even… and yet the boy was still that, a boy. Time had moved on, his friends had grown older, leaving him one by one. But then, he had found their children… their children’s children. And he had always stayed young, lost to the innocence of childhood, refusing to accept the reality of growing older. He simply couldn’t bear to see his imagination and his play ripped away from him.
But Pan doesn’t know the words which Elli had spoken to her father, or the way he had smiled through the reality that she would grow in her own and leave the peace of their family, moving onward with her own life. He only knows the now, the way she throws open the shutters and smiles as brightly as the sun with her excited exclamation. You’re the boy I’ve seen at my window. He nods and grins a boyish grin, even as a playful otter leaps from his satchel to gather up the pebble she threw back to him, with an indignant squeak.
“Come on then, Elli… don’t stay inside… there’s a party tonight, and you should come with me.” There was no question in his voice, only a quiet insistence that she should follow, his own eyes glittering with joy and mischief as he leans a fallen log against her window to help her down. “You coming?” His playful glance dares her to follow as he dances a few playful steps away from the girl, toward the woods and what lie beyond, deep in the heart of Denocte. “C’mon… we don’t want to miss the fireworks.”
He doesn’t wait for her answer, but knows the moment she runs beside him, her steps graceful as they match his. Together, they race toward the Night Court, just in time to see the first burst of color against the sky, sparkling with hues of gold and green glitter before it dissipates into the night’s darkness.
“Dance with me,” he beckons her, his steps sprightly as they race toward the fire, joining into the fray while the music played louder and livelier with every breathless turn. Sweat colors his white coat darker, shining against his scales as he blows his mane from his eyes so he can see her better. “I wondered when you’d come out to play… did you see me there often? I didn’t want to interrupt… after all, you’re not lost like me… but even those who are found can use a friend, right?”
He grins, looking every bit the lost boy, as he draws her from the crowd to somewhere a bit quieter, digging into his bag to draw forth a slipper-pink shell on a thin cord of leather. “Oliver and I made this for you… we were hoping that we’d see you here today.” The otter chitters at the girl, climbing up Pan’s mane to settle between his ears with a playful little roll. “And I’m Pan, by the way… it’s nice to finally meet you!”
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