A Castle Made Of Dreams

AT ONCE, THE hall silenced. Hundreds of little heads simultaneously rotated to where Paige and Wallace stood, staring and blinking with eyes wide and glassy. In the crowd of onlookers, Wallace spotted the little boy that was brought over by Paige earlier on. He sat nearer to the doors than most, a small pin with his name on a ribbon on the collar of a fresh new shirt.

Timothy.

“It’s you!” The boy pointed a finger at Wallace with surprise in his words.

Like clockwork, the sea of children all turned to glance at Timothy before looking back at Wallace in perfect synchronization. It seemed almost as though they had practiced the movement a thousand times over.

Unlike Wallace who stood rooted to the spot in stunned silence, Paige strutted into the hall. The heels of her shoes clicked with each step she took, loudly resonating as she made her way over to the young boy. Gently, she fiddled with the ribbon, her thumb tracing over the neatly scrawled letters of his name.

“Was this your original name or was it something you chose for yourself?” She asked.

The young boy offered her a toothy grin, beaming. “I chose it. Whatever happened to me beforehand belongs there.”

Paige said nothing, simply patting his head once before waving Wallace over to her. Together, she led Wallace to the pantry to collect their lunches. Trays in hand, Wallace couldn’t help but scan the sea of children in the hall.

“Are these all the kids that you spirited away?” He asked with contempt.

Paige remained quiet, patiently watching as the kitchen help spooned the food into her bowl followed by Wallace’s. Then, she took an apple from the basket at the end of the counter, placing it on her plate before moving on to find a seat.

Wallace scurried along after her, randomly picking up a fruit from the basket. He was still awaiting her reply, eagerly curious as to why the room was filled with so many children. Even the staff around were young, the oldest around the ages of sixteen to seventeen years old.

“This is an orphanage, Wallace. The children here either suffered in their original homes or were lost and separated from their parents. If they don’t have a home to return to, I bring them here where they can enjoy a loving childhood surrounded by friends for a long time. And when they finally have to leave, they’ll remember nothing but happy and contented days.”

Carefully, she sipped at the hot soup. Her eyes were never on Wallace as she spoke, concentrating on the food in front of her. Despite that, she answered. And so, Wallace continued with his barrage of questions.

“When they finally have to leave?” He asked, eyebrows furrowed.

“Well, yes. These children are from the mainland. They aren’t blessed with the kiss of the gods and so they will grow up like any other. But while growing up on the mainland can be unkind to them, staying here in the orphanage lets them create memories of their own without the anxiety and abuse they might receive in their original homes. The Neverland Orphanage strives to give them a childhood that they will never forget,” Paige explained.

“What is the kiss of the gods?”

There was a sparkle in Paige’s eyes. The light danced with mischief, glittering like stars in the dark night sky.

“Well,” she said with a light laugh, “You’re wearing one around your neck now.”