So I was just on TvTropes and I saw that someone had pointed out that in the DiC cartoon continuity, Mario and Luigi aren't twins. Due to the live action bit called Dance showing Mario throwing a birthday party for Luigi and only Luigi. Guess that's something to add to the lore pile. (Would also add more context to that one born with a plunger joke.)

Ah yes, see not every Mario and Luigi are twins. Brothers still; but the pairs from the cartoons and the 1993 movie are not.

It's not stated in the new movie...but seeing as the characters and worlds are based on the games, and the Mario and Luigi from the games ARE twins (stated mostly in sports and party games but still counts!), it's fair to assume that movie Mario and Luigi are also twins.

I mean...come on, there's no way there's an age gap between these two babies!

- - -

I mean, when you think about it, back in the 80s and 90s, there was hardly any confirmation of the brother's age - hence Mario only celebrating Luigi's birthday in the Super Show.

And in the 1993 movie, the age gap of the actors was quite large - so that also contributed to them being different ages.

Let me tell you a story...

My apprentice Ren's story before he died of the plague. It's something that I've been working on, slowly, since I started the Arcana months ago. Ren has a twin sister that is featured heavily, as well some other family members. I plan on writing short snippets of what happened in greater detail, but that's not here yet.

This paints Count Lucio as a really despicable person, as a fair warning to Lucio fans...

I'm on mobile, so I apologize in advance for the super long post....

Warnings - death, blood, mentions of unwanted sexual advances

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Ren 'of the Sea'

- the apprentice with a point to prove to the world.

Favorite Food - Pomegranates

Favorite Drink - Earl Grey tea with cinnamon

Favorite Flower - Periwinkle

- As children, Ren and Jazmine were regaled with stories of their clan. Of ancient ties to dragons and magic, of desperate battles and travel. Though the Dragons of the West were a peaceful clan, full of magicians, bards, and healers, they were feared by many for thier power and influence. As the years passed, it became sport to see who could defeat them. And though the clan tried to avoid conflict, they were hunted and killed like prey. The Dragons were scattered; but, slowly, faction by faction, they were taken out. Until the only ones left were Ren, Jazmine, and their father, Jolon. Their mother, Illiana, had been murdered at the hands of Morga Eirsdottir of the Scourge of the South, shortly after the twins were born.

It was an understanding between Jolon and Illiana that if either of them was killed, the other would take the children to safety and not seek revenge. And Jolon was always a man of his word, no matter the circumstance. The three settled on the coast, far from any town or city. Jolon thought they were safe. That was until Montag Morgasson found them.

Ren and Jazmine were only five years old when Montag learned of their small family's continued existence. It had been his mother who killed Illiana, and had been unable to finish the job. As a mercenary on the run from Morga, Montag saw this as the perfect opportunity to spite her. Finish what she had been unable to.

It was a chilly spring evening when Montag came to their door. If it had been any other family, he may have succeeded in his quest. However, Jolon had foreseen Montag's arrival, and would not let anything come of his children if he could stop it. Knowing that they would be hunted to extinction, Jolon sacrificed himself. He sent Ren and Jazmine out to sea in the family's small fishing boat, begging the gods to lead them somewhere safe. He stayed behind to face Montag, swearing that it would be the last death in this fickle tirade of clans.

Ren still has nightmares of that night, knowing he would never see his father again. Watching the flames engulf his childhood home, the twisted grin of his father's murderer flashing before his eyes, the vague echo of a promise to keep his sister safe and not seek revenge.

The small boat came upon a terrible storm, rattling it to pieces. Jazmine had been struck by a board, many of her memories fading into oblivion as Ren kept her from drowning, afloat on part of the broken mast. With next to nothing but the clothes they wore, and a tattered book, the twins washed up on the shores of Vesuvia.

They were found by a kindly female magician named Ilana. She took them in, and raised them as her niece and nephew, in her modest magic shop. Under her tutelage, Ren became a master magician; and though Jazmine was just as capable, she found her focus on herbology, and became an expert herbalist.

Ilana was an older, willowy woman. Her dark hair was heavily streaked with grey, often worn in a long braid down her back. She had a grey sheepdog as a familiar, named Fenrir, who was as old and ageless as his master. Though she was strict with the twins, she was lenient enough with them to let them explore and develop themselves, sending Fenrir to accompany (follow) them. This led the twins to getting in trouble...often.

Ilana kept the book that the twins had arrived with hidden in a secret space upstairs, beneath a floorboard, along with many other important things, warded with the strongest spells Ilana could conjure. They would only reveal the contents when the time was right.

Much like their father, Ilana was able to see the future. Often she would foretell the day for the twins, as well as in-depth personal fortunes. Ilana once told Ten that he would die when the beetles came and his soulmate left him. But, he should not worry, for it wasn't his true end, and he would return. It made little sense to Ren, and he struggled with it for years before coming to accept it.

Often, the twins went to the docks to play with the other orphans, or to tell them the tales that were passed down from their father. More so, it was Ren who told the stories to Jazmine, and she recited them for the orphans, due to Ren's social anxiety. It was in this way that the twins crosses paths with Montag again; though this time, his name was Lucio, and he had become the Count of Vesuvia. The twins were around ten years old at the time. Hearing the tales of the Dragons of the West, Lucio thought that perhaps he had failed in his goal of eradicating the clan (which he had). Confronting the twins, as well as a young Muriel and Asra, Lucio tried to start a fight, or at least arrest whosoever they learned the stories from. It came out that Jazmine had learned the tales from Ren, but at that point it didn't matter. Lucio had tried to hurt Jazmine, harming Muriel and Asra as they tried to intervene. That didn't sit well with Ren. He didn't speak much, or even defend himself, but when someone he cared about was threatened, it was on. He attacked Lucio, and in the process, Lucio had clawed at him with his alchemical arm. Three bloody cuts trailed down the left side of Ren's face, close enough to his eye that, due to the magic of the gauntlet, changed the original blue/grey color to a bright seafoam green. Ren attempted to curse Lucio then, to forget the interaction, to forget the stories he heard, and to forget he had even seen the four of them at the docks that day. The curse worked long enough to get Lucio to leave. However, it also caused Asra and Muriel to forget they were friendly with the twins, making then strangers, coming to the docks to tell interesting stories and nothing more. Curses were not Ren's strong suit. The curse backfired, not lasting nearly long enough. Lucio didn't permanently forget his interaction with the twins, and laid in wait for many years to exact his revenge. Ren and Jazmine were able to escape, and Fenrir took them back to their Aunt's shop. Though Ilana scolded them for being so careless, she still attempted to heal the damage Lucio had caused. While the wounds themselves healed effortlessly, the scars would never fade, a constant reminder of the day.

Into his early teens, Ren often hung around the docks. He earned a small wage helping the ship crews ready their ships, rigging and loading cargo mostly, or helping fishermen with making and mending nets. One particular traveler, a wandering bard by the name of Icarus Jobe, recognized the storyteller in him. Late at night, when Ren wasn't needed at the shop, he and Icarus would sit together on the beach, and the bard would tell Ren stories of all the places he had traveled to. They became fast friends, and Icarus became an almost father-figure to Ren. Ren managed to develop a slight crush on the seafaring bard, and learned many lessons along the way.

Nearly a year after their comraderie began, Icarus was accused of high treason against the court by Lucio, though there was next to no evidence to support this. He was sentenced to death via hanging. Icarus wasn't frightened of death, his only regret being that he wouldn't see what type of man Ren would grow into.

Ren was present for the hanging, knowing there was no spell he could find to save his dear friend in time. When the floor dropped out from beneath Icarus, his hat flew into the crowd. Ren caught the hat, placing it on his own head with finality, another blow to Lucio. The old pirate hat served as another reminder that Ren had a story to share with the world that hadn't been written just yet.

It wasn't until after Icarus Jobe's death that Ren learned he had been a close friend to his mother....

Death followed Ren like a lost dog, always begging for scraps, the lives of his loved ones.

When the twins were fourteen, Ilana passed under mysterious circumstances. It was then that they learned that Ilana was actually their biological aunt, their father's sister. They received a modest inheritance, as well as access to the hidden materials beneath the upstairs floorboard of the shop, thier father's grimoire and writings of their clan's history.

Jazmine was heartbroken, and couldn't bring herself to stay at the shop. Despite her fear of the sea, she left Vesuvia on a ship, taking Fenrir with her, to travel anywhere but home. Ren took over the shop, staying to carry on Ilana's legacy. It was in the years that followed that Ren started his relationship with Asra. Jazmine periodically visited, but mostly she sent letters and herbal lore from the various places she had been.

When the Red Plague came to Vesuvia, Asra wanted to leave, and Ren knew he had to stay. With tears in his eyes, he told Asra to go, but it wasn't goodbye, because he knew Asra would return when it was over, of that Ren was certain.

In the months that followed, Ren worked at the Palace under Lucio, in the Count's campaign to find a 'cure' for the plague. Ren became friends with Doctor Julian Devorak, and Jazmine returned to use her herbal knowledge to help. Eventually Jazmine and Julian started a relationship, often fighting and getting on one another's nerves, but somehow made a great couple. Ren could see the red strings of fate binding the two, knowing that they would eventually make it on their own path.

During one particular low point, when Ren was thinking about Asra, and Jazmine had left Julian and Vesuvia for at least the second time, they went to the Rowdy Raven together, and Ren let slip that he was destined to die soon. He ended up erasing that particular memory from Julian's mind, though it would inevitably be returned through his deal with the Hanged Man.

Working in close proximity with Lucio and his courtiers, Ren was constantly harassed by Lucio, who had developed a twisted crush. Ren was still very much in love with Asra, attempting to contact them intermittently, and would have none of it. In his down time, Ren would tell the stories of his people to the children stricken with the plague, trying to keep their spirits up with the tales of magic and dragons. Lucio often listened in, never straying far from Ren.

Ren learned by mere chance that the plague was the result of a deal Lucio had made in his youth, and that the only real cure was Lucio's death. Though the Count had given Ren many reasons to kill him, he was reluctant, and tried to find another way. After one too many times of being harassed and cornered by Lucio, Ren finally snapped, telling him to leave him alone or else. Lucio revealed to Ren that he knew who Ren was and how Ren had gotten his scars. He knew that Ren had discovered his secret, and was paranoid that Ren was going to kill him any day. Trying to escape the library where he had been cornered, Lucio pinned Ren to his chest with his alchemical arm so that he couldn't get away. Lucio crushed a plague beetle into dust and forced Ren to inhale it, knowing it was an almost absolute guarantee that Ren would catch the plague. Ren was so angry that he cast one last curse, knowing that this one would actually take without fail. He cursed Lucio to catch the plague, that Ren's end would be the beginning of the end for Lucio.

Terrified, Lucio locked Ren under the Palace with the other plague doctors to work, accusing Ren of attempting to give him the plague at the same time. Ren was scheduled to be burned alive at the Lazaret if he didn't find a cure in time. It took several days for Ren's symptoms to become apparent, Julian not even noticing until it was too late. Ren tried one last time to contact Asra, but they still wouldn't respond.

Ren managed to escape the Palace, merely wanting to settle his affairs before the guards took him to the Lazaret. At the shop, he was interrupted by Muriel. Ren ended up telling Muriel everything, but then took the memory away so that if the guards found him, he wouldn't be labeled as an accomplice to Ren's supposed murder attempt. Leaving Muriel passed out in the shop with letters for Asra and Jazmine, Ren met the Palace guards at the shop's doorstep and calmly went with them to his death.

While Ren was with Muriel at the shop, Jazmine returned, going immediately to the palace, and learning Ren's fate from Julian. Julian had attempted to stop Ren, but even he knew it was too late. Jazmine felt the moment Ren died.

Asra returned within hours of Ren dying, having felt it themselves, cursing themselves for being too late. Jazmine let Asra stay at the shop, unable to care for it herself with all the death tied to it. She stayed with Mazelinka, coming and going frequently like before.

Once Asra foiled Lucio's ritual, and Ren returned, Asra warned Jazmine that she couldn't see him. The potential that the memory of her might kill him being the strongest factor. But Jazmine, being Jazmine, didn't listen. She let herself be seen in the marketplace, around the city, all but stalking Ren. Eventually they became friends, without Ren realizing that she was his twin, though he had suspicions, especially with his dreams at the time.

It was during Asra's last trip that Ren learned the truth, but he couldn't be mad at Asra. Ren understood why they did it. He kept the knowledge a secret from Asra until the events of the Lazaret, telling Asra he had been ready for a long time to recover his memories, and had been doing so, slowly and carefully over the last several weeks.

At some point after the events of the game, Ren and Asra stumble upon the burned out remains of Ren's childhood home. Inside they found a strange grey egg, that neither could identify. Taking it back to home to Vesuvia, Faust and the stove salamander help Ren hatch it. It turns out to be a dragon egg. That dragon hatches a vivid lavender color, and becomes Ren's familiar, Veritas.

Appearance -

Pale complected, with short, dark hair. Roughly 5'8", with a narrow, sturdy build. Born with blue/grey eyes, but the left eye turned seafoam green after being attacked by Lucio as a child. Many scars from random fights, but the most vivid being the scars near his left eye; he grows the top of his hair slightly longer than the rest to cover them. Usually wears a black three-quarter sleeves shirt, green and blue scarves, black pants and boots. Wears an old pirate hat wrapped with a grey scarf when traveling.

Random Things -

Ren wears a dangling silver sun earring in his right ear, and Jazmine wears a dangling golden moon earring in her left ear to represent their twin and their connection.

At home, Ren is almost always wrapped in a sea-colored shawl, with a cup of tea and a book in hand.

Ren and Jazmine both tan very easily, but of the two, Ren is paler.

When they were young, the only way to tell Ren and Jazmine apart was through their eye color.

Before the plague killed him, Ren identified most with the Moon Arcana, seeing through illusions and the hidden aspects of life.

Ren owns a magical shawl. One side is teal with a compass rose embroidered in it so that they never get lost. The other side is black with a white lotus embroidered on it to protect them from death. When Lucio trapped him and forced him to inhale the plague beetle, the shawl fell from his shoulders, allowing the plague to take hold.

- That's all for now. I know it's a mess, and not always easy to follow, but I will be fleshing out more of Ren's story as I go. As well as other small details and sketches I have made of him.

♡ ━ BABY #3. ( pt. 1 )

━ 2009 ; VICTORIA'S FOURTH THERAPY SESSION.                                                                            [ click here for part 2. ] "How are you feeling today, Victoria?" She contemplates on how best to answer this question. The truth was, she knew what this particular session was going to lead to. She'd been relatively strong throughout these last few sessions with little to no tears... but this, this was going to weigh heavily on her heart. And not for reasons one might assume. "Nervous. Kind of shitty, actually." She laughs. "Did something else happen since last week?" "Well," She begins, thinking back to an argument with her daughter. DC was still controlling things from behind bars. It was incredible how he managed. The man might have been the world's biggest asshole but he was far more intelligent than he was given credit for. "Declan has started writing letters to Dorothea now that I changed the phone number. She got one in the mail last Wednesday and when I asked to read it first, she freaked out on me. I'm not trying to cut off contact between her and her father. God no, I would never..."As much as she would like to do just that, Victoria couldn't. She just didn't have it in her to cut him out of their childrens' lives, even if it would be in everyone's best interest for her to. Ransom had already cut ties on his own accord, but Dottie... Dottie loved DC. "But... I know what he does, I know how he tries to paint me as the villain to her and given that she's a teenager, she really doesn't need helping easing into the 'I hate my mom!' stage. It was like, a proof read, I guess. Just to make sure he wasn't saying anything that could warrant her hating me. I realize how invasive that seems but I don't know. Turns out, I became the villain anyway." There's silence. "If Declan told her that he hung the moon and stars in the sky, she'd believe him. Dottie hangs on his every word and I don't know how to break her of that. There's a rift between us and I've been trying desperately to pull her back in, y'know? I'm at a loss, really." "I can see how that would be difficult. Do you think we can discuss what we started to last week?" Victoria laughs. "Are you ever gonna help me with my problems in present time rather than dwelling on my past?" "Victoria, the purpose of discussing your past with Declan is so that we can dissect the root of the problem. How it began, why it progressed the way it did. I'm trying to understand his mindset and what he put you through. Does that make sense?" "He's not your patient, but if you haven't learned by now ━ he's an asshole who got off on making me miserable. What else is there to even talk about? We'll be here for years if I tell you every single thing he's ever done to me." She was avoiding and wasting time, which Dr. Larkin could see right through. "Is there a reason you don't want to discuss this particular topic?" "I just━I just don't wanna talk about this because it hurts too much." "The fact that he━" "No, no that. Something else. What happened before that." She's uncomfortable and it shows in the way her eyes are scanning the room and avoiding eye contact with the doctor. She's trying to hide the tears in her eyes as her mind wanders to something she wishes to forget but never will. After several moments of silence between them, Victoria looks at Dr. Larkin and begins her story. On the year Dottie turned five years old, I found out that I was pregnant again.I didn't tell him for two whole weeks after I found out because we weren't exactly on the best of terms. Even after the revelation of his affair and my attempts to cater to his needs, I felt like he was becoming more of a roommate than my husband. Between my shifts at the hospital and taking care of the kids, we only saw each other in passing most days because he spent most of his time at the 'clubhouse'. "Clubhouse?" Dr. Larkin interrupts. "Did you forget? He's part of a 'motor━cycle━club'," Air quotes around the words motorcycle club as she speaks. "Really hardcore." Anyway, I know that some people think a baby is going to fix what's broken but I really didn't. I thought that telling him would lead to even bigger problems between us. I felt like our 'love', or the illusion of love, was fading. A baby didn't seem like the solution. "Turns out, I was wrong. Are you starting to see the pattern here? Every time I think I know what to expect, he just switches it up on me." So, it took me almost a month, actually, to uh━tell him I was pregnant after I found out. It was actually Christmas Eve when I finally told him and trust me, my timing was not meant to be romantic and it wasn't planned that way. It just so happened that Christmas is my second favorite holiday, so, between eggnog and Christmas music and wrapping presents for the kids ━ I was really happy and in being really happy, that gave me a little bit of courage. So, telling him was a lot like 'Hey, I'm pregnant! Merry Christmas!'. Dr. Larkin interrupted her storytelling once again, "How did you feel about the baby after realizing that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing?" "When I saw he wasn't angry with me, I was a little surprised. Like I said, I was really expecting the worst because that's the side of him I saw most often. I didn't really know how to feel initially, but..." She shrugged. "I always thought I would have a shit-ton of kids. I believe everyone is put on this earth for a reason and I always felt like being a mother was my purpose. My calling, I guess. Him not being angry about it, helped ease me into the idea of having a third child. Eventually, I became very attached and that didn't really take very long either." "Did things in your marriage improve after that? Or how did it change the course of your relationship?" "For starters..." Declan actually started spending more time with us. He was very adamant about me getting my rest and the only thing we fought about was my desire to continue working. He insisted that it wasn't good for the baby, but you see, he'd tried this several times before when I wasn't expecting. He didn't want me to work and I think that he saw the opportunity to make me quit by involving our unborn child. My job was the one place that brought complete satisfaction. I loved it and I loved to take care of people. I was good at it, very good at it. This was the one thing I refused to let him take from me but that didn't stop him from trying. I did eventually take a leave when I was about seven months pregnant, doctor's orders. I was put on bed rest because surprise! I was pregnant with twins. Two boys. Pregnancies with twins are a bit high risk to begin with, so it was better to be safe than sorry. I won't lie and say I didn't enjoy being waited on hand and foot, but at the same time, it was very difficult for me to obey orders when my natural instinct is to take care of my family.  Ransom and Dottie were just as excited to be getting two new little brothers as I was. As DC seemingly was. Everything, for the first time in a long time, felt so completely right. But then━ She's misty-eyed when she looks down at her hands that are sitting in her lap. It's been a long time since she's allowed her mind to go here, in such detail. Though, her babies were never too far from her thoughts. Especially when she was alone. "I'm sorry," She wipes away the tears.  "It's okay, take your time." ━I uh, I went into labor two weeks before my due date. I was happy, I was scared. I don't remember much about it, but I remember... I was waiting to hear them cry. Just that very first... cry just to know they were okay.... but I never heard it. I asked him, I begged him to tell me why they weren't crying. And you know... for the first time, I swear... I saw a little, little hint of emotion on his face. It was like... if you blinked, you'd miss it, but I saw it. And I just started wailing because I knew... I knew my babies were dead.                                                                                       

2009.

"How are you feeling today, Victoria?" She contemplates on how best to answer this question. The truth was, she knew what this particular session was going to lead to. She'd been relatively strong throughout these last few sessions with little to no tears... but this, this was going to weigh heavily on her heart. And not for reasons one might assume. "Nervous. Kind of shitty, actually." She laughs. "Did something else happen since last week?" "Well," She begins, thinking back to an argument with her daughter. DC was still controlling things from behind bars. It was incredible how he managed. The man might have been the world's biggest asshole but he was far more intelligent than he was given credit for. "Declan has started writing letters to Dorothea now that I changed the phone number. She got one in the mail last Wednesday and when I asked to read it first, she freaked out on me. I'm not trying to cut off contact between her and her father. God no, I would never..."As much as she would like to do just that, Victoria couldn't. She just didn't have it in her to cut him out of their childrens' lives, even if it would be in everyone's best interest for her to. Ransom had already cut ties on his own accord, but Dottie... Dottie loved DC. "But... I know what he does, I know how he tries to paint me as the villain to her and given that she's a teenager, she really doesn't need helping easing into the 'I hate my mom!' stage. It was like, a proof read, I guess. Just to make sure he wasn't saying anything that could warrant her hating me. I realize how invasive that seems but I don't know. Turns out, I became the villain anyway." There's silence. "If Declan told her that he hung the moon and stars in the sky, she'd believe him. Dottie hangs on his every word and I don't know how to break her of that. There's a rift between us and I've been trying desperately to pull her back in, y'know? I'm at a loss, really." "I can see how that would be difficult. Do you think we can discuss what we started to last week?" Victoria laughs. "Are you ever gonna help me with my problems in present time rather than dwelling on my past?" "Victoria, the purpose of discussing your past with Declan is so that we can dissect the root of the problem. How it began, why it progressed the way it did. I'm trying to understand his mindset and what he put you through. Does that make sense?" "He's not your patient, but if you haven't learned by now ━ he's an asshole who got off on making me miserable. What else is there to even talk about? We'll be here for years if I tell you every single thing he's ever done to me." She was avoiding and wasting time, which Dr. Larkin could see right through. "Is there a reason you don't want to discuss this particular topic?" "I just━I just don't wanna talk about this because it hurts too much." "The fact that he━" "No, no that. Something else. What happened before that." She's uncomfortable and it shows in the way her eyes are scanning the room and avoiding eye contact with the doctor. She's trying to hide the tears in her eyes as her mind wanders to something she wishes to forget but never will. After several moments of silence between them, Victoria looks at Dr. Larkin and begins her story. On the year Dottie turned five years old, I found out that I was pregnant again.I didn't tell him for two whole weeks after I found out because we weren't exactly on the best of terms. Even after the revelation of his affair and my attempts to cater to his needs, I felt like he was becoming more of a roommate than my husband. Between my shifts at the hospital and taking care of the kids, we only saw each other in passing most days because he spent most of his time at the 'clubhouse'. "Clubhouse?" Dr. Larkin interrupts. "Did you forget? He's part of a 'motor━cycle━club'," Air quotes around the words motorcycle club as she speaks. "Really hardcore." Anyway, I know that some people think a baby is going to fix what's broken but I really didn't. I thought that telling him would lead to even bigger problems between us. I felt like our 'love', or the illusion of love, was fading. A baby didn't seem like the solution. "Turns out, I was wrong. Are you starting to see the pattern here? Every time I think I know what to expect, he just switches it up on me." So, it took me almost a month, actually, to uh━tell him I was pregnant after I found out. It was actually Christmas Eve when I finally told him and trust me, my timing was not meant to be romantic and it wasn't planned that way. It just so happened that Christmas is my second favorite holiday, so, between eggnog and Christmas music and wrapping presents for the kids ━ I was really happy and in being really happy, that gave me a little bit of courage. So, telling him was a lot like 'Hey, I'm pregnant! Merry Christmas!'. Dr. Larkin interrupted her storytelling once again, "How did you feel about the baby after realizing that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing?" "When I saw he wasn't angry with me, I was a little surprised. Like I said, I was really expecting the worst because that's the side of him I saw most often. I didn't really know how to feel initially, but..." She shrugged. "I always thought I would have a shit-ton of kids. I believe everyone is put on this earth for a reason and I always felt like being a mother was my purpose. My calling, I guess. Him not being angry about it, helped ease me into the idea of having a third child. Eventually, I became very attached and that didn't really take very long either." "Did things in your marriage improve after that? Or how did it change the course of your relationship?" "For starters..." Declan actually started spending more time with us. He was very adamant about me getting my rest and the only thing we fought about was my desire to continue working. He insisted that it wasn't good for the baby, but you see, he'd tried this several times before when I wasn't expecting. He didn't want me to work and I think that he saw the opportunity to make me quit by involving our unborn child. My job was the one place that brought complete satisfaction. I loved it and I loved to take care of people. I was good at it, very good at it. This was the one thing I refused to let him take from me but that didn't stop him from trying. I did eventually take a leave when I was about seven months pregnant, doctor's orders. I was put on bed rest because surprise! I was pregnant with twins. Two boys. Pregnancies with twins are a bit high risk to begin with, so it was better to be safe than sorry. I won't lie and say I didn't enjoy being waited on hand and foot, but at the same time, it was very difficult for me to obey orders when my natural instinct is to take care of my family.  Ransom and Dottie were just as excited to be getting two new little brothers as I was. As DC seemingly was. Everything, for the first time in a long time, felt so completely right. But then━ She's misty-eyed when she looks down at her hands that are sitting in her lap. It's been a long time since she's allowed her mind to go here, in such detail. Though, her babies were never too far from her thoughts. Especially when she was alone. "I'm sorry," She wipes away the tears.  "It's okay, take your time." ━I uh, I went into labor two weeks before my due date. I was happy, I was scared. I don't remember much about it, but I remember... I was waiting to hear them cry. Just that very first... cry just to know they were okay.... but I never heard it. I asked him, I begged him to tell me why they weren't crying. And you know... for the first time, I swear... I saw a little, little hint of emotion on his face. It was like... if you blinked, you'd miss it, but I saw it. And I just started wailing because I knew... I knew my babies were dead.

'Twin Peaks' Star Kyle MacLachlan Promises "Everything Will Make Sense"

http://styleveryday.com/2017/07/07/twin-peaks-star-kyle-maclachlan-promises-everything-will-make-sense/

'Twin Peaks' Star Kyle MacLachlan Promises "Everything Will Make Sense"

[Warning: This story contains spoilers through the first eight installments of Showtime’s Twin Peaks: The Return.]

Before embarking on Showtime’s new Twin Peaks, fans were ready to sip on some damn fine coffee once again. They were ready to return to the Black Lodge and the dark mythology surrounding Dale Cooper’s last known whereabouts. Indeed, they were ready for more Cooper, full stop.

They were not ready for Dougie Jones.

Eight hours into David Lynch’s return to the world of Twin Peaks, Kyle MacLachlan’s eternally optimistic federal agent remains at arm’s length. Sure, he’s returned to the mortal realm after spending the last two decades and change stuck inside the Black Lodge, while an evil doppelgänger (also played by MacLachlan) was running around causing carnage in the real world. But that Agent Cooper you liked has not yet come back in style. Instead, he’s inhabiting the life of yet another lookalike named Dougie Jones, wandering through casinos, corporate culture and domesticity with childlike wonder. He is showing signs of the old Cooper, slowly but surely — albeit a little too slowly for some viewers’ tastes. 

For his part, MacLachlan knew that Dougie would be a difficult pill for fans to swallow. “Many people wanted the nostalgic return to Twin Peaks that they remembered,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter. “And that’s not what we’re representing here.” Instead, the new Twin Peaks is representing the duality between two extremes: darkness and light, largely through MacLachlan’s own opposing roles as Cooper’s doppelgänger and Dougie Jones.

Read on for the actor’s take on the new Twin Peaks and its “challenging” nature, what went into playing two different versions of Cooper and more as the season approaches the halfway point of its 18-hour run.

Twin Peaks was shrouded in so much secrecy before its return. Now that the cork has been popped, at least to some extent, what has been your reaction to the reaction?

It’s really fun to see. I think we all knew it was going to be a challenging journey for the audience, simply because it is 18 parts of one giant piece, and it’s sequential, so people really have to stay with it. And also that David’s storytelling is filled with imagery and different perspectives and characters and things that may initially be confusing to people, but ultimately everything will come back together and make sense. It will be clear. But it’s challenging, you know? The other part of that is there has been a real, complete love from a large part of the audience for this new direction of Twin Peaks. No one has ever seen anything like this on television before. That’s some of the excitement, I think.

You can apply that idea just to Part 8 on its own, an episode that’s so hard to define, but makes sense within its own context. 

There’s definitely a cohesion there. It’s just things you haven’t necessarily seen before. In some ways, I think of it as moving art. David is first a painter. What he’s created is this moving canvas. He pretty much tells you how long you’re going to be looking at a scene, and he dictates that by the editing. While you’re looking at that scene, he’s also infusing it with music and sound, into the visual element. He’s the maestro at giving you this experience. You just have to go along for the ride, if you’re up for it.

You have so much on your plate in this show, even more than we could have imagined coming into the series. Before the series started, what aspects of your performance were you most curious to see how people would react?

I’ve never had the opportunity to play these extreme characters. The evil dopelgänger is of course a remorseless killing machine, basically just going around consuming. It’s what he wants. He moves through the world in that way. That was challenging and exciting to play, to get into that character, to find his look and his feel and his energy and his drive. I was also very fortunate to have David as the director, so we could work together to move this character through this story. The other character of Dougie is not too dissimilar to a character I played in The Hidden years ago. It’s just a further degree of someone who is new to the world and is discovering it as he goes along. There’s a veil that he’s not able to get through. I watched Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, Jeff Bridges in Starman, Peter Sellers in Being There; that was a big influence. Those were influences in terms of how to tackle this character. It provided a lot of opportunity for comedy, too. We were mining that. The comedy of timing and exasperation for those around us — particularly Naomi [Watts, who plays Dougie’s wife, Janey-E Jones]. She carries the lion’s share of the load.

These two extreme characters really embody the tonal dissonance that’s at play in the new Twin Peaks. There are monstrous moments of haunting imagery, shots of New York City skyscrapers, or even the actual town of Twin Peaks — often without music, which makes this familiar world look almost like a graveyard at times. On the other side, you have Dougie, with “Take Five” playing in the background as he discovers coffee for the first time — a moment of joy and whimsy. Was this something you felt while you were filming the project, this tug-of-war and push-and-pull between light and dark, not just in terms of the content of the story and the characters, but tonally as well?

That’s definitely there. It was in the script and I recognized it. The genius of David Lynch is that he builds all of that in as he edits and lays in the music and the sound. But even in the process of filming, there are certain lengths of time for a take, and extra pieces he wants, and timing. It’s all rhythmic with David. I’ve worked with him enough to know it’s really important he feels that what he’s getting on the day is going to fit with what’s going on in his head. I certainly felt those very things. Tonal dissonance is a really nice way of describing it.

How did you react when you first learned that Agent Cooper had been trapped inside the Black Lodge for all of these years since the original finale? Was it as heartbreaking for you as it was for the audience?

I knew that the audience was excited, just based on social media, for the return of the Cooper that they remembered. I couldn’t say anything about that — that there was a process that had to happen before the ship could right itself, let’s say. I also like to say we’re basically … my take on it is that the world is out of balance, and we’re trying to take it back into balance now. We have 18 hours to do that. But I knew it would be difficult for people. Many people wanted the nostalgic return to the Twin Peaks that they remembered. And that’s not what we’re representing here. There are a lot of new stories going forward.

It’s certainly not something you’re getting easily. You have to work for those moments, like when you see Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashbrook) gazing upon Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) again for the first time in years.

Exactly right. And you see Kimmy Robertson and Harry Goaz together again as Lucy and Andy. There are reminders. But there are also reminders of just the passage of time. Shooting it was one thing, but seeing it, I was just reminded that it’s been 25, 26, 27 years. We’ve all gotten older. You just acknowledge the fact that we’re all mortal and time moves on. I also say, a lot of the time, Twin Peaks has continued on in its way. Now we’re revisiting Twin Peaks after all this time, but the town itself never stopped. All the action and activity there never stopped.

Speaking of the passage of time, one of the biggest questions heading into the new version of the series was how would it handle the fact that some of the castmembers who played essential characters had passed away since the original run. We have our answer now: archival footage being used in compelling ways, like Frank Silva appearing as Killer BOB in ethereal spheres, or Major Briggs’ (Don Davis) disembodied head floating through space. It’s powerful to behold as a viewer. What is it like for you, as someone who worked with these actors, watching them live on through this work and remain such an important part of the narrative?

I think it’s beautiful. As actors, this is how we stay around. To see even Catherine Coulson, who was able to work as the Log Lady [shortly before she passed away in 2015]. It’s bittersweet. There’s a sadness there. I think it’s intentional, and a recognition again that we are mortal. We have had some real tragedies with the show. Losing Miguel [Ferrer, who plays Agent Rosenfield] and losing Catherine … it’s not easy. It was challenging to David. But he has done an amazing job remembering, appropriately, I think, and with impact. The characters are still making an impact. As an actor, that’s what you want.

There are a lot of new faces as well, and the most prominent one as it relates to your world is the arrival of one of the most iconic characters in Twin Peaks lore, who we had never seen in the flesh until this series: Diane, played by Laura Dern. 

That was fantastic. I remember hearing about it for the first time. I had a big smile on my face, and I said, “Of course. It’s perfect.” Because I didn’t even know about it until it was announced. That was brilliant. That was also one of the secrets that I had to hold onto, knowing people were for the most part going to be stunned and excited and happy and all, “Oh, my lord!”

Before, we would only see Cooper speaking to Diane through a recorder. Now, she gets to speak back, and she swears like a sailor. It’s almost hard to imagine this Diane being so simpatico with the Cooper of old. What were your thoughts about Diane during the original run of the show, and how did they match up with the reality of the character?

I deliberately left it sort of without any definition. In other words, when I was speaking, I wouldn’t think of a certain person sitting at a desk somewhere back in Langley taking all of this down for whatever reason. I thought it was more about Cooper expressing his thoughts in a soothing way. It was a way for him as a character to make sense of what was happening around him and focus himself down. It was less about the person and what that relationship was or wasn’t, and more about me working through my stuff as the character. It’s gotten much richer now, knowing Diane is being played by Laura Dern, of course, and also to see her personality, which I wasn’t thinking about when I was working 25 years ago. It’s really funny. It’s kind of reminiscent of Albert, Miguel Ferrer’s character. She’s a little bit on the rougher side.

What was it like becoming the bad Cooper for the first time, seeing yourself in the wig and the leather jacket?

It was really helpful. That character was developed over a period of time where we would find one part of it, and then another part of it, and then another part, and finally we put it all together. I’m really pleased with what’s happened with the character. He’s a real, pure definition of evil. It’s really what I wanted. It was a layering of things. When I saw him and I walked out, I was still not sure. But the beauty of working with David Lynch is if David sees it and feels it and is right with it, then I’m right with it. His confidence in what he saw gave me confidence to go with what I had.

How about Dougie, and stepping into his plus-sized neon green suit? Was that helpful to get your head around Dougie?

(Laughs.) The idea that he went from that one character who we saw briefly, to someone who resembles Cooper a little bit more … I knew it was going to be tricky. But I knew it wasn’t up to me. It’s going to be up to the people around me to make that work. The character of Jade [Nafessa Williams], the character of Janey-E and the people at work — they were all going to have to look at him and go, “Why has he changed? What’s happening here?” As an audience, we have to go with that. I knew it was going to be a bit of a challenge. But it’s also a reflection on Dougie from before. He probably wasn’t that memorable, either. People probably didn’t look at him too closely: “Oh, it’s you. You look a little different. Did you change your hair or something?”

Never mind losing 20 pounds in a night.

Exactly. (Laughs.) “What? Did you go on a diet?” I can only imagine people weren’t paying that close of attention to him from the beginning. That’s how I justified it.

How was shooting the casino scene, and the “HELLO-OH-OH” of it all?

We were working outside of Los Angeles at a casino, and I remember playing the reality of what was happening with the character. I didn’t think too much about it. It felt organic and real and kind of awkward and slightly inappropriate. That was all perfect. The little things, like when you sit down, and the process of learning from watching people. I would watch, and then I would repeat, and then something would happen, and I would react to that. I would then go onto the next thing and the same thing would happen again and again. Trying to keep that as believable as possible was really the goal.

I spoke with Robert Broski recently about playing the Woodsman, and he was an incredibly nice man. You’re a very nice man yourself. By your own account, Frank Silva was “a lovely guy.” What is it about good people that make such compelling monsters?

Well, from my experience, it’s a new place to go. The nice thing is, it’s not who I am. I guess it’s a part of what I could be, but it’s not how I choose to live. It’s fun to be able to explore, in a controlled environment, what that feels like, I think. I’m able to put him on in the morning and then I can take him off in the evening when we’re done filming. I’ll tell you one thing it does: It makes you think about the people who can’t. The people who are closer to this than not. That’s a horrible place to be as a person. 

Almost two weeks have passed since Part 8 aired. The feeling of watching it for the first time won’t wash away anytime soon. What was your reaction to that installment, an hour that all on its own stands out immediately as one of David Lynch’s seminal works?

I think this whole journey is going to be that. I think Part 8 was the culmination. It was an extraordinary sequence. It was certainly challenging to the audience, but just an amazing piece of work to sit there and absorb. It almost makes me feel that this is not a show you can necessarily binge-watch. I felt that after I watched the first two hours: “I need some time to process this and think about what just happened, because this is much more complex than just a show you would watch and forget.” It’s very challenging and stimulating, I think. In a way, it was probably great that there’s been enough time for people to really think about what they saw and process it and figure it out. It’s very complex.

That’s an interesting perspective, because you have said that you sat down and read the entire script for the new Twin Peaks in a single sitting, a couple of breaks notwithstanding. How does that experience measure against seeing what David had in mind with the finished product?

It’s one of the most fun things about being an actor. You read the script. You visualize everything as you go through. Then you film those pieces, which is different again. Then they edit it, and we see it, and now it’s a third film. So it’s a process of three, I think, and it changes each time. It continues to evolve. Because it’s David, it continues to get richer and more interesting. Certain imagery he uses over and over again, variations of that imagery … I’m coming to the show now just as an audience member, because I haven’t seen any of the [upcoming] sequences yet. I’m experiencing this the same as the audience. It’s a gift.

Keep checking THR.com/TwinPeaks for interviews, news and more. 

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The Island Come True

Feeling that Peter was on his way back, the Neverland had again woke into life. We ought to use the pluperfect and say wakened, but woke is better and was always used by Peter.

 In his absence things are usually quiet on the island. The fairies take an hour longer in the morning, the beasts attend to their young, the redskins feed heavily for six days and nights, and when pirates and lost boys meet they merely bite their thumbs at each other. But with the coming of Peter, who hates lethargy, they are under way again: if you put your ear to the ground now, you would hear the whole island seething with life.

 On this evening the chief forces of the island were disposed as follows. The lost boys were out looking for Peter, the pirates were out looking for the lost boys, the redskins were out looking for the pirates, and the beasts were out looking for the redskins. They were going round and round the island, but they did not meet because all were going at the same rate.

 All wanted blood except the boys, who liked it as a rule, but to-night were out to greet their captain. The boys on the island vary, of course, in numbers, according as they get killed and so on; and when they seem to be growing up, which is against the rules, Peter thins them out; but at this time there were six of them, counting the twins as two. Let us pretend to lie here among the sugar-cane and watch them as they steal by in single file, each with his hand on his dagger.

 They are forbidden by Peter to look in the least like him, and they wear the skins of the bears slain by themselves, in which they are so round and furry that when they fall they roll. They have therefore become very sure-footed.

 The first to pass is Tootles, not the least brave but the most unfortunate of all that gallant band. He had been in fewer adventures than any of them, because the big things constantly happened just when he had stepped round the corner; all would be quiet, he would take the opportunity of going off to gather a few sticks for firewood, and then when he returned the others would be sweeping up the blood. This ill-luck had given a gentle melancholy to his countenance, but instead of souring his nature had sweetened it, so that he was quite the humblest of the boys. Poor kind Tootles, there is danger in the air for you to-night. Take care lest an adventure is now offered you, which, if accepted, will plunge you in deepest woe. Tootles, the fairy Tink, who is bent on mischief this night is looking for a tool [for doing her mischief], and she thinks you are the most easily tricked of the boys. 'Ware Tinker Bell.

 Would that he could hear us, but we are not really on the island, and he passes by, biting his knuckles.

 Next comes Nibs, the gay and debonair, followed by Slightly, who cuts whistles out of the trees and dances ecstatically to his own tunes. Slightly is the most conceited of the boys. He thinks he remembers the days before he was lost, with their manners and customs, and this has given his nose an offensive tilt. Curly is fourth; he is a pickle, [a person who gets in pickles-predicaments] and so often has he had to deliver up his person when Peter said sternly, "Stand forth the one who did this thing," that now at the command he stands forth automatically whether he has done it or not. Last come the Twins, who cannot be described because we should be sure to be describing the wrong one. Peter never quite knew what twins were, and his band were not allowed to know anything he did not know, so these two were always vague about themselves, and did their best to give satisfaction by keeping close together in an apologetic sort of way.

 The boys vanish in the gloom, and after a pause, but not a long pause, for things go briskly on the island, come the pirates on their track. We hear them before they are seen, and it is always the same dreadful song:

"Avast belay, yo ho, heave to, A-pirating we go, And if we're parted by a shot We're sure to meet below!"

 A more villainous-looking lot never hung in a row on Execution dock. Here, a little in advance, ever and again with his head to the ground listening, his great arms bare, pieces of eight in his ears as ornaments, is the handsome Italian Cecco, who cut his name in letters of blood on the back of the governor of the prison at Gao. That gigantic black behind him has had many names since he dropped the one with which dusky mothers still terrify their children on the banks of the Guadjo-mo. Here is Bill Jukes, every inch of him tattooed, the same Bill Jukes who got six dozen on the WALRUS from Flint before he would drop the bag of moidores [Portuguese gold pieces]; and Cookson, said to be Black Murphy's brother (but this was never proved), and Gentleman Starkey, once an usher in a public school and still dainty in his ways of killing; and Skylights (Morgan's Skylights); and the Irish bo'sun Smee, an oddly genial man who stabbed, so to speak, without offence, and was the only Non-conformist in Hook's crew; and Noodler, whose hands were fixed on backwards; and Robt. Mullins and Alf Mason and many another ruffian long known and feared on the Spanish Main.

 In the midst of them, the blackest and largest in that dark setting, reclined James Hook, or as he wrote himself, Jas. Hook, of whom it is said he was the only man that the Sea-Cook feared. He lay at his ease in a rough chariot drawn and propelled by his men, and instead of a right hand he had the iron hook with which ever and anon he encouraged them to increase their pace. As dogs this terrible man treated and addressed them, and as dogs they obeyed him. In person he was cadaverous [dead looking] and blackavized [dark faced], and his hair was dressed in long curls, which at a little distance looked like black candles, and gave a singularly threatening expression to his handsome countenance. His eyes were of the blue of the forget-me-not, and of a profound melancholy, save when he was plunging his hook into you, at which time two red spots appeared in them and lit them up horribly. In manner, something of the grand seigneur still clung to him, so that he even ripped you up with an air, and I have been told that he was a RACONTEUR [storyteller] of repute. He was never more sinister than when he was most polite, which is probably the truest test of breeding; and the elegance of his diction, even when he was swearing, no less than the distinction of his demeanour, showed him one of a different cast from his crew. A man of indomitable courage, it was said that the only thing he shied at was the sight of his own blood, which was thick and of an unusual colour. In dress he somewhat aped the attire associated with the name of Charles II, having heard it said in some earlier period of his career that he bore a strange resemblance to the ill-fated Stuarts; and in his mouth he had a holder of his own contrivance which enabled him to smoke two cigars at once. But undoubtedly the grimmest part of him was his iron claw.

 Let us now kill a pirate, to show Hook's method. Skylights will do. As they pass, Skylights lurches clumsily against him, ruffling his lace collar; the hook shoots forth, there is a tearing sound and one screech, then the body is kicked aside, and the pirates pass on. He has not even taken the cigars from his mouth.

 Such is the terrible man against whom Peter Pan is pitted. Which will win?

 On the trail of the pirates, stealing noiselessly down the war- path, which is not visible to inexperienced eyes, come the redskins, every one of them with his eyes peeled. They carry tomahawks and knives, and their naked bodies gleam with paint and oil. Strung around them are scalps, of boys as well as of pirates, for these are the Piccaninny tribe, and not to be confused with the softer-hearted Delawares or the Hurons. In the van, on all fours, is Great Big Little Panther, a brave of so many scalps that in his present position they somewhat impede his progress. Bringing up the rear, the place of greatest danger, comes Tiger Lily, proudly erect, a princess in her own right. She is the most beautiful of dusky Dianas [Diana = goddess of the woods] and the belle of the Piccaninnies, coquettish [flirting], cold and amorous [loving] by turns; there is not a brave who would not have the wayward thing to wife, but she staves off the altar with a hatchet. Observe how they pass over fallen twigs without making the slightest noise. The only sound to be heard is their somewhat heavy breathing. The fact is that they are all a little fat just now after the heavy gorging, but in time they will work this off. For the moment, however, it constitutes their chief danger.

 The redskins disappear as they have come like shadows, and soon their place is taken by the beasts, a great and motley procession: lions, tigers, bears, and the innumerable smaller savage things that flee from them, for every kind of beast, and, more particularly, all the man-eaters, live cheek by jowl on the favoured island. Their tongues are hanging out, they are hungry to-night.

 When they have passed, comes the last figure of all, a gigantic crocodile. We shall see for whom she is looking presently.

 The crocodile passes, but soon the boys appear again, for the procession must continue indefinitely until one of the parties stops or changes its pace. Then quickly they will be on top of each other.

 All are keeping a sharp look-out in front, but none suspects that the danger may be creeping up from behind. This shows how real the island was.

 The first to fall out of the moving circle was the boys. They flung themselves down on the sward [turf], close to their underground home.

 "I do wish Peter would come back," every one of them said nervously, though in height and still more in breadth they were all larger than their captain.

 "I am the only one who is not afraid of the pirates," Slightly said, in the tone that prevented his being a general favourite; but perhaps some distant sound disturbed him, for he added hastily, "but I wish he would come back, and tell us whether he has heard anything more about Cinderella."

 They talked of Cinderella, and Tootles was confident that his mother must have been very like her.

 It was only in Peter's absence that they could speak of mothers, the subject being forbidden by him as silly.

 "All I remember about my mother," Nibs told them, "is that she often said to my father, `Oh, how I wish I had a cheque-book of my own!' I don't know what a cheque-book is, but I should just love to give my mother one."

 While they talked they heard a distant sound. You or I, not being wild things of the woods, would have heard nothing, but they heard it, and it was the grim song:

"Yo ho, yo ho, the pirate life, The flag o' skull and bones, A merry hour, a hempen rope, And hey for Davy Jones."

 At once the lost boys -- but where are they? They are no longer there. Rabbits could not have disappeared more quickly.

 I will tell you where they are. With the exception of Nibs, who has darted away to reconnoitre [look around], they are already in their home under the ground, a very delightful residence of which we shall see a good deal presently. But how have they reached it? for there is no entrance to be seen, not so much as a large stone, which if rolled away, would disclose the mouth of a cave. Look closely, however, and you may note that there are here seven large trees, each with a hole in its hollow trunk as large as a boy. These are the seven entrances to the home under the ground, for which Hook has been searching in vain these many moons. Will he find it tonight?

 As the pirates advanced, the quick eye of Starkey sighted Nibs disappearing through the wood, and at once his pistol flashed out. But an iron claw gripped his shoulder.

 "Captain, let go!" he cried, writhing.

 Now for the first time we hear the voice of Hook. It was a black voice. "Put back that pistol first," it said threateningly.

 "It was one of those boys you hate. I could have shot him dead."

 "Ay, and the sound would have brought Tiger Lily's redskins upon us. Do you want to lose your scalp?"

 "Shall I after him, Captain," asked pathetic Smee, "and tickle him with Johnny Corkscrew?" Smee had pleasant names for everything, and his cutlass was Johnny Corkscrew, because he wiggled it in the wound. One could mention many lovable traits in Smee. For instance, after killing, it was his spectacles he wiped instead of his weapon.

 "Johnny's a silent fellow," he reminded Hook.

 "Not now, Smee," Hook said darkly. "He is only one, and I want to mischief all the seven. Scatter and look for them."

 The pirates disappeared among the trees, and in a moment their Captain and Smee were alone. Hook heaved a heavy sigh, and I know not why it was, perhaps it was because of the soft beauty of the evening, but there came over him a desire to confide to his faithful bo'sun the story of his life. He spoke long and earnestly, but what it was all about Smee, who was rather stupid, did not know in the least.

 Anon [later] he caught the word Peter.

 "Most of all," Hook was saying passionately, "I want their captain, Peter Pan. 'Twas he cut off my arm." He brandished the hook threateningly. "I've waited long to shake his hand with this. Oh, I'll tear him!"

 "And yet," said Smee, "I have often heard you say that hook was worth a score of hands, for combing the hair and other homely uses."

 "Ay," the captain answered. "if I was a mother I would pray to have my children born with this instead of that," and he cast a look of pride upon his iron hand and one of scorn upon the other. Then again he frowned.

 "Peter flung my arm," he said, wincing, "to a crocodile that happened to be passing by."

 "I have often," said Smee, "noticed your strange dread of crocodiles."

 "Not of crocodiles," Hook corrected him, "but of that one crocodile." He lowered his voice. "It liked my arm so much, Smee, that it has followed me ever since, from sea to sea and from land to land, licking its lips for the rest of me."

 "In a way," said Smee, "it's sort of a compliment."

 "I want no such compliments," Hook barked petulantly. "I want Peter Pan, who first gave the brute its taste for me."

 He sat down on a large mushroom, and now there was a quiver in his voice. "Smee," he said huskily, "that crocodile would have had me before this, but by a lucky chance it swallowed a clock which goes tick tick inside it, and so before it can reach me I hear the tick and bolt." He laughed, but in a hollow way.

 "Some day," said Smee, "the clock will run down, and then he'll get you."

 Hook wetted his dry lips. "Ay," he said, "that's the fear that haunts me."

 Since sitting down he had felt curiously warm. "Smee," he said, "this seat is hot." He jumped up. "Odds bobs, hammer and tongs I'm burning."

 They examined the mushroom, which was of a size and solidity unknown on the mainland; they tried to pull it up, and it came away at once in their hands, for it had no root. Stranger still, smoke began at once to ascend. The pirates looked at each other. "A chimney!" they both exclaimed.

 They had indeed discovered the chimney of the home under the ground. It was the custom of the boys to stop it with a mushroom when enemies were in the neighbourhood.

 Not only smoke came out of it. There came also children's voices, for so safe did the boys feel in their hiding-place that they were gaily chattering. The pirates listened grimly, and then replaced the mushroom. They looked around them and noted the holes in the seven trees.

 "Did you hear them say Peter Pan's from home?" Smee whispered, fidgeting with Johnny Corkscrew.

 Hook nodded. He stood for a long time lost in thought, and at last a curdling smile lit up his swarthy face. Smee had been waiting for it. "Unrip your plan, captain," he cried eagerly.

 "To return to the ship," Hook replied slowly through his teeth, "and cook a large rich cake of a jolly thickness with green sugar on it. There can be but one room below, for there is but one chimney. The silly moles had not the sense to see that they did not need a door apiece. That shows they have no mother. We will leave the cake on the shore of the Mermaids' Lagoon. These boys are always swimming about there, playing with the mermaids. They will find the cake and they will gobble it up, because, having no mother, they don't know how dangerous 'tis to eat rich damp cake." He burst into laughter, not hollow laughter now, but honest laughter. "Aha, they will die."

 Smee had listened with growing admiration.

 "It's the wickedest, prettiest policy ever I heard of!" he cried, and in their exultation they danced and sang:

"Avast, belay, when I appear, By fear they're overtook; Nought's left upon your bones when you Have shaken claws with Cook."

 They began the verse, but they never finished it, for another sound broke in and stilled them. The was at first such a tiny sound that a leaf might have fallen on it and smothered it, but as it came nearer it was more distinct.

 Tick tick tick tick.!

 Hook stood shuddering, one foot in the air.

 "The crocodile!" he gasped, and bounded away, followed by his bo'sun.

 It was indeed the crocodile. It had passed the redskins, who were now on the trail of the other pirates. It oozed on after Hook.

 Once more the boys emerged into the open; but the dangers of the night were not yet over, for presently Nibs rushed breathless into their midst, pursued by a pack of wolves. The tongues of the pursuers were hanging out; the baying of them was horrible.

 "Save me, save me!" cried Nibs, falling on the ground.

 "But what can we do, what can we do?"

 It was a high compliment to Peter that at that dire moment their thoughts turned to him.

 "What would Peter do?" they cried simultaneously.

 Almost in the same breath they cried, "Peter would look at them through his legs."

 And then, "Let us do what Peter would do."

 It is quite the most successful way of defying wolves, and as one boy they bent and looked through their legs. The next moment is the long one, but victory came quickly, for as the boys advanced upon them in the terrible attitude, the wolves dropped their tails and fled.

 Now Nibs rose from the ground, and the others thought that his staring eyes still saw the wolves. But it was not wolves he saw.

 "I have seen a wonderfuller thing," he cried, as they gathered round him eagerly. "A great white bird. It is flying this way."

 "What kind of a bird, do you think?"

 "I don't know," Nibs said, awestruck, "but it looks so weary, and as it flies it moans, `Poor Wendy,'"

 "Poor Wendy?"

 "I remember," said Slightly instantly, "there are birds called Wendies."

 "See, it comes!" cried Curly, pointing to Wendy in the heavens.

 Wendy was now almost overhead, and they could hear her plaintive cry. But more distinct came the shrill voice of Tinker Bell. The jealous fairy had now cast off all disguise of friendship, and was darting at her victim from every direction, pinching savagely each time she touched.

 "Hullo, Tink," cried the wondering boys.

 Tink's reply rang out: "Peter wants you to shoot the Wendy."

 It was not in their nature to question when Peter ordered. "Let us do what Peter wishes!" cried the simple boys. "Quick, bows and arrows!"

 All but Tootles popped down their trees. He had a bow and arrow with him, and Tink noted it, and rubbed her little hands.

 "Quick, Tootles, quick," she screamed. "Peter will be so pleased."

 Tootles excitedly fitted the arrow to his bow. "Out of the way, Tink," he shouted, and then he fired, and Wendy fluttered to the ground with an arrow in her breast.