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John furrowed his brow. “Just start at the beginning,” he said slowly. “And don’t leave anything out. You never know when some detail ends up being important.”
“Okay, it all started right before my birthday,” Barrie said. “When my family took me to the maritime museum.”
“Your birthday?” Michael said.
“Yeah, the one you both forgot,” Barrie said, feeling a fresh wave of sadness. “But I’ll get to that part later.”
Then, before they could interrupt him again, Barrie told his friends everything, trying not to leave out any details. He told them about the trip to the museum and the boring tour of the pirate ship. How he’d thought it was like his mystery books, and he
’d snuck off and discovered the secret compartment with the hook and letter.
He told them about making his wish to never grow up and how it seemed great at first, even though everyone forgot about his birthday. But then his wish backfired horribly. He even told them about the yearbooks, and how he always stayed in fifth grade.
“Ugh, that does sound horrible!” John said. “Having Mr. Bates for eternity?”
“Yeah, one school year was bad enough,” Michael agreed with a shudder. “But staying in his class forever?”
“Yeah, I thought staying a kid forever would be great—but it’s a curse,” Barrie said. “I didn’t graduate. My best friends have forgotten me. And who knows what will happen next if I don’t stop it?”
Michael picked the rusty hook up off the bed. He ran his fingers over it, wincing when he touched the razor-sharp tip.
“So, you’re saying that this hook belonged to…Captain Hook,” Michael said. “Like the Captain James Hook.”
“Yes, I found it in his captain’s cabin,” Barrie said with a nod. “And the letter is signed by him…” he added, running his fingertip over the signature line on the parchment letter.
Michael cracked open his laptop and tapped on the keys, bringing up a portrait of Captain Hook. It was the same one displayed in the Jolly Roger. A fresh rush of fear crashed through Barrie’s chest at the sight of it. Hook’s beady eyes bore into him as if accusing him.
Bloody thief, I’ll have my revenge!
“That’s who it belonged to?” John said, flinching back from the screen. “Dude, bad life choice stealing from a scary pirate captain.”
Hook’s visage was terrifying even when rendered in a painting.
“Yeah, it says here that he was one of the most bloodthirsty pirates in history,” Michael said, reading off the website. “His exploits on the high seas were legendary.”
“Yup, I’m sure it’s him,” Barrie said, his voice wavering. He took a deep breath, knowing the next part was going to sound truly insane. “The thing is…he’s been haunting me.”
Michael looked up in surprise. “Like a ghost?”
“Yes, that’s what I think,” Barrie said. “I mean, he must have died a long time ago. His pirate ship is in a history museum. But I know I’m not imagining it. He’s really after me.”
“But ghosts aren’t real,” Michael said, biting his lower lip. “Plus, you said he can, like, affect things in the real world. He scratched your floor. He left that message on your door.”
“Yeah, that’s not very ghostly,” John agreed. “Sounds like a real pirate dude.”
Barrie shook his head. “But he’s hundreds of years old. There’s no way he could still be alive…he has to be a ghost. That’s the only possible explanation for what’s happening.”
“Unless…” Michael said, reaching for the parchment letter.
“Unless…what?” Barrie said, studying his friend’s face. He knew how Michael got when he’d hit upon a brilliant idea. He turned all quiet and pensive, just like right now.
Michael looked up from the letter. “Unless…he is still alive.”
“Wait, what do you mean?” Barrie said with a start. “That’s impossible.”
“Look here,” Michael said, pointing to the letter’s cursive script. “This letter you found says that the hook grants whoever possesses it the power to never grow up.”
“That’s right,” Barrie said. “And it works, too.”
