ChapterI.PETERBREAKSTHROUGH
Todos
Allchildren,exceptone,growup.They
pronto
soonknowthattheywillgrowup,y
andthewayWendyknewwasesta
this.Onedaywhenshewas
dos
twoyearsoldshewasjugando
playinginagarden,andshepluckedotra
anotherflowerandranwithittohermadre
mother.Isupposeshemust
haber
havelookedratherdelightful,forMrs.Darlingpuso
putherhandtohercorazón
heartandcried,“Oh,whycan’tyouremainlikethisforever!”Esto
Thiswasallthatpassedentre
betweenthemonthesubject,pero
buthenceforthWendyknewthatshemustgrowup.You
siempre
alwaysknowafteryouaredos
two.Twoisthebeginningof
el
theend.Ofcoursethey
vivían
livedat14,anduntilWendyllegó
camehermotherwasthechiefone.Shewas
una
alovelylady,witharomanticmente
mindandsuchasweetmockingmouth.Herromantic
mente
mindwaslikethetinyboxes,una
onewithintheother,thatvienen
comefromthepuzzlingEast,howevermanyyoudiscoverhay
thereisalwaysonemore;y
andhersweetmockingmouthtenía
hadonekissonitthatWendypodría
couldneverget,thoughthereitwas,perfectlyconspicuousinla
theright-handcorner.ThewayMr.Darling
ganó
wonherwasthis:the
muchos
manygentlemenwhohadbeenboyscuando
whenshewasagirldiscoveredsimultaneouslythattheyamaban
lovedher,andtheyallcorrieron
rantoherhousetoproposetoherexceptMr.Darling,whotomó
tookacabandnippedinprimero
first,andsohegother.Hegot
toda
allofher,excepttheinnermostboxy
andthekiss.Henever
supo
knewaboutthebox,andintiempo
timehegaveuptryingforthekiss.Wendy
pensó
thoughtNapoleoncouldhavegotit,pero
butIcanpicturehimtrying,y
andthengoingoffinuna
apassion,slammingthedoor.Mr.
DarlingusedtoboasttoWendythather
madre
mothernotonlylovedhimsino
butrespectedhim.Hewas
uno
oneofthosedeeponeswhosaben
knowaboutstocksandshares.Of
supuesto
coursenoonereallyknows,pero
buthequiteseemedtosabe
know,andheoftensaidstockswereupy
andsharesweredowninamanera
waythatwouldhavemadecualquier
anywomanrespecthim.Mrs.
Darlingwasmarriedin
blanco
white,andatfirstshemantuvo
keptthebooksperfectly,almostgleefully,assi
ifitwereagame,notsotanto
muchasaBrusselssproutwasfaltaba
missing;butbyandbywholecauliflowersdroppedout,
y
andinsteadofthemtherewerepicturesofbabiessin
withoutfaces.Shedrewthem
cuando
whensheshouldhavebeentottingup.TheywereMrs.Darling’sguesses.
Wendy
vino
camefirst,thenJohn,thenMichael.For
una
aweekortwoafterWendyllegó
cameitwasdoubtfulwhethertheywouldbeabletokeepher,asshewasotra
anothermouthtofeed.Mr.Darlingwasfrightfullyproudofher,
pero
buthewasveryhonourable,y
andhesatontheedgeofMrs.Darling’scama
bed,holdingherhandandcalculatingexpenses,mientras
whileshelookedathimimploringly.She
quería
wantedtoriskit,comewhatmight,pero
butthatwasnothiscamino
way;hiswaywaswith
un
apencilandapieceofpaper,y
andifsheconfusedhimcon
withsuggestionshehadtobeginatel
thebeginningagain.“Nowdon’tinterrupt,”hewouldbegofher.
“I
tengo
haveonepoundseventeenhere,y
andtwoandsixatla
theoffice;Icancut
de
offmycoffeeattheoficina
office,saytenshillings,makingdos
twonineandsix,withyoureighteeny
andthreemakesthreenineseven,con
withfivenaughtnaughtinmycheque-bookmakeseightnineseven—whoisese
thatmoving?—eightnineseven,doty
andcarryseven—don’tspeak,myown—andla
thepoundyoulenttoese
thatmanwhocametola
thedoor—quiet,child—dotandcarrychild—there,you’vedoneit!—didIdigamos
sayninenineseven?yes,I
dije
saidninenineseven;the
pregunta
questionis,canwetryitforun
ayearonninenineseven?”“Of
supuesto
coursewecan,George,”shecried.Pero
ButshewasprejudicedinWendy’sfavour,y
andhewasreallythegrandercharacterofthedos
two.“Remembermumps,”hewarnedher
casi
almostthreateningly,andoffhefue
wentagain.“Mumpsonepound,
eso
thatiswhatIhaveputdown,pero
butIdaresayitwillbemás
morelikethirtyshillings—don’tspeak—measlesonecinco
five,Germanmeasleshalfaguinea,hace
makestwofifteensix—don’twaggleyourfinger—whooping-cough,decir
sayfifteenshillings”—andsoonitwent,y
anditaddedupdifferentlycada
eachtime;butatlastWendyjustgot
por
through,withmumpsreducedtotwelveseis
six,andthetwokindsofmeaslestreatedasuno
one.TherewasthesameexcitementoverJohn,
y
andMichaelhadevenanarrowersqueak;pero
butbothwerekept,andpronto
soon,youmighthaveseenthetres
threeofthemgoinginarowtoSrta
MissFulsom’sKindergartenschool,accompaniedbytheirnurse.Mrs.
Darling
encantaba
lovedtohaveeverythingjustso,y
andMr.Darlinghadapassionforbeingexactamente
exactlylikehisneighbours;so,of
supuesto
course,theyhadanurse.Astheywerepoor,owingtotheamountofmilkthe
niños
childrendrank,thisnursewasaprimNewfoundlandperro
dog,calledNana,whohadbelongedtono
nooneinparticularuntiltheDarlingsengagedella
her.Shehadalwaysthought
niños
childrenimportant,however,andtheDarlingshadbecomeacquaintedcon
withherinKensingtonGardens,donde
whereshespentmostofhersparetiempo
timepeepingintoperambulators,andwasmuchhatedbycarelessnursemaids,whomsheseguía
followedtotheirhomesandcomplainedoftotheirmistresses.Sheprovedtobequiteatreasureofanurse.
Howthoroughshewasatbath-time,
y
andupatanymomentofthenoche
nightifoneofherchargeshizo
madetheslightestcry.Of
supuesto
courseherkennelwasinla
thenursery.Shehadageniusfor
saber
knowingwhenacoughisathingtohaveno
nopatiencewithandwhenitnecesita
needsstockingaroundyourthroat.She
creía
believedtoherlastdayinold-fashionedremediescomo
likerhubarbleaf,andmadesoundsofcontemptovertoda
allthisnew-fangledtalkaboutgerms,y
andsoon.Itwas
una
alessoninproprietytoseeherescortingtheniños
childrentoschool,walkingsedatelybytheirlado
sidewhentheywerewellbehaved,y
andbuttingthembackintolínea
lineiftheystrayed.OnJohn’sfooterdaysshe
nunca
neveronceforgothissweater,y
andsheusuallycarriedanumbrellainhermouthincaso
caseofrain.Thereis
una
aroominthebasementofSrta
MissFulsom’sschoolwherethenursesesperan
wait.Theysatonforms,whileNana
yacía
layonthefloor,butesa
thatwastheonlydifference.Theyaffectedtoignoreherasof
un
aninferiorsocialstatustothemselves,y
andshedespisedtheirlighttalk.SheresentedvisitstothenurseryfromMrs.Darling’sfriends,
pero
butiftheydidcomesheprimero
firstwhippedoffMichael’spinaforey
andputhimintotheonewithbluebraiding,y
andsmoothedoutWendyandhacía
madeadashatJohn’scabello
hair.Nonurserycouldpossibly
haber
havebeenconductedmorecorrectly,y
andMr.Darlingknewit,yethesometimeswondereduneasilywhethertheneighbourshablaban
talked.Hehadhispositionin
la
thecitytoconsider.Nana
también
alsotroubledhiminanothermanera
way.Hehadsometimesafeelingthatshedidnotadmire
lo
him.“Iknowsheadmiresyoutremendously,George,”Mrs.Darling
fueran
wouldassurehim,andthenshefueran
wouldsigntothechildrentobespeciallynicetopadre
father.Lovelydancesfollowed,inwhichthe
única
onlyotherservant,Liza,wassometimesallowedtojoin.Tal
Suchamidgetshelookedinherlongskirty
andmaid’scap,thoughshehabía
hadsworn,whenengaged,thatshewouldnunca
neverseetenagain.Thegaietyof
esos
thoseromps!AndgayestofallwasMrs.Darling,who
era
wouldpirouettesowildlythatallyoucouldver
seeofherwasthekiss,y
andthenifyouhaddashedatheryoumighthubieras
havegotit.Thereneverwas
una
asimplerhappierfamilyuntilla
thecomingofPeterPan.Mrs.
Darling
primera
firstheardofPeterwhenshewastidyingupherchildren’sminds.Itisthenightlycustomofevery
buena
goodmotherafterherchildrenareasleeptorummageintheirmindsy
andputthingsstraightforsiguiente
nextmorning,repackingintotheirproperplacesthemuchos
manyarticlesthathavewanderedduringthedía
day.Ifyoucouldkeepawake(butof
supuesto
courseyoucan’t)youwouldverías
seeyourownmotherdoingesto
this,andyouwouldfinditmuy
veryinterestingtowatchher.Itisquite
como
liketidyingupdrawers.You
fuera
wouldseeheronherknees,Iexpect,lingeringhumorouslyoveralgunos
someofyourcontents,wonderingwhereontierra
earthyouhadpickedthisthingup,haciendo
makingdiscoveriessweetandnotsosweet,pressingthistohercheekassi
ifitwereasniceasun
akitten,andhurriedlystowingthatfuera
outofsight.Whenyou
despiertas
wakeinthemorning,thenaughtinessy
andevilpassionswithwhichyoufuiste
wenttobedhavebeenfoldedupsmally
andplacedatthebottomofyourmente
mindandonthetop,beautifullyaired,arespreadoutyourprettierthoughts,readyforyoutopongas
puton.Idon’tknowwhetheryou
has
haveeverseenamapofaperson’smente
mind.Doctorssometimesdrawmapsofotherpartsofyou,
y
andyourownmapcanvolverse
becomeintenselyinteresting,butcatchthemtratando
tryingtodrawamapofun
achild’smind,whichisnotsólo
onlyconfused,butkeepsgoingroundtodo
allthetime.Therearezigzaglinesonit,justlikeyourtemperatureonacard,
y
andtheseareprobablyroadsintheisland,fortheNeverlandissiempre
alwaysmoreorlessanisland,con
withastonishingsplashesofcolouraquí
hereandthere,andcoralreefsy
andrakish-lookingcraftintheoffing,y
andsavagesandlonelylairs,y
andgnomeswhoaremostlytailors,y
andcavesthroughwhicharivercorre
runs,andprinceswithsixelderbrothers,y
andahutfastgoingtodecay,y
andoneverysmalloldladycon
withahookednose.Itwouldbe
un
aneasymapifthatweretodo
all,butthereisalsoprimer
firstdayatschool,religion,fathers,theroundpond,needle-work,murders,hangings,verbseso
thattakethedative,chocolatepuddingdía
day,gettingintobraces,sayninety-nine,three-penceforpullingfuera
outyourtoothyourself,andsoon,y
andeitherthesearepartoftheislando
ortheyareanothermapmuestra
showingthrough,anditistodo
allratherconfusing,especiallyasnada
nothingwillstandstill.Of
supuesto
coursetheNeverlandsvaryagooddeal.John’s,forinstance,
tenía
hadalagoonwithflamingoesflyingsobre
overitatwhichJohnwasdisparando
shooting,whileMichael,whowasmuy
verysmall,hadaflamingocon
withlagoonsflyingoverit.John
vivía
livedinaboatturnedupsidedownonla
thesands,Michaelinawigwam,Wendyinacasa
houseofleavesdeftlysewntogether.Johnhad
no
nofriends,Michaelhadfriendsatnoche
night,Wendyhadapetwolfforsakenbyitsparents,pero
butonthewholetheNeverlandshaveafamiliar
familyresemblance,andiftheystoodstillinarowyoupodría
couldsayofthemthattheyhaveeachother’snose,y
andsoforth.Onthesemagicshores
niños
childrenatplayareforeverbeachingtheircoracles.We
también
toohavebeenthere;we
podemos
canstillhearthesoundofthesurf,aunque
thoughweshalllandnomore.Of
todas
alldelectableislandstheNeverlandisthesnuggesty
andmostcompact,notlargey
andsprawly,youknow,withtediousdistancesentre
betweenoneadventureandanother,pero
butnicelycrammed.Whenyou
juega
playatitbydaycon
withthechairsandtable-cloth,itisnotinthemínimo
leastalarming,butinthedos
twominutesbeforeyougotodormir
sleepitbecomesveryreal.Eso
Thatiswhytherearenight-lights.Occasionallyinhertravels
a través de
throughherchildren’smindsMrs.Darlingencontraba
foundthingsshecouldnotentender
understand,andofthesequitethemás
mostperplexingwasthewordPeter.She
sabía
knewofnoPeter,andyethewasaquí
hereandthereinJohny
andMichael’sminds,whileWendy’sbegantobescrawledtodas
alloverwithhim.The
nombre
namestoodoutinbolderlettersthananyoftheotherwords,y
andasMrs.Darlinggazedshesentía
feltthatithadanoddlycockyappearance.“Yes,heisrathercocky,”Wendyadmitted
con
withregret.Hermotherhadbeenquestioning
su
her.“Butwhoishe,mypet?”
“HeisPeterPan,you
sabes
know,mother.”AtfirstMrs.Darlingdidnot
sabía
know,butafterthinkingbackintoherchildhoodshesólo
justrememberedaPeterPanwhowasdecía
saidtolivewiththefairies.Therewereoddstories
sobre
abouthim,asthatwhenniños
childrendiedhewentpartoflos
thewaywiththem,sothattheyshouldnotbefrightened.She
había
hadbelievedinhimatthemomento
time,butnowthatshewasmarriedy
andfullofsenseshebastante
quitedoubtedwhethertherewasanytal
suchperson.“Besides,”shesaidtoWendy,“hewouldbegrownupbythistime.”
“Oh
no
no,heisn’tgrownup,”Wendyassuredherconfidently,“andheisjusto
justmysize.”Shemeantthathewashersizein
tanto
bothmindandbody;shedidn’t
sabía
knowhowsheknew,shesólo
justknewit.Mrs.
DarlingconsultedMr.Darling,
pero
buthesmiledpooh-pooh.“Markmywords,”he
dijo
said,“itissomenonsenseNanaha
hasbeenputtingintotheirheads;justo
justthesortofideaun
adogwouldhave.Leaveit
paz
alone,anditwillblowover.”Pero
Butitwouldnotblowovery
andsoonthetroublesomeboydio
gaveMrs.Darlingquiteashock.Niños
Childrenhavethestrangestadventuressin
withoutbeingtroubledbythem.Forinstance,they
pueden
mayremembertomention,asemana
weekaftertheeventhappened,thatcuando
whentheywereinthewoodtheyhabían
hadmettheirdeadfathery
andhadagamewithél
him.Itwasinthiscasual
manera
waythatWendyonemorninghizo
madeadisquietingrevelation.Some
fueron
leavesofatreehadbeenencontrado
foundonthenurseryfloor,whichcertainlywerenotallí
therewhenthechildrenwenttocama
bed,andMrs.Darlingwaspuzzlingoverthemcuando
whenWendysaidwithatolerantsmile:.“Ido
creo
believeitisthatPeteragain!”“Whateverdoyou
decir
mean,Wendy?”“Itissonaughtyofhimnottowipehisfeet,”Wendy
dijo
said,sighing.Shewasatidy
niña
child.Sheexplainedinquite
una
amatter-of-factwaythatshepensaba
thoughtPetersometimescametothenurseryinthenoche
nightandsatonthefootofhercama
bedandplayedonhispipestoher.Unfortunatelyshe
nunca
neverwoke,soshedidn’tsabía
knowhowsheknew,shesólo
justknew.“Whatnonsenseyou
hablas
talk,precious.Noonecangetinto
la
thehousewithoutknocking.”“Ithinkhecomesinby
la
thewindow,”shesaid.“My
amor
love,itisthreefloorsup.”“Werenottheleavesatthefootofthewindow,mother?”
Itwasquite
cierto
true;theleaveshadbeen
encontrado
foundverynearthewindow.Mrs.
Darlingdidnot
sabía
knowwhattothink,forittodo
allseemedsonaturaltoWendythatyoupodía
couldnotdismissitbydiciendo
sayingshehadbeendreaming.“Mychild,”
la
themothercried,“whydidyounotdijiste
tellmeofthisbefore?”“Iforgot,”
dijo
saidWendylightly.Shewasina
prisa
hurrytogetherbreakfast.Oh,surelyshe
debe
musthavebeendreaming.But,on
las
theotherhand,therewerelas
theleaves.Mrs.Darlingexaminedthem
muy
verycarefully;theywereskeletonleaves,
pero
butshewassuretheydidnotvenían
comefromanytreethatgrewinEngland.Shecrawledaboutthefloor,peeringatit
con
withacandleformarksofastrangefoot.Sherattledthepokerupthechimney
y
andtappedthewalls.Sheletdownatapefrom
la
thewindowtothepavement,y
anditwasasheerdropofthirtyfeet,sin
withoutsomuchasaspouttoclimbupby.CertainlyWendy
había
hadbeendreaming.ButWendy
había
hadnotbeendreaming,astheverysiguiente
nextnightshowed,thenightonwhichtheextraordinaryadventuresofestos
thesechildrenmaybesaidtohabía
havebegun.Onthenightwe
hablamos
speakofallthechildrenwereuna vez
oncemoreinbed.It
sucedió
happenedtobeNana’seveningoff,y
andMrs.Darlinghadbathedthemy
andsungtothemtilluno
onebyonetheyhaddejaron
letgoherhandandslidawayintothelandofsueño
sleep.Allwerelookingsosafe
y
andcosythatshesmiledatherfearsahora
nowandsatdowntranquillybythefuego
firetosew.Itwas
algo
somethingforMichael,whoonhisbirthdaywasgettingintoshirts.The
fuego
firewaswarm,however,andthenurserydimlyiluminado
litbythreenight-lights,andpresentlythesewingyacía
layonMrs.Darling’slap.Thenher
cabeza
headnodded,oh,sogracefully.Shewasasleep.
Mira
Lookatthefourofthem,Wendyy
andMichaeloverthere,Johnaquí
here,andMrs.Darlingbythefuego
fire.Thereshouldhavebeen
una
afourthnight-light.Whileshe
dormía
sleptshehadadream.She
soñó
dreamtthattheNeverlandhadcomedemasiado
toonearandthatastrangeniño
boyhadbrokenthroughfromit.He
visto
didnotalarmher,forshepensó
thoughtshehadseenhimantes
beforeinthefacesofmanywomenwhohaveno
nochildren.Perhapsheistobe
encuentre
foundinthefacesofalgunas
somemothersalso.Butinher
sueño
dreamhehadrentthepelícula
filmthatobscurestheNeverland,y
andshesawWendyandJohny
andMichaelpeepingthroughthegap.The
sueño
dreambyitselfwouldhavebeenatrifle,pero
butwhileshewasdreamingthewindowofthenurseryblewabrió
open,andaboydiddroponthefloor.Hewasaccompaniedby
una
astrangelight,nobiggerthanyourfist,whichdartedaboutla
theroomlikealivingthingy
andIthinkitmusthaber
havebeenthislightthatwakenedMrs.Darling.She
comenzó
startedupwithacry,y
andsawtheboy,andsomehowshesupo
knewatoncethathewasPeterPan.Si
IfyouorIorWendyhadbeenallí
thereweshouldhaveseenthathewasmuy
verylikeMrs.Darling’skiss.Hewas
un
alovelyboy,cladinskeletonleavesy
andthejuicesthatoozeoutoftreespero
butthemostentrancingthingabouthimwasthathetenía
hadallhisfirstteeth.ChapterII.
La
THESHADOWMrs.
Darlingscreamed,
y
and,asifinanswertouna
abell,thedooropened,y
andNanaentered,returnedfromhereveningfuera
out.Shegrowledandsprangat
la
theboy,wholeaptlightlya través de
throughthewindow.AgainMrs.Darlingscreamed,
esta
thistimeindistressforhim,forshepensó
thoughthewaskilled,andshecorrió
randownintothestreettolookforhispequeño
littlebody,butitwasnotallí
there;andshelookedup,
y
andintheblacknightshepodía
couldseenothingbutwhatshepensaba
thoughtwasashootingstar.She
regresó
returnedtothenursery,andencontró
foundNanawithsomethinginhermouth,whichprovedtobela
theboy’sshadow.Asheleaptat
la
thewindowNanahadcloseditquickly,demasiado
toolatetocatchhim,pero
buthisshadowhadnothadtiempo
timetogetout;slamwent
la
thewindowandsnappeditoff.You
puede
maybesureMrs.Darlingexaminedla
theshadowcarefully,butitwasquitela
theordinarykind.Nanahad
no
nodoubtofwhatwasthemejor
bestthingtodowithesta
thisshadow.Shehungitoutat
la
thewindow,meaning“Heisseguro
suretocomebackforit;letusputit
donde
wherehecangetiteasilysin
withoutdisturbingthechildren.”ButunfortunatelyMrs.Darling
podía
couldnotleaveithangingoutatthewindow,itlookedsolikethewashingy
andloweredthewholetoneofthecasa
house.ShethoughtofshowingittoMr.Darling,
pero
buthewastottingupwintergreat-coatsforJohny
andMichael,withawettowelaroundhiscabeza
headtokeephisbraindespejado
clear,anditseemedashametotroublehim;besides,she
sabía
knewexactlywhathewoulddiría
say:“Itallcomesof
tener
havingadogforanurse.”Shedecidedtoroll
la
theshadowupandputitawaycarefullyinun
adrawer,untilafittingopportunityllegó
camefortellingherhusband.Ahme!
La
Theopportunitycameaweekdespués
later,onthatnever-to-be-forgottenFriday.Of
supuesto
courseitwasaFriday.“Ioughtto
haber
havebeenspeciallycarefulonun
aFriday,”sheusedtodecir
sayafterwardstoherhusband,whiletal vez
perhapsNanawasontheotro
othersideofher,holdingherhand.“No,no,”Mr.Darling
siempre
alwayssaid,“Iamresponsibleforitall.Yo
I,GeorgeDarling,didit.Meaculpa,meaculpa.”
Hehadhad
una
aclassicaleducation.Theysatthus
noche
nightafternightrecallingthatfatalFriday,tillcada
everydetailofitwasstampedontheirbrainsy
andcamethroughontheotro
othersidelikethefacesonuna
abadcoinage.“IfonlyI
hubiera
hadnotacceptedthatinvitationtodineat27,”Mrs.Darlingdijo
said.“IfonlyIhadnotpouredmymedicineintoNana’sbowl,”
dijo
saidMr.Darling.“IfonlyI
hubiera
hadpretendedtolikethemedicine,”waswhatNana’sweteyesdecían
said.“Mylikingforparties,George.”
“Myfatalgiftofhumour,dearest.”
“Mytouchinessabouttrifles,
querido
dearmasterandmistress.”Then
uno
oneormoreofthemwouldromperían
breakdownaltogether;Nanaatthe
pensar
thought,“It’strue,it’strue,theyoughtnottohaber
havehadadogforun
anurse.”ManyatimeitwasMr.Darlingwho
puso
putthehandkerchieftoNana’seyes.“Thatfiend!”
Mr.Darling
era
wouldcry,andNana’sbarkwastheechoofit,pero
butMrs.DarlingneverupbraidedPeter;therewas
algo
somethingintheright-handcornerofhermouththatquería
wantedhernottocallPeternames.Theywould
sentaban
sitthereintheemptynursery,recallingfondlycada
everysmallestdetailofthatdreadfulevening.