Peter
I’m warning you.
Jack
Ooh, I’m scared. Wants to have a bit of fun for a change.
George
Stop it you two.
Sylvia
Jack! Peter.
James
I’m terribly sorry.
Sylvia
Oh, it wasn’t your fault.
James
Afraid it might have been.
Sylvia
To be honest, I’m just happy you got him to join in the game.
James
Oh yes, I was a tremendous success.
Sylvia
Mr Barrie, it’s more than I’ve been able to achieve. Peter’s a different boy since his father died. I don’t think he’s even had a good cry about it.
James
Well, grief affects us all in different ways, doesn’t it?
Sylvia
Yes it does.
James
Oh, by the way, my wife would like to invite you and the boys over to dinner, erm, your mother as well.
Sylvia
Oh, how kind, that would be lovely.
Mary
Well, don’t you all look lovely in your little suits? And Mrs DuMaurier, what a shame it is that we’ve not met until this evening.
Mrs Du Maurier
How kind of you to say so.
Mary
Not at all. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to a charity, or a. . . social event, and seen your name listed among the Stagehands. It’s the very thing I would love to do myself, if I could just find the time.
Mrs Du Maurier
My problem is in finding the time to do everything else. At the moment I’m running two households. Sylvia believes she can get by without a housekeeper.
Sylvia
Mother!
Mrs Du Maurier
My house is quite large enough for us all, but the idea of living with me seems. . .
Sylvia
Not now please mother.
George
We help her keep the house in order.
Mrs Du Maurier
Don’t interrupt, George. Where did you get your manners?
George
Sorry, Grandmother.
Sylvia
Well. . .
Mrs Du Maurier
Mr Barrie, I understand you’ve become playmates with my grandchildren.
James
Oh, they indulge me really.
Sylvia
On the contrary. The other day we took to an exploration of Darkest Africa in our garden. Till Mr Barrie was taken ill by the bite of a. . . What was it?
James
Tsetse fly. Quite horrible.
Jack
Yes, and he swelled to the size of a hippopotamus.
Michael
Fingers like sausages!
George
And we had to float on him down the river, like he was a. . . a great bloated raft.
Jack
But the fishing was good, wasn’t it?
Mary
James. Please.
James
Sorry. Bye.
Mrs Du Maurier
Thank you so much.
Mary
Bye.
Mrs Du Maurier
Pleasant.
Mary
A lovely evening.
George
Bye.
James
Thank you. Night.
Mary
Night.
George
Night.
Mary
Well, that was a disaster.
Mrs Du Maurier
Painful, utterly painful to see.
Sylvia
Don’t know what you mean, I had a lovely time.
Mary
Oh, James, please, “My problem is in finding the time to do everything else.” I’ve never felt so judged in my life.
James
Judged? What do you mean?
Mrs Du Maurier
A grown man, for heavens sake, playing all day long with children?
Mary
In any case, I hardly think they’ll be the social contact we’d hoped for.
James
I hadn’t really thought of them that way, just enjoy their company.
Sylvia
He’s been a good friend to us, mother.
Mrs Du Maurier
Yes, but what does that mean?
Mary
Surely you don’t intend to keep spending your afternoons with those children, do you?
James
So today, ladies and gentlemen, using only the wind and his own physical strength, George Llewellyn Davies will test the very limits of the atmosphere using his tethered craft. Go on, boy.
Sylvia
Go on, George.
Jack
You’re gonna break it, George.
Michael
George, stop.
George
Just needs a bit more speed.
Michael
I want to do it.
James
Hold off a bit, George. I think it’s in need of a tail.
Sylvia
Oh, wait. Here, James, this will do.
James
That’s a good idea.
George
No, it’s not heavy enough.
Michael
I want to do it.
Jack
Are you coming, Peter?
James
Porthos!
Sylvia
It’ll work this time.
James
Porthos. Give us your bell, that’s good. Here. Michael?
Michael
Yeah?
James
Now, would you like to give it a go?
Michael
Yes please.
Jack
Oh, he can’t run fast enough.
James
‘Course he can.
Sylvia
Let him try, Jack.
James
George, you hold the kite.
Sylvia
George, come on boys lets go back up to the top. Michael. Come on, Peter. Right, George, hold it up. Darling, you’ve got to run now, ready? Ready? Run. Run, Michael.
Jack
Run. Oh, I told you this wasn’t going to work.
Peter
I don’t think he’s fast enough.
James
It’s not going to work if no-one believes in him.
Sylvia
Now give him a chance.
James
Michael, go back to your starting position.
Sylvia
Come on, darling, we’ll try again.
James
George, you take the kite.
George
If it’ll help.
James
Now, this time, I don’t want a flea’s breath of doubt. We must get that kite in the air.
Sylvia
Right, look I think I feel a bit more breeze.
James
Ready, Michael? Go on, go on.
Jack
You can do it, Michael.
Sylvia
You’ve got to run, Michael, run, run.
James
That’s it!
Boys
Yeah.
Jack
You did it. Keep running.
Peter
What are you writing about now?
James
Oh, just making notes. I’m never really certain what they’re about till I’ve read over later.
Peter
Something about the kite?
James
Now why do you ask that?
Peter
I don’t know. If I were a writer, I think I could tell a whole story about flying the kite today.
James
Perhaps you should then, that’s a fantastic idea. Why not give it a try?
Jack
I hope you haven’t been talking about anything too serious with this one.
Peter
No, talking a bit of silliness really.
Michael
Can we have him for supper?
Sylvia
Have him to stay for supper, Michael, we’re not cannibals. You are welcome, you know.
Mrs Du Maurier
Sylvia, Mr Barrie, where have you been?
Sylvia
Erm, flying a kite, mother, and having a wonderful time. I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were coming this evening.
Mrs Du Maurier
No? Well apparently you forgot then. I’ve brought some supper along for us all.
Sylvia
You didn’t need to do that.
Mrs Du Maurier
Well, there’s no food in the house, is there? Really, you don’t need to wait till the cupboard is bare!
Sylvia
Please, Mother. Come on, darling.
Mrs Du Maurier
Wipe feet. There’s been enough tracking round here. George, I thought you said you were going to help your mother take care of the house? Coat, Michael, please. Yes. And. Coat hanger. Very good.
Michael
Will we see you tomorrow?
Mrs Du Maurier
No, you’re going to be helping round the house tomorrow.
Sylvia
Mother, there is absolutely no need for this.
Mrs Du Maurier
You can’t do everything yourself. Look at you, you’re horribly flush. Wearing yourself out.
Sylvia
Thank you for a lovely day, James. Excuse me, mother.
Mrs Du Maurier
So, from tomorrow we’re going to have some discipline around here. And not one of you will escape.
Sarah
Good evening, Mr Barrie.
James
Good evening, Sarah.
Emma
Good evening, Mr Barrie.
James
Evening, Emma.
Mary
You missed supper.
James
Perhaps I’ll have something later, I’ve a bit of writing I want to do.
Mary
Are you sure? It was a lovely meal. Duck. Sarah let Emma cook this evening.
James
Is that right? Listen, what would you think of loaning Emma out to the Davies for the occasional evening? They don’t actually have a cook.
Mary
I take it Mrs Davies enjoyed the meal she had here?
James
I imagine she could use an extra hand now and again, that’s all.
Mary
Huh? That’s very charitable of you. Perhaps we can send over some of the silver as well. And, what about linen? I wouldn’t be surprised if some of hers was looking a bit shabby.
James
Please Mary, stop.
Mary
Maybe she can send over some of the things we’ve run short on. . . My husband for example. We rarely see him in this house.
James
That hasn’t seemed to bother you for some time now. Lords and ladies, King Michael, the benevolent. Protector of the Realm.
Peter
That sceptre’s made of wood.
James
Yes, well, we dream on a budget here, don’t we?
Peter
No, I mean, everyone thinks it’s made of gold, but it’s just an old hunk of wood.
James
The means to an end, Peter. What we’ve done is taken an old hunk of wood, and transformed it for all the world to see, into the most magnificent gold. Here you go.
Peter
What’s this?
James
All great writers, begin with a good leather binding, and a respectable title. Open it.
Peter
The Boy Castaways, being a record of the terrible adventures of the brothers Davies, faithfully set forth by Peter Llewellyn Davies.
James
Kipling would swallow is own ear for a title like that.
Michael
Stab him George, you can do it.
Peter
I still have no idea what to write.
James
Write about anything. Write about your family. Write about the talking whale.
Peter
What whale?
James
The one that’s trapped in your imagination and desperate to get out. Come sit down. I have actually begun writing about the adventures of the Davies brothers myself.
Peter
A play?
James
A play indeed. Yes. And I would be extremely honoured if you would allow me the use of your name for one of the characters.
Peter
I don’t know what to say.
James
Say yes. Good man.
Peter
I won’t go to bed. I won’t. I won’t.
Sylvia
You should have been in bed half an hour ago young man. I’m afraid I’ve grown hopelessly lax in my discipline.
James
Nonsense, young boys should never be sent to bed, they always wake up a day older. And then before you know it, they’re grown.
Sylvia
Their father would have been horrified, ‘course he would never have allowed a dog in the house either. He’d’ve tied him up in the yard. Right, last one in bed’s a hairy toad. You mean a lot to my boys, you know. Especially Peter.
James
It seems to me that Peter is trying to grow up too fast. I imagine he thinks that grown-ups don’t hurt as deeply as children do when they. . . when they lose someone. I lost my elder brother David when I was just Peter’s age. And it nearly destroyed my mother.
Sylvia
James, I’m so sorry. Your poor mother. I can’t imagine losing a child.
James
Aye. She didn’t get out of bed for months, she wouldn’t eat. I tried everything to make her happy, but. . . she only wanted David. So, one day, I dressed myself in David’s clothing, and went to her.
Sylvia
You must have frightened her to death.
James
I think it was the first time she ever, actually. . . looked at me. And that was the end of the boy James. I used to say to myself, he’d gone to Neverland.
Sylvia
Where?
James
Neverland. It’s a wonderful place. I’ve not spoken about this before to anyone. Ever.
Sylvia
What’s it like, Neverland?
James
One day I’ll take you there.
Charles
Wait a minute, James, he’s a fairy?
James
Er, no. He’s the irrepressible spirit of youth. Tinkerbell’s the fairy.
Charles
Tinkerbell’s a woman?
James
She’s not a woman, she’s a fairy. He is a boy who stays young forever.
Charles
James, how does anyone stay young for ever? It doesn’t work.
James
He just believes, Charles, he imagines life the way he wants it to be. And he believes in it long enough and hard enough that it all appears before him. Do you see?
Charles
James, I’m your friend. You’re coming off a flop. You have a man who is a fairy. . .
James
No, boy.
Charles
Yes, okay. And this girl calls herself Tinker. And you have a pirate ship on stage, surrounded by tons and tons of water. That’s a lot of water.
James
It’s a lot of water.
Charles
Yes, and that’s a lot of money.
James
It is, but we can, we can fake the water.
Charles
Oh well, if we can fake the water then I’m sure your play will be a hit. You know what I think I’ll do? I think I’ll imagine life the way I want it to be. . .
James
Long enough and hard enough.
Charles
Yes, and then the money for the play will appear magically before me.
James
That’s right, that’s it.
Charles
How does the clock wind up inside the crocodile?
James
He swallows it.
Charles
Ah, of course he does.
Man
How was he?
Mary
Well done.
Woman
Thank you.
James
Finally get the courage to invite the boys to a game and we have to suffer this grave humiliation. It’s perfect actually.
Arthur
You spend a good deal of time with them don’t you?
James
Every moment I can spare in fact.
Arthur
I’m glad for you. Mrs Davies’ll be having a good time of it as well. Should be aware though, James, what some people have been saying. Now, mind you, I wouldn’t bring it up if I thought it would pass.
James
Not surprised. What do they say?
Arthur
Very well, that you spend much more time with Mrs Davies than you do with your own wife. She is a widow. And, erm.
James
And a friend. That’s it, nothing more.
Arthur
There have also been questions about, how you spend your time with those boys, and why.
James
That’s outrageous. How could anyone think something so evil, they’re children. They’re innocent children. You find a glimmer of happiness in this world, there’s always someone who wants to destroy it. No. Thank you, Arthur, but I don’t think many will give credence to such nonsense.
Arthur
Then why is no-one sitting with them? Once you get a bit of notoriety James, people watch you, and they will look for ways to drag you down.
Sylvia
Are you sure your wife doesn’t object to us taking over your cottage for the summer? James.
James
She doesn’t go there any more.
Sylvia
Really? It’s such a relief to get away. You’ll come and visit I hope.
James
‘Course. Are we in?
Sylvia
Everyone in?
Jack
Can I drive Uncle Jim?
James
Er. . . No. Out of the way or I’ll make haggis of you.
Michael
Get the sheep out the way.
Jack
Are we there yet?
James
Almost. Almost there.
Jack
I can see the cottage! Shall we explore, Michael?
Sylvia
If you’re going outside don’t tear your clothes, please.
James
Would you like to see the rest of it?
Sylvia
Yes.
