"So what we got to do first, Mummy says," Lyneth was saying as she laid out several blank sheets of paper and tipped the contents of her pencilcase all over them, "is we got to make a decision on a platform." She looked at Peter expectantly. "Like, what we promise to do if the adults let us in charge."
"What's a platform?" Peter asked, as he picked through the contents of Lyneth's pencil case for a few favorite colors. He wasn't even quite sure what an election was, until Lyneth had explained it. Once upon a time, he'd been known as Peter Pan - undisputed leader of the Lost Boys and undeclared Prince of Neverland. How hard could it be to be Governor of Rhy'Din"
"What we say we're gonna do if they put us in charge," Lyneth said again, not quite as patiently as she should have done, but this was a learning curve. "Like ....free cake on Fridays, and new playgrounds in the parks, and stuff."
"Oh!" Peter exclaimed, as understanding dawned on his young face, and he beamed a smile back at her. "I made all the rules in Neverland," he said, still having a little trouble learning how to be modest, though he was obedient enough. "Christmas in summer!" he declared. "Milk and cookies for breakfast!"
"Oooh, I like two Christmasses," Lyneth agreed, lying down to write this laboriously on one of the pieces of paper. Krizmuss in summer ... "What about people who do bad things have to clean the roads and stuff like that?"
"Naw, that's too easy. Make 'em do the laundry! Mama says that's the worst chore ever. She says it never ends!" Peter pointed out, as he took up a green crayon - because green was his favorite color - and marked this down on another piece of paper. Bad peepl do lawndree. Spelling was arguably not his best subject in school.
"No homework," Lyneth then piped up. She was just starting to get homework, however gentle it was, from school, and distinctly disliked the whole idea of it. That was the next thing she put down on her list. Less skool, no homewuk.
Peter wrinkled his nose at the idea of homework. He didn't think the two words should be put together at all. "No chores either," he suggested, though he was wiling enough to help out at home when asked. "How do you spell chores?" he asked, wrinkling his brows with his crayon at the ready.
"Juh ah wubble-you suh," Lyneth told him confidently, even if this was completely wrong. "Free cake on special days, like birthdays." Out came the purple pen again. Free cake on burfdays.
"Everyone gets cake on their birthdays, Lynnie," Peter pointed out, though he had never ever had a birthday cake until coming to Rhy'Din and picking Ashlyn and James for his parents. Peter scribbled down what Lyneth had told him, not realizing he was spelling "jaws" instead of "chores", which would likely make no sense to anyone but those who were fluent in Lyneth-ese.
"No, everyone gets free cake on someone's birthday," she insisted. "Like, like, if it's your birthday at school, everyone at school gets free cake."
"Oh! That's a lotta cake!" Peter said, not really considering who would supply said cake or the fact that they'd probably be having cake everyday. But Rhy'Din was a magical place, so he didn't worry about it too much. "No bedtime!" he said, scribbling that one down, too, to the best of his ability at spelling. "And crackers in bed!"
"And, and, and ....every little boy and girl gets a mummy and a daddy, or two daddies, or two mummies," Lyneth added, perhaps getting a little carried away at this point. Their running platform was getting long.
"No more orphans!" Peter declared with vigor, waving a crayon in the air, instead of a fist. His Lost Boys had been made up of a mix of orphans and children who either didn't feel wanted or who'd been abandoned. He vaguely remembered what that felt like and didn't want anyone to feel that way again.
"Yes!" Down went the pen again. No more orfuns. Lyneth chewed the pen-lid thoughtfully. "What else?" she asked, looking over at Peter. This running for Governor business was a lot more complicated than she had thought, but if Maggie could do it, then so could they.
"Um ..." Peter mused thoughtfully. There were a lot of things he'd change if he could, but even if they won the election, it was unlikely they could change everything. "We should do something to make Rhy'Din safer from bad people," he suggested, though he wasn't sure how. "And every kid should learn how to fly!" he added, a little more light-heartedly.
"We could, we could, um ..." Lynnie considered for a long moment. "We could ask the fairies to watch people, and if they do bad things, then, then ....we make them stop?"
"I dunno, Lynnie," Peter said, with a worried frown. "Maybe. I mean, there's rules about doing bad stuff, isn't there?" he asked, uncertainly. "Oh, I just thought of something else!" he exclaimed, easily distracted by another thought. He put crayon to paper without even asking her permission: No bull-eez!
"Well, if you do a bad thing, even to a bad person, then you are a bad person, but not everyone knows who the bad people are, so maybe if you do a bad thing, your name goes on a list outside the Guv-ner's office so everyone knows you are a bad person?" she suggested. "Bad people can't be bad if other people aren't talking to them."
"Okay," Peter agreed, though he wasn't sure how to add that to their platform. After all, being governor wasn't all that powerful of a position, but they didn't know that. "Maybe we should ask your Mom or Dad for ideas," he said, uncertainly.
"No, 'cos we're doin' it," Lynnie insisted, frowning. "There is all the rules for being bad and stuff, we don't have to do anything 'bout that. We can just do fun things!"
Peter considered that a moment before nodding his head in agreement. "Okay," he said, scratching out the idea about No Bullying. After all, that was part of the rules for being bad, and they were only interested in making Rhy'Din more fun.
"What's a platform?" Peter asked, as he picked through the contents of Lyneth's pencil case for a few favorite colors. He wasn't even quite sure what an election was, until Lyneth had explained it. Once upon a time, he'd been known as Peter Pan - undisputed leader of the Lost Boys and undeclared Prince of Neverland. How hard could it be to be Governor of Rhy'Din"
"What we say we're gonna do if they put us in charge," Lyneth said again, not quite as patiently as she should have done, but this was a learning curve. "Like ....free cake on Fridays, and new playgrounds in the parks, and stuff."
"Oh!" Peter exclaimed, as understanding dawned on his young face, and he beamed a smile back at her. "I made all the rules in Neverland," he said, still having a little trouble learning how to be modest, though he was obedient enough. "Christmas in summer!" he declared. "Milk and cookies for breakfast!"
"Oooh, I like two Christmasses," Lyneth agreed, lying down to write this laboriously on one of the pieces of paper. Krizmuss in summer ... "What about people who do bad things have to clean the roads and stuff like that?"
"Naw, that's too easy. Make 'em do the laundry! Mama says that's the worst chore ever. She says it never ends!" Peter pointed out, as he took up a green crayon - because green was his favorite color - and marked this down on another piece of paper. Bad peepl do lawndree. Spelling was arguably not his best subject in school.
"No homework," Lyneth then piped up. She was just starting to get homework, however gentle it was, from school, and distinctly disliked the whole idea of it. That was the next thing she put down on her list. Less skool, no homewuk.
Peter wrinkled his nose at the idea of homework. He didn't think the two words should be put together at all. "No chores either," he suggested, though he was wiling enough to help out at home when asked. "How do you spell chores?" he asked, wrinkling his brows with his crayon at the ready.
"Juh ah wubble-you suh," Lyneth told him confidently, even if this was completely wrong. "Free cake on special days, like birthdays." Out came the purple pen again. Free cake on burfdays.
"Everyone gets cake on their birthdays, Lynnie," Peter pointed out, though he had never ever had a birthday cake until coming to Rhy'Din and picking Ashlyn and James for his parents. Peter scribbled down what Lyneth had told him, not realizing he was spelling "jaws" instead of "chores", which would likely make no sense to anyone but those who were fluent in Lyneth-ese.
"No, everyone gets free cake on someone's birthday," she insisted. "Like, like, if it's your birthday at school, everyone at school gets free cake."
"Oh! That's a lotta cake!" Peter said, not really considering who would supply said cake or the fact that they'd probably be having cake everyday. But Rhy'Din was a magical place, so he didn't worry about it too much. "No bedtime!" he said, scribbling that one down, too, to the best of his ability at spelling. "And crackers in bed!"
"And, and, and ....every little boy and girl gets a mummy and a daddy, or two daddies, or two mummies," Lyneth added, perhaps getting a little carried away at this point. Their running platform was getting long.
"No more orphans!" Peter declared with vigor, waving a crayon in the air, instead of a fist. His Lost Boys had been made up of a mix of orphans and children who either didn't feel wanted or who'd been abandoned. He vaguely remembered what that felt like and didn't want anyone to feel that way again.
"Yes!" Down went the pen again. No more orfuns. Lyneth chewed the pen-lid thoughtfully. "What else?" she asked, looking over at Peter. This running for Governor business was a lot more complicated than she had thought, but if Maggie could do it, then so could they.
"Um ..." Peter mused thoughtfully. There were a lot of things he'd change if he could, but even if they won the election, it was unlikely they could change everything. "We should do something to make Rhy'Din safer from bad people," he suggested, though he wasn't sure how. "And every kid should learn how to fly!" he added, a little more light-heartedly.
"We could, we could, um ..." Lynnie considered for a long moment. "We could ask the fairies to watch people, and if they do bad things, then, then ....we make them stop?"
"I dunno, Lynnie," Peter said, with a worried frown. "Maybe. I mean, there's rules about doing bad stuff, isn't there?" he asked, uncertainly. "Oh, I just thought of something else!" he exclaimed, easily distracted by another thought. He put crayon to paper without even asking her permission: No bull-eez!
"Well, if you do a bad thing, even to a bad person, then you are a bad person, but not everyone knows who the bad people are, so maybe if you do a bad thing, your name goes on a list outside the Guv-ner's office so everyone knows you are a bad person?" she suggested. "Bad people can't be bad if other people aren't talking to them."
"Okay," Peter agreed, though he wasn't sure how to add that to their platform. After all, being governor wasn't all that powerful of a position, but they didn't know that. "Maybe we should ask your Mom or Dad for ideas," he said, uncertainly.
"No, 'cos we're doin' it," Lynnie insisted, frowning. "There is all the rules for being bad and stuff, we don't have to do anything 'bout that. We can just do fun things!"
Peter considered that a moment before nodding his head in agreement. "Okay," he said, scratching out the idea about No Bullying. After all, that was part of the rules for being bad, and they were only interested in making Rhy'Din more fun.