Once upon a time

I recently watched "Finding Neverland" on DVD. I cried buckets. After I watched the movie, I watched the special features -- my favorite thing about DVD's is the special features. In one of the "making of" thingies, they discussed the line that Peter says that is unfailingly perfect. "Do you believe in fairies? If you believe, clap your hands."

Last year, I had a layout published with my Peter Pan story, and the part about how that line always worked actually prompted some readers of the magazine to write to me. It's a universal thing. It seems to affect people, young and old, regardless of their preconceptions about the play or fairies or pirates or Lost Boys. It sneaks up on you and forces you to believe for a few minutes. And I have to say that as someone who's once said that line in front of an audience, it creates the most indelible impression.

Turns out that -- as J.M. Barrie wrote it -- that line has worked for every actress (or actor, I guess) who's ever uttered it. The first performance of the play prompted the first actress portraying Peter Pan to run offstage, crying over the audience response.

It's that kind of line.

By the way, don't go 'round looking up J.M. Barrie's biography online. Don't read about the boys who inspired the play. It's all outrageously depressing. I would prefer to believe that everyone always lives happily ever after.

Even poisoned fairies.