English listening practice — Audio Picture Stories — Peter Pan

Chapter one

At Home

All children except one grow up.

They begin to know it after they are two.

And that was when Wendy Darling began to know it.

The Darlings lived in London at Number 14.

Wendy was the oldest. Then came John and little Michael.

The children had a nurse. Their nurse was a big dog named Nana.

Nana’s doghouse was near the children’s room.

When the children cried, she would always wake up.

Nana was a treasure.  Mrs. Darling didn’t know what she would do without her.

The Darlings were a happy family.

That was until Peter Pan came.

One evening, Mrs. Darling tucked the children into bed.

Then she sat by the fire to sew.  Soon, she fell asleep. She had very strange dreams.

She dreamed about Neverland. Suddenly. the window blew open.

There was a boy dressed in a suit of leaves. He dropped to the floor like a cat.

A strange, small light flew beside him.

She wok up suddenly and looked around her room.

She saw the boy from her dreams and screamed. It was Peter Pan!

Down the hall, Nana heard the scream. She ran into the room and tried to jump on Peter.

But he was too quick. The dog could only catch his shadow.

Nana held Peter’s shadow in her mouth. Peter got away. He jumped out of the window.

Mrs. Darling screamed again. She thought the boy had fallen out of the window. She ran down to the street.

He was not there. She looked up into the sky. He wasn’t there either. She only saw a flash of light.

It looked like a shooting star.

Mrs. Darling looked carefully at Nana’s mouth.

«What’s this?» she asked.

It looks like the boy’s shadow. Well, he needs his shadow. He’ll come back for this.

I’ll put it in my dresser drawer.»

Mrs. Darling folded up Peter’s shadow. Then she went to sleep.

A few nights later Mr. and Mrs. Darling were getting ready for a party.

They dressed up in their best clothes.

They were in a hurry to get to the party. They forgot to open the door of the children’s room for Nana.

She was left outside and the children were asleep.

The smallest star in the sky yelled, «Now! Go, Peter!»

A twinkling light flew into the children’s room.

it was a tiny fairy called Tinker Bell.

Then the window blew open. Peter Pen dropped to the floor.

«Tink,»  he whispered. «Do you know where they put mu shadow?»

«In the chest of drawers,» she said.

Her voice sounded like small bells tinkling.

Peter jumped toward the drawers. He dug through them. There was his shadow!

Peter was annoyed with his shadow.

He tried to stick it on with a bar of soap.

That didn’t work. Peter started to cry.

The sound of his crying woke Wendy up.

«Boy,» she said, «why are you crying?

And what are you doing in my room?

And who are you? And…»

«I’m Peter Pen. I’m crying because my shadow won’t stick.»

Wendy took out her needle and thread. She began to sew his shadow back on.

«You’re so wonderful,» said Peter.

«Thank you, Peter. I’d like to give you a kiss,» said Wendy.

«So give it to me.» He opened up his hand.

Wendy realized that Peter didn’t know what a kiss was.

She didn’t want to hurt his feelings. So she gave him a thimble instead.

«I’d like to give you a kiss, too.» Peter gave her an acorn.

«Thank you ,Peter. I’ll put your kiss on a chain and wear it around my neck.»

Wendy looked at him carefully.

«How old are you, Peter?»

» I don’t know. I ran away from home the day I was born.»

«Really?» asked Wendy.

» Why did you do that?»

» I heard my father and mother talking. They were talking about what I would be when I grew up.

But I don’t want to grow up. So I ran away. »

«Where do you live now?» asked Wendy.

«I live with the lost boys in Neverland. The lost boys are children who fell out of their carriages.»

Their mothers and fathers forgot about them. I am their captain. »

«How wonderful! You must have lots of fun with them!»

«Yes, I do. But We’re very lonely. We don’t have any mothers after all.

I wish I had a mother. She could tell me bedtime stories.»

«I know lots of stories,» said Wendy.

Peter sat on the windowsill.

«Why don’t you come with me then?»

You can tell me all of your stories. »

Peter took Wendy by the hand.

«Come, and fly away with me. »

«Peter, I can’t fly. »

«I’ll teach you, come with me. »

«Hmmm, wait a minute, Peter.»

She ran to get her brothers.

«Wake up! Wake up! Peter Pen has come!

He’s going to teach us how to fly!»

John and Michael woke up.

Peter then threw some fairy dust on them.

«Wiggle your shoulders,» he said.

Soon they were all flying!

 

CHAPTER TWO

In Neverland.

«Take the second left, and fly straight until morning.

That’s the way to Neverland,» said Peter.

Peter just said whatever came into his head.

Wendy, Michael and John were flying in their nightclothes.

They followed Peter without question.

Finally, Peter stopped. «There it is,» he said.

The children stood on their tiptoes to see.

Down below them was a beautiful, green island.

It seemed very familiar to them.

Beside them, a million golden arrows flew in the air.

The island grew darker and unfriendly.

«The pirates have spotted us,» said Peter.

At that moment pirates fired their cannon into the sky.

The children all flew in different directions.

Wendy found herself alone with Tinker Bell.

Tinker Bell looked at Wendy with an angry look.

She was jealous of Wendy.

On the island, the lost boys were looking for Peter.

The pirates were looking for the lost boys.

And the Indians were looking for the pirates.

They were moving at the same speed and in the same direction.

So they just kept walking around the island.

The boys were dressed in animal skins.

They were Tootles, Nimbs, Slightly, Curly, and the Twins.

They lived in a home underground.

Each boy had his very own hollow tree for a secret entrance.

This is how they hid from the pirates.

«Look!» cried Nimbs. ‘There’s Tinker Bell.»

The boys looked into the sky.

They could see Tinker Bell and Wendy.

Wendy looked like a big, white bird in her nightgown.

«Hurry!» shouted Tinker Bell.

«Peter wants you to shoot this girl!»

Tootles shot an arrow at Wendy.

It struck her in the chest.

She fell to the ground.

The boys gathered around Wendy.

‘This is no bird,» said Slightly. «It’s a lady!»

Suddenly, they saw Peter flying toward them.

«Great news, boys,» he cried as he dropped to the ground.

«I’ve brought you a mother!»

The lost boys began to shake.

They were very afraid.

«I k-k-killed her,’ said Tootles.

«I shot her with an arrow.»

Peter knelt beside Wendy.

«Look! She is not dead. The arrow struck her acorn. My kiss saved her life!»

«What are we going to do about this girl?» asked Peter.

«I don’t want to move her. We may hurt her.»

«I know what to do,» said Nibs.

«Why don’t we build a house around her?»

«That’s a great idea!» said Peter.

As the lost boys began to build the house, Wendy woke up.

She wasn’t hurt. She had only been sleeping.

Suddenly she began to sing:

«I wish I had a pretty house,

The littlest ever seen.

With funny little red walls

And a roof made of mossy green.»

The lost boys were delighted.

They happily built their house to the rhythm of her song.

It really seemed like they had a mother at last.

 

Meanwhile, the pirates still crept through the night forest.

Captain James Hook, their leader, was the worst of them all.

Hook dressed in velvet and lace. He wore his hair in long, black curls.

He seemed like a real gentleman.

Except there was an iron hook where his right hand should have been!

It was the hook that made him hate Peter.

The captain was talking to his man Smee.

«Peter Pan cut off my arm, and he fed it to a crocodile. The croc thought that I was delicious!

And it has followed me ever since.»

«In a way, it’s kind of a compliment. You are a tasty person,» said Smee.

«Compliment? What compliment?» cried the captain.

«Peter Pan is the reason why that croc follows me around!

That crocodile would have eaten me by now. But it swallowed a clock. Now it ticks.

So when I hear the ticking crocodile, I run away.»

«That clock will stop ticking some day.»

«I know. That’s what I’m afraid of. And it’s all Peter’s fault!

I’ve waited long enough. I want to shake his hand with this!»

The captain sliced the air with his deadly hook.

Suddenly, Hook jumped up.

«This mushroom is hot!»

The captain and his man looked carefully at the mushroom. They noticed smoke rising from it.

The two bad men pulled the mushroom from the ground. The mushroom sat on top of the chimney.

Then they heard the sound of boys talking. The pirates had found the chimney to the boys’ underground home.

Wendy had put the boys to bed. But they were too excited to sleep. They were talking about what had happened that day.

The captain smiled.

‘Let’s go back to the ship,» he said. We’ll bake a big cake with thick green sugar on it. Then we’ll leave it there, and the boys will find it.» He giggled. «They have no mother. They won’t know how dangerous it is to eat a rich cake. When they eat it up, they will die!»

TICK, TICK, TICK, TICK…

«The crocodile!» screamed  Hook.

The captain ran off. Smee was close behind.

 

CHAPTER 3. UNDERGROUND.

Peter found hollow trees for Wendy, John and Michael.

How they loved that special place!

The underground home was one large room. Mushrooms grew out of the floor for stools.

It was the best home in the whole world. Wendy stayed very busy looking after the boys.

She cooked and cleaned all day long. At night, she spent hours telling stories.

She always had something to do, but she had never been happier in her life.

Weeks went by…
Sometimes Wendy thought of her home and her parents. Bot John and Michael had trouble remembering.
Next to their underground home was a lagoon. Imagine a lagoon that sparkles with the colors of
the rainbow. Where the singing of mermaids fills the air. That was the lagoon of Neverland.
It was the children’s favorite place to stay.One day, the children had a picnic on Marooners’ Rock.
Marooners’ Rock was in the middle of the lagoon. After lunch, the boys fell asleep. Slowly, a change
came over the lagoon. The sun slipped away. It became very dark.
Peter could smell danger even in his sleep. He jumped up. «Pirates!» he cried. He quickly woke up the boys. «Jump in the water!» he told them.
Wendy and Peter watched a rowboat approach. The pirates Parker and Smee had a prisoner. «That’s Tiger Lily,» whispered Peter. «She’s the daughter of the Indian chief.» The Indian princess was tied up. The pirates threw her onto the rock. She would drown when the tide rose. But Tiger Lily wasn’t afraid.
«Ahoy there!» Peter called out. His voice sounded just like Hook’s. «Set her free, or you’ll feel my hook.» The pirates did as Peter told them. They untied Tiger Lily, and she quickly swam away.
«Ahoy there!» the pirates heard Hook’s voice again. «Help me into the boat.» But this time it was not peter.It was the real James Hook! «Captain!» said Smee, «are you alright?» «My plan is ruined,» Hook moaned. «The lost boys have found a mother!» «Oh, what a terrible day!» said Starkey. «Captain,» said Smee, «why don’t we kidnap the boy’s mother?» «We could make her be our mother instead.» Hook’s eyes lit up. «What a great idea!»
Suddenly the captain remembered Tiger Lily. ‘Where is the princess?» he demanded. ‘We let her go,» said Starkey, smiling.» Just like you ordered,» said Smee. «What?» Hook yelled. «I never told you to do that!» But Hook could see the truth in the pirates’ eyes.
But who? Was it a ghost? «Spirit that haunts this dark lagoon. Can you hear me?» Peter answered. His voice sounded just like Hook’s. «I hear you!» The pirates were very afraid. ‘Who are you?» Hook demanded, «speak!» «I am Peter Pan.» Hook nearly choked because he was so angry. «Get into the water, Smee!» he yelled, «get him!» Hook and the pirates all jumped in the water. After a while, Hook climbed back onto the rock. Peter did too. Both reached for something to hold onto. Then their hands touched. They looked at each other. Both were very surprised. Captain Hook tried to hit Peter with his hook. But then he heard a sound that terrified him.
TICK TICK TICK TICK
‘The crocodile!» Hook cried out in fear. Then he swam like a fish for his boat.
Peter and Wendy lay on Marooners’ Rock. The needed to go home. But they were both too tired to fly. They also noticed that the water was getting higher and higher. Out in the water, the Never Bird saw that Wendy and Peter were in trouble. The Never Bird was a huge creature that lived in the water. The bird brought her nest over to Wendy and Peter. She gently pu them into her nest and floated them over the water. Then she placed Wendy and Peter onto the ground. They were safe! That evening, the boys talked about the day’s adventures. But the biggest adventure of all was staying up past bedtime.
«Go to bed!» said Wendy at last. And the boys happily obeyed.

CHAPTER FOUR
ON THE JOLLY ROGER

Peter had saved Tiger Lily. Now the Indians would do anything for him. The protected his underground home. Down below, the boys were having their supper. Peter and Wendy were happily looking at them. Soon, it was bedtime. The lost boys asked for their favorite story.
«There once was a gentleman,» Wendy began. ‘His name was Mr. Darling. His wife was Mrs. Darling.» «I knew them,» said John. «At least, I think I knew them.» «They had three children,» Wendy continued. «And a good dog named Nana. One day, the children flew away to Neverland.» «What a good story!» said the First Twin. ‘But think of their poor parents,» said Wendy. They must have missed their children.»
Wendy continued the story, «Their mother loved them very much, and she always left the window open.» «All they had to do was just to fly right in.» «You’re wrong about mothers, Wendy,» said Peter. The boys looked startled. «I used to think like you,» said peter. «I thought my mother would keep the window open forever. So I stayed away for many months. Then one day I flew back. The window was locked. Another boy was in my bed.» The story frightened the children. «Wendy!» cried John. «Let’s go home.» «All right,» said Wendy. «Let’s go right now!» Peter couldn’t believe his ears.
Wendy and her brothers wanted to go back to their parents! But the boys didn’t want to lose their mother. «We won’t let you go!» said one. «Let’s throw her in jail!» said another. The boys looked so sad. But Wendy had an idea. «Why not come with us? My mother and father can adopt you.» «Can we, Peter?» asked the boys.»Alright.» But Wendy saw the look on Peter’s face. She knew that he felt bad. «Come with us, Peter,» she said. «No,» said Peter, ‘I’m not going with you.» «But we could find your mother.» «No, I just want to be a little boy and have fun forever,» said Peter.
Just then, the ground above them shook. The pirates and the Indians were fighting! Wendy put her arms around the boys. But the battle above the ground was over quickly. The boys wondered who had won. Actually, Hook and his pirates had cheated. They had attacked in the dark, and they had won. The captain then tiptoed to a tree and listened to the sounds from below. He heard Peter talking. «Let’s listen,» said Peter. «The Indians always beat their tom-toms when they win.» Hook whispered to Smee. Smee smiled. Then he picked up a tom-tom, and he began to drum. «The tom-tom!» cried Peter. «The Indians have won!» The children cheered. It was safe for them to go up now. But they couldn’t because it was past their bedtime.
That night, the lost boys found it hard to sleep. They wanted to go and celebrate with the Indians. One by one, the boys came up to look for them. The pirates easily caught the children as they came up. They carried them off to the Jolly Roger, the pirates’ ship.
Captain Hook went underground to find Peter. Peter was sleeping. Beside him was a cup of milk. Hook always carried a small bottle of poison. He put five drops into the cup of milk. Then he climbed back up the tree. Luckily for Peter, Tinker Bell saw everything. When Hook left, she knocked over Peter’s cup. «Peter, Peter!» said Tinker Bell. «The pirates have captured Wendy and the boys! He took them to the Jolly Roger.» Peter’s heart beat loudly. He couldn’t believe it! Peter ran through the forest. He could see clearly because the moon was full. Peter was happy. He was off on another adventure! He had to save Wendy and the children from Captain Hook. Wendy was tied to the mast of the Jolly Roger. The lost boys were about to be thrown into the sea. Captain Hook said to Wendy, «So, my beauty. Are you ready to see your boys thrown into the sea?» Suddenly, he stopped moving.
TICK TICK TICK TICK
«Hide me!» yelled Hook. The pirates gathered around their captain. The lost boys ran to the ship’s side to see the crocodile. But it wasn’t a crocodile, it was Peter Pan! He had brought a clock to frighten Captain Hook.
Peter climbed onto the roof of the cabin. Next he jumped down next to Captain Hook. «Aha!,» he cried, «it’s you!» The Captain pulled out his sword. «Foolish boy! Prepare to die!» Peter Pan pulled out his sword as well. He was a master with the sword. They fought for a long time. Finally, Captain Hook was cornered. Escape was his only chance. He backed over to the side of the boat and fell out of it. Unfortunately for Hook, the crocodile was waiting for him in the sea. The clock in his stomach had finally stopped ticking. And that was the end of Captain Hook.

CHAPTER FIVE
BACK HOME AGAIN

Peter had been wrong about mothers. At least, he was wrong about Mrs. Darling. He finally decided to take Wendy home. And when he did, he realized that Mrs. Darling always kept the window open. Peter and Tinker Bell flew into the room before the others. He had a plan. «Quick, Tink!» he said. «Close the window and lock it. Then Wendy will have to go back with me.» Just then, he heard Wendy’s mother playing the piano in the next room. «Come back, Wendy.Come back.» //**35-11