Demonic Neverland's Halloween Masquerade Ball

Inspired by 'Peter Pan' by J.M. Barrie 

Demonic Neverland's Halloween Masquerade Ball

Before coming to Neverland, the Demon Queen performed a Halloween sacrifice ritual every few centuries to maintain her youth and power. She usually did it in small towns so deaths of missing children wouldn't get too much attention.

She hadn't needed to do it since arriving in Neverland. Because of the island, she remained as young and beautiful as ever. This was the biggest perk that had made her stay there for so long.

But recently, she noticed that she felt drained after casting even the simplest of spells.

And she knew.

She quickly began creating a new sigil for her Halloween ritual.

And she came up with a horrific plan. 

***

A week before Halloween, the Lost Kids gathered in the castle's grand courtyard. Peter stood at the front, with Anna, Rose, and Petrina beside him. Teddy sat on the stone steps, swinging his legs while the other children whispered excitedly.

Then the great castle doors opened.

The Demon Queen stepped outside, with Aden gliding low behind her. She wore a black leather-and-lace gown decorated with crimson roses, and a small black crown rested upon her head.

Her dark smile made the children cheer. 

"Queen!" Peter shouted.

The Lost Kids ran toward her.

"My dear Lost Kids," she said with fake, sickly-sweet affection. "I have something very special to tell you."

She was already putting on quite the performance.

The children immediately became quiet.  

"On Halloween night," the Queen announced dramatically, "I shall hold a magnificent masquerade ball."

The courtyard erupted with excitement.

Peter's face lit up. "A Halloween party?"

"Yes."

"Cool," Rose added.

Petrina immediately perked up.

"Music?"

"Plenty of it."

Petrina grinned. "And dancing?"

"Of course."

Petrina clasped her hands together. "I hope I get to dance with you, my Queen!"

Peter glanced at her. "You really want to dance with her?"

She giggled nervously, and a faint blush crossed her cheeks.

The Queen smiled.

"Would you enjoy that, Petrina?"

"Very much." 

Petrina looked up at her with open admiration.

The Queen gave a soft laugh. "How sweet of you."

Peter tilted his head and looked at Petrina. "Why are you blushing?"

Her cheeks turned even redder. "I'm not!"

Teddy smirked. "She's got a crush on the Queen."

Peter stared at Petrina blankly. "Oh."  

The Queen watched the exchange with an amused smile.

"Perhaps fortune will favor you, Petrina."

Petrina looked up again.

"I hope it does."

The Queen's smile lingered. She knew exactly why Petrina adored her.

The black pixie dust had clouded Petrina's ability to recognize the darkness within her. To the innocent girl, the Queen wasn't evil.

She was gorgeous. Fascinating. Someone Petrina desperately wanted to impress.  

Anna suddenly stepped forward. "Can I ask you something, Your Majesty?"

The Queen turned toward her. "What is it, Anna?"

Anna hesitated.

"Will my mom be here on Halloween?"

The courtyard became dead silent.

Peter snickered. Teddy looked up at Anna uncomfortably. Petrina lowered her guitar for a moment.  

The Queen simply stared at Anna for a moment.

Then she chuckled.

She didn't answer.

Anna didn't know it yet, but the Queen was planning her cruelest trick yet—one she intended to carry out before Anna's death.  

Anna frowned. "Your Majesty?"

The Demon Queen only turned away.

"Now, my little ones..."

She turned her attention back to the masquerade.

"Unfortunately, I can't choose who dances with me," she said.

The children murmured to each other.

"Then how do we know who's chosen?" Peter asked.

The Queen slowly raised one hand.

A strange symbol appeared in the air.

Three red circles nested inside one another.

The outer circle was surrounded by sharp, thorn-like spikes. The second circle was decorated with tiny crescent moons, stars, and dots. At the center was the silhouette of a small child with a jack-o'-lantern for a head. A tiny crown hovered above it. A thin vertical line passed through all three circles.

The Lost Kids stared up at it with wonder and slight fear.

"What's that?" Peter asked.

The Queen smiled.

"This is my sigil." 

She closed her fingers, and the symbol disappeared.

"Before the masquerade, the magic will choose certain children," Aden explained.

Petrina glanced at her arms. "And how does it choose?"

"If the sigil appears upon your skin..."

The Queen paused.

"...you have been chosen. It's like a magical lottery, my dear ones. May luck smile upon you."

The children cheered again. 

None of them noticed the wickedness behind the Queen's smile. They didn't understand what the three circles truly meant.

To them, being chosen was an honor. A treat. A chance to dance with their beloved Queen on Halloween night.

And the Demon Queen intended to keep it that way...

Until their very last breath.

***

Despite what the Demon Queen thought, Wendy had been reading and studying the Queen's spellbook. She had already learned more than the Demon Queen realized.

Wendy carefully studied the strange symbols and drawings, memorizing what she could before putting the book away whenever someone approached.

She was washing clothes when she heard the Lost Kids burst in, talking excitedly nearby.

"Wendy!" Peter bellowed.

She looked up from the clothes.

"The Queen announced a Halloween masquerade," Peter exclaimed, "and even you are invited!"

The three leaders of the Lost Kids gathered around her, eagerly telling her everything the Demon Queen had said.

There would be music, dancing, costumes, sweets, and a lottery.

Wendy frowned. "A lottery?"

Petrina nodded.

"If the Queen's mark appears on you, you're chosen to dance with her."

Wendy's hands stopped moving.

"What mark?"

Petrina began describing it.

"Three circles," she said. "One inside the other."

"There's something like thorns around the outside," Anna added.

"And little moons and stars in the second circle," Peter said.

Wendy's heart practically stopped.

Three circles. Thorns. Moons. Stars.

She knew that symbol.

She had seen it in the spellbook. 

Wendy slowly lowered the piece of clothing she was holding.

“What else?”

The Lost Kids continued describing it, completely unaware of the horror spreading across Wendy’s face.

Wendy suddenly understood.

The sigil wasn't some harmless symbol for a Halloween dance.

It was a ritual sigil.

The Queen wanted to kill them for their youth.

Wendy forced herself to remain calm.

She couldn't tell them. They wouldn't believe her. Peter would've been angry and told the Queen.

While the Lost Kids and Peter were playing, Wendy returned to the spellbook. She searched through the pages until she found the Three-Circle Halloween Sigil.

Her eyes followed every detail. She remembered the description the children had given her.

Then she saw what the Demon Queen had never told them, and her stomach twisted in knots.

She turned the page.

Another section caught her attention:

The red stone. 

Wendy studied the instructions carefully. She stared at the red stone sitting on a chair. She wasn't sure it would work.

Slowly, she picked it up and lifted it toward her mouth.

“Captain Hook.”

The stone suddenly flared crimson.

Wendy froze.

In the corner of the room, Hook blinked. His eyes widened. For a moment, he seemed confused.

Then he faced her.

Wendy felt something pull through the stone—a strange magical connection stretching from her to him, like invisible strings.

She could feel him. Not his thoughts—not exactly. But she could feel that he was listening.

Wendy tightened her grip around the stone.

“Come here, please.”

Hook immediately walked toward her.

Wendy's eyes widened.

It worked.

Hook straightened proudly. He couldn’t smile or say it out loud, but he was proud that she was proving the Demon Queen wrong and fighting back. 

Wendy stared at him, hardly believing what she had just done. The red stone had connected her to Hook. Somehow, it could make him obey her.

She lowered the stone slowly.

A plan began forming in her mind. With a heavy heart, Wendy knew she couldn't save them all. But maybe she could save at least one child—and Hook.

And the Demon Queen would get a taste of her own medicine.

Time wasn’t on Wendy’s side. Halloween was in five days, and if she wanted to rescue a child—probably one of the younger ones—and break the spell on Captain Hook on Halloween night, she had to learn all she could about using the Queen’s magic and practice every waking hour.

She learned there were six main ways to cast the Queen’s spells: spoken words, drawing sigils, using the Queen’s staff, the red stone, rituals, and manifestation. Wendy wasn’t a baneful sorceress, nor was she becoming one. She was only a temporary spellcaster, using the Queen’s magic through the red stone. Once she rescued the child and broke the spell on Hook, she planned to leave the Queen’s magic behind.

Wendy figured that using manifestation while holding the red stone would be best for her. Instead of speaking a command aloud, she could manifest what she wanted to happen in her mind and let the red stone channel and amplify the Queen’s magic.  

***

It was late at night. Wendy was practicing in Hangman’s Tree, staring intently at a broom lying on the ground.

“Move!”

Nothing happened.

She tightened her grip around the red stone.

“Up!”

The broom twitched.

Wendy’s eyes widened. She focused harder, manifesting the movement in her mind instead of speaking the command aloud.

“The broom is rising from the ground!”

The broom slowly lifted from the ground.

A grin spread across Wendy’s face. She was beginning to understand how the magic worked.

Then she heard shouting nearby.

“YOU CHEATED IN THAT GAME!”

Wendy’s smile vanished. She hurried toward the door and opened it, looking up at the sky.

The red moon cast an eerie glow through the twisted branches. Peter floated in the air, furiously yelling at a small, red-headed boy.

Jeffrey was five years old, the youngest of the Lost Kids, and had a terrible habit of cheating and stealing things and lying about it.

“I didn’t cheat!” Jeffrey protested.

“You did,” Peter snapped. “I watched you!”

“But you weren’t looking!”

“That doesn’t even make sense!”

Peter suddenly scooped Jeffrey up.

Wendy’s stomach dropped. She knew Peter could be extremely violent and psychopathic.

“PETER, WAIT!”

With Jeffrey in his arms, Peter flew toward the dark forest surrounding Crocodile Creek.

“Put me down!” Jeffrey screamed.

Peter ignored him.

Wendy watched them disappear into the darkness. “Oh no!”

She shoved the red stone into the pocket of her apron and ran after them.

The forest was almost completely black. Blood-red moonlight slipped between the twisted branches, casting long shadows across the ground. Wendy followed the sound of Peter’s angry voice, pushing through the trees and hopping across the large, round rocks as quickly as she could.

Then she heard Jeffrey scream.

Wendy broke through the trees.

Crocodile Creek stretched before her, its crimson water reflecting the red moon above. The creek gurgled softly as the current moved between the rocks.

Peter stood at the edge of the water, holding Jeffrey over the creek.

“Peter!”

Peter turned.

“Stay out of this, Wendy.”

Jeffrey whimpered and clung to Peter’s arm.

Wendy’s hand closed around the red stone.

“Put him down.”

Peter glared at her.

“He cheated. Then he lied about it.”

“He’s only five!”

“No one lies to Peter Pan and lives!” 

He lifted Jeffrey higher.

Wendy’s heart began pounding. She remembered what she had learned about the Queen’s magic. 

Wendy stared up at them.

“Peter puts Jeffrey down gently.”

She manifested the outcome in her mind, picturing Peter releasing Jeffrey. The red stone suddenly grew warm against her palm.

Peter’s arm jerked, and his expression changed.

“What the—?”

His fingers slowly opened.

Jeffrey dropped onto the muddy bank.

Wendy was excited. She had stopped Peter. But her excitement was short-lived. Before Wendy could reach Jeffrey, Peter landed beside him.

Jeffrey looked up.

“Peter?”

Peter pulled out his dagger.

Wendy’s eyes widened.

“PETER, NO!”

It was too late.

Peter drove the dagger into Jeffrey several times at inhuman speed, blood splattering everywhere.

Wendy kept screaming for Peter to stop. Jeffrey pleaded for help, choking on his own blood. Peter didn’t stop until Jeffrey was no longer making any sounds.

Wendy froze.

The world seemed to go silent.

The creek continued to gurgle beside them as though nothing had happened. The red moon reflected across the dark water.

Wendy stared at Jeffrey in horror. She had thought she had saved him. She had been wrong.

Wendy fell to her knees, sobbing hysterically.

“I’m so sorry, Jeffrey! You didn’t deserve this. This place is evil!”

Peter scoffed and heartlessly kicked Jeffrey’s body into the water.

Wendy helplessly watched as the crocodiles began approaching.

Then some horrible facts hit her like a ton of bricks:

“Jeffrey was the child I would’ve saved on Halloween. Now Teddy is the youngest. The ritual needs young ones.”

Teddy was a frail and shy boy. He had become more lively since arriving in Neverland, but he ate to excess. Wendy always took care of him when he had a stomach ache.

Sometimes, Teddy would try to act like Peter—cruel, selfish, and arrogant—but Wendy knew he was tenderhearted.

Her sobbing slowly stopped.

Tears still streamed down Wendy’s face, but the thought of Teddy cut through her grief. She couldn’t let the same thing happen to him.

Her hands clenched into fists. She had failed Jeffrey. She would not fail Teddy. Wendy forced herself to her feet. Her legs trembled, but she stood her ground.

Five days.

She had only five days to master the Queen’s magic.

She had to save Teddy.

And she had to break the spell controlling Captain Hook.

Those were the only two people she could save. Wendy wiped the tears from her face and tightened her grip around the red stone.

Even though Peter was about to shout at her, she went back to Hangman's Tree. She wasn’t going to waste another second. 

She practiced any time she could. She did her chores solely through manifestation, only stopping when the Queen was around. She also practiced talking to Hook through the stone, asking him to pick up things and fetch things for her. She thought he was enjoying it. She swore that he smiled once. 

Day by day, she gradually mastered the Queen’s magic. 

***

On the morning of Halloween, Wendy was awakened by an odd stinging sensation on the back of her right wrist. Half-asleep, she opened her eyes and examined her arm.

Her eyes practically bulged out of her head. To her absolute shock and horror, the Three-Circle Sigil was etched into her skin.

“No, no, no!”

Her heart began pounding as panic rushed through her. She frantically rubbed at the mark, hoping it would disappear, but it remained etched on her.

She knew she was still in her late teens, but she thought she wouldn't be chosen because she was almost an adult. She thought she was safe.

“No! This can't be happening!”

Her mind racing, she grabbed the red stone that was under her pillow. Her trembling fingers nearly caused her to drop it. 

She had to do something—quick—before the Queen could see or sense it.

As if Hook was sensing what Wendy was about to do, he twitched, desperately trying to move.

“I have to, Captain,” Wendy exclaimed, speaking into the stone, “I can’t help anyone if I’m killed!” 

Before she could change her mind, she quickly placed the stone against the sigil, picturing a piece of hot coal on her skin in her mind’s eye.

“I’m turning the red stone into a hot coal and burning this sigil off my wrist!”

Then the red stone began glowing orange. A searing heat tore through her skin as the stone touched her, the pain so piercing and unbearable that she cried out in agony and her body convulsed. Tears and sweat covered her face. The sickening odor of burning flesh filled Hangman’s Tree.

The stone remained in place, her flesh smoking and bubbling—until the sigil turned black and disappeared.

Dropping the stone, Wendy hurried out the door to the nearest stream and plunged her wrist beneath the cool water. She winced as the water washed over the angry skin, but the cooling sensation brought her a little relief. She also splashed her face with some water.

Where the sigil had been, a large, blackened spot covered Wendy’s wrist. The skin was dark and uneven, leaving no trace of the three circles. Wendy stared at it, hoping the Queen wouldn’t suspect a thing. The blackened spot was going to be a cruel reminder of the Queen’s dangerous magic. 

***

When Wendy came back from the stream, she saw that Peter and the Lost Kids were awake. They usually slept in the castle during the day, but that day, the kids were running around and chatting excitedly. 

She heard kids telling each other:

“I’ve been chosen!”

“Me too!”

The sigils appeared on foreheads, arms, or wrists.

There were eighteen chosen children in total—six children, ages seven to ten, six pre-teens—including Petrina, and six teens—including Rose and Anna.

Seeing this, Wendy felt devastated and guilty because she knew the children’s fate, and she couldn’t do anything about it.

Petrina told her that Peter had also been chosen. Wendy had never known his exact age. Peter had once told her that he still had a baby tooth, but she wasn’t one hundred percent sure. She figured he was young enough to be a ritual victim.

Others told her that Teddy had been chosen too, but she couldn’t find him at first to check. 

Then the Queen suddenly walked out of the castle, with Aden, Peter, and Teddy behind her. Wendy’s heart instantly broke when she saw the sigil on Teddy’s forehead. She had hoped he wasn’t chosen after all. 

The Queen was wearing a red gown. Even her black horns and bat-like wings were now red. Her red eyes were glowing brighter than usual. She was smiling like a loving mother, but Wendy could see that this was just an act.

Peter and the Lost Kids had given her their hearts. Now the Queen wanted their lives. 

The Lost Kids stopped what they were doing and cheered when they saw her.

“Happy Halloween, my dear ones!” she exclaimed. “Tonight, we will dance the spooks and goblins away!”

They laughed and yoo-hooed loudly. 

“But this morning,” she continued, “we’ll have a grand breakfast with nothing but sweets in the royal dining hall. Aden made room for all of you! Come on in! Let's feast!” 

The children rushed toward the castle. Wendy crept toward Hangman’s Tree.

“Are you coming, Wendy?” Petrina asked.

“Yes, of course. I just have to grab something. I’ll be right there.”

“Okay.”

Inside Hangman’s Tree, Wendy grabbed the red stone off the floor and quickly bandaged her wrist.

“I’m fine, Captain,” she said softly. “I promise. The plan is on tonight. Happy Halloween.”

Hook’s eyes shifted toward her.

Then she walked out. 

***

In the spacious royal dining room, there were long tables covered with crimson-red tablecloths. Hanging above the tables was a massive chandelier made of human bones. A large Baphomet statue sat in the right corner, holding an unlit jack-o’-lantern. This macabre dining room had become a sweet-toothed child’s dream.

There were all kinds of candy, many flavors of ice cream, and all sorts of cakes. Bowls of candy overflowed onto the tables, while giant tubs of ice cream sat beside piles of toppings. Pitchers of chocolate milk, pumpkin spice milk, and apple cider were stacked in a pyramid. There were also cupcakes, pies, cookies, donuts, candy apples, and even a chocolate fountain for dipping.

The cakes were decorated with Halloween designs—pumpkins, ghosts, bats, and spiders. Everything looked colorful, festive, and almost too good to be true.

The Lost Kids rushed into the dining room, their eyes widening at the sight of all the sweets.

“Whoa!” one of them exclaimed.

“Look at all the candy!” another shouted.

They laughed and hurried around the tables, trying to decide what they wanted to eat first. Some grabbed handfuls of candy, while others piled toppings onto their ice cream. A few crowded around the chocolate fountain, dipping cookies and fruit into the warm chocolate.

The Demon Queen watched them with a pleased smile.

“Enjoy yourselves, my dear ones,” she said sweetly. “Today is a day for celebration.”

The children cheered and continued feasting.

Wendy sat with them and forced a smile, but she knew that something was wrong. The room was filled with laughter, colorful decorations, and more sweets than they could possibly eat. 

To an onlooker, it would look like the perfect Halloween morning, but something disgusting and wicked was just being sugar-coated.

The eighteen chosen children kept showing the marks on their bodies to the Queen, and she kept praising and hugging them. Then the Queen grinned at Wendy, and Wendy smiled and gave her a tiny wave.

Without warning, the Queen sat beside her.

Wendy was extremely terrified, her heart almost pounding out of her chest and her blood running cold, but she didn’t show it. 

“I’m sorry you weren’t chosen, Wendy,” the Queen said, looking perplexed. “I was positive you’d be picked.”

“It’s okay, Your Majesty. Maybe I’ll ask Aden to dance.”

Then the Queen saw her bandaged wrist.

“What’s this?” 

Wendy’s breath caught in her throat for a moment.

Telling herself to remain calm and think, she then clenched the red stone in her hand under the table as the Queen touched her wrist.

“I accidentally burned my wrist,” Wendy said quickly, “while building a bonfire last night. Peter was cold.”

Just in case the Queen was reading her mind, she pushed that morning’s events out of her mind and thought, “Last night, Peter complained that he was cold. I built a small bonfire for him. I was putting in one last log when I lost my footing and fell. My wrist landed on top of the fire.”

Wendy was convincing herself of the story so the Queen would believe her. 

“You poor thing,” the Queen said with fake sympathy. “You work so hard for that boy! I’ll make sure somebody dances with you so you can have some fun tonight.”

She believed Wendy without even looking at the wound.

As she got up to get a cup of apple cider, she rolled her eyes at Wendy and whispered with such venom, “Pathetic klutz.”

Wendy heard the Queen’s insult, but her heart finally began to slow. She kept her expression neutral, too relieved that the Queen had believed her to react.

Keeping her hand beneath the table, Wendy squeezed the red stone for reassurance and made sure the Queen hadn’t noticed that she had it with her.

Aden then rolled in a tall chocolate cake that almost reached the ceiling on a cart. The chocolate cake was covered with hot-pink icing. The icing was very peculiar. It glowed. 

Wendy wondered at first if it was poisoned, but she knew the Queen wouldn’t kill them before the ritual. She watched as Aden passed out a piece of cake to each child. She watched Petrina take her first bite, and what she saw horrified her.

After Petrina swallowed the bite, her glowing eyes widened to the size of golf balls. A creepy, huge Cheshire Cat grin was glued to her face. She couldn’t sit still now, and she kept laughing at the drop of a hat.

Each child acted the same way. They were in a constant euphoric, manic—almost hysterical—state. Their laughter filled the dining room, but there was something unnatural about it. Their wide, glowing eyes and enormous grins made Wendy’s stomach twist.

Wendy couldn’t tell whether they were drugged or possessed.

She looked over at the Queen, who seemed very pleased and amused.

Giving Wendy a piece, Aden winked at her and whispered, “Enjoy the ride.”

Wendy dug through the icing with a fork to see what was in it. She found red, shimmering particles mixed in it.

“Red pixie dust?”

She had never seen red pixie dust before.

As if sensing Wendy’s question, the Queen said, “It makes people feel happiness and happiness only…no matter what.” 

Wendy slowly put the fork down and scooted her chair back. She didn’t even want to be near the cake. She desperately scanned the room for Teddy, and when she finally saw him, she wanted to cry. He already had the bulging eyes and unnerving grin.

“She won’t hurt him anymore after tonight!”  Wendy told herself. 

After breakfast, the now-erratic Lost Kids got to pick out their outfits and masks for that night. Wendy found a powder-blue and white long-sleeved gown and a simple blue masquerade mask she could take off quickly. She wasn’t thinking about fashion—she was thinking about escape. 

They stayed in the castle through dinner. They ate more cake, along with cheeseburgers, pizzas, hot dogs, chili, and loaded nachos.

Wendy barely ate a cheeseburger. She was too anxious to be hungry. She got dressed in one of the bedrooms.

Then she snuck away to Hangman’s Tree for a moment to give Hook instructions.

Hook kept staring at her, but she didn’t notice. He longed to tell her that she was beautiful in the gown, with her hair curled and pinned up. And he wanted to tell her how proud he was that she was becoming a strong woman.

“Blink if you understand the instructions,” Wendy said.

He blinked.

She then gently touched his hand and said, “This will work. You will be free…soon.” 

***

Later that evening, the Lost Kids began to walk into the ballroom. The kids who weren’t chosen had to go in first. Wendy was carrying a white satchel across her shoulder. Inside the satchel were the red stone and some extra clothes for her and Teddy. 

“Happy Halloween!” Aden beamed, wearing a fox-face-shaped masquerade mask. “Hurry in! The dancing starts when the confetti cannons go off!”

Wendy made a mental note to avoid the confetti because it might’ve had pixie dust in it. She should keep Teddy away from it somehow as well.

But the confetti had something far more repulsive in it.

Scalpies.

They were like lice, but worse—tiny white spiders with glowing yellow eyes. They slowly ate and tunneled through people’s skulls, making their way toward the brain.

The Queen had hidden them in the confetti as a trick. 

The enormous, circular, two-story Gothic ballroom was painted red and black. A gigantic black chandelier adorned with rubies and red candles hung in the middle of the room, giving it a haunting crimson flare. Silver candelabras stood in each corner. Orange and black streamers hung up and down the staircase banister, and jack-o’-lanterns with sinister faces and red horns smiled throughout the room. Each jack-o’-lantern had a different flame color—red, orange, purple, or black.

The dance floor was on the second floor, and an orchestra of fairies and winged demons played the music on the first floor. The Three-Circle Sigil was painted across the middle of the dance floor. 

Wendy was the last unchosen one to enter the ballroom. When she saw Aden locking the castle’s double doors out of the corner of her eye, she grabbed the red stone and thought, “The doors silently unlock and open themselves when Aden walks away. He doesn’t notice.”

She turned slightly and saw Aden walk away and the doors opening behind him without a sound. He never noticed. She took a deep breath. 

Suddenly, the crimson light dimmed. Wearing masks, all eighteen chosen children walked into the ballroom in a straight line, their steps big and slow, reminding Wendy of a funeral march. Peter, who was wearing a red suit and a full-face devil mask, walked in front, guiding the other children. As they marched, they all held jack-o’-lanterns with horns and many different flame colors. They were also singing an ominous version of The Hearse Song in unison, like a ghostly choir.

“...Don’t you ever laugh as the hearse goes by,
For you may be the next one to die…” 

Then they broke the line.

“...The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out...”

They now stood around the Three-Circle Sigil with the jack-o’-lanterns beside them. They all took off their masks for a moment, showing their nightmarish eyes and grins, and kept singing until the lights brightened. 

“...And this is what it is to die,
I hope you had a nice goodbye...”

Wendy finally saw Teddy. He was wearing a white robe and holding his full-face, white smiley-face mask, which made him look like a ghost. 

When the lights came back on, the Queen suddenly appeared in a loud burst of red smoke in the middle of the sigil. She was wearing a full-face, red-and-black, two-faced mask that reminded Wendy of the two comedy and tragedy masks used in the performing arts. But instead of one side crying and the other laughing, the Queen’s mask had one side furious and the other grinning devilishly.

She also wore a midnight-black gown, black gloves, a crown of red roses, and a long inverted pentagram necklace. She was holding her infamous black staff. 

The children erupted into claps and roared happily when they saw her. Wendy focused on the staff, then on Teddy. 

Taking her mask off, the Queen exclaimed, “Happy Halloween, my lost children! Tonight, be prepared for a spooky time—music, dancing, treats, and loads of tricks! When the confetti cannons go off…”

She pointed at the cannons that were up on the first floor.

Wendy stood behind Teddy, getting ready to move him away from the confetti.

“...the dancing begins,” the Queen continued. “After a kid is done dancing with me, they will slide down a secret passage to a secret room where there are more sweets than we had this morning.”

The kids gasped and laughed excitedly.

“Now, put those masks on!” the Queen exclaimed.

Wendy abruptly grabbed Teddy and backed into the ballroom’s doorway, ducking down while covering his head.

“You’re silly, Wendy!” Teddy laughed.

“LET’S…GET…TO…DANCING!” the Queen called out.

The children clapped and screamed ecstatically.

The cannons went off, and orange and black confetti, along with hidden white Scalpies, rained down on the children’s heads.

The children swirled and played in the confetti without a care in the world. Their heads began to itch and burn slightly afterward, but they thought nothing of it. 

Wendy saw the Queen give her staff to Aden, who seemed to guard it. Wendy wanted to escape right then but knew they couldn’t yet. She had to wait, so once all the confetti had fallen, she reluctantly let Teddy go to join the other chosen children.

“Keep your hood up,” Wendy told him, forcing a smile, “so you’ll really look like a ghost!”

In reality, Wendy didn’t want any leftover confetti to touch him. Luckily, Scalpies couldn’t hop from the floor or from person to person.

“Okay, Wendy.” 

With her mask on, the Demon Queen slowly stepped onto the dance floor and extended her hand toward Petrina.

Petrina was wearing a traditional frog-face-shaped masquerade mask and a flowing green ballroom gown. Her brown hair was now dark green as well.

She grinned and took the Queen’s hand.

Dread filled Wendy as she desperately wanted to stop this.

An eerie waltz began.

The Queen led Petrina around the first circle, turning gracefully beneath the crimson lights. Petrina smiled brightly as they danced, completely unaware of what was about to happen to her.

Wendy watched helplessly as Peter walked up to her and asked her to dance. She didn’t want to be near him, but she had to act normal, so she agreed with a grin. They danced out of the circle, and she made sure her feet never touched the sigil.

She noticed Peter kept scratching his head, but her eyes never left Petrina, as if watching could stop this monstrosity.

Meanwhile, something small moved through Petrina’s hair.

A tiny Scalpie crawled between the strands, its yellow eyes glowing beneath the crimson lights.

With every turn of the dance, Petrina’s strength began to fade.

Wendy knew she couldn’t draw any attention to herself, but she couldn’t witness a murder and not say anything. She saw Petrina’s eyes flutter, and before she could stop herself, she whispered with tears in her eyes, “The Queen is heartless!”

“No, she isn’t,” Peter laughed. “Petrina is happy to be dancing with Our Queen. Don’t be so jealous!”

Petrina’s skin became pale and gray.

But she kept smiling.

The Queen spun them again. 

Petrina’s cheeks began to hollow. Her features grew thinner and sharper, her face slowly taking on an unnatural, corpse-like appearance.

Still, she smiled.

“Peter, look at her…please!” Wendy exclaimed desperately.

He just chuckled.

On Petrina’s head, the Scalpies became manic and ravenous because of the Three-Circle Sigil’s magic, quickly biting and burrowing toward her brain.

The Queen guided her into the second circle.

Petrina’s body grew even thinner and more fragile. Her shoulders sagged, her movements became stiff, and her skin seemed to tighten against her bones.

Yet her smile never faded.

She continued dancing happily with the Queen.

The Scalpies crawled faster.

“Somebody help her!” Wendy cried. “She isn’t okay!”

But no one heard her pleas, for the Lost Kids laughed hysterically and cheered.

They were under the influence of the red pixie dust. They couldn’t see the horror in front of them. They thought it was all a trick.

The Queen led Petrina into the third circle.

The Scalpies became frantic.

The girl’s face had become horribly gaunt. Her skin was gray and lifeless, her cheeks sunken—her features almost skeletal. 

There was also a stomach-turning odor of death in the room, making Wendy gag.

But Petrina was still smiling.

Petrina’s glowing eyes stared happily at the Queen.

“Make it stop!” Wendy shrieked. “Please, please, PLEASE!”

Still, no one could hear her over the laughter.

Petrina’s steps became slower, her breaths labored. Her body trembled.

The Queen continued the dance, and her inverted pentagram began to glow bright red as she was draining Petrina’s youth and life.

The Scalpies swarmed through Petrina’s head, reaching her brainstem as the last of her strength disappeared.

One final turn.

Her heart suddenly stopping, her body went limp. But the smile remained on her face.

The Queen dropped her hand callously, and Petrina collapsed onto the dance floor.

Aden walked to the edge of the dance floor and pulled a silver lever that Wendy hadn’t seen earlier.

A trapdoor opened beneath Petrina, and her lifeless, empty body dropped into the darkness of a dungeon below with a THUD.

The trapdoor then slammed shut.

The children were laughing harder.

But Wendy was sobbing, almost retching. 

The Queen turned toward the remaining marked children and happily said, “Next.”

Clutching the red stone, Wendy reminded herself to keep it together. She then wiped her face and swallowed hard. 

An ebony-haired, eight-year-old boy named Eddie, who wore a black suit and a gray wolf-face-shaped masquerade mask, was next.

Wendy couldn’t bear to watch this time. But before his little body fell into the dungeon, she whispered the Lord’s Prayer under her breath. Even though the Queen took the children’s youth and lives, Wendy hoped that their souls could cross over. 

Then Anna was next to dance. She wore a raven-shaped mask that covered only the left side of her face and a black ballroom gown.

The Queen turned toward her.

“Anna, my dear, before we dance, I have a special surprise just for you.”

Anna’s eyes lit up with excitement.

“A surprise?”

“Yes,” the Queen replied sweetly. “Someone very special has come to see you.”

Aden handed the Queen her staff, and she pointed toward the hallway.

Everyone turned to look.

Slowly, a woman stepped into the ballroom.

Anna gasped happily.

“Mom!”

Wendy’s heart fell into her stomach.

It was Anna’s mother—or, at least, the Queen had used glamour magic to make a random skeleton in the hallway look like her.

The fake woman slowly walked into the ballroom, blood trailing behind her with every step.

Her long black hair was soaked in blood. Her sparkling gray eyes stared blankly ahead, and deep stab wounds covered her neck and stomach that were oozing profusely. Her long pink nightgown was also saturated in blood.

Wendy knew immediately what the Queen had done. 

She had recreated Anna’s mother exactly as she had looked when she was murdered.

But Anna didn’t see the cruel nightmare. 

The red pixie dust and black pixie dust both had completely clouded her mind. To her, this was simply her mother standing before her.

“Mom! You came back!” Anna cried happily.

“Happy Halloween, sweetheart!” the fake mother said.

Taking off her mask, the Queen sat down at the edge of the dance floor, laughing as the other Lost Kids gathered around her. They laughed and watched the strange reunion unfold as if it were another entertaining Halloween trick.

“Mothers are better dead anyway!” Peter snickered

Anna ran toward her mother, smiling brightly.

Wendy clutched the red stone to her chest.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to tell Anna that it wasn’t really her mother, that the Queen was using a skeleton and glamour magic to make her look like the woman she had lost.

But Anna was smiling.

And she had no idea what she was really looking at.

Wendy glanced toward the ballroom doors.

The Queen was still sitting down with her staff in her hands. She and Aden were distracted by the children.

This was Wendy’s chance. She could execute her plan now.

Wendy slowly tightened her grip around the red stone.

She could beckon Hook to come now. She could free him and rescue Teddy.

But leaving Anna and the others behind made her heart ache.

Wendy looked back at Anna, who was blissfully embracing the illusion of her mother, blood smearing the girl’s ball gown.

“I’m sorry,” Wendy whispered under her breath.

She couldn’t save everyone. She could only save the two people she had promised herself she would get out: Teddy and Hook.

Wendy took a deep breath and prepared herself.  

*** 

Taking her mask off and tossing it aside, she stood next to Teddy, who was next to Peter. She took Teddy’s hand and gently pulled him closer to her.

“Hook, come to the castle’s ballroom now!” she whispered quickly, covering her mouth with her hand. “You have my permission to move freely.”

It felt like forever before she could hear his robotic, wooden footsteps. She was so nervous that her shaky hand dropped the stone.

Wendy quickly picked it back up, but the Queen heard it fall.

“What did you drop, my dear Wendy?”

Wendy jumped. She stuttered, trying to think of a lie.

But before she could answer, she finally heard Hook’s footsteps approaching.

When everyone in the ballroom shifted their gaze toward the sound, Wendy held the red stone and swiftly thought, “Except for Captain Hook, Teddy, and me, everyone and everything in the ballroom is freezing like statues. They won’t move, think, or speak until we leave the castle.”

As Hook stepped into the room, everyone froze. The children were in mid-laughter, Anna was still hugging her fake mother, Aden looked confused, and the Queen looked enraged. The fairies and winged demons couldn’t move either.

“Are you playing a trick on the Queen?” Teddy laughed, pushing up his mask.

With adrenaline pumping through her body, Wendy raced toward the Queen and snatched the staff from her.

She focused on Captain Hook and envisioned red strings being severed.

With both hands, she waved the staff in a circular motion counterclockwise. The black pixie dust twirled like a tornado inside the red ruby on top of the staff. Shadows came out of the staff and slowly crawled up Hook’s body until Wendy couldn’t see him for a brief moment.

Then red sparks surrounded him as Wendy continued holding the staff. What looked like porcelain broke off from each part of his body and shattered—until he was a man once more. 

Hook stared at his hand, flexing his fingers.

Then he looked at Wendy, almost unable to believe what had happened.

“You did it. You freed me, thank you so much!”

Without thinking, he embraced her. She dropped the staff and returned the hug. 

“You’re welcome, Captain,” she said softly. “I would never let you down.” 

“Ew,” Teddy giggled, “you’re hugging a pirate!”

Hook then saw the Demon Queen and Peter behind her. He raised his hook, and Wendy could tell he wanted to kill them both. Maybe it would’ve stopped any further terror right then, but they had no time to waste, and she had seen enough death that night.

“Captain,” she said calmly but firmly, “leave them! We have to go!”

He lowered his hook and said, “Of course…you’re right, lass. Grab the boy.”

Wendy quickly picked up Teddy.

“But I wanna dance with the Queen,” he grinned.

“No, you don’t, lad,” Hook said.

With Teddy on her hip, they started running.

“Where are we running to, exactly?” Hook asked.

“Skull Rock,” she replied. “The Jolly Roger is there, and most of your original crew have been waiting for you all this time. I’ve seen it many times when Peter made me go hunting for food with him.”

“Clever lass.”

As they were running, Wendy tossed the red stone behind her without ever looking back. Hook then took her hand.

And what happened after they ran out of the castle became legend.

People said that after their escape, the old Jolly Roger was able to sail out of Neverland. Once at sea, Teddy was back to normal, with both the black and red pixie dust no longer affecting him.

Wendy became Captain Hook’s first mate, calling herself Red-Handed Jill. Then, after her twentieth birthday, Hook asked her to marry him.

People said their strong friendship, which had developed in Demonic Neverland, became something much more over the years, so she accepted with the most jubilant heart.

She never got to see her family in London again because she was in Neverland for so many centuries, but Hook gave her so much love and support. Together, they raised Teddy as their son. 

***

What continued at the masquerade after everyone inside the castle unfroze was something people wished could be forgotten. 

“I guess Wendy and Teddy didn’t want to dance,” the Queen said, faking a giggle as she adjusted her gown, put her mask back on, and picked up her staff.

“Do you want me to go after them?” Aden whispered into her ear, putting the red stone in his pocket to keep it safe for the Queen.

“No,” she said under her breath, extremely vexed, “I still have enough children for the ritual. Just make sure the doors are locked!”

Aden locked and chained the double doors.

Even though the Queen didn’t admit it, it bothered her that she had been fooled by a teenage girl like Wendy. The Queen’s ego took a hit. 

The Queen watched Anna happily cuddling her fake mother and suddenly smiled.

“Anna, my dear,” she called sweetly, “why don’t you and your mother dance with me?”

Anna looked up excitedly.

“Really?”

“Of course,” the Queen replied. “It wouldn’t be Halloween without a special dance.”

Anna happily took her mother’s hand and led her toward the dance floor.

“Come on, Mom! Let’s dance!”

The Queen stepped into the middle of the Three-Circle Sigil with them. She took Anna’s hand with one hand and her mother’s with the other.

The music began again.

Anna giggled as she danced between the Queen and her mother. She was completely unaware of her ghastly pending death.

The Queen led them through the first circle.

Anna smiled brightly as she looked at her mother.

“I missed you so much, Mom.”

Her mother continued holding her, saying nothing.

The Queen led them into the second circle.

Anna’s movements became slower. Her face was growing haggard and ghoulish; some of her hair was falling out in clumps, and her breathing became shallow. Still, both the red and black pixie dust kept her smiling.

“I knew you would come back for me,” Anna whispered.

Her mother gently embraced her.

“I’m here now, my darling.”

Anna smiled.

She wrapped her arms tightly around her mother and rested her head against her chest.

Despite unknowingly being steps away from death, Anna felt seen and safe for the first time in years. No one was judging, teasing, or overlooking her.

The Queen led them into the third circle.

The Scalpies invaded Anna’s remaining hair, crawling faster and faster toward her brain.

The Queen’s inverted pentagram necklace began to glow, absorbing Anna’s youth and life.

Anna’s body trembled as what remained of her strength began to disappear. Yet she never stopped smiling.

“Mom…”

Her voice was barely a whisper.

The Queen continued dancing.

Anna’s eyes slowly closed as she cuddled against her mother.

“I love you.”

Her body went totally limp.

Her mother continued holding her as though she were still alive.

The Queen stopped dancing. For a moment, she simply stared at Anna’s peaceful face. Then she grinned demonically.

Without a hint of remorse, the Queen kicked both of them down to the floor.

Aden pulled the lever again.

The trapdoor opened beneath them. Anna and her fake mother fell together, still locked in their final embrace. The trapdoor slammed shut as the music continued to play.

The other Lost Kids cheered and laughed, still believing it was all part of the Halloween festivities.

The Queen sweetly called out to the remaining children.

“Next.”

She continued to dance with each chosen child throughout the night, mercilessly stealing their youth and lives—until Peter Pan was the only chosen child left. 

“Peter, my dear. You’re next.”

Peter excitedly walked toward her.

“Me?”

“Yes, you,” the Queen replied with a wicked grin. “Come dance with me, old boy.”

Peter giggled. “Old boy?”

The Queen took his hand and led him onto the Three-Circle Sigil.

The music began again.

Peter danced gleefully with the Queen, completely unaware of what was about to happen.

The Queen led him through the first circle.

She looked him up and down.

“My, my, Peter. You’re looking a little old tonight.”

Peter laughed. “Really?”

Usually, calling Peter old or grown up would be the ultimate insult to him. But with his mind in a red pixie dust haze, he was very amused by it.

“Oh, yes,” the Queen teased. “Look at your hair.”

Peter reached up and touched it. Some of his dark hair had turned gray.

He giggled. “That’s funny!”

The Queen smiled.

“And look at your face.”

Peter touched his cheeks. His skin was beginning to wrinkle.

“Wrinkles!” he laughed.

The Queen led him into the second circle.

Peter’s body continued aging. His back began to hunch, his movements became stiffer, and his youthful face grew older with every step. His wrinkly, spent, sunken-in face became yellow and zombie-like.

Then his shadow began to twitch weakly underneath him, as though trying to warn him.

“You’re becoming quite the old man,” the Queen whispered.

Peter laughed in an aged, raspy voice. “I’m still Peter Pan!”

“Of course you are,” the Queen taunted. “Just an old, wrinkled, ugly Peter Pan.”

Peter scream-laughed wildly, hysterically—insanely.

“I don’t care!”

His greatest fear was happening, but his mind couldn’t grasp it because of the red pixie dust. He couldn’t stop laughing, barely able to breathe.

The Queen cackled.

“Oh, Peter. You should see yourself.”

She led him into the third circle.

Peter’s hair was now completely white. His body had become frail and elderly.

Yet he continued smiling.

The Scalpies rushed through his hair, rapidly digging through his skull toward his brain.

The Queen’s necklace began glowing as she spun him in circles. He began to feel dizzy, and his strength started to dissipate.

“Look at you, old Peter Pan,” she mocked. “You finally grew up.”

Peter giggled.

“I DID!”

The Queen’s smile widened.

“Yes, you did.”

Peter stumbled slightly but continued dancing.

“This is fun!”

The Queen gave him one final spin.

Peter’s eyes rolled back into his head as the Scalpies reached his brainstem. His heart stopped, and his body went limp.

The Queen released his hand.

His elderly body collapsed onto the Three-Circle Sigil.

The Queen looked down at him and smiled.

“Goodbye, Peter Pan.”

She turned toward Aden.

“Pull the lever.”

With a satisfied chuckle, he pulled it. Peter had always annoyed Aden, and now the boy was finally gone.

The trapdoor opened beneath Peter, and his body disappeared into the darkness below.

The trapdoor slammed shut, and the music stopped.

For the first time that night, the ballroom was silent.

The unchosen children were still laughing, but their laughter was hushed. They were expecting Peter to fly back out for a moment and startle them. And when he didn’t, they were a little confused. 

***

Taking off her mask, the Queen looked at her reflection in the ruby on her staff with delight.

“Am I glowing?” she asked Aden callously, acting as though she had just had a facial and hadn’t just murdered innocent children.

“Always, my love,” he replied with a warm smirk, kissing her. “So, what are we going to do with the extra children?”

She looked at the laughing unchosen children with indifference and disdain. Then she raised her hand and snapped her fingers.

The Scalpies on all the children’s heads cracked their skulls and dove into their brains. The itchiness and pain intensified, and even though they were still laughing, the children scratched their heads until they bled.

Then, as the Scalpies reached their brainstems, the children could no longer gasp for air, speak, or laugh.

All of a sudden, their hearts stopped.

All the children in the ballroom dropped dead.

The Queen then clapped her hands, making the fairy and winged-demon musicians burst into flames. 

“My love,” Aden said, looking around at the massacre. “Neverland is getting boring. I don’t want to keep bringing children here for our entertainment.”

“I agree,” she sighed. “It has lost its charm. I heard Wonderland needs a better queen.”

They both chuckled. 

“Let’s go,” she said, smiling. “The game here is done.”

Without warning, they flew out of the castle, bursting through the ceiling.

They left the masquerade carnage behind.

Only their silhouettes could be seen against the crimson Halloween moon as they left Neverland.

Right after they left, a bright white light filled the castle. A dozen angels slowly came down to guide the children to Heaven. All the children—except Peter Pan.  

***

A female angel wearing a flowing violet dress, with grand white wings and long, wavy, fiery-red hair, stood beside Peter, tears in her green eyes.

People said this was Peter’s long-lost mother. 

“Oh, my Peter,” she cried. “That demon woman made you do so much evil! Don’t worry. Our Heavenly Father is giving you another chance.” 

She touched his head. A white light wrapped around him like a blanket, and his life and soul returned to his body.

Still unconscious, he levitated in the air. His fiery-red hair and emerald eyes returned. Once more, he was wearing a green garb made from skeleton leaves, cobwebs, and tree sap. 

He floated out of the castle and gracefully landed beside Hangman’s Tree.

The clocks in Salem, Massachusetts, struck three in the morning as the splendid sun rose in a gorgeous blue sky. It was as though someone was slowly painting over the crimson sky with its usual brilliant blue. Neverland’s constant night was finally over. 

The grass turned green once more, and the plants and trees regained their beautiful, multicolored glow. The colors mingled in a dazzling display, as though Neverland itself were celebrating its newfound freedom. The entire island was an explosion of color. The pixie dust was even pure and golden again.

Everyone and everything was no longer corrupted or fearful of the island. They were finally free. 

“Don’t squander this second chance, Peter,” the angel whispered before disappearing. “Prove yourself.” 

Another group of angels moved the children’s bodies into the castle walls, where the outlines of their bodies became part of the stone. Then the angels sealed up the castle and made it forbidden to enter. From that day on, it was known as the Black Castle, and no one dared approach it. 

***

After Peter woke up, he was back to being the mischievous, boastful, absent-minded boy who sought adventure. He couldn’t remember the Demon Queen or the time when Neverland had been demonic. He even thought Hook had been eaten by the crocodile and that Wendy had gone back to London.

No one told him otherwise. It was hoped that the Demon Queen would never return and that Demonic Neverland would become nothing more than a dark legend whispered by the Indians to the Lost Kids around the campfire. 

They would speak of how the beautiful island had once been consumed by an evil queen, where children disappeared, and screams echoed through the night. The new Lost Kids would listen in frightened silence, never knowing how much of the legend was true.

Little did everyone know, Wendy had accidentally left the Queen’s spellbook in Hangman’s Tree. It was hidden, but its presence still connected Neverland to the Demon Queen. The book could be found someday, and the evil could return—permanently.

©Lena Holdman, all rights reserved 2026

Notes: Image created using AI tools (ChatGPT / image generation), but it's my concept. The story is 100% written by me.

Happy Halloween! 🎃 The Demonic Neverland's chaos is perfect for this upcoming spooky season. Yes, I'm posting my annual Halloween story early this year because this is both Demonic Neverland's finale and a Halloween story. Beware of the Demon Queen and evil Peter Pan, kiddies! 😈