The old wooden floor of the house creaked in an infernal sound, it was like a warning he had arrived. Nathan did not know what silence was, did not know what it was to behave, let alone what it was to be quiet. At the time, although I liked silence, I did not get annoyed or uncomfortable about it, in fact I found it funny and often watched with a smile on my face. But the nuns, who took care of us in the orphanage, did not find such attitudes funny and far less adorable. Often they would put us to face the wall for not fulfilling some order, were so many times that, at a certain point, I lost count. At that time and even today, I do not know why they put me to "watch" him while he was facing the wall. Maybe because I'm quieter and quieter, completely the opposite of him. I had the habit of taking some dusty fairy-tale books to read, one time or another looking up to see if he was still staring at the wall. I remember always laughing when I realized he was no longer staring at the old, crumbling wall of the orphanage, simply ignoring the punishment.

One of those times, in a spring, I remember him being punished again and one of the nuns having called me in the attic. The attic was the only room that could have some peace in that place, although it was all dusty and the lamp that should illuminate the place burned, was pleasant. Through the window I could see the other kids playing and having fun until one of the nuns called for them to come in for dinner. While the sister - as they liked to be called - led me to the place of punishment, she explained the same infernal rules to me, which is quite ironic, as always.
- Do not talk to him, Sophie. This is a punishment, therefore, without paying attention.
 She was talking about a lot of boring rules that, like most of the time, I did not bother paying attention to. When we entered the room the door creaked so loudly that for a few seconds I thought it would fall, which did not happen. The nun left and left me alone with him, I sat cross-legged on a bench there and opened the book to start reading.

- Sophie ...- I heard Nathan calling me, pulling me out of the small children's book. - Could you read it aloud?"
I could not contain my smile, that was the first time Nathan had spoken to me and the first time someone had asked me to read aloud. I certainly remembered the rules, but it's not like I cared much about them.

Nathan had never spoken to me, even with all the years we lived there. We'd lived there since ... well, ever since he'd known me, but Nathan used to play with the other kids, the most excited of them. I used to sit quietly in my corner, reading and writing to pass the time, I had no interest in running around. My laziness resulted in long mornings and afternoons sitting under the attic window reading the rather dusty old books that donated to the orphanage. She would sit there alone, enjoying the light of day, as the nuns would send us straight to our rooms after dinner. He spent all day reading, coming downstairs just to eat and go to the bathroom. I could never have been happier with Nathan asking me to read aloud, after all the other kids were never interested in reading with me. They just wanted to play and attack the nuns' lives.

-Of course. - I answered with a huge smile on my lips, but I knew that Nathan could not see me, since his face was facing the wall. I knew that book of color, back and forth and front to back. It was an old, dusty, wine-tossed book almost falling, Tales of the Grimm Brothers. I began to read the famous tale of John and Mary, I liked the other tales better, but I figured Nathan would like to hear something better known. At first my voice came out flawed, because of the lack of habit in reading aloud. Soon I was able to continue reading normally, because I remembered that it was on my back and, therefore, I was not seeing myself, it made my shame go. When I finished the story, I realized that I had also finished the punishment time. As I reached down and closed the book, I found Nathan's curious eyes very close to mine, which made me fall from the bench in surprise. He just laughed and helped me to his feet, put that huge, bright smile on his face that has been etched in my memory ever since.

-Would not it be nice to find a house made of candy? - Nathan asked, his green eyes shining in a new way for me. I grimaced and turned my head sideways in denial.

-It would not be good to find a witch, Nathan. - I said, thinking that my argument would be strong enough to make him agree with me, but I was wrong, I was extremely wrong.

-Yes it's true. - He replied, for a moment I thought he had agreed. - But we could do like Maria and throw her into the stove! Then we would stay with her house and we would never go hungry again.
He made several gestures with his hands as he spoke, he was as excited as ever.

I thought I'd tell him the food was going to end, so we would eat the house and we would be homeless, but the smile so innocent and cheerful on Nathan's face made me give up. It is not because I am older and, so to speak, less naive than I can destroy his dreams. I opened my mouth to say something else, but Nathan spoke again.

-I know that afterwards they took the treasure and returned to their father's house. -  Nathan shrugged - But we do not have a father or a mother, so we could get the treasure and buy a lot of toys!

I smiled sadly, for I knew he was right in one part. We had no family and no house to go back to. We could stay in the candy house until it just did not exist anymore and no one would miss us, not even the sisters. In fact, the sisters would even thank God, they would be two mouths to feed on the poor money of the poor orphanage. Nathan's smile disappeared after those words, he was just staring at the old book, but his mind seemed to be somewhere else. Maybe he was really thinking of going out looking for a house made of candy and for a moment I was tempted to suggest it to him. Although I was older, I was still a child and allowed myself to dream from time to time, even though I knew that all those magical tales I read were mere fantasies.

                                                                                                             *** 

After that day, every day Nathan was punished, he asked me to read to him. Although the sisters always give me a little spore for - according to them - being breaking the rules and giving too much attention to him, while he should be punishing thinking about what he did, but I did not care about the spore, it was the The first time I had a little fun in that place. I remember that he did not even ask for more, he just knelt facing the wall and waiting for me to start reading. When time and reading were over, he would sit next to me on the old wooden bench to chatter about the story. Sometimes we invented a continuation for her, sometimes in the situations of the characters. And even without realizing it, those moments have become precise for me. I became dependent on them and the day seemed completely meaningless when I did not read to Nathan.

One day I took a little courage and pulled him down the sleeve of his shirt after dinner, before we went to our rooms.

-You did not have to be grounded for me to read to you ...- he said quietly, looking at Nathan's wide eyes. I expected him to mock me, but what came next I could not imagine.

-Oh really? - He widened his eyes wider with a small smile forming on his face, his expression of joy mixed with surprise was priceless. I started to laugh at him and not the other way around, as I had imagined. Nathan blinked his eyes in confusion as I laughed and put his hand on his belly, it had been a while since I had laughed so hard. - Stop it, it's not so funny.

-It sure is. - I said after taking a few deep breaths. I put my hand on his head and ruffled his hair, which was comical since he was taller than me. - You just need to ask, I'll read it to you, silly.

She'd never seen Nathan's face turn so red like that. I did not know if he was embarrassed or angry. I began to apologize and say nonsensical things, in panic thinking he was furious. Until he started laughing, then we both burst into laughter for a few minutes. After we stopped, we did not even remember what we were laughing at.

-Silly - I repeated, smiling so hard my cheeks hurt.

-Do not say that. - He tapped me on the arm, making a mouthful on the child's lips.

- Can not you read, Nathan? - I asked, leaning against the corridor wall.

- Of course I do! - Nathan almost screamed, putting his hands on his waist, startled by my question. - Do you think I'm stupid, Sophie?"

-No, it's just that ... me, you, us ... - He laughed at my confusion and the way I made gestures with my hands trying to explain myself, I made a brave face - You always ask me to read to you, So I thought ...
He cut me off at the end of the sentence.

-I can read, but I like you to read to me.- He said simply, shrugging. Nathan did not know, but those words made something warm in my chest that I had no idea existed. I smiled, he was being honest, as every child is. Because I was older, I pondered my words and even lied once in a while. Only Nathan was a pure child, he said what he wanted and he was always sincere, no exceptions. He wanted to say that, to hear those words made me happy as never before. Listening to Nathan telling me that he liked to hear me made me feel at home for the first time.

-I also enjoy reading to you. - I said, half embarrassed, I was afraid of what he might think. In the end, he just smiled and pulled me by the hand to the attic, where the books and the other stuffs were filled with dust.

-Come on, come read more for me. - His sweaty, soft hands of children did not let go of me until we got up there and sat down in the same special place as always under the window. Place that started to be even more special after Nathan happened to frequent it with me every day. That night, I did not care if the nuns would come to us to make sure we went to our rooms, I just wanted to stay there and have fun with those children's tales along with Nathan.

At the orphanage we did not have many books, few people donated things to the orphanage, and what was harder to give was books. Consequently we would repeat the stories from time to time. I read and reread Nathan's favorite tales, to the extent that he memorized the phrases and did a little theater. It was fun the way he staged, created his own lines and modified the story as he wanted. But in some stories he was completely quiet, paying scary attention. One such story was Peter Pan.

-Sophie... - Nathan said softly, playing with my hair as he lay on my lap without even asking. - We're like the lost boys, are not we?

-Because? - I asked with a shrug. Although I have an idea of the reason for the comparison.

-Because they have no family and no home. - he murmured, his voice sounding depressed. - The lost boys live in Neverland, having fun with Peter Pan.

-Yeah, I think so. - I answered resting my head on the wall - But they will never grow, we will.

-I wanted to go to Neverland. - I was surprised to hear that. That means never growing.

-Do you want to be a child forever? Do not you want to become an adult?

-I want to be a child, I do not want to grow up. - He my lap in a way that our eyes met. - I want to be a kid and play with you forever, Sophie.

-Nathan ... - I was going to start talking about being adopted, grown up, working and having your own family, but Nathan put his hand in front of my mouth before I could say anything.

-Wendy could be our mother.

-Wendy's gone, Nathan. - I said, lightly tapping my hands on her belly. -She went home, went back to her family.

-We have nowhere to go, so we would stay there with the lost boys, Sophie! We do not need a mother, we have Tinkerbell and Peter. - He smiled in such a sad way that I felt my eyes begin to fill with tears. - I do not need anyone, I'll have you.You take care of me Sofia.

-I take care. - I nodded, showing a small smile.

-And I'll take care of you.- Nathan said smiling, lifting me from my lap and holding my hands - Come with me to Neverland?

-And how can we do that?

-With a little magic.

-Where are we going to find magic?

-I know where it is!

I looked at him, half incredulous and half curious. I wanted to believe that the magic pool existed, wanted to believe that Neverland existed, but at the same time I knew that none of these things were real. But when I was with Nathan, everything looked exactly like in fairy-tale books. Anything was possible if I were with Nathan. An old broom turned an enchanting horse, a hollowed pot turned into a knight's helmet, and the wooden spoons of the kitchen turned a pair of swords. With Nathan, the old, worn-out carpet of the room turned into Aladdin's magic carpet, and the old lamp was a powerful genius, but only if we rubbed it well. When we opened our arms and ran for the orphanage, we would turn two birds, free to fly wherever we wanted, as long as it was inside the grounds of the orphanage, otherwise we would catch up with the nuns. When I saw that smile on Nathan's lips, I could be anything I wanted, and more importantly, I could be myself.

                                                                                                                 ***

-Are you sure we can go in there? - It was late at night, and I stood in front of the old clock in the room, telling my fingers what time it would be. It was after midnight when Nathan nudged me and made me get out of bed to go after the magic little potion. - We should not go into the nuns' room.

-Let's be quiet. - Nathan put his finger in front of his lips and made a "shh." To my unhappiness, he was scared as soon as we arrived in front of the bedroom door. We could hear the loud snores of that sister serving us food. Nathan stepped behind me and pushed me forward.

-You're the oldest, go ahead. - I wanted to protest, but I could not be afraid. After all, I was really the oldest. I turned the knob slowly and pushed open the door, which creaked loudly as in a horror movie, sending shivers up my spine. Nathan grabbed my hand and cringed behind me. I took a deep breath and took the first step into the dark room, holding the old lamp lit with one hand and Nathan's hand with the other. The nuns looked like monsters breathing under the light sheets. The snores were much louder inside the room, and each time one of them moved in the bed I had to plug Nathan's mouth so he would not make a sound or scream in fear. Walking on tiptoe, making the floor creak with each step until we finally got to an old dresser where the sisters' things were. Nathan stepped out from behind me and opened all the drawers until he found what he was looking for. It was a bag of brown powder inside, something I only recognized long afterwards as the incense powder that the priest wore in the masses. Nathan held the small bag in his hands, a victorious smile on his face. I raised the lamp to analyze the little magic and I ended up smiling too. At that moment a spark of hope lit in my chest. I thought I was really going to fly through the heavens at dawn holding Nathan's hand, toward Neverland.

-Let's go now! - He whispered and I nodded. We made the same way out of the room, but before Nathan was frightened by the nun's fat leg, I stepped out from under the sheet and stood right in front of his face. I chuckled and dragged him out of the room.

-We're alive from the cave of dragons! - Nathan said quietly, raising the bag of dust. - And we were able to rescue the treasure they hid.

-Why did they have the little magic? - I asked, already immersed in Nathan's fantasy.

-It is not obvious? - His smile broke and he became serious. - Lest we fly to Neverland. They need us to receive the priest's money.

I gaped, completely shocked. I did not know that Nathan would have heard of such a thing, for I did not even know it. I knew the sisters were getting money from the priest to support the orphanage, but I never imagined Nathan would think so.
-I heard the sisters talking to the priest, saying they were going to close the orphanage and send us away. - He lowered his head. - But then he said that if they closed, they would no longer receive money.

At that moment, I had not understood. We were children and we did not realize how difficult it was to maintain the orphanage. They had few donations because we were going through an economic crisis at the time and the only ones who had money were the rich and, well, the church. But the caretaker of us was a little chapel, almost forgotten and damaged, that survived from donations. That dawn, at that moment, anger grew within me, anger of the sisters, anger of the priest, anger of that place. I used to think about being adopted and having a family, but there, at that moment, I just thought about running away with Nathan. I just wanted to go to Neverland.

-So, let's go! - He said, taking Nathan by the hand and up the stairs of the attic - Let's go to Neverland now.

Nathan smiled and nodded, squeezing his hand against mine and following me up. We left the window and climbed on the roof, which seemed too easy for Nathan, since he had probably done this little adventure. As soon as I put my feet on the old roof tiles, I felt weak and I sat down, I was afraid of heights. The orphanage was not too tall, it was only three stories high, but it was enough to frighten me.

-You do not need to be scared, I'm going to throw some dust on you. - Nathan smiled confidently at me and opened the purse, taking out a handful of dust and throwing it over my head. The smell of that dust was so strong that I began to cough non-stop, making Nathan laugh a little. - It must be the effect of magic dust.

Then he threw some incense powder into himself and put the rest in his pocket. It was when he stood on the edge of the roof that I woke up. I accepted that this was not magic dust and that Neverland did not exist. Nathan would not fly, but would fall three floors straight to the hard ground. He would get hurt.

It was all so fast, when I found myself, I was hugging Nathan's body, my face pressed into his back and my arms clutched tightly to his chest. I cried like I had never cried in my life. Nathan tried to get rid of my grip, but I held him tight, begging for sobs to stop. Soon he gave up and we both sat on the roof. I held his hand without any intention of letting go.

-Do you like looking at the stars? - Nathan asked me, staring up. The sky was starry tonight. I still wiped the tears away, unable to respond with words, just shaking my head. - I like. I do not feel so alone with them ...

I looked up to see the stars and also the great moon that seemed to be glued to the soft dark veil of dawn. Nathan stood quietly, squeezing my hand, never taking his eyes from the lights that seemed to gleam, as bright as his eyes when he heard me tell stories. At that moment, I felt that I should take care of Nathan even though I was not in Neverland. He was so innocent, so gentle and pure sometimes I found myself entering into his illusions, as if he could create a world of his own. As if he could create his own Neverland. Maybe he even knew these things did not exist, but he was stubborn and wanted to believe me and make me believe too. Nathan was not naive as I swore it was. He was just like me and all the other children in the orphanage. Alone, needy. Even if he had never had one, he missed having a family. Like me, I felt that hole in my chest that I had no one to call my mother or father. Nathan was a lost boy, just like me. He had nowhere to go, so he wanted to go to a place where things ended happily as in the stories. He had no family, so he wanted to go where he did not need one. Nathan only had me, but even if I wanted to, only I was not enough.

-You said we do not have family, do you? - I broke the silence, squeezed his hand against mine to draw his attention. - You said we have nowhere to go and no one to call father and mother.

Nathan looked at me seriously and nodded, blinking, curious for a sequel. I sat closer to him and put my arm around his shoulder, pointing the other to the big white moon in the sky.

- See the moon?

-Yes.

-She is our mother and all the stars in the sky are our brothers. - I said, pointing to the stars - That's why you do not feel alone when you look at them.

He stood still, watching the twinkling specks in the sky, pulling closer to me.

-At nightfall our mother climbs up there to look after us while we sleep. She's taking care of us now, Nathan. - Nathan stopped looking at the moon and our eyes met. He was still expressionless on his face, but his eyes glittered, waiting for me to continue. - And when dawn comes, our father comes to work. The sun appears every day to warm up and bring light, so we can read our books and play outside.

-And where do our brothers go when it's day? - Nathan asked me, taking me completely by surprise. I looked at the moon and the stars as if expecting them to whisper an answer, but they remained silent, as if to say "turn around." I took a deep breath and continued.

-They're going to play, just like us.

-Do they live in orphanages, Sophie?

-Yes, Nathan. They are like us. We are all brothers and when we grow we can live in our own homes.

-When I grow up I want to live with you Sophie. Nathan smiled openly and hugged me. -You promise you'll live with me?

-I promise.
And I promised, I knew we could be adopted or sent to other orphanages, but I promised.

-Sophie, tell me a story? - He lay on my lap like he always did and I started to tug at his hair.

-It was once a lost boy and a lost girl. - I started, raising my head to look at the sky. - They had no parents and lived in an old house full of cruel dragons. One day they were awakened by a strong light coming through the window, inviting them to climb on the roof. The two were and when they arrived there, they saw that the one who was calling them was the moon. She and all the little stars in the sky were looking at the boy and the girl. It was then that the moon said, "All stars are your brothers, if you look at them they will not be alone anymore," so she began to sing a lullaby to make the children sleep.

When I looked down to see Nathan's reaction, I realized he was already asleep. That night, we slept on the roof and despite the scolding we took and the time we spent kneeling with punishment, it was worth it. That moment I was with Nathan was totally worth it.

                                                                                                                       ***

It was on one of those nights that I was in the middle of the street in the city where I lived. It was late and several lights were off, giving me a beautiful view of the stars. I would do it every night, look at the stars ... It reminded me of Nathan and the fun times we had inside the orphanage. Now I lived in a small house, I lived alone. It reminded me of the promise I had made to Nathan so many years ago, but we ended up separating ourselves, after all we were adopted after a while. Immersed in my thoughts and the good memories I had with Nathan, I heard the same story I told Nathan so many years ago. I started laughing at myself, it's impossible for Nathan to tell that same story from years ago. I'm going crazy.

-Did you, Sophie? -  I narrowed my eyes as I looked away and saw that it was not in my fertile imagination. Nathan was there, taller, older, and cuter than I remembered. His dark hair splashed to the side perfectly, while my blond hair was completely messed up. My cheeks turned red and my heart raced, I could not imagine seeing him after so many years. I felt ashamed after reminding myself of all the times we walked hand in hand, for all the things I said to him in the past and for all the times we said we love, even though I did not know the meaning of those words.

-Nathan ... - It was the only thing that came out of my mouth, I was in complete shock.

-After all this time you do not say anything? - He laughed as he approached.

-Did you want me to say what? - I asked, folding my arms and grimacing, as in the good old days.

-You could say you missed me. - He replied, pouting, just like the good old days.

-I missed you. - I mean, he holds my hands without even thinking twice, smiling. They still fit perfectly - ...And now? 

-Sophie, can you tell me a story? - His smile widened, and he released my hands to get a book that was in his bag. It was the youngest of the Grimm Brothers tales. My cheeks ached as I smiled as I leafed through the pages of the book. - I always carry with me because it reminds me of you.

-You do not need a book to remember me, Nathan. - I closed the book and looked up at the sky. - Just look at the stars, as the moon said.

-I did this every night.
Even after such a long time, I realize that Nathan continues with that childlike aura. He has not changed anything in all these years.

-You did?

-Yes, but now I do not need more, you're here. - Nathan said taking my hands again - Sophie, do you remember our promise?

-Yes.

-And what do you say? - He smiled adoringly, that smile that made me smile automatically.

-If you agree to move to my tiny apartment ...

-Do I need a little magic to get there?

-No.

-So, I'll take it.

In the end, we were never lost boys. We had the sun, the moon, the stars and more importantly, we had each other.