"Wendy, let us go home," cried John and Michael together.

"Yes," she said, clutching them.

Moments earlier, in Chapter 11, "Wendy's Story," of J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan, Wendy Darling was telling her brothers, John and Michael, and the Lost Boys her "good-night story," the story that she told them every night at bedtime—the story that Peter Pan hated.

Usually when she began to tell this story he left the room or put his hands over his ears...

Tonight, however, Peter stayed to listen to the story.

“There was once a gentleman,” Wendy began, and she was immediately interrupted by Curly. “There was a lady also...,” which is as far as she got before she was interrupted by the first twin.

“The gentleman's name,” Wendy continued, “was Mr. Darling, and her name was Mrs. Darling.”

“I knew them,” John said, to annoy the others.

“I think I knew them,” said Michael rather doubtfully.

"Now I want you to consider the feelings of the unhappy parents with all their children flown away...”

Wendy reassured all of them about how great a mother's love is, and that they should have no fear about being able to return home one day.

“You see,” Wendy said complacently, “our heroine knew that the mother would always leave the window open for her children to fly back by; so they stayed away for years and had a lovely time.”

Years later, Wendy tells them, when the children finally returned home, their nursery window was still open. They flew up to the open window to be happily reunited with their father and mother.

Peter uttered a hollow groan.

“Wendy, you are wrong about mothers.”

Everyone gathered around him, afraid and concerned about what he might say.

“Long ago,” he said, “I thought like you that my mother would always keep the window open for me, so I stayed away for moons and moons and moons, and then flew back; but the window was barred, for mother had forgotten all about me, and there was another little boy sleeping in my bed.”

A moment of stunned silence followed.

“Are you sure mothers are like that?”

“Yes.”

John and Michael didn't wait to hear another word, and decided instantly to return home.

"Not to-night?" asked the Lost Boys, but Wendy had a sudden realization—“Perhaps mother is in half mourning by this time”—and replied, "At once."

It was decided as quickly as that. Wendy, John, and Michael were going home.

“Peter, will you make the necessary arrangements?”

“If you wish it,” he replied...