The first chapter…

A special thanks to King Caspian the Seafarer, for making it a lot better.

A Different World

1st Chapter: The Man in the Train Station

Peter Pevensie was glad that his family was together once again. His parents and Susan were back from America. Edmund and Lucy had come back from their visit at Aunt Alberta and Uncle Harold's home. According to the letters he had received at the Professor's house, they had returned to Narnia—with Eustace, no less! Hopefully it had changed him as it had changed Edmund. Eustace had been such a pest the last time Peter had seen him.

The oldest Pevensie was exited to hear of their adventure, but all he could gather from the eager scribbling was that they had accompanied Caspian on the seas and had tremendous adventures concerning dragons and lost lords and a lot of other things they had yet to explain.

Peter was the last to come home. He had finished his studies and had taken the exams, which were astonishingly less difficult then the Professor had expected ("What do they teach in schools these days?"), so Peter had done quite well. Now he was on the train going from the country to Finchley. He was just finishing a chapter of Conan Doyle's "The Valley of Fear" when the train pulled into the train station.

The first thing he noticed was an old man standing on the station platform. He had a grey beard and was wearing an old trench coat, but even so he looked horribly out of place. His expression showed amazement and disbelief as he surreptitiously glanced around his surroundings.

In fact, for a fraction of a second Peter thought that the man could have come from Narnia, but there was a different air about him. Peter didn't see his family anywhere on the platform (they had said that they may be a little late.) so he approached the man in the trench coat.

"Excuse me, sir. May I help you?" he inquired. As the man turned to him, the coat fell open to reveal a mail shirt. Peter made a valiant attempt not to gasp in astonishment and stare and succeeded.

"I don't know if anyone could help me in this crazy place, but I am quite terribly hungry and tired."

"I still have a sandwich from my lunch. Here you go." He handed the sandwich to the man, who instantly unwrapped it and took a large bite; "I am Peter Pevensie, and, if you don't mind, sir, I have a question. It's going to sound strange but…do you come from another world?"

The man stopped eating. "How on earth did you know?"

Peter shrugged and tried not to smile in triumph. His observation had been correct.

"I suppose that if you have been away yourself you can guess, somehow. I was High King in a place called Narnia. Who are you and where have you been? Are you from this world, or the other originally?"

The man stared at him, dumbfounded, but then grabbed the boy's arm as if to make certain he was real. His hand was shaking.

"I am Sir Mathews the Green. I was in Arosa, but I think this isn't the place to discuss this. Beside that, I'm far too tired to explain much at the moment."

At that moment Edmund appeared on the platform, coming through some door like an actor appearing on cue, and spotted Peter with an exultant shout. Soon the whole family surrounded them. They greeted each other cheerfully, full of joy to be together once again.

Peter then explained that Mathews needed a place to stay and asked his parents if that was alright with them. Knowing that Peter was a trustworthy person, and knowing he wouldn't ask to bring in just anybody off the street, they agreed.

At the Pevensies house, Mathews went to sleep right away, so it was not until the next morning that he told them his story. The children had much to discuss among themselves anyway: of Susan's stay in America (Peter had noticed a change in her, though he wasn't quite sure what was different), of his studies with the Professor, and later, when the parents went to bed, of Edmund and Lucy's voyage (again, Susan seemed odd to Peter).

So what do you think? Please review.