Fine Line
By Piccolabimba
"What do they teach them at these schools?" –Professor Digory Kirke (The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe)
Mary Parker was sitting at her desk in the empty school room marking papers. The children had been working on personal narrative stories, and most of the stories reflected the mundane, sensible events of a school girl's life. However, one pupil's writing stood out from the tales of lost slippers, playing ball, and friendships. This time, it was about the girl eavesdropping on her friend's conversation in a rail carriage using a magic book, and how that had hurt her to know that they were saying bad things about her. Then a magical talking lion told her that her friend was not a very strong person, but really loved Lucy. The story had threads of truth in it. Perhaps she had overheard some conversation and her sister had been the one to tell her not to worry about it. But why the need to make it magical? To have a magic book and a talking lion giving her this lesson?
Lucy Pevensie wrote stories more like those that Mary had read as a child that had since gone out of fashion. Tales of a magical place with talking animals, kings and queens, and an enormous lion named Aslan. All of Lucy's stories seemed to be part of the same world, an imaginative fantasy world that seemed real to the child. Unfortunately, this assignment was a personal narrative, not a creative story. It seemed like all of Lucy's stories, no matter the topic, came from this imaginative place. She would have to re do the assignment and tell about something that happened in her own life, or tell the tale as it really happened, without the fantasy elements. Pity, as the imagined life was much cheerier than the war torn one that was the girl's reality.
With all of her pupils engaged in writing accounts of their day in their journals, it was the best time to talk with Lucy about her writing. "Lucy, come to me to review last week's writing." Some of the other girls looked up as the small blond girl got up and started walking towards the desk in the front of the room.
"Lucy, the assignment you turned in last week needs to be redone." The girl's face fell at the news. She went on. "You were to write a personal narrative, something that really happened to you. You have turned in a creative story. While interesting, it does not meet the requirements for the assignment."
"Miss Parker, this is a story that happened to me. It happened last summer when I was visiting my cousin."
"If that is so, then why does it have all the magical elements?"
"Because that is how it happened."
"Fantasy worlds are very real to the person who imagines them, but the assignment was to write about something that actually happened to you."
Lucy was about to protest when she remembered something that Peter had said after they recounted their adventures on the Dawn Treader. He had said that people won't believe the stories, but think they are imagination. It is best for them to keep quiet about Narnia at school, but at home they could remember it as real. But then, Miss Parker was still talking.
"I think that this story is based on true events. Just rewrite it with what really happened and it will work out just fine." And so, Lucy rewrote the story, taking out the magical elements and inventing substitutions. She made the Lion into Peter and the magical book into her passing by the carriage. She felt disloyal the entire time. In fact, she hated it so much, that she burned the whole thing and wrote a rather boring retelling about having lunch out with Susan on a free afternoon.
Lucy turned in the new writing to Miss Parker with a resigned sigh.
As Mary read it over during a recess, she was a little surprised to be reading the dull account. The energy that had been in the previous tale was missing. She felt rather like she had clipped an angel's wings.
Later, she sat at the teacher's lunch table. It was not uncommon for each to discuss situations that arose in class and to get advice or sympathy from her peers.
"I have a student who is prone to writing fantasy stories for each assignment, despite the directions. While the stories are interesting, they are quite taxing as she keeps having to redo assignments." Several teachers had responses for her.
"It's harmless," Miss Shelley said, stirring her soup, "children don't always know the difference between reality and fiction. As long as she complies with redoing the assignment, there is no harm."
Miss Clay had a different opinion, "she is trying to get out of the assignment. Having her rewrite the ones she messes up will help her to follow directions in the future. Isn't there enough in the real world to write about without making things up?"
"Let her write what she likes," says Miss Shelley, "just make sure it is during her free writing time and not for lessons.
Mary was more inclined to Miss Shelley's advice, as Lucy was generally a sweet child who wanted to please her teacher. It seemed out of character for her to be doing it to get out of the assignment.
After lunch, Miss Parker set the mathematics assignment for the girls to practice their multiplication tables. With small heads bent over their books, Mary started looking through her desk drawers for a composition book. As with most things, there weren't many to be had these days after the war. Finally, she found one that may have seen better days. On the first page, she wrote a note:
Lucy,
Here is a book for you to write down your wonderful stories in your free time. A condition of you using this book is that you must write your class assignments on the topic assigned, and not with magical characters unless so instructed. You may keep it in your desk.
Miss Parker
The scrape of pencils on paper and the flap of turning pages accompanied Mary's walk between the rows of girls intent on their work. Well, mostly. A few daydreamers got taps on their desks to remind them to focus. When she got to Lucy's desk, Mary paused. Her presence caused the pencil to stop writing and bright eyes with a cloud of concern to look up at her. Surrounding girls glanced up to see why Miss Parker had stopped at Lucy's desk. She quickly ducked her head and a pink blush of embarrassment started to creep up the girl's cheeks as her teacher stood beside her.
Lucy looked up in surprise when Miss Parker set a copybook on her desk nonchalantly. After doing so, Miss Parker resumed her walk among the rows. Mary saw Lucy peek in the front cover and smile before quickly tucking the copybook under her mathematics workbook and resumed her multiplication.