Tumnus' Trickery
Aranel and Morris C. Martin
Lucy stepped through the doorway of the wardrobe into a world of deep, drifted snow and swirling flakes driven by a chilling north wind. Shivering, she quickly stepped back into the relative warmth of the mansion's wardrobe and selected a scarf, fur coat, stocking cap, earmuffs, and fur-lined boots (which were a little big on her). While donning the apparel, she glanced once more at the dark world outside, then again exited the security of the house.
The small girl felt snowflakes stinging her cheeks as she moved forward tentatively, inhaling the icy air, and exhaling wisps of her own warm breath. The clear, crisp scent of snow-covered fir and aspen created for Lucy an image of stern beauty. Before her, a dense forest of stately evergreens unfolded, each burdened by a thick robe of fresh snow.
Approaching a clearing only dimly visible in the darkening mist, Lucy immediately became aware of a soft, yellow glow. At first, she wasn't certain from whence the light came, but it soon became apparent. A tall, archaic lamppost stood in the very center of the clearing, driving away a measure of the surrounding darkness.
A slender, dark-clad figure was leaning against the post, seemingly tranquil and unaffected by the wind and cold. He was watching her approach in an apparently unconcerned manner. Lucy approached him cautiously.
"Do you know where I am?" she inquired. The stranger's eyes brightened slightly, and in a crisp voice he replied, "The land of Narnia, of course!"
"Narnia? Where's that?"
"Right here, where we stand!" the stranger replied with enthusiasm. He studied her shortly, and then nodded to himself. As if to make certain, however, he asked, "You are a daughter of Eve? Human, I mean?" Lucy stared at him blankly.
"Do you have a name?" he asked, finally.
"I'm Lucy," she replied. "I don't think there is any explanation for all this. I do know quite well that there isn't a forest behind the mansion!"
The stranger looked at her, perplexed.
"Mansion?" he asked. "What mansion?" Then, quietly to himself, "No matter. You'll soon be seeing a castle." The slim figure clicked his heels together abruptly, standing at his full height. Lucy thought his feet strangely shaped. In the dim lamp light, they seemed to resemble hooves. He also appeared to be wearing odd, furry trousers! (And, she wondered, "Were those horns protruding from beneath the rim of his fur hat?") All three thoughts struck her simultaneously, and she gasped at the sudden realization.
"Who…what's your name?" she stammered, amazed.
"Tumnus," the stranger said with a chuckle, noting her astonished expression. "I am a faun." He removed his hat and bowed with a flourish before returning it to cover an unruly shock of curly hair.
"You…you're…a what?"
"A faun," said Tumnus coolly. "You must be new here. I'd be glad to show you around, if you'd like."
"Well…" Lucy hesitated pensively. "I suppose a quick excursion couldn't hurt. As long as I'm back before too long." Tumnus extended his hand and she took it. Then, the faun reached down, picked up two wrapped packages from where they had been sitting in the snow, and tucked them under his free arm.
"What are those?" Lucy asked curiously, as they moved away from the clearing.
"Packages for Her Royal Highness," replied her new guide. They went along surprisingly swiftly through (or over) the deep drifts. The faun seemed to leave no tracks in the snow, and, at his touch, the small girl seemed almost to glide over the soft surface as well. Any indentations that were made were quickly filled in with fresh snow.
"This queen, or whatever she is," said Lucy presently, "who is she?"
"She is a hard task-mistress," replied the faun quietly (somewhat ruefully). "I hope these packages temporarily take her mind off of troubling me!"
"Hm…" said Lucy thoughtfully. "I…where are we going?"
"Just a short walk," replied Tumnus. "I want you to see another part of Narnia." Little did Lucy know the peril she was unwittingly being escorted into.
To Be Continued…