While Edmund and Lucy went out to get groceries, I stayed at the house with Eustace, my annoying cousin. Kill me now. He was writing in his diary in his room with his bugs and other creatures while I sat in the room I shared with Lucy, throwing a ball at the wall and catching it when it bounced off.
"We're home!" Lucy exclaimed from downstairs and I smiled before letting the ball bounce past me.
I went down the stairs behind Eustace and saw Edmund sticking his tongue out at Uncle Harold.
"Father! Edmund's making faces at you!" Eustace exclaimed.
Edmund turned around and glared, and Eustace lodged a spit ball at my brother. I stopped Eustace from running up the stairs and Edmund came towards us, "Father! He's going to hit me!"
"Edmund look!" Lucy exclaimed and stopped him from punching Eustace.
Lucy held up a letter, "It's from Susan."
We went into Lucy and I's room and Lucy read the letter to us. Edmund stood up from beside me and looked at the picture on the wall.
"Mother hopes you don't mind another few months in Cambridge." Lucy finished, "Another few months? How will we survive?"
"If we're lucky." Edmund answered, taking the letter and sitting down again.
"Susan and Peter are the lucky ones." I said, and Lucy stood up, "Off on adventures."
"Well, they're the oldest ones and we're the youngest. We don't matter as much." Edmund replied.
Lucy stood in front of the mirror and put her hair behind her ear, "You think I look anything like Susan?"
"Alice, have you seen this ship before?" Edmund asked, looking at the painting.
"It's very Narnian looking, isn't it?" I replied.
"You should stop thinking of Caspian. It's unlikely you'll ever see him again. I mean, last time we were gone for two years and it was over a thousand there." Edmund stated and I slapped his arm. "It reminds me that we're here and not there."
"There were once some orphans who wasted their time believing in Narnian nursery rhymes." Eustace said, walking into the room.
"Please let me hit him." Edmund said and Lucy held him back.
"No."
"Don't you ever knock?" I asked.
"It's my house." Eustace replied, "I do as I please. You're just 's so fascinating about that picture, anyway? It's hideous."
"You won't see it from the other side of the door." Edmund responded.
"It kind of looks like the water's actually moving." Lucy said.
"What rubbish! See? That's what happens when you read all of those fanciful novels on fairy tales of yours." Eustace said.
"There once was a boy called Eustace, who read books full of facts that were useless." I replied.
"People who read fairy tales are always the sort that are a hideous burden to people like me, who read books of real information." Eustace said and Edmund turned around.
"Hideous burden? I haven't seen you lift a finger since we've been here." Edmund replied.
I ignored the two boys when I actually saw the water in the picture moving. And a water droplet spilled from the canvas. Then wind blew through my hair.
"Edmund." Lucy and I said at the same time.
"Edmund, the painting." I said when he didn't reply, "Lucy, guess where we're going?"
The ship got closer and Lucy grabbed my hand as water splashed onto us. Eustace looked at us then the painting, which had water spilling out of it and onto the floor.
"What's going on here?" He asked. "This has to be a trick. Knock it off or I'll tell mother!"
"Mother!" Eustace yelled and he backed against the wall, "Mother!"
Water was now pouring into the room, and it didn't seem like it was going to stop.
"I'll just smash the old thing." Eustace said and he lunged for the painting and took it from the wall.
"Stop!" We yelled and Eustace now had the water coming onto his face
"Put it down!"
He dropped it and water was filling the bedroom quickly and we now had to swim to breathe air. The four of us went underwater, and I looked up and saw sunlight. I swam to the top and we were in an ocean.
"Edmund! Lucy!" I yelled.
"Alice!" I looked over and saw Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace.
A shadow covered my wet form and I looked up and saw the ship from the painting heading straight towards us.
"Eustace swim!" I yelled and swam away from the boat.
"What's going on?!"
Waves crashed onto me and the air was swept away from my lungs. I felt arms wrap around my waist and I was brought upwards. I started kicking until I heard a familiar voice,
"It's okay. I got you."
I turned around and the person's hands wiped my hair and the water from my face and I looked to a person I thought I'd never see again,
"Caspian?"
"Hello." He smiled.
I looked and saw Edmund, Eustace, and Lucy still swimming, "Guys! Its Caspian!"
They stopped and looked back at us and three other men grabbed them while Eustace was freaking out. Caspian and I swam over to the ship and we were brought upwards to the deck. Caspian got off first and helped me off the swing thing and I smiled up at him before kissing his cheek. Then they brought up Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace.
I looked around, smiling.
We were back in Narnia. Finally.