I do not own Susan Pevensie or the Chronicles of Narnia.
It hadn't been a good day even before she had heard the news. She had spilled tea down her dress uniform and had missed her subway ride, which had made her late for her hair appointment. The stylist had told her the next opening he had was two weeks away. She was still trying figure out how she would get her hair fixed before the evening party when the news had come.
Susan didn't believe it, of course. Maybe if it had just been her sister, or one of her brothers, it would have been easier to believe. Perhaps if it had just been her parents it would have been easier for her to swallow. Both of her parents and all three of her siblings, dead? There was simply no way she could believe that her entire family had been killed on the same day and in a matter of seconds.
The officer who had knocked on her door carrying his cap in his hands stood perfectly still and looked at her, pityingly. He was waiting for a response, she knew, but all she could think of doing was laugh in his face. This had to be a joke, a sick prank of some sort. She imagined Edmund hiding behind that bush, a smirk on his face. Lucy stood behind him, thought Susan, a merry twinkle in her eyes. Peter's laugh was deep and joyful as they came out and joined her on the pavement in front of her house.
No one came out from behind the bushes. Deep down inside, she knew no one would. Her siblings were not the kind of people to pull this kind of prank. The police officer merely stood there, still waiting for her response. What was the proper response to give after someone has delivered such horrible news? Was she supposed to say something to him? Perhaps he was waiting for her to say "thank you," or "have a nice day." Should she invite him inside and offer him tea and biscuits?
"Miss, I'm terribly sorry for your loss," the man said. Hadn't he said that already? "Are you alright?"
Susan almost laughed at that. He hadn't just asked her if she was alright, had he? She looked at the officer in disbelief.
The man stuttered, "My apologies, miss, I don't know why I asked that. What I meant to say is, do you need anything? Is there anyone I should call for you?"
Was there anyone? Who did she need to tell? Of course there was the schools, she would have to let them know that Edmund and Lucy would not be returning. Mum and Father's jobs needed to hear the news. She should call some of their friends, if she could. And she would need to plan the funerals. Was this real?
"Are you sure it's them? How do you know?" That was it. It was a mistake. Yes, there may have been a train crash, but her siblings, her parents, they hadn't been in the crash. The police must have mistaken her family for... other people.
"We're certain. We confirmed their identities with their train tickets and they carried identification cards with them."
"Can I see them?" The words were out of her mouth before she had a chance to consider what they meant. Did she want to see them now? A train wreck could do horrid things to a person's… to a person. Was it painful? Had they suffered long?
The officer hesitated before he answered. "Miss, perhaps that would be unwise."
Suddenly Susan knew she needed to see them, one last time. She would never believe it was true if she didn't see them. "Where are they?"
"Everyone is being brought to the hospital, for now, until the authorities have had a chance to sort things out further."
"Alright, thank you."
"Again, I'm sorry for your loss," the officer said. Then he turned around, readjusted his cap on his head, and left.
Susan slowly closed the door. Her flat suddenly felt more dark and quiet than it ever had before, even with the lights shining brightly in the room. Nothing looked familiar to her; everything she owned had taken on a strange and uncomfortable form she didn't recognize. This must be a dream, she decided. When I wake up I'll call siblings and we'll plan to have lunch together, and everything will be as it should be. I might even tell them about this dream I had, and we'll laugh at it together as we eat.
Susan moved throughout the room, randomly picking things up and looking at them without reason. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was still trying to think of ways to style her hair before the party, but she was no longer sure she wanted to attend. She suddenly felt drained. Every ounce of energy she possessed had slipped away in a matter of seconds. All she wanted to do was crawl back into bed and go to sleep.
That was it, she thought. She turned off the lights and drew the curtains shut to block out the bright sun. She curled up in her bed, pulling the comforter around her shoulders and holding it tightly to her body. She shivered and realized suddenly that she felt extremely cold. She closed her eyes and waited for sleep to come. Despite desperately wanting to fall asleep, her mind kept racing in circles, picturing her siblings as they laughed and worked and played together. She prayed when she woke up she would be able to call them and tell them about this mad dream she was having, but deep down she knew the truth.
She was alone.