AN: A short piece of fiction that I wrote for the NFFR colour challenge. Keyword: Silver. Go check out the other entries, if you're so inclined. They're magnificent!
Susan once lived in a world coloured silver. A world where seeing didn't necessarily mean believing, and where impossibilities became realities. A world where a practical mind was a liability instead of an asset, and where the loss of freedom was the worst torment imaginable.
From the silver of her crown, to the faint silver mist that shone at sunset, Susan once lived in a world tinted silver.
Silver for the tinkle of clear streams; silver for the sound of chime-like laughter; silver for the lining on each cloud; silver for the hope that flowed through the veins of every creature in Narnia.
Yes. Distant and shining like some pure star, silver was what represented Narnia most clearly to Susan.
Silver was hope. Hope was Narnia.
Susan now lives in a world coloured grey. A world where seeing was believing, and if things were impossible, shame on you for trying to accomplish them. A world where practicality outshone every other virtue, and where loss of freedom was a frightening reality.
From the grey clouds that seemed to engulf her world, to the gloom that seemed to crush her spirits, Susan now lives in a world tinted grey.
Grey for the blurring of right and wrong; grey for the ache that was ever present; grey for the sounds of anguish and fear; grey for the darkened faces of those who had lost loved ones; grey for the smiles that never reached haunted eyes.
Yes. Horrid and real like some nightmare, grey was what represented the war and the world in general most clearly to a torn Susan.
And so she kept her days in gossip and cigarettes; and her nights in drinking and too-bright lights. To dull the senses, to haze the fear, to forget Narnia.
For Narnia was too far away, and it hurt far too much to remember the happiness, the laughter, the hope. It was a star beyond reach and a memory that pained at the slightest thought. It was a dream, a foolish dream at that, and she would be happier if she just let it go.
And so did Susan depart from hope, and fill her heart with meaningless pleasures.
And thus did Susan's world dissolve into a deeper shade of grey.