Suddenly everything around Susan was different.
The couch wasn't soft any more and no pillow was under her head.
She didn't feel the warmth of the fire.
Under her, it was wet and cold.
Shocked, she opened her eyes.
And was shocked again.
There was no chimney.
No boxes.
No walls.
No apartment.
Nothing.
But, there was something.
Trees.
Grass.
Bushes.
Earth.
Noise.
Life.
Carefully Susan stood up and tried not to blink.
Would everything be gone if she closed her eyes?
If she just looked somewhere else for a moment?
If she turned,
would there still be a forest?
Still bushes?
Grass?
Earth?
Noise?
Life?
Or just furniture?
Boxes?
Pillows?
Walls?
Mourning?
Desperation?
Susan made one step after the other carious, expecting to hit a box soon.
A wall.
The chimney.
Anything.
Something, she couldn't see.
Not by now.
But anyway she hurried to move forward.
She wanted to reach something familiar.
A palace.
A ocean.
A mountain range.
A street lamp.
Someone familiar.
Peter.
Edmund.
Lucy.
Kaspian.
Aslan.
Or someone else.
Someone, she shouln't meet.
Someone, she wanted to meet badly.
Then everything appeared, familiar things.
First the street lamp.
Then the mountain range.
Then the ocean.
Then the castle.
And eventually the palace.
And following familiar persons.
Aslan.
Lucy.
Edmund.
Peter.
Kaspian.
Finally.
Now Susan just ran.
The cold wind made her cry.
The sun dried them right away.
More and more tears.
Tears of joy.
She blinked.
And everything disappeared.
No Aslan,
no Lucy,
no Edmund,
no Peter,
no Kaspian.
And no palace,
no castle,
no ocean,
no mountain range,
no street lamp.
Just a room.
Boxes.
Pillows.
Walls.
Mourning.
Loneliness.
Just sparkles in the chimney.
The fire was gone.
But hope was not.
Until now.
Now, hope was gone either.
Completely.
For ever?