Blessed
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Chapter 6: Pure in Heart
The darkness was overwhelming. If the lanterns hadn't been lit, Lucy wouldn't have been able to see her hand in front of her face. She didn't know how that poor man lying crumpled on the deck had survived here for so long without going completely mad! The sound of Hags laughing all around her was almost too much to bear. She was able to drag herself out of horrid nightmares in time to heard Caspian murmur lowly to the captain, "Drinian, how long did we take rowing in-I mean to where we picked up the stranger?"
"Five minutes, perhaps. Why?"
"Because we've been more than that already trying to get out."
The stranger jerked into a sitting position. "Never get out! That's it. Of course. We shall never get out. What a fool I was to have thought they would let me go as easily as that. No, no, we shall never get out."
Lucy squeezed her eyes shut. No. We can't be stuck here. She leaned her head on the edge of the fighting-top and whispered, "Aslan, Aslan, if ever You loved us at all, send us help now." The darkness certainly didn't lessen, but she began to feel the slightest bit better. After all, nothing has really happened to us yet.
"Look!" Rynelf's hoarse voice echoed throughout the ship.
A tiny speck of light had appeared ahead, and while they watched a broad beam of light fell from it upon the ship. It did not change the darkness all around them, but the ship lit up as with a searchlight. Lucy blinked and looked around at the terrified faces of everyone else. She turned her gaze back to the beam of light and noticed that there was something in it. At first it looked like a cross, then like an airplane, then like a kite, and at last with a whirring of wings it was directly above them, and everyone saw it was an albatross. It circled the mass three times before briefly alighting on the dragon's head on the prow. It called in a strong sweet voice words no one understood. It flew slowly ahead, bearing a little to starboard. Drinian immediately began to follow after it, somehow knowing that it would lead them out.
Lucy had been the only one to hear its words as it circled the mast. "Courage, dear heart."
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Matthew 5:8)