To all my faithful reviewers: I know! This is moment we've been waiting for! Here it is. Pray I do it justice, lol.
Chapter 13, Exploring the Land
I gasped and shot to my feet, twisting around and brushing a tree branch out of the way. No. It couldn't be.
I opened my mouth, and no sound came out. What could I say? There was a wood behind the wall leading to…the Professor's back yard—where it was currently January—and the rest of England was enjoying June. Completely…
"Impossible," Susan completed my thought. She beheld the dazzling whiteness, looking delighted. I followed her gaze and took in every detail. It was no hallucination. It wasn't a dream. It was real.
"Don't worry," said Lucy smugly. "I'm sure it's just your imagination."
"You're a hero, Lu," I said warmly. "That's the closest you could come to saying 'I told you so'. I guess…if we said sorry, it wouldn't quite cut it, will it?"
"No." Lucy said shortly.
I frowned. I suppose I'd have to earn her trust again...
"But this might," she laughed gleefully, flinging a snowball at my head. It broke against my forehead. I gasped in surprise and laughed, gathering snow and tossing it back. Susan joined in. Soon we were tossing snowballs back and forth, enjoying the magic of the winter land. I laughed and chucked a ball at Susan, who ducked to avoid being hit. The snowball struck another target—a very sour faced, angry looking Edmund. "Ow, stop it!" he snapped.
The magic popped like a bubble. The sparkle seemed to dim.
Edmund had lied. He had been here with Lucy. He had let her down.
"You…little…liar!" I exclaimed.
"You didn't believe her either," protested Edmund.
"Say you're sorry," I said threateningly, stepping up to him.
"Alright, I'm sorry!" Edmund said quickly, looking eager to get it over with. If only I could make him say it—and mean it, too.
"It's alright," Lucy said forgivingly. "Some little children don't know when to stop pretending."
"Very funny!" muttered Edmund.
"Maybe we should go back," said Susan after a moment. "It's awfully cold." She rubbed her upper arms and shivered.
"Shouldn't we at least take a look around?" said Edmund.
Like we would do what he wanted after he did to Lucy. That's ridiculous.
"I think," I turned away from him. "Lucy should decide."
"I'd like you all to meet Mr. Tumnus," Lucy said without a moment's thought.
"Mr. Tumnus it is," I said, pushing through the branches and grabbing a few coats.
"We can't go hiking in our summer clothes," said Susan, looking disgusted at the thought.
"No, but the Professor wouldn't mind if we used these," I said, handing a coat to Lucy. "Besides," I continued, "If you think about it logically--" I used Susan's favourite word, receiving a glare. "We're not even taking them out of the wardrobe." I handed the last one to Edmund.
"That's the girls' coat!" he protested.
Oops. I must have given Susan the boys' coat. Oh well, he'll just have to deal with it.
"I know." I replied, shoving it into his arms. He stared at me with an angry look.
From then on, Lucy led the way excitedly, pointing out a beautiful English looking lamppost growing in the wood. This indeed was a magical country! It looked just like it came off a neighbourhood street in London.
"We can pretend we're Arctic explorers," Lucy said, scrambling up a hill.
"I think we can do enough exploring, without the pretending," I said, following her. We crossed the crest of the hill, laughing. I slipped and plummeted down the side, landing on my backside. Ouch. I'd be feeling that later.
Just then, we arrived at towering black rocks all covered in snow. Inside a tiny cleft was a lovely carven door that was broken to shreds.
"No!" cried Lucy, running forward.
"Wait, Lucy!" I called. Something can't be wrong. Not in a foreign county when we're all alone…a recipe for disaster…
We stepped through the broken door. Lucy stared, saddened and dumbfounded. I inspected the damage. Something with large claws had ripped apart every picture, book, teacup, and rocking chair. Inside it felt dark and hollow. No doubt, Lucy had seen it when it was cheeryand warm.
"Who would do something like this?" she whispered in a tiny voice.
I walked forward, nearly tripping over a broken table. I placed my hand on a stone pillar for support, and then felt the soft leathery parchment under my hand. I pulled some sort ofpaper away from the nail, trying to decipher the flowing calligraphy.
"I can't read it in this light, I have to go outside," I muttered. My family followed me out, Lucy placing a tiny hand on my arm in need to be reassured.
"The faun Tumnus is hereby charge with High Treason against her Imperial Majesty, Jadis," I shared a look with Susan. "Queen of Narnia, for comforting her enemies, harboring spies, and fraternizing with humans. Signed Maugrim, Captain of the Secret Police. Long live the Queen." Beneath the signature was an over-sized paw print of a dog.
I lowered the paper. This place is dangerous. We have to get out.
But…Dad would have never run away…
"Okay, now we REALLY should go back," said Susan.
"What about Mr. Tumnus?" cried Lucy.
"If he was arrested for being with a human, there's nothing we can do!" argued Susan.
"You don't understand!" Lucy continued. "I'm the human! She must have found out he helped me!"
"We can call the police," I said rather helplessly. By all means, they may not have discovered electricity yet.
"These ARE the police," Susan motioned to the paper.
"Don't worry, Lu," I said, putting an arm around her. "We'll think of something."
"Why?" Edmund said loudly, breaking a moment's silence. "I mean, he's a criminal."
"For protecting our sister," I said, fuming. "There must be something wrong with government here if he'd been arrested for that."
"Well," interrupted Susan, "We shan't attempt any rescue mission now. There must be something else we can do without getting ourselves into trouble."
"And no hope of any dinner, either," added Edmund.
"Shut up—you!" I shouted at him.
Edmund opened his mouth to send back a nasty reply when suddenly a branch snapped. I shot around, glancing towards the edge of the clearing.
Some bushes crackled. Small footsteps passed by our left. Something was watching—or waiting—for us.
Susan put a hand on my shoulder, frightened. I grasped her hand. Lucy crept up and put an arm around Susan. The footsteps grew closer.
What if we were in some danger? I couldn't let anything happen to my family. How could I have been so stupid? I was so eager to explore the woods. I hadn't any sort of weapon to protect us—not even a stick. There could be anything out there…wolves…witches…bears…ghosts…
A stick cracked. Something furry passed behind a snow-drift.
"It's a beaver!" I yelped. "I saw its tail!"
"A beaver?" said Lucy loudly.
"Psst!" cried the Beaver, sticking its furry head out of the bush. I'd never heard a Beaver make a noise like that. What could be wrong with an ordinary beaver?
"Here boy," I said, creeping forward. I tsked my tongue, coaxing it forward.
It shuffled forward, pawing through the snow and stopping just inches in front of me.
"Here boy, come on," I coaxed again, holding my fingers out.
"I ain't gonna smell it, if that's what you want!" said a furry, fuzzy sort of voice. It came straight from the Beaver's mouth as he stared at my hand indignantly.
I jerked my hand back, startled. So now there were talking animals. What could I say to an offended Beaver?
"Sorry," I choked out.
I'm an idiot! I thought. A complete and utter idiot!
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