He was dressed as a 1950's-era Englishman,. but she recognized him right away. She called his name as she began to walk faster. He turned to her and smiled.
"Susan. I had to come to see if it was true."
"If what was true?"
"That you were no longer a friend of Narnia." She'd reached him, and they fell into step together.
"I thought I'd outgrown it," she said as they walked along. "But then - I lost my whole family."
They'd reached her flat. "This is where you live, correct?" asked Caspian.
"Yes! Will you please come inside? We have so much to talk about!"
"It would be my pleasure."
She opened the door for him, then followed him inside. "The kettle should still be warm." She poured tea for them both, and they sat down at the table. "It's so good to see you again!" said Susan. "But how did you get here?"
"I received special permission from Aslan," Caspian told her. "Although I was thrilled to see your brothers and sister when they arrived in Aslan's country, I was disappointed that you weren't with them. I was told that you were no longer a friend of Narnia, and it shattered me. I couldn't believe you'd forgotten all about me! I had to come and see for myself. I was so glad when you recognized me right away!"
"I didn't forget you, Caspian. It's just that Aslan told me I was too old to go back, and then so much time passed, and it all started to seem unreal to me - like it had all been just a dream I had once. It was real to my brothers and sister, and I don't know why it wasn't real to me anymore. I wanted to believe again, I truly did, but it was like I just - couldn't, somehow." She had to swallow a lump in her throat. "But I never forgot you, and wished you were real, and I could see you again someday, and now - I have!"
Caspian's eyes were tender as he reached for her hand. "I never understood that rule of Aslan's about the age limit myself. Every time I asked him about it, he said it was not for us humans with our finite wisdom to understand, and that we simply have to trust that he knows best." Caspian sighed. "I did miss you, though. Not that I wanted you to die like the others, but just that I wanted to see you again."
"The others - are they OK?"
"They're more than OK. They're perfectly happy, although of course they miss you, and mention you often."
Susan felt relief sweep over her. "I never realized how much I loved them until they were gone." She started to cry, softly.
"As a Telmarine, I can't comprehend what it would be like to grow up in England as the only home you've ever known, and then to suddenly find yourself in Narnia," Caspian said thoughtfully. "I don't know whether you remember it or not, but Aslan once gave the Telmarines the choice of staying in Narnia or entering your world through a magic door. It was right after I became King, and most of them chose to stay with me. I was happy for awhile. I knew you'd gone away but assumed you'd be back some day."
Susan felt a strange, yet familiar, longing. She knew she'd felt it once before, but that had been so long ago!
"I - I wish I had been there to meet you with the others, Caspian," she said slowly. "Even if - even if it meant I'd have to die in this world."
"Perhaps death isn't the tragedy it's made out to be, after all," Caspian suggested. "Perhaps it's only a transition from one world to another, but surely there's a way you can get back into Narnia without having to die. Perhaps we could find a clue at the train station."
Susan shuddered. "Do we have to go back there? All the memories..." She let out an involuntary sob.
Caspian squeezed her hand. "I think it would be our best chance."
"I can only imagine how lost and abandoned you must feel," Rabbi Goodman said to Patty. "To have been abused as a child, deemed a traitor by your own country, then to find warmth and companionship in another country, only to have another relationship shattered by a senseless tragedy. You must feel as if nobody cares about you at all, but you have to remember, God loves you."
"I know," said Patty. "It's just that God feels so far away sometimes. I pray, and it's like the words just vanish into thin air. On top of all that, I feel like I've lost Anton as well. When I met up with him again here in London, I felt like God had given me another chance to be with him. It's peace time, and I'm finally all grown up, so I thought maybe it was meant to be. But - lately, he's been so hard to reach, and I've seen him a couple of times with Susan, Lucy's sister."
"Perhaps he's merely comforting her in her time of sorrow."
"I know." Patty sighed. "It's selfish of me to be bothered by that, isn't it? After all, she just lost her whole family!"
"No, it isn't selfish of you at all. You've endured major losses as well. Just because they aren't the same as hers doesn't make them less real - or less painful. What you have to remember, Patricia, is that Anton will be with whomever he chooses to be with, and however much that hurts, you'll simply have to move on and create your own future, independent of him or anyone else."
"But how can I do that, all by myself?"
The rabbi smiled. "You're never all by yourself. God is always right there with you."