"Attention! Would all parents ensure that their children have the proper identification papers?"

"Mrs. Pevensie, we cannot thank you enough for ensuring that our children stay together."

"It's no problem at all, Mr. and Mrs. Bedwell. Tell the Andersens the same thing. Our children have grown up together so far. And this professor they'll be sent to was kind enough to agree to all six of them."

"Kayla. You listen to this professor."

"I will, Momma."

"No doubt you and Ivar both will be best friends with the professor, considering his background in history."

"Amen, Momma."

"You'll keep my boys in line, won't you, Ivar?"

"I certainly will, Mrs. Pevensie."

"It's a shame your parents will miss your birthday, but they want you to be able to have a birthday, regardless."

"Yes, Mrs. Bedwell."

Mrs. Pevensie turned her gaze to her children, in particular the youngest, Lucy.

"You warm enough? Now honey, you have to keep this on you. Be sure and keep it on."

"If Dad were here, the war would be over, and we wouldn't have to go."

"I know. You will listen to your brother, won't you, Edmund? Look after the others, Peter. Even Kayla and Ivar."

"I will, Mum."

"You're a big girl now, Susan. Now, there. Off you go."

"Come on, we've got to stay together. Kayla! Ivar!"

"We're coming, Peter!"

"I know how to get on a train!"

"No one said you didn't, Edmund!"

"Goodbye, Momma and Daddy!"

"Mr. and Mrs. Bedwell, look after my parents for me!"

"We will, Ivar!"

"Excuse me, miss, but do you have permission to bring this dog on board the train?"

"Yes, I do. Here."

"Well, everything is in order, Miss Bedwell. Fine specimen of a wolfhound, I'll say."

"Thank you, kind sir."

The train stopped at a station ten miles from where the professor's house was. A car pulled up, and all the children went out to meet it, but the car was not for them.

"The professor knew we were coming."

"Perhaps we've been incorrectly labeled."

"The odds of that are small, Edmund."

A little while later, a woman pulled up in a carriage.

"Mrs. Macready?"

"I'm afraid so. Is this it then? Haven't you brought anything else?"

"No, ma'am. It's just us."

"Small favours."

"What does she mean small favours, Peter?"

"What you do with your dog, miss, is up to you."

"He can fit in the floor of the carriage, ma'am. He's very well behaved."

"So be it."

The ride to the house was quiet, but not uneventful. Kayla's Irish Wolfhound was calm during the hold ride. They arrived at the house, and when Lucy first saw it, it scared her a little bit.

"Ivar, would you be willing to take my suitcase in. I need to take Áed for a walk."

"Yes, I can. If the professor asks where you are, I'll tell him."

"Thank you."

"Now, the professor is unaccustomed to having children in this house, and as such, there are a few rules we need to follow. There will be no shouting or running in the house. No improper use of the dumbwaiter. No touching of the historical artifacts. And above all, there will be no disturbing of the professor. Now, the servants will take your suitcases. That is their function. One must not deprive people of their functions."

"Oh! Children? Children! Good afternoon!"

"Good afternoon, sir."

"Well, it's wartime I suppose, even I must make a pretense at the military precision. Right! Front face! Name?"

"Peter, sir."

"Ivar, sir."

"Susan, sir."

"Kayla, sir."

"I'm Lucy!"

"You have a name, too, I trust?"

"Edmund."

"Sir."

"Sir."

"I should try not to mix you up. Oh! Mirs. Macready!"

"Yes, Professor?"

"These children have had a long journey. Have their supper served upstairs in their own study. They don't want sit up and be polite to an old man."

"Well, I'm sure it would be an inconvenience for the kitchen staff."

"Oh, how grand that sounds. Well, these ladies are the kitchen staff. Indeed, all the staff. What do you think?"

The three servants Ivy, Margaret, and Betty just stood there giggling and grinning.

"Whatever you say, professor. Your word is law."

"Is it? How nice."

The children ate their supper quietly with no messes, then they all gathered together later in the evening.

"German aircraft carried out several attacks on Great Britain last night."

"The sheets feel scratchy."

"Pevensies, can we come in? It's Ivar and Kayla."

"Yeah, come on in."

"Everything okay with y'alls?"

"We're just still getting used to the place."

"Wars don't last forever, Lucy. We'll be home soon."

"If home is still there."

"Isn't it time you were in bed?"

"Yes, MUM!"

"Ed!"

"Let him speak, Peter. He had every right to say that. He's scared for what he knows."

"Kayla, what would you know about it? America is safe."

"And unfortunately, America is also sitting on its arse, watching the rest of the world fall apart. We will get in the war, I promise you. You need us."

"My parents purposely left me here in England, even though they were called back to Denmark. They don't want me growing up in a Nazi-occupied world. The Nazis probably know I'm not there, but I don't think they would invade England just to get me."

"I hope pray they won't."

"You saw the outside, Lucy. This place is huge We can do whatever we want here."

"As long as we follow the rules."

"That Macready lady is strict."

"I prefer strict people. Humans need discipline."

"Tomorrow's going to be great. Really."

The next day did not go as planned. It started to rain early in the morning, and it rained all day long.

"Gas-tro-vas-cu-lar. Come on, Peter. Gastrovascular."

"Is it Latin?"

"Yes."

"Is it Latin for, worst game ever invented?"

"I agree with Edmund."

"Kayla!"

"What? I am a writer, but I prefer fiction. I need something that gets my adrenaline going, and frankly, a dictionary does not do that."

"We could play hide-and-seek."

"I'm with her."

"Ivar, you're staring at the rain again."

"I just wonder if it's raining in Denmark."

"Well, there is no way of knowing."

"But we're already having so much fun."

"Your lying is not good, Peter."

"Please? Please? Please?"

"One. Two. Three. Four."

All of the other children ran off to find a good hiding spot. Lucy and Edmund both came to the same spot, but Edmund claimed it.

"I was here first!"

"Ugh!"

Lucy then comes to a spare room, with a large object covered in a white sheet. She pulls the white sheet off of it, to reveal a wardrobe. She decides to hide in it, thinking Peter will never find her. She could still hear Peter counting from inside the wardrobe.

"Eighty-four. Eighty-five. Eighty-six."

Lucy walks to the back of the wardrobe, expecting to find a wooden wall, but instead, she feels cold air, and her feet land on snow. She gets a bit too cold and puts on one of the fur coats hanging in the wardrobe. She starts walking until she stops at a lamp post.

"In the middle of the wood?"

She hears footsteps and out of the trees comes a faun.

"Excuse me?!"

"Goodness gracious!"

"Are you a faun?"

"Yes, Yes, I suppose I am."

Lucy helps the faun pick up the packages he dropped when she scared him.

"Thank you. But pardon me, but should I be right in thinking that you, are a daughter of Eve?"

"My name is Lucy."

"But forgive me, are you what they call, a girl?"

"Of course, I'm a girl."

"A human?"

"Yes. Us girls are humans."

"Well, this is just delightful! Delightful! I've never seen a human before! Let me introduce myself! My name is Tumnus, and-. How did you get into Narnia?"

"Narnia? What's that?"

"Why it's, where we are. This is the land of Narnia. All that lies between the lamp post, and the great castle of Cair Paravel on the Eastern Sea."

"The castle of what?"

"Cair Paravel. I don't think there's any reason she should worry, there's only one of you. And you! You have come from the Wild Woods of the West?"

"No, not there. I got in through the wardrobe in the spare room."

"Oh, dear. If only I had worked harder at geography when I was a little faun at school. You will think me very ignorant, but I've never of the city of wardrobe, nor the land of spare oom."

"It's just back there. I think. It's summer there."

"It is winter here. It has been winter in Narnia for ever so long. And we would both catch cold if we stand here talking in the snow. Daughter of Eve, from the far land of Spare Oom, to where eternal summer reigns around the bright city of Wardrobe. How would it be if you came and had tea with me?"

"I've never taken tea with a faun before."

"Well, then,"

"But really, I suppose. I should be getting back."

"But it's just around the corner. There will be toast, and sardines, and and, and cakes."

Lucy took Mr. Tumnus' arm and walked with him to his home.

"It won't be long now till it boils. Make yourself at home."

"Nymphs and their ways. Is man a myth?"

"It's ready!"

"It's such a beautiful and cozy house. And that really is a wonderful tea."

"Do sit, please, do sit. One for me, and one for a friend."

"Mmmm, this looks good. So, what's it like living in Narnia, Mr. Tumnus?"

"Life was beautiful here once. A century ago. Midnight dances in the forest. The nymphs, who live in the wells, and the dryads, who live in the trees, come and dance with us, with the fauns. Oh, the feasting! And the treasure hunting! And the summers! Long, joyous summers. The whole forest given up to jollification for weeks on end!"

"But why isn't it like that now?"

"Now, it is winter. Endless winter. And it always will be unless, and until-"

Mr. Tumnus sets down his cup of tea and pulls out a double-piped flute. He begins to play it, and as he plays, Lucy falls asleep a bit and dreams of life in Narnia. She dreams of dwarves, nymphs, and fauns eating and celebrating summer together.

"How long have I been asleep? I must go home! The others will be wondering what's happened to me! Mr. Tumnus? Whatever's the matter? Mr. Tumnus? Mr. Tumnus, do stop it at once!"

Lucy hands him her handkerchief to get him to stop crying.

"My own father would never have done a thing like this. I am you see, a very bad faun."

"I don't think you're a bad faun. I think you're a very good faun. You're the nicest faun I've ever met. You're the only faun I've ever met."

"You wouldn't say that if you knew I've done. I've done a very bad thing. I have, I've taken service under the White Witch."

"The White Witch? Who is she?"

"Who? Why, it's she who has all of Narnia under her spell. It is she who makes it always winter here. Always winter never Christmas. Think of that."

"How awful. But what did she pay you for?"

"I'm a, I'm a kidnapper. Would you believe that I'm the kind of faun to meet a poor, innocent human child in the woods, pretend to be friendly with it and invite home to my cave all for the sake of lulling it to sleep and handing it over to the White Witch?"

"Oh. I'm sure you wouldn't do anything of that."

"Yes. You were the child. I had orders from the White Witch that if ever I saw a son of Adam or a daughter of Eve in the woods, I was supposed to catch them and play a spell with my flute and make them fall asleep and hand them over to her!"

"But you haven't. You've told me."

"But if I don't, she is sure to find out! She would have my tail cu off, my horns sawed off, and my beard plucked out! And if she extra and especially angry with me, she'll turn me into stone!"

"I'm sorry! I am so sorry! But please, please let me go home!"

"Of course, I will! I must! I see that now! I had not known what humans were like before I met you, and now that I have met you, of course I can't give you up to the witch! Well, we must be off at once. I'll see you back to the lamp post. I hope you can find your own way back to, what was it, spare oom, and wardrobe?"

"I think I can."

"Now, we must go very quietly. The woods are full of spies. Even some of the trees are on the witch's side."

They made it safely to the lamp post with no problems.

"Now, are you sure you know your way from here?"

"I think I can see the wardrobe door."

"Well, be off home as quick as you can! And, can you ever forgive me for what I was about to do?"

"Yes I can. You won't get into trouble on my account."

"No, no no. certainly not. farewell, daughter of Eve. And, may I keep the handkerchief?"

"Of course. Goodbye."

"Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, 100! Ready or not, here I come!"

"I'm back! I'm back! It's alright! I'm back!"

"Shut up, he's coming!"

Kayla heard her scream she's back, and it made a shiver run up her spine for some reason.

"You know, I'm not sure you two have quite gotten the idea of this game."

"Does this mean I win?"

"Not if we both come arriving in at the last minute."

"We heard Lucy shouting."

"But, weren't you wondering where I was?"

"That's the point! That's why he was seeking you!"

"Shut up, Edmund. She knows how to play this game, she just has something else to else."

"Thank you, Kayla."

"I don't think she wants to play anymore is what she is trying to tell us."

"Stop taking things for granted, Peter. Come on, Lucy. What do you have to tell us?"

Lucy led everyone to the room with the wardrobe, with everyone but Kayla prepared for what was ahead.

"You said you had tea with a what?"

"A faun. Don't you know what a faun is?"

"Susan, check the back of the wardrobe."

Susan went into the wardrobe and she knocked on the back of it, the sound startling Lucy.

"Lucy, it's an ordinary wardrobe. This was a jolly good hoax you pulled on us!"

"It's not a hoax! It really was there a moment ago. Honestly."

"Come on, Lu. You've had your joke. Now, you better drop it."

"She's not lying, Peter. You of all people should know that. I've known this girl since she was born. The only oone in this room who would willing lie is Edmund."

"Kayla!"

"What?! I'm just telling the truth. I believe you Lucy. You can count on me."

Kayla walked out of the room to go take her dog for a walk and Ivar ran after her.

"I'll talk some sense into her."

"She's just a stubborn American!"

"I HEARD THAT! AND I'M OUTSIDE!"

She did not like to be insulted.