-The Letter-
"Audrey! Get out of that tree! You aren't acting like a lady."
Audrey Elizabeth Rockwell looked down through the willow's sweeping branches at her friends Alexandra and Grace, who were having a picnic next to the creek. Her best friend in the whole world was fortunate enough to be able to spend the summer in the pure countryside of England. Her fortune though, seemed to be Audrey's dilemma. Even though she had Alexandra and Grace, it wasn't the same. Because, while the girls and Audrey had known each other since they were five, she couldn't help but think they were growing apart.
Her best friend was spending the whole summer at her parent's friend's house in the country. The way her letters were written though made it seem like the house was a mansion. Audrey could clearly imagine her friend exploring the grounds of a humongous house in the company of her siblings. But all she could do was wait for another letter.
Audrey carefully made her way down through the willow's thick branches, towards her friends were gossiping about who wore what to last night's soirée. The girl rolled her eyes before jumping down right next to Grace making her start.
"Audrey, do try to act like a lady. You would be so admired if you would present yourself in a different manner, you know." Grace stated.
"Well thank you for your opinion, Grace. I am afraid that I must cut our meeting short though, for my brother James is going to further instruct me in my archery lessons, and I'm sure we would end up wrestling if I were late for such an important event." Audrey said, her voice dripping in sarcasm. "And, God knows that I, of all people, could not stand to have mud on my petticoats."
Alexandra sighed and Gracie gazed out at the water pretending she had not heard Audrey's comment. "I suppose we will see you tomorrow Audrey?" Alexandra asked.
"Maybe, I might have to help my father and brothers with our newspaper. We've been getting a lot of business since the bombing started."
"Oh, I wish this war wasn't happening!" Grace complained.
"Gracie, you should know that you couldn't have peace without war." Audrey said as she walked away, hoping for a letter.
*Later at home*
"Henry did I get any mail today?" Audrey asked her older brother.
"Hmmm, well there was that one letter from Lucy, but where did I put it?"
"Henry!! Please! You know I've been waiting all week for that letter. Where is it?"
"Right here." Henry said producing the letter from behind his back. "You better hurry up and read it though, James isn't going to be happy if you are late for another archery lesson, and father won't be pleased if you rip another dress wrestling him about it."
"I know, it would be much easier if I could wear pants, but you know how GrandMary is. She still has the turn of the century sketched in her brain."
"It's just because she worries you aren't becoming a lady with just us men around. Ever since mother died, she's been worried about your upbringing." Henry stated.
"Well, that was three years ago, and I don't mind the way I'm growing up to be. I bet one day women will be worth just as much as any man." Audrey stated matter-of-factly. "Thanks for holding my letter. I'll talk to you later though, archery might wait, but you know James won't."
Audrey put her letter in her dress's front pocket and rolled her bicycle out onto the sidewalk. She had five minutes to reach James in the park, and she was determined not to be late.
As soon as she reached her brother, she jumped off her bike, and pulled it to a halt.
"Here you go Audrey." James said, handing her her arm guard and arrows. After she had her arm guard strapped on and her arrows in their quiver, he brother handed her an un-strung bow so that she could string it up. Audrey had had the most trouble with stringing the bow when she first started. But after hours and hours of practice she could easily bend the larger bow and pop the string in less than three seconds.
After she strung her bow, Audrey pulled an arrow out of her quiver and lined it up perfectly with the target. Pulling back on the supple string, the girl lithely let go to see the arrow soar straight to the bulls- eye of the target. Her expertise of archery had come after two years of working on it. Her mother was a skilled archer, and the year after she passed away, Audrey decided the best way to keep her mother's memory strong was to have a special connection with her. A lot of James and Audrey's skill was inherited though. Now that Audrey had the aim down perfectly, it was time to work on her speed. There was an archery contest every year at the park. James had won the last two years in a row in the bull's eye and speed competition.
Audrey's speed was decent, but she concentrated too much on her speed instead of her target. The arrow sometimes totally missed its mark. James had told her to keep her eye on one point, no matter where her hands were going, kind of like not letting the left hand know what the right hand is doing.
After working on it for an hour, Audrey was able to hit the target on the majority of her snaps; she even hit the bull's eye three times. After her successful practice, she sat under a laurel tree and took the folded letter out of her pocket. Unfolding the paper and smoothing out the creases, Audrey read:
-June 1943-
Dear Audrey,
I am downtrodden. Here at Professor Kirk's house, the rooms and yards seem to go on forever. Yesterday, while it was raining, we decided to play hide and seek. I found a room that had nothing in it, but a wardrobe, so I hid in there. Audrey, it had the most wonderful fur coats, sleek and soft fur. I decided to hide behind them, so it would be harder for Su to find me, but when I tried to find the back, all I could feel was evergreen branches covered in snow. Imagine that! Snow in the summer! I walked in until I reached an old-fashioned lamppost, and a little man with a goat's lower half (these creatures are called fauns. his name is Mr. Tumnus.) greeted me as I helped him retrieve his parcels that he had dropped in surprise when he saw me. Mr. Tumnus invited me back to his cozy little home in the woods. When we got there, he fed me delicious food and told the funniest stories; he could even beat your brother Samuel at making up humorous stories.
Eventually though, I told Mr. Tumnus that I had to leave, for I had been gone for hours and surely the others were worrying about me. He began to cry! Apparently there is a witch in this second world who makes it winter all of the time, but no Christmas! The horrible woman declared that if any Sons of Adam or Daughters of Eve came to Narnia, they must be turned over to her or the person who hid them would suffer a severe consequence. Mr. Tumnus told me that he was going to turn me over to the witch, but he couldn't. Oh, the poor faun, he begged my forgiveness and sent me back to the lamppost so I could get home. When I got to the lamppost, I hurried back through the woods and through the wardrobe. I burst out of the wardrobe to find that I hadn't been gone for five seconds in our world.
The worst thing is that I told Peter, Susan, and Edmund about it, but they wouldn't believe me. And now Edmund won't stop teasing me about it, saying I'm trying to get attention! Audrey, you must believe me. You've never had a reason to doubt me, and I've never deliberately lied about anything.
So, if you want to, the dear Professor said you could come to the country house! Please do come stay a week, we could explore and everything. I'm tired of just having Edmund around, and need someone to keep me company. I miss you very much.
Love from,
Lucy
P.s.- If you may come, send a telegram.
Audrey reread the letter not able to believe what her friend had written. She couldn't help but doubt what Lucy had written, but as the letter said, she had no reason to doubt her. Lucy never told stories to deceive people. She also could not help wanting to hit Edmund. because, even Audrey could remember the days before he turned bad. He had no right to make fun of Lucy.
Nevertheless, Audrey wanted to go to the countryside. She'd just have to do some major convincing to GrandMary.
"Audrey! Get out of that tree! You aren't acting like a lady."
Audrey Elizabeth Rockwell looked down through the willow's sweeping branches at her friends Alexandra and Grace, who were having a picnic next to the creek. Her best friend in the whole world was fortunate enough to be able to spend the summer in the pure countryside of England. Her fortune though, seemed to be Audrey's dilemma. Even though she had Alexandra and Grace, it wasn't the same. Because, while the girls and Audrey had known each other since they were five, she couldn't help but think they were growing apart.
Her best friend was spending the whole summer at her parent's friend's house in the country. The way her letters were written though made it seem like the house was a mansion. Audrey could clearly imagine her friend exploring the grounds of a humongous house in the company of her siblings. But all she could do was wait for another letter.
Audrey carefully made her way down through the willow's thick branches, towards her friends were gossiping about who wore what to last night's soirée. The girl rolled her eyes before jumping down right next to Grace making her start.
"Audrey, do try to act like a lady. You would be so admired if you would present yourself in a different manner, you know." Grace stated.
"Well thank you for your opinion, Grace. I am afraid that I must cut our meeting short though, for my brother James is going to further instruct me in my archery lessons, and I'm sure we would end up wrestling if I were late for such an important event." Audrey said, her voice dripping in sarcasm. "And, God knows that I, of all people, could not stand to have mud on my petticoats."
Alexandra sighed and Gracie gazed out at the water pretending she had not heard Audrey's comment. "I suppose we will see you tomorrow Audrey?" Alexandra asked.
"Maybe, I might have to help my father and brothers with our newspaper. We've been getting a lot of business since the bombing started."
"Oh, I wish this war wasn't happening!" Grace complained.
"Gracie, you should know that you couldn't have peace without war." Audrey said as she walked away, hoping for a letter.
*Later at home*
"Henry did I get any mail today?" Audrey asked her older brother.
"Hmmm, well there was that one letter from Lucy, but where did I put it?"
"Henry!! Please! You know I've been waiting all week for that letter. Where is it?"
"Right here." Henry said producing the letter from behind his back. "You better hurry up and read it though, James isn't going to be happy if you are late for another archery lesson, and father won't be pleased if you rip another dress wrestling him about it."
"I know, it would be much easier if I could wear pants, but you know how GrandMary is. She still has the turn of the century sketched in her brain."
"It's just because she worries you aren't becoming a lady with just us men around. Ever since mother died, she's been worried about your upbringing." Henry stated.
"Well, that was three years ago, and I don't mind the way I'm growing up to be. I bet one day women will be worth just as much as any man." Audrey stated matter-of-factly. "Thanks for holding my letter. I'll talk to you later though, archery might wait, but you know James won't."
Audrey put her letter in her dress's front pocket and rolled her bicycle out onto the sidewalk. She had five minutes to reach James in the park, and she was determined not to be late.
As soon as she reached her brother, she jumped off her bike, and pulled it to a halt.
"Here you go Audrey." James said, handing her her arm guard and arrows. After she had her arm guard strapped on and her arrows in their quiver, he brother handed her an un-strung bow so that she could string it up. Audrey had had the most trouble with stringing the bow when she first started. But after hours and hours of practice she could easily bend the larger bow and pop the string in less than three seconds.
After she strung her bow, Audrey pulled an arrow out of her quiver and lined it up perfectly with the target. Pulling back on the supple string, the girl lithely let go to see the arrow soar straight to the bulls- eye of the target. Her expertise of archery had come after two years of working on it. Her mother was a skilled archer, and the year after she passed away, Audrey decided the best way to keep her mother's memory strong was to have a special connection with her. A lot of James and Audrey's skill was inherited though. Now that Audrey had the aim down perfectly, it was time to work on her speed. There was an archery contest every year at the park. James had won the last two years in a row in the bull's eye and speed competition.
Audrey's speed was decent, but she concentrated too much on her speed instead of her target. The arrow sometimes totally missed its mark. James had told her to keep her eye on one point, no matter where her hands were going, kind of like not letting the left hand know what the right hand is doing.
After working on it for an hour, Audrey was able to hit the target on the majority of her snaps; she even hit the bull's eye three times. After her successful practice, she sat under a laurel tree and took the folded letter out of her pocket. Unfolding the paper and smoothing out the creases, Audrey read:
-June 1943-
Dear Audrey,
I am downtrodden. Here at Professor Kirk's house, the rooms and yards seem to go on forever. Yesterday, while it was raining, we decided to play hide and seek. I found a room that had nothing in it, but a wardrobe, so I hid in there. Audrey, it had the most wonderful fur coats, sleek and soft fur. I decided to hide behind them, so it would be harder for Su to find me, but when I tried to find the back, all I could feel was evergreen branches covered in snow. Imagine that! Snow in the summer! I walked in until I reached an old-fashioned lamppost, and a little man with a goat's lower half (these creatures are called fauns. his name is Mr. Tumnus.) greeted me as I helped him retrieve his parcels that he had dropped in surprise when he saw me. Mr. Tumnus invited me back to his cozy little home in the woods. When we got there, he fed me delicious food and told the funniest stories; he could even beat your brother Samuel at making up humorous stories.
Eventually though, I told Mr. Tumnus that I had to leave, for I had been gone for hours and surely the others were worrying about me. He began to cry! Apparently there is a witch in this second world who makes it winter all of the time, but no Christmas! The horrible woman declared that if any Sons of Adam or Daughters of Eve came to Narnia, they must be turned over to her or the person who hid them would suffer a severe consequence. Mr. Tumnus told me that he was going to turn me over to the witch, but he couldn't. Oh, the poor faun, he begged my forgiveness and sent me back to the lamppost so I could get home. When I got to the lamppost, I hurried back through the woods and through the wardrobe. I burst out of the wardrobe to find that I hadn't been gone for five seconds in our world.
The worst thing is that I told Peter, Susan, and Edmund about it, but they wouldn't believe me. And now Edmund won't stop teasing me about it, saying I'm trying to get attention! Audrey, you must believe me. You've never had a reason to doubt me, and I've never deliberately lied about anything.
So, if you want to, the dear Professor said you could come to the country house! Please do come stay a week, we could explore and everything. I'm tired of just having Edmund around, and need someone to keep me company. I miss you very much.
Love from,
Lucy
P.s.- If you may come, send a telegram.
Audrey reread the letter not able to believe what her friend had written. She couldn't help but doubt what Lucy had written, but as the letter said, she had no reason to doubt her. Lucy never told stories to deceive people. She also could not help wanting to hit Edmund. because, even Audrey could remember the days before he turned bad. He had no right to make fun of Lucy.
Nevertheless, Audrey wanted to go to the countryside. She'd just have to do some major convincing to GrandMary.