A New Perspective
When C. S. Lewis sent his original manuscript for the "Magician's Nephew" to the publisher, he was told it was to long. C. S. Lewis cut some chapters toward the end, which weren't crucial to the story line. The missing chapters are recorded here. Coincidentally, it was shortly after reading the original manuscript that J. R. R. Tolkien wrote his epic work, "The Lord if the Rings." (Hey, I like to use my imagination)
Chapter one: How Digory and Polly became stuck in a dangerous land.
Both children were looking up into the Lion's face as he spoke these words. And all at once (they never knew exactly how) the face, and indeed, the entire lion, faded. The next moment, they found themselves entirely alone, Uncle Andrew sleeping at their feet.
"Well, we've had quite an adventure, Polly. I suppose we'd better wake Uncle Andrew and go through the home pool."
"But Digory! Where is the home pool?"
"Great Scott! I don't see it anywhere!"
"Oh Digory! What'll we do?"
"We'd best search for it. The cut I made in the grass can't have disappeared."
But though the children searched far and wide for hours, they never found a trace of the home pool, which they'd so carefully marked.
"Well, Polly, we'd best start trying pools. We can leave Uncle Andrew here until we find the right one. And I'll leave the apple Aslan gave me here too."
"But Digory! All those different worlds! We might never get home!"
"But we certainly won't get home any other way. Here, let's try this pool first."
"Oh, all right."
"One – Two – Three – Go!" said Digory. And clasping hands, they jumped into the pool. Down and down they rushed, through darkness and vague shapes. As it grew lighter, they felt that they were standing on something solid. And then everything came into focus, and they looked around.
What they noticed first was the noise. A loud constant din, classes of steel, groans of men, the crashes of falling stone, and the creaking of large machines. Polly and Digory could not have immediately told you what it was, for they had never heard it before. But it was, indeed, the sound of a great battle. Then they smelled the smoke lingering in the air, and the smell of fires. And though it takes much longer to tell, they sensed all this in a split second, and along with it they felt the pervading sense of danger. Great danger.
"Digory, this is the wrong pool, and I don't like it here. Quick, let's go back!"
"Wait. I want to see. I'll just take a quick look, then we'll go."
And with that Digory stepped across the cobblestones and up to a low white stone wall. He peered over cautiously, and gasped in alarm! He saw that he was on the top of a noble multi-leveled city, made all of white stone, but that is not what alarmed him.
Digory saw before the walls of the city a great black army of many thousands, complete with siege machines. There was a great battering ram before the huge gate, pounding ever back and forth, back and forth. This entire army gave off a feeling of evil, and gave Digory a sense of foreboding. But worst of all was what was behind the battering ram. A great, black, winged beast hovered there, and mounted upon it was a tall black figure. This figure filled Digory with an overpowering sense of fear, and he immediately stepped away from the wall, and back to Polly.
"You're right. Let's get out of here. Yellow rings on."
But it was too late. Polly and Digory were roughly grabbed and swung around to face a tall man covered from head to toe in magnificent armor. The man looked stern, but not unkind. His voice was deep and gruff, but not unfriendly.
"You have appeared out of nowhere, and now you speak of rings. May I ask if they are magic rings?"
"Well...I suppose you might call them that..." stammered Digory, caught of guard.
"Then in the name of the Steward, give me those rings. The Steward must see them." said the guard, releasing Digory and holding out his hand for the rings.
"What?!" exclaimed Polly, taken aback.
"I am Beregond, guard of the citadel, in the service of Denethor, the Steward of Gondor. One cannot be too careful in these troubled times, and I am therefore honor bound to show these rings to the Steward. In the name of Gondor, give me the magic rings!"
Polly reached for her pocket, but she wasn't fast enough. Beregond, seeing her movement, got there first. Polly's pockets were emptyed, the Digory's, before the children knew what was happening.
"Wait a minute!" said Digory, "You can't take those rings! We need them to bet home!"
"I sympathize with you, children," said Beregond in a softer tone of voice, "I have a son about your age. But, truly, how do I know you're really children? You are not dressed at all like the children around here. You could be spies of Sauron. Or perhaps you are in league with Saruman – he often used disguises. It is my duty to take this matter to the Steward."
"But wait! We don't even belong in this world..." Digory began.
At that moment the sound of footsteps was heard, and Beregond, slipping the rings into his pouch, resumed his post at the gate.
When C. S. Lewis sent his original manuscript for the "Magician's Nephew" to the publisher, he was told it was to long. C. S. Lewis cut some chapters toward the end, which weren't crucial to the story line. The missing chapters are recorded here. Coincidentally, it was shortly after reading the original manuscript that J. R. R. Tolkien wrote his epic work, "The Lord if the Rings." (Hey, I like to use my imagination)
Chapter one: How Digory and Polly became stuck in a dangerous land.
Both children were looking up into the Lion's face as he spoke these words. And all at once (they never knew exactly how) the face, and indeed, the entire lion, faded. The next moment, they found themselves entirely alone, Uncle Andrew sleeping at their feet.
"Well, we've had quite an adventure, Polly. I suppose we'd better wake Uncle Andrew and go through the home pool."
"But Digory! Where is the home pool?"
"Great Scott! I don't see it anywhere!"
"Oh Digory! What'll we do?"
"We'd best search for it. The cut I made in the grass can't have disappeared."
But though the children searched far and wide for hours, they never found a trace of the home pool, which they'd so carefully marked.
"Well, Polly, we'd best start trying pools. We can leave Uncle Andrew here until we find the right one. And I'll leave the apple Aslan gave me here too."
"But Digory! All those different worlds! We might never get home!"
"But we certainly won't get home any other way. Here, let's try this pool first."
"Oh, all right."
"One – Two – Three – Go!" said Digory. And clasping hands, they jumped into the pool. Down and down they rushed, through darkness and vague shapes. As it grew lighter, they felt that they were standing on something solid. And then everything came into focus, and they looked around.
What they noticed first was the noise. A loud constant din, classes of steel, groans of men, the crashes of falling stone, and the creaking of large machines. Polly and Digory could not have immediately told you what it was, for they had never heard it before. But it was, indeed, the sound of a great battle. Then they smelled the smoke lingering in the air, and the smell of fires. And though it takes much longer to tell, they sensed all this in a split second, and along with it they felt the pervading sense of danger. Great danger.
"Digory, this is the wrong pool, and I don't like it here. Quick, let's go back!"
"Wait. I want to see. I'll just take a quick look, then we'll go."
And with that Digory stepped across the cobblestones and up to a low white stone wall. He peered over cautiously, and gasped in alarm! He saw that he was on the top of a noble multi-leveled city, made all of white stone, but that is not what alarmed him.
Digory saw before the walls of the city a great black army of many thousands, complete with siege machines. There was a great battering ram before the huge gate, pounding ever back and forth, back and forth. This entire army gave off a feeling of evil, and gave Digory a sense of foreboding. But worst of all was what was behind the battering ram. A great, black, winged beast hovered there, and mounted upon it was a tall black figure. This figure filled Digory with an overpowering sense of fear, and he immediately stepped away from the wall, and back to Polly.
"You're right. Let's get out of here. Yellow rings on."
But it was too late. Polly and Digory were roughly grabbed and swung around to face a tall man covered from head to toe in magnificent armor. The man looked stern, but not unkind. His voice was deep and gruff, but not unfriendly.
"You have appeared out of nowhere, and now you speak of rings. May I ask if they are magic rings?"
"Well...I suppose you might call them that..." stammered Digory, caught of guard.
"Then in the name of the Steward, give me those rings. The Steward must see them." said the guard, releasing Digory and holding out his hand for the rings.
"What?!" exclaimed Polly, taken aback.
"I am Beregond, guard of the citadel, in the service of Denethor, the Steward of Gondor. One cannot be too careful in these troubled times, and I am therefore honor bound to show these rings to the Steward. In the name of Gondor, give me the magic rings!"
Polly reached for her pocket, but she wasn't fast enough. Beregond, seeing her movement, got there first. Polly's pockets were emptyed, the Digory's, before the children knew what was happening.
"Wait a minute!" said Digory, "You can't take those rings! We need them to bet home!"
"I sympathize with you, children," said Beregond in a softer tone of voice, "I have a son about your age. But, truly, how do I know you're really children? You are not dressed at all like the children around here. You could be spies of Sauron. Or perhaps you are in league with Saruman – he often used disguises. It is my duty to take this matter to the Steward."
"But wait! We don't even belong in this world..." Digory began.
At that moment the sound of footsteps was heard, and Beregond, slipping the rings into his pouch, resumed his post at the gate.