"Where is he", Suzie asked.
"He's outside, looking out for enemies. He says he's spotted a sleigh and he wants to see who it is. And oh, what's this?" She picked up a book. " 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'? I don't know if you should be reading this".
"Oh don't worry", said Lou. "My parents don't let us read those books. They say we're too young, and that we may read them when we get older. In fact, Pete will be old enough to read them next year. We just happened to be at our uncle's house the day we left our world, and our uncle was just trying to be nice to us. But I wasn't actually going to disobey my parents by reading the Harry Potter books".
"Well, just be careful. I hear that there are a lot of bad books that teach children things they shouldn't know. And even in our world, not many people are magicians, and not many should be, either".
At the moment, Mr. Beaver came back and said, "It's him! Come on out, it's safe. It's not her, it's him".
Pete responded, "I know it's not her. I've read the original story".
So the children came out of the cave and saw Santa Clause sitting on a sleigh pulled by reindeer. Various animals, Fauns, Dwarves, and other creatures of Narnia were allowing their young ones to come up to his sleigh one by one to receive their gifts. A group of carolers were singing, "Santa Clause Is Coming To Town". Lou thought that this Santa looked no different from the Santa she had seen two months ago at the Christiana Mall. It seemed obvious that someone human had dressed up like him. Perhaps the Witch who was ruling now had not stamped out all humans as the first Witch did. And he seemed just as jolly and secular and stripped of religious significance as most fake Santas are. But the kids said nothing, because they knew that they were in great danger and that there was no easy way out.
When the children had their turn at seeing Santa, they were given gifts resembling superficially the gifts given in the original story. Pete was given a sword, Suzie a summoning horn, and Lou a cordial that supposedly had healing powers. Santa did not give the expected lecture about using the gifts well, but only engaged the children superficially with his stereotypical ho-ho-ho's. He was not even concerned about the fourth child being missing.
As the children climbed down from the sleigh, they noticed Mr. Beaver motioning them to return the the cave. Once he had them inside, he spoke in a serious and worried tone, saying, "Get further inside. We don't want them to overhear us". As they obeyed, the children noticed that he had a worried look on his face. Once he had them deep enough inside the cave, he said, "I have been thinking about our discussion of the meaning of the second sacrifice last night, and I realized that you were right. How foolish have I been to listen to such lies. What they are doing is a great abomination". Tearfully, he added, "I must confess that I kept denying it, even though it was obvious from the things the three of you pointed out last night. Just one look at that fake Santa, with his superficial laughter and cheap gifts, and the evidence was more than I could bear. We need to escape, but I don't know how".
"We could flee to Archenland", suggested Pete.
"Archenlanders are also believing the hype. Besides, even if we could get there, there are too many possibilities for rebels to notice us. They won't expect us to be fleeing, and will no doubt question us. They have been known to take people from among us for questioning, and many of them have never been seen again. I'm beginning to fear that the rumors about them opening doors to other worlds may be true. And even if we escape the rebels, we'll likely be caught by the secret police. I don't expect that the Witch is on our side, either. Sometimes when there is a conflict, it isn't the ultimate battle of good versus evil, and both sides are just as wrong. In cases like this, the real perpetrators are deceiving both sides. We must from now on hold fast to what we know is right, and not allow anyone to mislead us in any way. I would suggest that we go along with the crowd at the stone table, and as soon as there's chaos, try to flee while everyone is distracted. It's the only plan I can think of. Also, the Witch may by then have gathered all of her forces at the site, leaving none of them to stop our flight".
"But", said Mrs. Beaver, "what if the opportunity we are looking for simply doesn't happen like we expect it to? What if they trap us and there is no escape? I just shudder at the thought of being present when the unspeakable thing happens".
"Well, I've been praying about it", said Lou, "and while I have received no magical answers, I have gained comfort, and I am convinced that the worst that can happen to us is death. Also, in my world, people have died for refusing to renounce the one in whom they believe. I don't see why it's any different here".
"You make a good point", said Mr. Beaver. "The worst thing that they can do is kill us, and then we'll be with Aslan. That's what we learned when Jadis II persecuted us. Just try not to look, and if possible, flee, is all I can say".
And so they continued their journey.
As they walked, it got warm and the snow began to melt. They found that they frequently had to walk through puddles, and the cold water chilled their feet as it leaked through their boots. "Something doesn't feel right about this change in weather", commented Mr. Beaver. "All the flowers that are appearing where the snow has melted are in season. Last time Aslan came, it was reported that flowers of every season bloomed at once". Soon, it got so warm that they were no longer comfortable in the coats, yet at the same time, they could not take off their boots because of the patches of slush that they had to walk though. The path along which they walked got crowded as more people entered. "I've never seen so many people, horses, and carriages", said Lou. "Where I live, even the most traveled highway in the country isn't this busy".
It was evening by the time they reached the vicinity of the Stone Table. The crowds had gotten so thick that they hardly moved at all. It was as if everyone was waiting in line to see Aslan. Soon, dark clouds appeared in the sky, and there were flashes of lightning. A brief hailstorm passed by. When it was over, the crowds moved slightly. Soon a Mouse who was acting as an usher appeared and directed the Beavers and the children to the place where they were to sit or stand or wait while the atmosphere of expectation intensified. Where they were being seated, they passed a tree that had been uprooted. The Mouse commented that the thunderstorm that just passed had spawned a tornado which had touched down at that spot. He added, "When the tornado dissipated, it revealed a strange man who had a tatoo in the shape of an eye on his ankle. When asked to identify himself, he said he was a volunteer for some secret organization. Strange things have been happening lately, and people have been appearing from other worlds all over the place. I can't wait till Aslan appears and reveals the meaning behind all of this".
Where they were seated, they had a breathtaking view of the rebuilt Stone Table. The Beavers commented that they never dreamed in all their life that the Table would live to see the day it would be rebuilt in all its former glory. But at that moment, a figure ten feet from the table suddenly stood up and cried in a loud voice a disconcerting message which the crowd was unpleased to hear. The creature appeared to Lou very much as she had imagined Bacchus to have appeared when Lewis had described him leading the overthow of Miraz, that is, her hair being suggestive of trees branching out and bearing leaves. She said, "Do not listen to the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; they speak a vision of their own imagination, not from the mouth of the Lord". As the crowd fell into a stunned silence, she added, "This table should not be here. Aslan has not commissioned it to be rebuilt. I am calling you to repent. Do not listen to your prophets. While they lying to you, they disrespect authority. While they accuse the innocent of witchcraft, they are meanwhile themselves conspiring with witches and demons". She was now interrupted by the boos and hisses of the crowd. Orders to kill her could be barely heard above the noise. Soon two Weasels with axes arrived at the tree that the children had passed just before being seated. They hacked away at the tree, chopping it into halves, and then into quarters. The dryad at the Table became breatless and soon gave up the ghost. It was evidently her tree that was being chopped down.
The Weasels now engaged in sordid gossip. "Who could that loony prophetess be?" one of them asked the other.
"That would be Eostre", came the reply. "She has always been negative".
Suddenly, the first Weasel looked at Pete and said, "Aren't you the eldest child, and isn't that sword your gift from Santa? Look behind you!"
Pete turned and saw that a Wolf was spying on them from behind another tree. He hadn't noticed that where they were seated had somehow been at the back of the crowd, and that so far, not one new row was seated behind them. The Weasels continued to stare at him expectingly. Pete knew what it was they expected him to do. So he drew his sword and approached the Wolf. The Wolf said, "Did the fake Santa give you that?"
"Yes".
"I'd put it down if I were you. It's probably associated with some evil enchantment".
Pete couldn't help hesitating, and before he could decide what to do, the Wolf fled into a grove of trees and was not to be seen again.