Disclaimer: The wood between the worlds, the magic rings, Susan, and Narnia were made up by C. S. Lewis. Everything else was made up by me.
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Crystal knew exactly what to do when they reached the wood between the worlds. She took a small stone from her pocket and left it to mark her own pool, then walked directly to another pool.
"This is the pool we need to go into," she said.
"How do you know?" asked Peter.
"Where does it go to?" asked Martha.
"I don't know where it leads," said Crystal, "but I was told to jump into it, because we have something to do there."
"By who? You don't know where we're going or what we'll do there?" said Peter. "I don't think I want to follow you, then."
"You don't have to, I suppose," said Crystal. "But what if the thing we should have done, but didn't, was the last thing between that world and its becoming like Charn, or worse?"
"What does that have to do with us?" asked Peter rebelliously.
"We can't know how it could affect some other world, perhaps even yours. Charn affected Narnia, and you know what became of that."
Peter shuddered. "Yes, I know."
"How do you know about Narnia, Crystal?" asked Martha.
"The same way you do," answered Crystal. "It was my mother that gave the books to your grandmother."
"Really? Then Grandma Susan was in your world?"
"Yes. It was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to my family. We had just been reading The Last Battle, and there was a real, live queen of Narnia in our living room!"
Crystal looked to one side and appeared to be listening. It seemed that she could hear or see something Peter and Martha could not.
"Crystal?" said Martha, "What is it?"
"We should go now," said Crystal. "The people in that world have gotten themselves into a lot of trouble, and the sooner we help them out of it, the better."
She walked to the very edge of the pool, then paused, and began to talk to someone who was not there.
"Yes. I think I understand," said Crystal. "We will try." Then she turned to Peter. "Are you coming? I don't have a ring."
Martha joined Crystal on the bank and held her hand. They were about to go into the water, and Peter had to go with them. He had promised Martha he would 'stick close.'
"Wait for me," he sighed, and hurried to the pool. He and Martha put on their green rings, and they all jumped in.