Disclaimer: Actually, most of the things in this story are mine. Obviously, if it belongs to C. S. Lewis, it's his, but I have already listed those things. See chapter four if you can't tell what's his from what's mine...
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The puzzle at the end of the last chapter should be easy if you use all the clues. I had tried to make it pretty obvious in the story, but if someone asks the same question twice, you know you haven't answered it yet... Good job if you guessed right.
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Xerxes' family and their three guests sat down at a table in the kitchen. Crystal sat with her head bowed for a moment, as if waiting for them to say grace, but they started eating immediately. Peter was surprised that their hosts were so silent. They ate quickly, looking down at their plates and leaving abruptly when finished. The little girls took the longest time to eat, playing with their food and occasionally sneaking a glance at Martha, who was about the same age as they were.
When each person was done eating, that person cleared his or her own place and disappeared upstairs, without even saying goodnight or "May I be excused?" Peter thought that they were being rude, and said something about it when he, Martha, and Crystal were the only ones left.
"They have strange customs here," said Crystal, "but I am sure it is not considered rude."
Peter and Crystal waited for Martha to finish, and then they all got up and headed towards the stairway. Xerxes was waiting for them in the front room.
"I will see you in the morning," he told them, "and we will see what is decided at the meeting. I hope you sleep well."
Xerxes went up the stairs and through a doorway, leaving them to go to the violet-colored guest rooms and try to sleep. Peter was not used to going to bed so soon after supper, and he lay awake for several hours, wondering how he had chosen such an unpleasant world to jump into.
Peter woke up long after everyone else. He went downstairs to find them all ready to go out. Xerxes' mother had oiled her hair and twisted it into some strange shape, and so had her daughters. Peter saw them playing a board game in the kitchen. Martha was there, too, with her hair heavily greased and put up into the strangest shape of all. She seemed to have gotten over her fear of the inhabitants of Dailitcen, and Peter did not know why he felt so upset about it. She just looked so odd in that hairstyle and the brightly patterned dress she had borrowed; almost as if she belonged in this place, and he did not like that at all.
"We are waiting for you," said Xerxes. "It is time to go to the meeting now."
Xerxes' family filed out the door in order of age, with Martha following, still telling one of the other girls about the board games she played at home. Crystal ducked into the now empty kitchen and retrieved her lunch basket before she went outside. Peter followed her, and they all walked back to the meeting place they had seen the day before.
Every bench was already full, so they joined the already considerable crowd standing at the back. The man behind the podium began to speak.
"Everyone has already heard about the unusual circumstances requiring this special meeting," said the man, "so we will begin with deciding what to do about them. Anyone with a suggestion may now have the floor."
Someone in the front row stood up and said, "Let's get rid of those trouble-making strangers. They're not natural. We ought to send them back where they came from."
"Why?" yelled someone a few benches behind them. "Are you jealous? They are certainly a lot more interesting than you are."
"Why is that?" said the first person angrily, "Do you want to go with them? They are disturbing the peace."
"I just might," said the second, "Where did they come from, anyway?"
"Some other world, I suppose, but if you're tired of this one..." The first person made a threatening gesture. It looked like things were getting out of hand, but the chairman didn't seem to be doing anything about it.
Crystal, who had been sitting on the ground with her fingers in her ears, interrupted. She flew to the front again, and addressed the crowd.
"We are here to help you solve your problem," she said, "and we know all about it. There is only one way for you to stop being all alike. You must undo the curse the same way it was done."
"Since you know so much," said a woman near the back, "how is that?"
"You must go to Sainollan and ask pardon for the foolishness that caused it."
"What foolishness?" someone screamed. "And what business is it of yours?"
"She was sent by Sainollan," said Xerxes. "I think we have been the same for long enough. Why don't we go and ask? It can't make us any worse off than we already are."
"Why don't we?" someone echoed, and soon it was being whispered all around.
"We will take a vote," said the chairman, taking charge again. "All in favor of sending messengers to Mount Niol, please raise your hand."
Every person present raised their hand.
"Are there any volunteers?" asked the chairman.
Every hand went down. The people stared at one another in complete silence.
"I'm about ready to go myself," said Xerxes quietly, "and if no one volunteers, I will."
"Would your parents let you?" asked Peter.
"Why would they care?" asked Xerxes.
"What if you never came back?"
"They have four other children," said Xerxes.
Peter didn't think that would make much difference, but Xerxes was obviously convinced that he would not be missed.
"I'll go," said Xerxes, slowly making his way to the front.
"What is your name?" asked the chairman, getting out a pen and piece of paper.
Xerxes gave his entire long name, and the man wrote it down. "Who else will go?" he asked. No one answered.
"We can't send just one person," said the chairman. "Will anyone go most of the way there? You don't have to climb the mountain."
A few boys Xerxes' age raised their hands timidly. The man wrote their names down, also. "That's better," he said.
"I'm coming," said Crystal. "Are you, Peter?"
Peter thought about it. He had always wanted to have this kind of adventure. It was very exciting in books, but it was very different when it was actually happening to you. Now he just wanted to go home, but, if he and Martha left now, how would Crystal get back to her world? After all, she didn't have any magic rings. He didn't want to stick around here and wait, either. What if they didn't return? He couldn't wait forever. What if they did return, and he had given up and left? He decided that the safest thing to do would be to go with them.
"Yes, I'm coming," said Peter.
"Martha can stay with us," offered Xerxes' mother, or at least he thought she was Xerxes' mother.
"No, thank you," said Peter. "I promised her I'd stay close, so she'll have to come, too."
Crystal, Peter, and Martha's names were added to the list, and plans were made to leave immediately.
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I have been asked if this story is going to be finished, since I have started another one. The answer is yes. It may be slower, as I am having some real life problems, but "All the Same" is higher priority than "Struck by Lightning." This one is planned out, while the other is mostly just "Let's throw some people from different books together on neutral territory and see how they react," that I started because this was getting kind of depressing.