Chapter 6: A New World
The next thing Caspian knew, his hand was being nudged by something wet and cold. He pulled it away, and then started to roll over. That's when he realized the ground he was lying on was not only rock hard and dirty, but it smelt like rotting food. His eyes opened immediately, and he shuffled up into a sitting position. A large black dog was standing over him.
"Hello," Caspian said. "Would you mind telling me what country this is?"
The dog stared at him, and then began to pant and wag his tail. The sight filled Caspian with excitement. Not that a non-talking dog meant success by itself. There were, of course, many non-talking dogs in his own world. But it was a sign.
Caspian crawled up off the ground, and brushed off his tunic and leggings. A quick analysis of the area showed they were in some kind of alleyway between two buildings. The walls on either side were made of a dull red stone, cut into perfect squares. They rose up so high, the sky was only a small rectangle at the top. And it was a dull, gray sky.
Caspian looked back down at his feet, and found the Gateway was resting on the ground a few feet in front of him. It was deactivated, and no longer glowing. Edmund's torch lay beside it. Trumpkin and Drinian were slumped against the wall, still unconscious. He immediately bent down to rouse them.
"Friends! Wake up!"
Drinian stood up immediately. Trumpkin proved more difficult. He kept saying 'tubs and tortoiseshells!' and rolling over. Finally, they picked him up by one arm each and forced him to stand. He immediately woke up and took in his surroundings in one glance.
"Crabs and crumpets! Is this the other world? Well, I don't think much of it."
"We've only seen a small fraction of it," Caspian protested. "Narnia has its unattractive places too."
"Nothing like this," Drinian said, appearing equally unimpressed. "Where are all the trees and grass? It's like a dungeon cell. Hie, look yonder. Inhabitants."
Caspian followed Drinian's point, and saw several derelict-looking youths, further down the alley. They appeared to be painting some words on the wall. It went against Caspian's better judgement to ask them for help, but there was no one else around and they needed some answers. He strode towards them, followed closely by Drinian and Trumpkin.
"Good day to you," Caspian said. There were four males, of varying ages. The oldest one looked like he might be of an age with him. "I was wondering if you would be so kind as to tell us what country this is?"
The boys stared at them, looking both confused and nervous for a moment. Then one of them smirked, in an unfriendly manner.
"Australia."
"No, it's France," another said, nudging the first one. "Bonjour! Hey, look at the munchkin!" He pointed at Trumpkin. "Are you off to see the wizard of oz?"
Caspian gazed at his friends and saw they were as confused as he.
"We're not here to see a wizard," Caspian said. "We're travellers from afar. I would appreciate it if you could give us some information. Is this a round world? Round like a ball?"
But two of the boys had started singing a tune about being 'off to see the wizard', and then the older one tossed the empty paint can at Trumpkin. The dwarf immediately drew his sword. On sight of it, the boys turned and ran.
"That went well," Caspian said, rubbing his head. "Maybe we should have asked them where to find this wizard. He may be more helpful."
"But we don't know if he's the good or bad kind of wizard," Trumpkin said.
"I suggest we go that way," Drinian said, pointing in the other direction. "I hear distant noise. Perhaps we could ask someone where we could find Edmund, Lucy or Eustace."
"Good idea," Caspian said. He paused beside the Gateway. "What should we do with this? Take it with us?"
"Perhaps it would be better to hide it here," Drinian said. "Let's make this our meeting point, lest we become separated."
"We just need a hiding place," Caspian said, looking around. There was a rusty metal barrel lying on its side. He placed the Gateway inside it, then covered the opening with other bits of scrap, until it was suitably disguised.
"This paint might also be useful," Drinian said, picking up the can that had been thrown at Trumpkin. "I'll mark the walls so we can find our way back."
That turned out to be an even better idea, as they had to take many turns to get out of the alleyway, while stepping over several piles of rubble. When they emerged out into the street, Caspian froze in surprise. A machine with wheels rushed past, but no person or animal was pulling it.
"Trees and turnips!" Trumpkin said. "By the Lion! What was that?"
"Some kind of advanced machine," Drinian said.
"Marvellous," Caspian said. "Imagine how far you could travel in a device like that!"
"They make an unpleasant noise," Trumpkin said, covering his ears as another one roared past. It had large wheels, an open top, and they could see several people inside. "I say we move on. What hey, look here, Sire."
Trumpkin had turned around and was now looking at an older man, who sat resting against another concrete wall. There was an upturned hat beside him, along with a sign that read 'need money for food'. He was staring at them like they were crazy.
Caspian walked over to speak to him. "Hello. We're newcomers here, and I was wondering if you'd be kind enough to help us. We're looking for our friends. Edmund and Lucy."
The man continued to stare at him, and his eyes grew wide.
"Could you at least tell us what country we find ourselves in?" Caspian asked.
The man pointed at the hat.
"I'm sorry, I don't have any of your currency," Caspian said. He felt around in his pockets for anything else the man might accept but turned up nothing but a dwarf-made multi-purpose tool. He turned to his friends, but all Trumpkin had was a pipe and something to smoke, and all Drinian produced were a few Narnian coins, a compass, and two seashells.
"We have nothing to offer you but our gratitude," Caspian said, turning back to the man.
He promptly picked up his sign and hat and went wandering off, mumbling something about laying off the whiskey.
"I dislike this country more every second," Trumpkin said, grouchily.
"I wonder what despotic king or queen rules this land, that they would allow their subjects to live in such poverty," Caspian said, sadly. "I fear our friends are under the rule of a tyrant."
"I am not entirely sure they have a monarch, Sire," Drinian said. "If my memory serves me well, didn't Eustace explain something to the contrary?"
"Not exactly," Caspian said. "He said he didn't believe in royalty because he was some funny word ... rebublica something. I asked him what that meant, but he made a face like I was absolutely stupid for not knowing, and then returned to the cabin. He never spoke of it again."
Some more people were coming towards them, this time an older couple with a dog. They looked healthier than the people they'd seen so far. Drinian stepped forward.
"With your leave, I will try this time, Sire."
"By all means," Caspian said.
But as soon as Drinian opened his mouth, the woman interrupted. "Whatever you're selling, we don't want it." Then they walked on quickly.
"Selling?" Drinian said, staring after them in confusion.
"Don't look at me," Trumpkin said, folding his arms. "I want to go home. Why are all the people we've seen humans? Where are the fauns and badgers and centaurs? Where are the dwarfs?"
"This man looks friendlier," Caspian said, seeing an older man in odd grey clothes crossing over to their side of the road. He stopped and beamed at them.
"Well, well, look at you lot! On your way to a costume party, then? Good show."
"No, good sir, we are in fact looking for some friends of ours," Caspian said, warming to the tone. "Edmund and Lucy. There's also Eustace, Susan, and Peter. They must be famous explorers here."
"Ah ..." the smile had faded from the man's face, and now he looked confused. "Well, where do they live? I'm only a visitor to this part of London myself."
"London!" Caspian said. "Is that where we are? My friends come from a country called England. Could you tell us how to get there?"
Now the man looked uncomfortable. "Are you tourists?"
"Travellers from afar," Caspian said.
"Is this some kind of joke?" the man said, narrowing his eyes. "Some kind of publicity stunt? You're working for the papers?"
"I assure you, kind sir, no joke," Caspian said. "If you could please give us directions, you will have my gratitude."
"Well, London, where you are now, is the capital of the country England. So how did you get here? By ship or by plane? If you are really as lost as all that, I think you need to go to the police station or perhaps to a citizen's advice center. What country are you from, anyway?"
Caspian was about to answer him, when Drinian raised a hand in warning. Caspian considered it for a moment, and then decided it was best not to mention Narnia just yet.
"You've been most helpful," Caspian said, bowing slightly to the stranger. "We will be on our way."
The man stared after them as they walked down the street, obviously wondering if they were mad.
"These clothes make us stand out," Drinian said. "I suggest we try and procure some clothing that will make us less conspicuous."
"Agreed," Caspian said, "but our first priority is to locate Edmund and Lucy. Someone here must have heard of them."
While they'd been talking, they'd been walking up a street that sloped upwards. When they reached the top, they found the street they were on joined an even wider one. There were numerous buildings with signs attached to the roofs and windows. Some vaguely made sense to Caspian - 'Fresh Oranges!' - while others did not - 'Eddie's Electronics'. But what surprised him the most was the amount of people - everywhere he looked, there were groups of them, inside the buildings, walking on the streets ... sitting on benches under clusters of trees.
"Stars and satyrs!" Trumpkin said. "Look at that!"
He was pointing at a particularly large sign above a huge, round shaped building, which showed a man and a woman clutching each other and gazing into each other's eyes. There was writing, but it made no sense. 'Island Passions - the story of an unlikely romance. Season starts August 10'.
"It's just some kind of large, very realistic painting," Caspian said.
"But why is it stuck on top of a building?" Trumpkin asked. "Are they the people who live there?"
"I don't know," Caspian said. He turned back, just in time to see Drinian had wandered out on the road. He pulled him back, just as one of the moving transport machines came rushing around the corner. It made a loud honking noise as it roared past them.
"Careful," Caspian said. "I don't think those things can stop."
"Then how do we get across this road?" Drinian said. "I can see something interesting in the window of that building."
"Perhaps there is a bridge," Caspian said, looking up and down the road.
"Excuse me," Drinian said, waving down a passerby. "Is there a bridge across this road?"
They were treated to another semi-fearful look, and then the person hurried onwards.
"Oh, let's just run for it," Caspian said, stepping up to the side of the road. He looked left and right, making sure there were none of the machines coming towards them, and then ran for it. Trumpkin and Drinian were close behind, but then Drinian stopped, right in the middle. Caspian was about to shout at him to hurry up, when he noticed he was gazing at the sky. He also looked up, and saw what had caused Drinian to pause. A giant machine, with wings like a gryphons, was flying over their heads. It made a low rumble that was even louder than the sound of the transport machines.
They were jolted out of their amazement by another loud honking sound. A transport device screeched to a halt, just as they ran for the other side of the road. A person leaned out the window and hurled barbaric language in their direction.
"By the great Eastern Ocean, I say we leave right now!" Trumpkin said. "We could have been killed!"
"Not at all," Caspian said. The sight of the flying machine had excited him. "It stopped, didn't it? And we're safe now. Let's ask someone else as to the whereabouts of our friends."
It wasn't hard to find someone. Some people had stopped and were staring at them curiously.
"Good day to you all," Caspian said, turning to them. "Do any of you know of our friends? Lucy, Edmund and Eustace. They are great travellers."
"Do you work for the theatre?" a lady enquired.
"No, they're from the circus!" a boy said, pointing at Trumpkin.
"We're looking for our friends," Caspian repeated.
"Where's Lord Drinian?" Trumpkin asked, suddenly.
Caspian hastily looked around. The last thing they wanted was to get separated. But his concern was satisfied when he spied Drinian a moment later, standing outside the window of one of the nearby buildings. He walked over, intending to tell Drinian not to wander off again, but instead his attention was caught by the devices behind the window. They were large square boxes with voices emanating from them.
"Magic!" Caspian said, amazed.
"Aye," Drinian said. "Why did our friends never tell us about such wonders? A machine that can talk ..."
"Perhaps this is the house of that wizard," Trumpkin said, standing on his toes to get a better look.
"He must be a friendly wizard," Caspian said, pointing at the doorway to the building. People were walking freely in and out. "The door is open."
"By the stars, these things make music, too!" Drinian said. "Listen!"
Sure enough, the deep notes of some large instrument could be heard emanating from the odd boxes.
"Do you think the person playing that music can hear us, like we can hear them?" Caspian asked.
"I don't care to think about it," Trumpkin said. "I don't like the idea of being trapped in one of those boxes, all the same."
"Wouldn't it be wonderful to take one of these things back to Narnia?" Caspian said. "We would be the envy of all the kingdoms in the world! People would travel from far and wide just to see our treasures."
"Tis a thought ..." Drinian said, rubbing his chin.
"I say we find our friends and then start worrying about being the envy of other kingdoms!" Trumpkin said.
"You're right, Trumpkin," Caspian said. "We should be looking for them. But I'm starting to wonder if we'll ever find them. No one seems to have heard of them."
"Someone who could create magic as powerful as this," Drinian said, pointing through the glass, "would surely know a spell for finding people."
"There's an idea," Trumpkin said. "Come on, let's go and talk with the owner of this house."
But they never made it through the door. Caspian took one step after Trumpkin and then paused. There were two people just walking out, a young man and woman. The man was speaking angrily.
"It's always something with you, isn't it, Harriet?!"
"Charlie, please," she said, sounding upset.
"Now don't start blubbing like an idiot!" he complained.
Caspian paused for a moment, making sure he wasn't just misreading this situation, being a stranger in a new land and all. But when the man then added a term that would have made a Terebinthian pirate blush, any doubts he had disappeared.
"Hey there!" Caspian said, shocked. "That is no way to address a lady!"
The man, Charlie, stared at Caspian in surprise for a moment and then said, "Harriet? A lady? Boy, I'd hate to see the pickings in your home town, kid. This is no lady."
"Then either you are blind or I am," Caspian said. "For I, most assuredly, can see a lady."
The man then said something about smashing his face in.
"I bet your pardon," Caspian said, confused.
A moment later, he understood perfectly. The front of his tunic was grabbed, and the man swung back a fist to strike him. But he never got any further - with a flash of light on metal, the man suddenly found himself checked by two swords - one at his throat, the other somewhere around his middle. He released Caspian, and jumped back, staring at Drinian and Trumpkin's swords in shock. The lady began screaming for help, and in a moment, several people were rushing up. One was yelling something about calling the police.
Trumpkin and Drinian lowered their swords slightly, thinking the man had backed down, but in a moment, he was rushing at them again. He grabbed Trumpkin's sword in an attempt to push it aside, but ended up cutting his hand on the blade, as a person tends to do when grabbing a sword point bare-handed.
Unfortunately, he tried to wipe his hand on his shirt, which caused a red stain across his white tunic. Some of the new arrivals thought he'd been stabbed and started screaming louder. Just as Caspian was trying to keep a cool head and figure out exactly what they should do now, a transport vehicle roared up nearby, with blaring, flashing lights on its roof.