Chapter 2: The Map Opens
Mallory had no opportunity to visit the attic and the Enchanted Chest for the next few days. This was due to Uncle Bertram's sudden impulse on including her in the preparation for the hiking adventure. "No more loitering and start working!" Uncle Bertram waggled a finger at her. "This house is no place for a little girl to be poking around!"
"Why not, Uncle Bertram?" she argued as she replaced the batteries in a torch. She was extremely ruffled at not being able to do whatever she pleased, so much so that she had placed the batteries the wrong way.
"Tut tut, Mallory! The last thing your mother and father would have wanted was you spending all of your time in leisure! It's terrible enough that you won't study!" Uncle Bertram shook his head and clicked his tongue. Then he went to the big cabinet that stood at one end of the living room, drew out a drawer and gave a sharp cry.
"Great Scott! No rope, Mallory, no rope!" He turned to her with a horrified look on his face. "But I think I've got a coil in the storeroom! Come here, Mallory!" Mallory went obediently to Uncle Bertram as he dug into his waist-pocket (the kind that grown-ups love to wear and you can never understand why) and handed her a bunch of three keys.
"Take it, Mallory. Listen: the silver one opens the storeroom door and the bronze one, the small one here, is for the cupboard with the rope in it, hopefully. Now move along!"
"But what about this golden key?" Mallory separated it from the other keys and held it up to him.
"Tut tut TUT! Children! Just get the rope for me, will you, Mallory? Be a good girl! Curiosity kills the cat you know!"
"But I was just asking - "
"Mallory!"
"Yes, Uncle Bertram."
She flew up two flight of stairs up to the storeroom on the third floor of the house. She unlocked the door and retrieved the rope. But just as she had locked the door, she caught sight of the short flight of steps leading up to the attic, and wondered if she could take a quick look at the lovely map again.
"I'm sure Uncle Bertram wouldn't mind," she whispered to herself, her eyes glittering with excitement. She climbed the steps and pushed open the attic door.
As it was a wonderful English countryside day, the sunlight streamed in dreamily through the rose window on the wall directly facing the attic door. The Enchanted Chest stood directly beneath the window, so the chest was covered in the beautiful sunlight as well. Mallory slung the rope onto her shoulder and knelt.
Then she opened the chest and took out the map. With a delirious grin on her face, she sat on the chest, unrolled it, and her eyes strayed to the fierce mountains of Archenland.
"Archenland, Archenland …" a song stirred in her heart. "Mountains tall and valleys deep, peaks of stone and fields of green, sing my heart let yourself be heard, let your voice echo through the sky …"
She squinted closer to the mountains, and it grew bigger and bigger until it engulfed her. That was when she finally panicked.
"Oh my!" she looked behind and found the attic shrinking behind her. Forwards, the sight of harsh peaks flew past her and there was a pleasant glade in the middle of the forest. Suddenly she found herself standing in the glade.
And feeling very afraid. To her utmost surprise, the chest was beside her, and the map was still clutched in her hand.
"Oh bother!" she opened the chest and threw the rope into it. "Bother! Bother! Bother! I don't know where I am or how I've gotten into here but Uncle Bertram will not be happy!"
She folded her arms and sat on the chest as she looked about. Behind her were the mountains of (if the map was to be believed) Archenland, and (if she was right) she was in Narnia.
Suddenly, she caught sight of a shadow among the trees, and it was moving towards her. Mallory thought first of running away, but she was frozen to the chest. Finally, as the shadow came out into the light, she stood and stared at it.
The shadow turned out to be a creature, a majestic creature that was both so terrible yet great at the same time. Its magnificent body and large paws showed a beast, but its eyes swam with good and meaning. Mallory had seen such creatures before; but this was different thing entirely. She was afraid of his bearings, terrified even, but at the same time, a splendid memory of the creature came to her mind, and as she let the memory envelop her, she felt the fear ebb away and a warm feeling of gladness course through her veins.
But she had forgotten his name.
"Greetings, Mallory," the Lion said, his voice gently caressing her nerves, "I am Aslan, and I have a task for you, O Daughter of Kings."
