Digory leaned against Fledge, tilting his head till it rested on the winged horse's back. It had been ever so long, it seemed, since he'd last seen his pony; the familiar horsey scent of Fledge was every bit as comforting as the warm wing that spread over Digory like a blanket. Despite the hollowness in his stomach, Digory felt he could be content for the night.
Almost. There was a dull ache in his heart too that not even the novelty of a new world could soothe for long.
"Digory?" Polly said. "What do you think will happen when we get back?"
With the apple or back home? Either way, he sighed. "I don't know." The first of the stars twinkled in the velvety twilight. I wonder what constellations this world has, he thought absently. "I just wish… I only wanted something for Mother." His voice cracked toward the end and he kept the rest of what he would have said to himself.
Polly hummed softly and sympathetically. Digory let it hang in the air till he was ready to fill the silence. "I thought this might be the Land of Youth – I suppose it is at least a land of youth at least, being born today. Aunt Letty said that the fruit would make Mother well, and I did so hope to take some home." Digory sighed. "I asked Him – Aslan. He knows somehow about Mother, and… I'm sure He cares. But… He didn't answer really. Instead, He sent me on this errand for an apple."
"Perhaps that's the fruit for your mother," Polly suggested.
"Or it's not but your fruit is inside the garden too," said Fledge.
Digory hadn't thought of that. Hope rose and invigorated him. "Do you really think so?"
Polly sounded as though she felt much the same way. "I hope we'll know it right away!"
"At least know what the place looks like," Fledge put in. "It's on top of a hill, which should mean it'll be easy to find from above."
"And the hill is steep," Polly added.
"It's at the end of a blue lake in a green valley," Digory finished. "And the apple tree is in the center of the garden."
They reminded each other over and over again of these instructions and they talked and talked about what else they might find tomorrow. As they did, Digory felt lighter inside, warm under Fledge's wing, and drowsier as the new stars shone brighter against the deepening night sky. He could, he thought, spend the night content after all.
Prompt: "Star light, star bright, / first star I see tonight. / I wish I may, I wish I might / have the wish I wish tonight."
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