TUMNUS: PART THREE

In the following days, he tried to go about his daily business as usual walking to Chippingford for his groceries. The sight nearly made him cry every time he went even for an hour. Long lines of starving Narnians, some of them with children, waited at the doors of shops for food that would not come or would be stale and bad for eating. Such was the way things were run under the rule of the Witch. He tried to share what he had with his neighbors who had less that he did.

One day he was coming from Badger's hole when he heard his own name being called. His surprise and joy knew no bounds when he saw none other than Lucy running towards him with a happy face. She greeted him with a big hug and a warm smile that chased the wintry cold away. He took her inside and they enjoyed another pleasant tea. For Tumnus it was all the more pleasant when he really Lucy's friend and not just pretending to be. He smiled at her concern that the Witch had heard about her escape and assured her that she had not. When she said that she had been playing hide-and-seek with her siblings he smiled all the more because he still remembered playing that game with his friends as a little Faun. This happy hour was brought to an end when Tumnus' sharp ears caught the sound of sleigh bells coming from somewhere else in the woods. Lucy heard it, too.

"Oh, do you have sleighs in this country? We do in my world, too! Once, before father went away to war, all of us went for a sleigh ride and it was simply delightf— Mr. Tumnus, whatever is the matter?"

For the last time she had seen that look of fear in his eyes was the terrible night of her escape.

"Lucy," he said hoarsely, "the only person in this country who has a sleigh is the Witch."

Her face turned as pale as a ghost.

"I must go at once!"

"You go," he said, already putting away her cup and saucer. "I will stall her so you have time to get away."

Lucy hugged him one more time and ran out of the cave back the way she had come. Tumnus listened anxiously after her footsteps had receded. Then with a feeling of horror he heard the bells again. But this time they were fainter and farther off. The Witch appeared to be going in another direction.

"Thank Aslan!"

But it was not the end. Scarcely three days after Lucy escaped again, Tumnus finally heard the dreaded scratch-scratch-scratching at the door just like all those years ago. Not waiting one more minute, he grabbed his favorite red scarf and threw it around his neck. Then he took the handkerchief that Lucy had given him which he had hidden under a loose floorboard. Running into his bedroom, he moved the rug that hid a trapdoor and opened the trapdoor. Taking care to step carefully down the steep stairs lest he fall, he took care to care to close and lock the trapdoor which was built to lock from the inside for such a time as this. He started running down the tunnel just as he heard his front door being broken by the hinges, no doubt by the club of an ogre.

It must have been hours later when with gasping breaths and aching legs, Tumnus finally reached the trapdoor leading to the Beavers' house. Hurriedly he did the secret knock, tumbled in, explained the situation to the concerned Beavers and gave Mr. Beaver Lucy's handkerchief. Then he turned to go but the Beavers insisted that he at least recover his strength. He strongly objected, not wanting to get his friends in trouble for aiding and abetting a criminal. But as he was barely strong enough to stand, he really did not have much of a choice. They gave him dinner and made a pallet for him on the floor, since their bunks were too small for him.

He slept the whole night despite his urgency to get away as soon as possible. The next day after a hurried breakfast the Beavers led him back through the tunnel to Badger's trapdoor. Beaver had alerted some of his friends to Tumnus' situation and they had come there to help him. Saying goodbye to the Beavers and watching as they went back to their own trapdoor, Tumnus pushed the barrel that blocked Badger's trapdoor.

There, just as Beaver had said, was an array of woodland creatures ready to meet him. But something was wrong. They had looks of unutterable terror on their faces. Tumnus knew that their mission was risky enough for such anxiety but that was not all. They stood completely still, ignoring the snow that was collecting on their backs and their fur had a strange grayish color. His worst fear was realized when he touched a rabbit and felt, instead of fur, cold stone. The grief that came over him then made him lose all hope of escape. He dare not go back to the Beavers lest they be found out, too. Still weak from the day before and sick with mourning for his fellow Narnians, Tumnus collapsed into the snow.