Peter to Susan or,
SouthwestExpat to BrokenKestrel
Dear Susan,
Mother and Father would have left Edmund and Lucy with anyone besides the Scrubbs if anyone had been available – the Professor was a complete stranger when we went to stay with him the first time. I don't know that there is much we can do besides write lots of letters to keep them distracted. But I did talk to the Professor about helping them, and he said – well, do you remember what Aslan said about finding him here, in our world? The Professor hasn't said much yet, but I am certain he has somehow seen* Aslan here. And if Aslan is here, he can sort Eustace Clarence Scrubb better than you or I can. I will write Ed though.
Honestly, Su, I'd rather hear about America than talk about exams. Think of the last weeks before final exams. No matter how much you love a subject, there is no enjoyment in those last weeks. This is the same, only worse. It lasts longer and the stakes are higher. Right now, I can hardly look at a book without dread. But somehow Professor Kirke got through his university exams, and he still loves reading and learning. I hope it will be the same for me when this is all over!
Don't worry about me eating. Professor Kirke has mastered the art of porridge and toast for breakfast (I still burn both – badly), and Mrs Cripps comes by to cook two or three times a week to cook dinner. She makes heaps of food, and on the days between her visits, we make a good tea of what's left. You would like her a lot – if we have eaten everything, she worries we got hungry at some point, but if anything is left, she scolds us for not eating. So you see, the Professor and I are in the best of hands.
I miss Narnia too, and so does the Professor, I think, though he doesn't talk about it much. I miss having a purpose, having something to defend. The war with Germany is over, but the Prime Minister is talking about an iron curtain across Europe. There will always be enemies, I think, so they will still be there when I am done with university. The end of university seems a long time to wait though.
Tell me more about America, especially the parts that remind you of Narnia.
All my love,
Peter
*Peter doesn't understand yet how it works in our world.