Chapter 8 Her Meeting

Sleeping is the easiest and hardest thing to do sometimes, and for Lucy, it was both all at once. She could faintly hear a voice calling her name. Still more asleep than awake, she thought it was her father calling her. But that didn't seem right.

Becoming slightly more awake, but still more asleep than not, she heard the voice again, calling her name. Maybe it was Peter? But, for some reason, Lucy couldn't believe that. The voice was deep, friendly, and very familiar.

Then, all at once, Lucy was completely awake, with no hint of sleep within her. Her eyes watched the Narnian moon above her. She had always loved this moon more than the one back home in England. This moon was much bigger and full of magic.

She felt so peaceful and happy that she didn't want to do anything else but stay cozy lying on her back watching the moon and stars. But then again, she heard her name being called ever so softly, as if only a whisper in her imagination. But somehow, she knew it wasn't.

Slowly, she got up, looking at everyone still sound asleep, and hearing some of them snoring. Ron rolled over, muttering something about gnomes and Snape.

She knew who Snape was. For the entire trek, Ron had gone on and on about how horrid Snape was, and every time he complained Draco would jump in, saying Snape was a wonderful professor. But, thankfully, Draco wasn't awake to argue.

"Lucy."

Lucy twirled around, trying to find who had called her name so lightly. Seconds after she had twirled around, she noticed something different. The entire journey had produced a world much like the one at home. No talking animals, no singing and dancing trees, and no magic. But she could have sworn the trees were swaying, dancing and humming before her.

Without glancing back, Lucy walked towards the trees, her heart pounding. She felt so happy that several times she let out a small laugh or giggle. Her feet begged to dance and her lips wanted to sing to the lovely melody she was hearing all around her, as if the wind itself was carrying the tune with it.

When she got to the trees, she could see that they really were dancing, wading through the earth as she would wade through water, gracefully sweeping their branches around and swaying their very selves in rhythm.

As they danced, Lucy walked around them, every now and then, using her hands to either push the branches out of the way or to hold on to them as if to dance. Which one, she wasn't quite sure.

And then finally, the trees ended, dancing behind her, their song much more loud and alive. There, in the middle of a small clearing, dancing trees all around, stood a lion.

Without so much as another thought, Lucy ran to it. The lion was so still that had it not been for the faint twitching of the tail, it very well could have been made of stone. She didn't think for a second, that this lion might be fierce and wild, for all the other animals she had encountered here in Narnia were wild and unable to talk. This lion was different.

"Aslan!" she half shouted, half cried. "Oh, Aslan! I've missed you." The moment she was close enough, she jumped into his soft thick fur and buried her face in his main. "I knew you were here. I knew it."

Aslan looked at her, as if to say why didn't you come sooner.

Sitting up, Lucy sighed, "I told them I saw you and that we should come this way. I really did try, but they didn't believe me. They're all so," but she was cut off by the softest growl she had ever heard.

Looking at Aslan, she suddenly felt ashamed. "I'm sorry. I should have come, even without them, shouldn't I?"

"Much time has been wasted and time is running short," Aslan answered.

"But I couldn't have gone by myself," Lucy tried to reason.

Aslan looked at her, the same look he had given her as she blamed everyone else but her.

"I wouldn't have been by myself since I would have been with you. If I had come sooner, would thing have turned out better?"

"Better? Maybe better, maybe worse. Maybe everything would have been the same."

"Why can't you tell me?" Lucy asked.

"What would have happened is a question that one will never know. But what will happen is easily found out," answered the lion. "Go tell the others to follow me."

"Will they see you this time?" she asked.

"No, not yet anyway."

"You really think they'll believe me?" she asked, worry starting to wash over her.

"There is only one way to find out."

Aslan stood and Lucy started to walk towards the swaying trees. The trees moved out of Aslan's way, bowing low. As they passed, Lucy saw the smallest glimpse of their real selves, their tree person form appearing just like Lucy had seen many times before. But just as soon as Aslan passed, they became nothing but a tree again, but still dancing and singing.

"Go wake the others, and follow me, Lucy."

"I will."

"You are a true lioness."

With a small smile, Lucy ran back to the others. First she tried to wake up Peter, but all he did was turn the other way. Next, she tried to wake Susan. Once Lucy had done so, she told Susan what happened.

"Lucy, you were dreaming. Go back to sleep." With that, Susan yawned, turned over, and did just that.

Then she tried Edmund. After two minutes, he finally woke. Once he was sitting up, the sleep out of his eyes, she told Edmund everything that had happened. When she had finished, Edmund jumped to his feet.

"Aslan! Where is He?"

"Right there, by the trees," Lucy smiled, pointing towards the lion.

"Where?" he asked, searching for Aslan.

"What are you looking for?" asked a voice from behind them.

Ron was staring at Edmund and then where Edmund had been looking.

"Lucy saw Aslan!" Edmund said, exited.

"Aslan!" Without another word, Ron kicked Harry, Hermione, Draco, and Pansy. The last two he kicked a little harder than usual.

When they were all up, Lucy told her story.

"Where?" Pansy asked, searching the trees, her heart pounding.

"Right there," Lucy said, pointing towards the lion.

"There's nothing there," Harry said, disappointed. "Aslan isn't here."

"Yes He is," Lucy argued. "He's right there!"

"You're dreaming," Hermione said. "Wake me up when it's morning." Without another word, both Hermione and Harry went back to bed.

"I think she's right," Draco yawned. "There's nothing there." With another yawn, he and Pansy left.

"But Aslan is right there! He's standing by the trees!" Lucy cried.

"If that's true, why can't I see him, too?" asked Ron quietly. "I don't see anything. Do you?" he asked Edmund.

"No, I don't."

"Aslan said you might not see Him," Lucy tried.

"Lu, you're tired. We've all had a long day. You're just seeing an optical something."

"I'm not an optical anything," she said, feeling close to crying.

"Well?" asked Ron, looking at Edmund.

"Lucy, you should stop seeing things. But, last time I agreed with the others and not you, I made a royal fool of myself." Then with a shrug," Guess we'll have to force the others to wake up again."

"Oh Edmund!" Lucy cried, tears of happiness running down her cheek, as she gave her brother a bear hug.

"I'll wake those three up again," Ron said with a dark smile. "I really need something to kick."

Is Lucy really seeing things or is Aslan there? What will happen next? Find out soon, with chapter 9.

Courtesy of both C. S. Lewis and JKR