AS YOU ALL KNOW

Aslan means Lion; and is the name given by C S Lewis to the Lord and Creator of the land of Narnia

Both the Land and the Lion belongs to him

BIRTHDAY

Winter was short that year; or maybe it was just me experiencing things so it went fast?

The kids had probably finished their home work assignment by now, as things in my place went back to a more normal state. Things did not seem to move, books were not disappearing, no candles were forgotten to be snuffed out and I saw the visitors not for weeks.

However we stayed in touch. Once and a while there would be left for me a letter in a vacant space in a bookshelf, the vacancy created by the seemingly fall out of a line of a book. It was a smart way to tell me I got mail, learning me to look for sprawled books.

So came another Saturday morning, and I had planned to sit down with tea to write. While the tea brewed in my pot, I spread my kitchen table with such things as artisans used. This was to be no ordinary letter. It had to be the most beautiful I could ever muster. I clasped my hands in prayer, asking him whose name here not is Aslan for assistance.

The morning had been dull and grey, and I was surprised by warm yellow light beginning to stream out from the room I kept my books. The Met office had said nothing of the sun breaking through so I certainly got curious. Besides, what could serve better as an inspiration as one book or another?

When I went into the library, the light showed up to be the least to be surprised about. Because on the orientally inspired carpet gazing up seemingly to one book in particular, sat – okay I know you will not believe this, who ever could, it is just too fictional, so my only defence is that reality always beats fiction – He!

He whose name in this world is another than Aslan, but in His shape of a Lion, sat in my library and seemed to enjoyed the books! He radiated golden life and light and suddenly I realised how Queen Lucy the Valiant must have felt every time she could hide her face in His wonderful mane. I had read of it, of course, and experiencing it myself was of course not entirely different, just more – genuine.

I do not know for how long time I had stood there realising it would be polite to close my mouth, just drinking in His presence and all He radiated.; when something peculiar happened. Totally out of Character, for being me, I mean, I suddenly behaved more like Lucy and knelt so close to Him that I could hide my face in His fur. It never occurred to me that I had not being invited.

- "Welcome, O my beloved Son, so much surprised and confused," purred the great Cat. "I sense so much huge sadness in your life."

- "Well, Sir, with my life almost completed, I feel very little was really accomplished and so much went wrong. Something even badly wrong."

- "But, my Son, I died to right all your wrongs. I think you should stay close to me to get rid of that sadness and be charged with My love and life.

For Aslan all times are soon, so it must have been soon after He nuzzled me away, licked me with His tongue and breathed heavily through me. Even His breath had a message:

- "Now, my Son, you have loved me for such a long time, and been of such a blessing for so many; so Take Courage!"

This seemed to be one of the great leaps the giant Lion always loved to make, because suddenly I realised that; but, of course, He has come with something I must do to help somewhere.

- "You are writing an invitation," the Lion continued. As I merely nodded, he told me He thought of it as an excellent idea. He had just come to help me with information so the party I invited till surely would be one of the best ever for the kids.

Aslan told me about having heard the prayers of some orphans. They wanted to write an essay on which Names he carried in other worlds. Problem was just that stories about how Aslan revealed himself to other worlds was scarce in Narnia. So what the kids had asked was for a portal, leading to a place which contained those stories. Sending them into a public library was simply out of the question, so it had to be a private book-room which could help them find source material. As they hardly in the end would remain unnoticed, if not undetected, it had to be in the propriety of some one forgiving and young at heart.

Honouring the kids' braveness, beside this group doing very good in school, Aslan decided to do as they wished. For the first trips, and to my embarrassment, they were definitely here before the day of the lost candles; he personally sent them off. But he always listened in on what they had found. Yes, they moved the book so they could stand on the chair taking turns to reading and taking notes, and once they forgot to move it back before leaving.

Most amusing, however, was their account of the first time they came on a Saturday, and found the books Aslan had sent them to explore really did not belong to Aslan himself, but to one of His many servants in this world. I thought they had managed to keep calm and sneak off silently, but Aslan told me they had been so excited that they had almost done everything wrong that day. I must admit I had not realised. Absolutely not at all!

But watching me sleep once, was nothing, compared to having me as a pen pal. At least every week, all the orphanage would come together and hear about what happened in my life, in my personal petty little word. As it was, sometimes even Aslan came to listen in, as for emphasising to those young hearts that life for him may be leading the army against the Giants in the North; but more likely consisted of a kind word here and there, opening a door, helping some one cross the street, contributing to building new schools and orphanages, even donating a sum to the archaeological excavations in the Land He had lived when being here.

Aslan had loved the idea of my invitation, and also thought it great to be just for the group he sent here in the first place. But seeing the kids were orphans, birthdays were always a bit tricky, so Aslan had come to help, telling me how to organise. O, God, was I glad He did, and for His promise to escort the kids getting here. After He had spent some more time with me, He finally licked and then breathed me goodbye, and all my work was to begin.

My goodness, when did I last really look forward to my birthday? Three decades ago, back then when I was in my fifties?