Dear readers, I have by now received two reviews, both to the prologue of this story.
I certainly appreciate both, however different they are in length, style, origin and message. Many thanks! But let us now go on with the story, please!
ARRIVING
I am not sure I will be able to describe the journey very well. Was it through wormholes in our galaxy towards a distant planet; or to star system far, far away? Or was it passing dimensions the living have guessed exist, but themselves never visited? That I can not say; only that I was quite happy both for the cloak and the swords escorting me.
Suddenly we all saw light in the distance in front of us; an coming closer we saw a huge city that was seemingly floating in space. Having seen it my words feel like ash. That city seemed to be more real than anything I thought was real, and my ways to describe it declined with its increase in reality. The closer we got the more breath taken I got!
The city was surrounded by a high wall which seemed to be partly transparent, letting light shine trough it. At the base of the wall was some sort of a route or avenue going around the wall, and it connected three huge open city gates breaking through the city walls facing us.
A little below the avenue was a platform. It was fenced by a low wall, but part of the wall was open and there hung a golden chain. It seemed very much like a landing place for a boat. There we were now heading and when we got closer, the entourage with the swords slowly lagged behind to have me and the Narnian children in front of them. On the landing someone unfastened the chain to let us through.
As we landed, the swords were sheathed; my cloak unfastened by the being on the landing and the Narnian children gathered around me for a last farewell. It was nor time for them to enter Aslan's country yet, neither was this the way for them to do it. Strangely enough it did not at all feel sad, only happiness and feeling sure of all of us seeing each other again was there. We simply were not able to feel any unhappiness.
Suddenly I could hear Aslan speak to the children, even though I could not see him, and in a way I could not explain they were gone. Home of course! Suddenly I realised that Home was exactly where I was heading; or rather I was standing on a landing just outside Home. Looking back I could see the chain fastened again over the opening in the landing wall.
-"This way please," was said to me by the one who held my now folded cloak. I was shown that to my right, parallel to the wall was a stairway, leading half way up to the avenue around the wall, till it met a door. Obviously I was to walk alone now, as I was not followed by anyone.
Walking up the stairway, I saw the door being opened by another being, clad in the same white and shining garment as the one who had stayed behind. Being ushered in, I … well, if I had been still on earth I would have describe the place like some sort of an oriental bath., the contraption any kings' or emperors 'guests or visitors were taken to for proper preparation.
Had I been on earth, still, I would have said I was undressed, bathed, my hair washed; the dried, got my hair cut and my body oiled and perfumed; before finally being dressed in a beautiful white linen garb. Being were I was, I am not sure this is a correct description. But you get some of an idea of what happened.
Coming out from the bathhouse, if I may call it so, I had now been turned around 180 degrees and faced another stairway, leading up to a landing opposite one of the city gates.
Walking up that stairway, I saw in the corner of my right eye, a third of those white creatures; this one carrying a blue velvet pillow and on top of that a golden crown. At the top of the stairs, I view the open space outside the city a last time; now seeing it seemed filled with glittering stars in many colours. Then I turned to the right, crossed the avenue leading around the city walls and braced to walk through the city gate.