Peter was fast asleep in his bed. That was, until the door burst open and the lights suddenly switched on.
Penny came running into the room and jumped on him excitedly. "Peter, Peter wake up! Peter wake up! It's there! It's really there!"
"Shh!" Peter hissed, squinting his eyes open. "Penny, what are you talking about?" He asked, sleepily.
Eilonwy and Mowgli came into the room, as Penny explained. "Narnia! It's all in the wardrobe like I told you!"
"You've just been dreaming, Penny," Eilonwy said.
Penny turned to her. "But I haven't! I saw Mr. Phil again! And this time, Mowgli went too!"
Peter and Eilonwy looked at Mowgli, who went speechless.
"You... you saw the satyr?" Peter asked him.
Mowgli simply responded by shaking his head "no".
"Well, he didn't actually go there with me," Penny said. "He..." she began to ponder what Mowgli was doing while she was visiting Mr. Phil, and turned to him. "What were you doing, Mowgli?"
Up to this moment, Mowgli had been feeling sick and nauseous from eating all that Turkish Delight. But mostly, he was annoyed that Penny was right about Narnia. When she asked him her question, he decided not to back her up and do the meanest and most spiteful thing he could ever think of. "I was just playing along."
Penny gave a look of shock. Mowgli was not going to admit she had been telling the truth?
"I'm sorry, Peter," he continued. "I shouldn't have encouraged her. But, you know what little children are like these days. They just don't know when to stop pretending." He looked at Penny smugly.
Hurt and betrayed by Mowgli refusing to reveal her story to be true, Penny began to sob and rushed out of the room.
Eilonwy ran after her.
Peter got out of bed to follow. But not before glaring at Mowgli, and shoved him over on his bed.
"Ow!" complained Mowgli.
Penny raced down the hallways back for her room. Only then to bump into someone.
"Oh!"
The little girl looked up to see an old man; he was portly and beardless, with white, thinning hair. His nose was round nose, he had bushy eyebrows, and hinged mouth and chin. It was the professor of the house, Professor Dallben.
Startled, Penny took a small step back, away from him.
Peter and Eilonwy arrived, and froze upon spotting Penny with Professor Dallben.
Just then, Aunt Sarah, in her nightwear, came stomping into the scene. "You children are one shenanigan shy of sleepin' in the stable!" She began to scold the children. But then, she stopped once she saw the professor, and her eyes widened in surprise. "Professor!" she spoke to him. "I'm sorry. I told them you were not to be disturbed."
The professor did not seem disturbed or that upset, at all. "It's alright, Aunt Sarah," he said, gently. "I'm sure there's an explanation." He looked down at Penny, who was still crying. "But first of all, I think this one is in need of a little hot chocolate."
Aunt Sarah nodded to him. She put her arm around Penny, and took her down the hall. "Come along, dear."
Uncomfortable by this situation, Peter and Eilonwy turned to leave.
"Ahem!" Professor Dallben cleared his throat to them.
Peter and Eilonwy stopped in their tracks, and looked back.
In his office, Professor Dallben opened the lid to a silver apple case, and took out some tobacco. As he put it in his pipe, he looked up at Peter and Eilonwy. "You seem to have upset the delicate internal balance of my housekeeper," the professor gently began to scold the two.
"We're very sorry sir. It won't happen again," Peter apologized. He tried to pull Eilonwy away and leave the room.
But Eilonwy resisted. "It's our sister, sir," she explained. "Penny."
"The weeping girl," the professor replied, referring to Penny.
Eilonwy nodded. "Yes, sir. She's upset."
"Hence the weeping," Professor Dallben agreed, nodding back.
"I-It's nothing. We can handle it!" assured Peter.
"Oh, I can see that," said Professor Dallben, rather doubtfully.
Peter and Eilonwy took a look at each other. Sharing the same thought, they decided to tell the Professor what has gotten into Penny lately.
"She thinks she's found a magical land," Eilonwy told the professor, who smiled. "In the upstairs wardrobe."
Hearing Eilonwy's words made Professor Dallben look up at her. He quickly got up from his chair and went over to her. "What did you say?" He asked, guiding her and Peter towards a couch.
"Um, the wardrobe, upstairs," said Peter. He and Eilonwy sat down on the couch, with the professor taking a seat in a chair across from them. "Penny thinks she's found a forest inside."
"She won't stop going on about it," agreed Eilonwy.
"What was it like?" asked a bewildered Professor Dallben.
"Like talking to a lunatic!" Eilonwy said, irritated.
But the professor shook his head. "No, no, no, not her. The forest."
Peter stared at him in surprise. He actually believed Penny really found a forest inside the wardrobe? This was the last thing he and Eilonwy expected from the professor. "You're not saying you believe her?"
Professor Dallben stared back at him. "You don't?"
"But of course not!" Eilonwy said, shaking her head. "I mean, logically, it's impossible."
Professor Dallben studied the two. "What do they teach in schools these days?"
"Mowgli said they were only pretending," said Peter.
"And he's usually the more truthful one, is he?"
"No. This would be the first time."
"Well, if she's not mad and she's not lying, then logically we must assume she's telling the truth." The professor lit a match and lit his pipe as he put it up to his lips.
"You're saying that we should just believe her?" Peter asked, absolutely puzzled.
Professor Dallben looked back up at Peter. "She's your sister, isn't she? You're her family. You might just try acting like one."Peter was fast asleep in his bed. That was, until the door burst open and the lights suddenly switched on.
Penny came running into the room and jumped on him excitedly. "Peter, Peter wake up! Peter wake up! It's there! It's really there!"
"Shh!" Peter hissed, squinting his eyes open. "Penny, what are you talking about?" He asked, sleepily.
Eilonwy and Mowgli came into the room, as Penny explained. "Narnia! It's all in the wardrobe like I told you!"
"You've just been dreaming, Penny," Eilonwy said.
Penny turned to her. "But I haven't! I saw Mr. Phil again! And this time, Mowgli went too!"
Peter and Eilonwy looked at Mowgli, who went speechless.
"You... you saw the satyr?" Peter asked him.
Mowgli simply responded by shaking his head "no".
"Well, he didn't actually go there with me," Penny said. "He..." she began to ponder what Mowgli was doing while she was visiting Mr. Phil, and turned to him. "What were you doing, Mowgli?"
Up to this moment, Mowgli had been feeling sick and nauseous from eating all that Turkish Delight. But mostly, he was annoyed that Penny was right about Narnia. When she asked him her question, he decided not to back her up and do the meanest and most spiteful thing he could ever think of. "I was just playing along."
Penny gave a look of shock. Mowgli was not going to admit she had been telling the truth?
"I'm sorry, Peter," he continued. "I shouldn't have encouraged her. But, you know what little children are like these days. They just don't know when to stop pretending." He looked at Penny smugly.
Hurt and betrayed by Mowgli refusing to reveal her story to be true, Penny began to sob and rushed out of the room.
Eilonwy ran after her.
Peter got out of bed to follow. But not before glaring at Mowgli, and shoved him over on his bed.
"Ow!" complained Mowgli.
Penny raced down the hallways back for her room. Only then to bump into someone.
"Oh!"
The little girl looked up to see an old man; he was portly and beardless, with white, thinning hair. His nose was round nose, he had bushy eyebrows, and hinged mouth and chin. It was the professor of the house, Professor Dallben.
Startled, Penny took a small step back, away from him.
Peter and Eilonwy arrived, and froze upon spotting Penny with Professor Dallben.
Just then, Aunt Sarah, in her nightwear, came stomping into the scene. "You children are one shenanigan shy of sleepin' in the stable!" She began to scold the children. But then, she stopped once she saw the professor, and her eyes widened in surprise. "Professor!" she spoke to him. "I'm sorry. I told them you were not to be disturbed."
The professor did not seem disturbed or that upset, at all. "It's alright, Aunt Sarah," he said, gently. "I'm sure there's an explanation." He looked down at Penny, who was still crying. "But first of all, I think this one is in need of a little hot chocolate."
Aunt Sarah nodded to him. She put her arm around Penny, and took her down the hall. "Come along, dear."
Uncomfortable by this situation, Peter and Eilonwy turned to leave.
"Ahem!" Professor Dallben cleared his throat to them.
Peter and Eilonwy stopped in their tracks, and looked back.
In his office, Professor Dallben opened the lid to a silver apple case, and took out some tobacco. As he put it in his pipe, he looked up at Peter and Eilonwy. "You seem to have upset the delicate internal balance of my housekeeper," the professor gently began to scold the two.
"We're very sorry sir. It won't happen again," Peter apologized. He tried to pull Eilonwy away and leave the room.
But Eilonwy resisted. "It's our sister, sir," she explained. "Penny."
"The weeping girl," the professor replied, referring to Penny.
Eilonwy nodded. "Yes, sir. She's upset."
"Hence the weeping," Professor Dallben agreed, nodding back.
"I-It's nothing. We can handle it!" assured Peter.
"Oh, I can see that," said Professor Dallben, rather doubtfully.
Peter and Eilonwy took a look at each other. Sharing the same thought, they decided to tell the Professor what has gotten into Penny lately.
"She thinks she's found a magical land," Eilonwy told the professor, who smiled. "In the upstairs wardrobe."
Hearing Eilonwy's words made Professor Dallben look up at her. He quickly got up from his chair and went over to her. "What did you say?" He asked, guiding her and Peter towards a couch.
"Um, the wardrobe, upstairs," said Peter. He and Eilonwy sat down on the couch, with the professor taking a seat in a chair across from them. "Penny thinks she's found a forest inside."
"She won't stop going on about it," agreed Eilonwy.
"What was it like?" asked a bewildered Professor Dallben.
"Like talking to a lunatic!" Eilonwy said, irritated.
But the professor shook his head. "No, no, no, not her. The forest."
Peter stared at him in surprise. He actually believed Penny really found a forest inside the wardrobe? This was the last then he and Eilonwy expected from the professor. "You're not saying you believe her?"
Professor Dallben stared back at him. "You don't?"
"But of course not!" Eilonwy said, shaking her head. "I mean, logically, it's impossible."
Professor Dallben studied the two. "What do they teach in schools these days?"
"Mowgli said they were only pretending," said Peter.
"And he's usually the more truthful one, is he?"
"No. This would be the first time."
"Well, if she's not mad and she's not lying, then logically we must assume she's telling the truth." The professor lit a match and lit his pipe as he put it up to his lips.
"You're saying that we should just believe her?" Peter asked, absolutely puzzled.
Professor Dallben looked back up at Peter. "She's your sister, isn't she? You're her family. You might just try acting like one."
Peter and Eilonwy stared at him very hard. He was not serious, was he? He certainly seemed like he perfectly was from the expression on his face and not making fun of them, at all. Should they? Should they take his advice and believe Penny about this magical land in the wardrobe? They didn't know what to do.
Peter and Eilonwy stared at him very hard. He was not serious, was he? He certainly seemed like he perfectly was from the expression on his face and not making fun of them, at all. Should they? Should they take his advice and believe Penny about this magical land in the wardrobe? They didn't know what to do.