The Lion, The Witch, and CS Lewis - 06

A Satire - For Ursa Corwin

6

Three children followed the beaver a long way back to his, rather his and his wife's, very spacious dam. Not only was it large and had three young adults learning their trade - but this was the place where a host of activities leading the resistance gathered. Believe me, after one hundred years there will be resistance to witches, for they did not ever use where Queen in polite conversation. There were committees, and they did something. There were committees to take care of children while their parents were off doing something, there were committees to collect all sorts of objects, and even committees to turn other individuals, like Thomas for example, and keep tabs on what they, they, that is the Queen guard, though I will repeat no one called that in polite company.

This activity had gone on for a long time even though there was no Aslan anywhere to be found. Aslan was around, but he was not pleased with certain conditions that were going on and shook his head at the worst of them. The stories would be told quite well after the fact, though this time it didn't seem clear why Aslan was taking his time. This is normal, people don't like to think they’re at fault, even when they are.

The beaver stopped at the waterfront and was perplexed. How would he get the children below, when they didn't look like they could make it alone? Presently the mama came up and filled in, from the log cabin to one of the branches, and the three children were soon nestled inside. It was surprisingly warm, but then they were talking beavers and they liked it this way, as opposed to a non-talking beavers, who wanted just one enough, and not a good deal more than that.

Once inside, while the children were hungry but more interested in details of Aslan, and Beaver children were not on some bark, that being what they ate, mom and Papa were huddled down, and keeping quiet, it is time to talk of many things.

“When I went out to check on the rumors, I had a premonition that this time was going to be different. We have had lots of rumors, mind you, but they turned out to be false, or at least not confirmable.” Begin the Papa Beaver. “but there was something different.”

“Even before you went out, there were patches of green grass or at least things that would become green grass when they had had some time to work their magic.”

“There’s no magic, just they need to warm up first,” replied Papa.

“Will have this discussion later, we have to explain that there has been summer in, well more than my time,” said Ma.

“So, there is no end to the winter?” Asked Peter.

“None at all.” Explained Papa.

“How dreadful!” Said Lucy. Which is the first exclamation point that I used. And there won't be many others, because they should be preserved for people talking, not the narrator.

“That's how we, I won't say new, but fairly close to it.” Explained Papa.

“Well that's how he knew, I just had a warm feeling in the back of my toes.” I

always sentimental these sorts of things, and she wore her heart on her sleeve at these particular moments. Papa was a little more subdued, but he looked at her with a great deal more warmness than was justified as only a friend. It was clear that there was not a fresh bloom, but more than a quiet companionship that was there.

Both Sandra and Peter were uncomfortable about this because they were just barely able to know what was going on between, the two of them, but not able to grasp the details. Since they were precocious, there was no denying what was felt, but as the two older animals were passed and only rarely filled the kind of friskiness, the two children were not able to grasp all that was there. That is they knew what was going on, but didn't know all that they should.

Peter, the underneath he felt bashful, was going to get on with Business. In his heart he knew this was important for him most of all because he did not know the extent of it, this was his life’s work. When you are 12, and very few 12 know this, your life is just beginning. “So what do we do now?” he was taller and stronger than just a few minutes ago, these were his people, however long, or short, their command would be. He was the right choice, from well far back in his life. He was more than strong, into command with just the voice.

“Well, first of all, we need to force. One which will take which take the which head-on, and one which will storm her castle while she is attempting to crush us.” at the same time that Papa was reciting this, Mama was getting out a few maps and showing everyone we're a few things were, there was the event lamp post, where they had come into Narnia, the Witch's stronghold which neither faced the East or the West but was landlocked, and the mighty Caer Parevel, which unlike the Persian references is Celtic, because truly deep down in his soul, he wanted to have Celts leave here mark, though he recognized that everything from Celtic to the far reaches of Indian, were speaking the same language and deserved recognition.

“So what about Eddie, he needs to be in this too, and but for the witch “will grab them and pardon for him,” said Peter, with neither pomp nor circumstance.

“Well first of all we need to know whether or not which is that there are four, and exactly for of you. If she does, she will bargain away to get Aslan to surrender himself.” This was the Papa of course, he was a bit pompous in that way, though he would not admit such a thing.

“What if Eddie has a plan, not everyone is so... well, standoffish is the only word I can think of.” This was Sandra talking. Though she was not as old, she was even more precocious than Peter, and she knew that while she was not going to be the high Queen, In this or any other set of books, she could be the power behind the throne, which was not to bad, but it had disadvantages that she would talk to the creator about. When she could find out who he, and it was definitely a he, was.

This was a surprise, that is thinking that a human would have an original idea, which was foreign to an animal's mind, took some getting used to. As usual, mama grasped it first, but as usual, she let Papa blurt it out, thinking that he was first.

“Why would he do something like that, and less it was...” No one around the table had heard of “free will” and it was only vaguely a concept, but the children had a good idea that it was in operation.

Then Lucy pipes up, with an amazing decision: “Because he does not know Aslan, and wants to be the hero in his story.” Which made sense, even if the witch had told him about Aslan, which she had, it was going to be a distorted picture, because the Queen, in her mind, was the hero of the story. And this was the rub, though everyone once to be the story, most of the time there are only a few to hero, and the rest just pretend to be. And what's more, everyone else sees the person they R talking with isn't truly the hero, though they carefully don't realize that if it applies to everyone else in the world, it applies to “me”, whichever me that is.

This sent off a storm of chattering amidst the beavers, because while the children knew such a concept, though they did called, not know exactly what it was called, the beaver’s word perplexed them. But after a quarter of an hour, they, that is the beavers, decided that this was ordained in this kind of story. Realize that Virginia Wolfe has written a very different kind story, which was just getting popular around that time.

“Well, I guess you know something about Aslan that we don't, so will take your word on it, even though it seems quite strange to us.”

“Maybe that's why they’re here.” Reminded Mama.

“I guess you're right.” Opinion Papa. I do need to get rid of these two-word expressions, they're not my style, and they sound dated to my ear. But then, I don't like people talking when anyone can figure out if only it takes a little effort. However, most people disagree with me, and it seems like I am going to be forgotten.

“We should decide whether this is all we have to do.”

“There is one step that we have to take.” this was Mama because she knew that Papa wasn't going to figure it out. “We have two go to the Broken Stone Table because that is the place where Aslan will be killed by the witch, and both of them know that he is going to make some powerful magic to escape. And she does not know what it is, but she will bet she can get the upper hand. It is, how should one say, the stone under his claw.”

“I hope you mean that metaphorically.” this was of course Sandra talking because she didn't like things like claws to come into the picture.

“In our world, everybody has claws, why would Aslan be any different?” Blurted out Mama, for getting her manners.

It was at that point that the three children realized that Aslan was probably not from Earth, but from Narnia. It didn't settle well with them, but the realization was more and more visible. Then it happened, they used to be from Earth, but now more and more, they are from Narnia, and things were different in these parts.

“I wonder what will happen when we go back.” Muse Sandra, “That is if we ever do go back at all.”

“I hope we don't go back and tell you we are quite old.” this cry was, of course, from Lucy. “it may be a small kingdom.” She looked at the map and saw that it was quite small even to her mind. “but there is, well it's ours, and not won't be the same in the other world.”

“That is to be decided later, right now we have to rescue the best place from the trouble. Which we are partly to blame for.” If you can't tell that is Peter, I don't know what I can do for you. The voice is so Peter it’s not funny. Peter did not know how long he had on this earth, but more people than he would have liked found themselves with not much time at all. So, he was prepared to take what he had and enjoy every minute of it.

“I mean let's face it, we could be walking and then,” Saundra made a motion with both her hands, “blame, we’re dead just because someone wanted to use their gun.”

“What's a gun?” Replied Papa. Do you see what I mean by to word apostrophes? It is very annoying.

The children realize that the children of 1950 were going to live a long life, though their parents, including CS Lewis, would recognize it. But that didn't include them at all, they would be gunned down, or some other worse fate, or hidden away in prison because that was the degree from up at the top of things.

Even though it was not inevitable and tell it had been decided by men with lots of money, and it was generally men making the decisions, and they were white and rich.