The Lion, The Witch, and CS Lewis - 08

A Satire - For Ursa Corwin

8

Now we are in the woods, and what a difference it makes. There was something cool about the air, and it was pressure, having learned from the East, which in these lands was towards the sea. The three children, and two beavers, noticed immediately. You see when they got there, there was no wind at all, and there had not been endless tempest the witch had ordered it. This was one of the clues that you should run away, because if there was a storm - soon enough there would be the Witch. And for most people that was a bad idea.

So, for all of 100 years, there had not been a fresh breeze – calling its way down the cooling trees. And the three children and two beavers noticed it, as I said before.

If you are looking at Eddie, the space he exists between is added and dark, really dark night. If you think of the three children that are outside - even if I don't mention the moon, which CS Lewis does not most of the time - it is still lighter. It is wider because there's no claustrophobia about the place. Yes, it's still dark - and I won't get away from this fact - but there is a large difference, between being underground, where it is truly dark - and being on top of the surface, even if it's covered with trees. Since you are reading this, you cannot help but notice the difference between the underground, and the above-ground.

Since this is above ground, and a fresh wind is carrying along everything, Peter, Lucy, and even Sandra, are standing quite a good deal more upright, than when they first walked in. And of course, this goes for the beavers as well. Everything feels that it has changed when behind it because he is coming very close at hand. Peter was ahead looking at the rocks that had once had glaciers but were now running free. There was a fall here, the top one was the lowest but widest, the middle part was the highest but narrow, and the bottom was midway between the two. It was glorious because it had not been here just a few hours before, instead, it was frozen, as all else would be. But now the falls were running quite free, and everything around them was slowly making its way to doing the same.

It was now that they had been about for a while, that this truly was different because a blowing breeze makes all the difference in the world. Peter was the most different, but everyone had the same spry step. The girls and Mama were giggling, sometimes quite loudly.

“I've never seen these falls before,” Said Papa Beaver, “they have only been ice.”

“I only see water coming from a fire hydrant.” Commented Peter.

“What's that?”

“In the middle of the town, fires break out. Especially in the poorer sections.”

“That's sounds dreadful.”

“More than you would imagine, because there are millions of people.”

Papa couldn't visualize millions if he wanted to, so instead just nodded. What he did know his Peter and his sisters came from a very strange world and was sure that he didn't want to experience it. He also knew that his world was once orderly and created by the Emperor Over the Sea, whereas he wasn't sure about Peter's world. And he imagined that Peter didn't either, let alone his two sisters.

“I wonder what will happen when they go to your world. Though I would not be the one to go there, mind you. I'll stay right here, and listen to stories.”

“I'm sure you would. I like this world better as well.”

“Then why did your world even have to exist?”

“My world is much older.”

Again, the beaver nodded. He realized that not only did he like the world better, but many of the people from Peters's world would as well. He relies that this might be the reason for his world's existence.

Now this is different between CS Lewis, and his Christian followers. CS Lewis wants to persuade them, and thus, doesn't want to bludgeon them to death with his point. But the followers want to hammer the point home, more or less from the get-go. That point is very simple: the world is good because a good God created it. Nothing more and nothing less. But CS Lewis when he was writing a book, meant that there were no points to the discussion, but his Christian followers wanted to talk endlessly about it. And they don't want any non-believer, even one who attends the same church, to read the works in question.

Whereas CS Lewis wants to tell the tale, and every so often mind all of the readers of Who, and no I did not say whom, the main topic of the story is. This enrages the followers, and since they control the content, they think they will get the last word.

Peter and Papa were first over the crest, and they could see further in the distance that people, over other animals, had erected some tents. Not the kind of tents in our world, but grand and tall. They were cream and turquoise, and all sorts of other colors, all of which were bright and shown in the moonlight. There, there is moonlight in this world, even if there isn't in CS Lewis.

“That's the Army of Aslan.”

In real terms, it was not all that large, but it wasn't the problem. What was: was how large was the enemy. But Peter was disappointed, and Lucy was crushed. They had been introduced to the world by masses of people, and this was very small indeed. But Sondra was looking at the Army and said:

“This is a fine brave crew.”

Peter and Lucy agreed that they were, and that was more important. After all the Greeks had beaten 1 million, or so it is said, the Persians, and began the age of Europe. And that was in this world, with bronze weapons and charioteers.

All of them chased down the hill and were amazing refreshed after several hours of walking or running.

Slowly they saw the people, or rather, centaurs and other folk who manned the ramparts. Not one of them was human. And it slowly dawned on the children that they were indeed, different from everyone else. They need to feel proud, and special, and resolve to be the people that they were meant to be. Even if it would hurt, even if they didn't make it. Which was entirely different from how they were before. I say this because CS Lewis said it. It was important to him, especially in the second book.

When they were a mile away, they looked over the tents, but then they were under the tents for a thousand meters or so, and this managed to make it different. Most of all, things were clean, and clear even then on earth. It was as if everything had been blown fresh and new. Then it hit Lucy, that Aslan was part of the collection, that is, he was not an adult from their world. And just at this moment, something emerged from the darkness, it was a lion. And truly a magnificent lion it was. It was sleek and smooth as if it had just been given a bath. Its maw was tense, and gripping, as if it had been giving orders. It looked up and saw Father Christmas, who was a jolly old elf and was skipping along merrily, though his sleigh was supported by nothing in particular.

The lion addressed Father Christmas, that's St. Nicholas for those of us in the United States.

“Do you have the things for the Kings of Adam and Queens of Eve?”

Father Christmas simply not towards his black bag, and tilted his finger to his nose. It was a gesture which he had done many times before. Moves elves are dainty, and in this world, but not JRR Tolkien's world just around the block, they are shorter than most. But Father Christmas is the exception which proves the rule: he is fat, though jolly. And he is a good deal taller than a man.

Then the lion turned to Peter and said:

“Welcome, you might be the one that will take the high thrown from the witch, though she calls herself queen. But I thought there were four of you. What has happened to the younger son of Adam?”

“He's not with us. I don't know where he went to.”

“He probably is with the most awful person in Narnia,” Lucy said, “and won't come back even if we asked him to.”

“No, the most awful person is Tash, and he is the same person I am.”

“I don't understand,” Sandra remarked. “Who is Tash?”

“Tash is a reflection of me. Whereas I am good, he is evil. But your brother isn't with him.”

“Maybe he's with the Witch,” Mama remarked. “Because, even if she's not as bad as Tash, she's still evil enough for us.”

“That is possible, she is cunning.”

“But wait,” said Lucy, “I thought you knew everything.”

“No, but my father does, but his knowledge is greater than mine.”

“I am afraid I don't understand.”

“Nor will you and tell you can be like me, which is at the end of the world.”

“Is that a long time from now?”

“It's an eternity and an instant. But it is better not to talk about this because you will get confused until it is the right time.”

“I guess I will have to take your word on that.”

Then Sandra interrupted: “What about Eddie? Are we doomed without his intervention?” she was very proud of the word “intervention”, having just learned it a couple of weeks before.

“We will see. At this point, all that he has lost is Father Christmases gift. Which is important, but he can do without it, and you will not notice it, virtually, at all.”

“You sure about this? I would hate to lose anything.” Peter was annoyed, how could Eddie lose anything, when every little bit could make a difference?

“Worry about him coming in late, because that will be damaging. But for now, it's only a minor setback.”

Peter looked up at the pavilions and noticed that the creep of dawn was lapping up the tips of the ramparts. It was clear that the day here was shorter than on earth, though it may not have been even, he thought.

“So what do we do right now?”

“Well first of all,” declared Father Christmas, “you should take these so that I can go!”

The three children agreed on this, with Lucy getting a small clear bottle, Sondra getting a quiver of arrows, and Peter getting a sword. They didn't find out what Eddie would have gotten. Then Father Christmas went on his way, up into the sky. The reindeer were as white as snow and blazoned with gold on the trimmings. It then seemed that Father Christmas was not tall at all, but short, having disguised himself very well, perhaps because he carried toys for his presents.

“Peter, you must come with me. We have some things to discuss, which only you can know.”

With that Peter and Aslan with into the nearest pavilion, which was seen to be whiter than the whitest thing they had seen. Meanwhile, Lucy and Sandra looked out over the land and the water, and for the very first time saw Caer Pavalet. It was a magnificent castle, built in the manner of the 1300s. It rose from deep below to high above, glistening in the waning moonlight, and rising steadily with the sun. there was one tower greater than all the others, though three of them were almost as tall. It was very tall, like in most movies, and there was a bluish cast to its hue. At the dockside, three moats opened out on the shorter side, towards the land.

“It's beautiful,” remarked Lucy.

“I hope it will stay, though that's going to be decided.”