Susan Of Narnia

Chapter One: The Mirror

On the last day of the year, the Pevensie family spent the evening sitting around their fireplace passing small gifts to one another, a tradition started by Mr Pevensie's father years ago.

Peter had just opened his gift, a book called The Pilgrim's Regress—a rather dull looking book, Susan thought, by Clives Staples Lewis. Lucy handed Susan a small brown parcel. Susan thanked her younger sister and tore the paper away. Part of her would rather be out with her American boyfriend on New Year's Eve, but Susan couldn't very well break family traditions without an exceptional excuse. And Mr and Mrs Pevensie hardly approved of Susan's boyfriend as it was. Besides, Carl was spending the week visiting his family in America. He wouldn't be home for two more days.

The paper fell to the floor amidst previous discarded wrappings and Susan held a rectangular metal object. Small fiery-pink blossoms were painted on the silver encasing. Susan knew at once that it was a compact mirror.

Lucy checked to make sure their parents were looking away—they were, both of them focused on something Edmund was saying—and Lucy whispered to Susan, "It reminds me of the fire-flowers from Narnia."

Susan tried to hide her scowl, but it was hard. Lucy knew that Susan no longer liked to talk about Narnia. But Lucy liked to act as if the place were very much real even though Lucy was past sixteen now and too old for childish games.

Susan opened the mirror and smiled at her reflection. Seeing her grown-up face made her smile. She pursed her lips, painted red, and blinked her deep blue eyes to watch her long eyelashes for a moment. She twisted the mirror to admire how her coal black hair curled around her face in the latest cropped fashion.

"Thanks, Lu." Susan decided to ignore Lucy's comment about Narnia.

She was about to shut the mirror when something golden caught her eye. At first she thought the mirror reflected the fireplace in a strange way. But no ... the mirror waved as if morphing.

Susan gasped as she saw Aslan.

She snapped the mirror shut, chiding herself at letting her imagination and Lucy's words affect her so. It had been the fire.

Aslan was not real.

Lucy went to the floor, crawling on her knees, and picked up all the paper, not looking at Susan. Susan knew Lucy must be hurt. But knowing that just made Susan feel angrier. Her sister had no right to be hurt. Not over something like Narnia.

Unknowingly, Mrs Pevensie broke the silence, "Do any of you have goals for the new year?"

Edmund raised a hand and spoke at once, "I want to talk to Mr Albert about working at the train yard."

Mr Pevensie nodded approvingly, and Mrs Pevensie smiled.

The others had things to say—Peter wanted to pass his exams and start looking for a job in journalism. Lucy wanted to be kinder. Everyone stared at Susan, expecting an answer from her.

How she hated this time of the year. She loved life as it was and wished it to be this way forever—spending time with Carl Bryant and old enough to have all the fun in the world, yet young enough to not have to worry about anything. She had no goals, only wishes. "I ... I suppose I want to be better at reading?"

Edmund snorted.

Peter held up his book. "Want to start with this then?"

But Lucy didn't tease. "Reading is an admirable goal."

Susan didn't feel grateful toward her younger sister, though.

Mr Pevensie spoke, "I think that Mum and I will go on our vacation early this year. Edmund found us cheap tickets to Edinburgh—we'll spend a week there and then a weekend in Bristol to see Mum's family."