Forest Watcher (Book 1) A Peter Pevensie Romance

Professor Kirke

I awoke the next morning by Lucy pouncing on me.

"Peter, Peter, wake up! Peter, wake up! It's there! It's really there!" Lucy exclaimed excitedly.

"Shh..., Lucy, what are you talking about?" I groaned groggily.

"Narnia! It's all in the wardrobe like I told you!" She insisted.

"You've just been dreaming, Lucy," Susan told her, coming into the room with Edmund and Layla behind her.

"But I haven't, I saw Mr. Tumnus again!" Lucy replied. "And this time, Edmund went too."

"You...you saw the faun?" I asked, looking over at him.

He shook his head.

"Well, he didn't actually go there with me, he-" she turned to look at him. "What were you doing Edmund?"

"I was just playing along. I'm sorry, Peter. 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," Edmund smirks at Lucy like he won something.

At this, Lucy tears up and ran out of the room crying.

Well, done Ed, I sighed, picking up my robe and following Susan and Layla out the door shoving Edmund onto his bed on the way out.

"Ow!" Edmund wined.

We followed Lucy as she ran out into the hallway and bumped into the Professor. She looked up at surprised then hugged him still crying.

"Oh!" The Professor exclaimed.

"You children are one shenanigan shy of sleeping in the stable!" Macready muttered coming up to us.

"Professor," she exclaimed when she saw him. "I'm sorry. I told them you were not to be disturbed."

"It's alright, Mrs. Macready, I'm sure there is an explanation. But first of all, I think this one is in need of a little hot chocolate," he replied, guiding Lucy to Macready.

"Yes, Professor. Come along dear."

Susan and I turned to leave but Professor Kirke stopped us.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat.

****

The Professor refilled his pipe with tobacco as Susan and I watched him quietly. Layla joined us in the room.

"You seemed to have upset the delicate internal balance of my housekeeper," Professor Kirke spoke up, looking at us.

"We're really sorry sir. It won't happen again," I said, trying to pull Susan out the door.

"It's our sister, sir. Lucy," Susan told him.

"The weeping girl," the Professor pointed out.

"Yes, sir," Susan replied, "she's upset."

"Hence the weeping," the Professor responded, not looking up for the table.

"It's nothing," I looked at Susan, "we can handle it."

"Oh, I can see that," the Professor replies pointedly.

"She thinks she's found a magical land, in the upstairs wardrobe," Susan informed him, which Professor Kirke looked up surprised.

"What did you say?" The Professor asked, standing up and guiding us to the couches.

"The wardrobe upstairs," I told him as we sat down. "Lucy thinks she's found a forest inside."

"What was it like?" The Professor asks.

"Like talking to a lunatic," Susan explained.

The Professor looked up at Layla standing behind us. "No, no. Not her, the forest," he corrected.

Susan and I looked at each other.

"You're not saying you believe her," I asked.

"You don't?" The Professor returned the question.

"But of course not!" Susan insisted, "I mean, logically, it's impossible."

Logic, the one word Susan loves to use.

"What do they teach in schools these days?" The Professor muttered.

"Edmund said they were only pretending," I replied.

"And he's usually the more truthful one is he?" He asked us, eagerly.

"No, this would be the first time," I answered slowly.

"Well if she's not mad and she's not lying, then logically we must assume she's telling the truth."

"You mean we should just believe her?" I asked him.

"She's your sister isn't she?" Professor Kirke pointed out. "Your her family! You might just try acting like one!"