Close Your Eyes

01

Edmund waited in the queue at the town hall in Cambridge. When it was his turn, he stepped forward and tried to appear older than his age.

The officer studied him. "Are you sure you're 18?"

"Why, do I look older?" Edmund questioned as the officer held his hand out for his National Registration. Edmund passed it to him with a nervous expression. The name read Alberta Scrubb.

The officer looked at Edmund disapprovingly. "Alberta Scrubb."

"That's a typographical error. It's supposed to be Albert A. Scrubb."

Lucy entered, holding a wooden box and a netted bag of groceries.

"Edmund... you're supposed to be helping me with the groceries," Lucy reminded her brother.

Edmund rolled his eyes, irritated that his cover had been blown.

A fat, short boy let out a chuckle as the officer rolled his eyes and returned the slip of paper to Edmund.

As Edmund let out a huff, the fat boy ruffled his head and said, "Better luck next time, eh, squirt?"

Edmund glared at the boy as he walked away.

Lucy walked out with Edmund as he said, "Squirt! He barely had two years on me." He took the box from Lucy and strapped it to her bike. "I'm a king! I've fought wars and I've led armies."

"Not in this world," Lucy replied.

"Yeah, instead I'm stuck here, doing battle with Eustace Clarence Scrubb."

Lucy began drifting from the conversation, hearing a girly, flirtatious giggle. She looked up to see a pretty blonde girl standing next to a stone pillar. The blonde girl flirtatiously tucked a piece of curly hair behind her ear as she spoke to a young officer. How she wished she looked like Susan and Clara; the former of who had grown radiant as she'd gotten older.

Lucy tucked her hair behind her ear, mimicking the blonde girl.

Edmund straightened his posture and looked at his sister oddly before asking, "What are you doing?"

Lucy awkwardly lowered her hand. "Nothing..." She grabbed the handles of her bicycle and began wheeling it away as she hid her face and rolled her eyes. "Come on!"

Edmund glanced back at the flirting couple and frowned, rolling his eyes.

The siblings tensed as planes flew overhead.

"We better get back," Edmund said, leading Lucy away.

SCRUBB HOME - EUSTACE'S ROOM

Eustace lay sprawled on his floor, writing in his diary. A gold star certificate in hygiene hung on the wall next to rows of bugs and insects that had been pinned to the wall. Underneath were jars containing different species of bugs moving around with no escape from their enclosure.

Eustace wrote as he spoke. "Dear Diary, it is now day 253 since my wretched cousins, Edmund and Lucy invaded our house. Not sure how much longer I can cope living with them... having to share my things. If only one could treat relatives like one treats insects, all my problems would be solved. I could simply put them in a jar or pin them to my wall..."

"I'm home!" Lucy yelled from downstairs and Eustace rolled his eyes. "Hello!"

Eustace quickly sat up and stuffed his diary in his sock. He made a mental note. Note to self, investigate legal ramifications of impaling relatives. He laid on the floor and shoved empty sweets wrappers into a box under his bed. He had no intention of sharing them... no matter if they were a scarcity or not.

DOWNSTAIRS

Lucy entered the living room carrying the box of groceries. "Hello, Uncle Harold. I tried to find some carrots, but all they had were turnips again. Shall I start making soup? Aunt Alberta's on her way home."

Harold cleared his throat, continuing to read his paper, completely oblivious to Lucy and Edmund's presence.

Lucy rolled her eyes as she and Edmund took off their coats.

"Uncle Harold?" Lucy called again in an irritated tone.

Edmund shook his head and stuck his tongue out at his uncle.

"Father," Eustace said, peering over the banister. "Edmund's making faces at you."

Edmund glared at his cousin and Eustace shot a spitball at his cousin, and it hit Edmund in the neck.

Edmund rushed up the stairs towards Eustace. "Why, you little-"

"Father, he's going to hit me!" Eustace cried, cowering onto the steps as he looked at Edmund in fear. Edmund reached him and balled a fist, ready to hit his pretentious cousin.

Lucy walked towards the staircase with a bright smile. "Edmund, look... It's from Susan." She held up a letter with elegant writing.