A Million Dreams

02

As soon as they entered entering a snowy forest, Lucy and Esther walked up to a lamp post. They admired it and heard what sounded like scurrying about. Lucy ducked behind the lamp post and Esther ducked behind a tree. A creature with a red scarf carrying parcels appeared. The creature, Esther and Lucy screamed and the creature dropped his parcels.

Moments later, he walked back towards the lamp post and Esther walked closer to Lucy. "Were you hiding from us?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Huh, um, n... n... no. I didn't want to scare you two," the creature said.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you?"

He looked shocked that Lucy and Esther didn't know what he was. "Why, I'm a faun! And you two must be some kind of beardless dwarf?"

"I'm not a dwarf!" Lucy cried. "I'm a girl! She's a girl, too! And actually, I'm tallest in my class."

The faun remained confused. "But you're saying you're daughters of Eve?"

Lucy frowned. "Well, my mum's name is Helen..."

"My mum's name is, was, Delia..." Esther trailed.

"Yes, but you two are in fact, human," the faun said.

The girls nodded and the faun asked, "What are you two doing here?"

Lucy glanced back. "Well, we came from the wardrobe in the spare room, and..."

"Spare Oom," the faun interrupted.

"Spare room," Esther corrected. "Is that in Narnia?"

The faun seemed confused. "No. This is Narnia. Everything from this lamp post to Cair Paravel on the Eastern ocean, every stick and stone, every icicle is Narnia."

"This is an awfully big wardrobe," Lucy muttered and Esther nodded her agreement.

The faun turned his gaze to her. "Wardrobe? I'm sorry, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tumnus."

Lucy smiled and extended her hand. "Glad to meet you, Mr. Tumnus. I'm Lucy Pevensie. This is Esther... I don't know her surname." Tumnus stared at her hand.

"Esther Albright," the older brunette introduced.

"Oh. You shake it," Lucy told the faun.

Mr. Tumnus frowned. "Why?"

Lucy thought for a moment. "I-I don't know. People do it when they meet each other."

Mr. Tumnus shook their hands. "Well then Lucy Pevensie, Esther Albright, from the shining city of War Drobe in the wondrous land of Spare Oom, how would it be if you two came and had tea with me?"

Lucy glanced at the wardrobe. "Oh, well, thank you very much, but we probably should be getting back..."

"Yes, but it's only just around the corner. And there'll be a glorious fire. And toast and cakes. And maybe...we'll even break into the sardines."

"Well, I don't know..."

"Oh, come on. It's not everyday I get to make new friends."

Lucy and Esther exchanged a look before the former said, "Well, maybe for just a little while... if you have sardines."

"By the bucket load," Mr. Tumnus answered with a small smile. "Come along."

The girls followed the faun to his house. When they arrived, Esther asked, "Can we help you?"

Mr. Tumnus nodded and they took a couple of parcels and opened the door. "Why, thank you!"

They put the parcels down and began examining the pictures. Mr. Tumnus noticed what the two was doing. "Oh... that is my father."