A Second Chance

Chapter 7

    "It's been alright. I finally finished grading those essays!" Susan said to Warren. He had called her moments ago and asked how her weekend had been so far.

    "So you're not doing anything this weekend?" He asked.

    "No I suppose not."

    "Well since you're not busy, what about church tomorrow?" Susan considered the idea. Warren had been bugging her to come for a while, and after all she didn't really have an excuse. And what could one Sunday hurt? She sighed.

    "Alright. I guess I can come." She agreed.

    "Great! I can pick you up about quarter till nine?"

    "Okay."

    The next morning Susan woke up rather early so she could be ready on time. What should I wear? She asked herself as she skimmed the closet of clothes. She finally decided on a black dress with red, white, and pink roses that looked as if they'd been painted on. She pulled on a pair of black stockings and heels. She curled her hair, applied her makeup and loaded her purse just in time to hear the knock at her door.

    She and Warren hopped into his car and drove to the church. Susan followed Warren into the small white building. She gripped her purse tightly. She was insecure. She felt as if she was an outcast, like all these people here knew each other and had a purpose for being there but she did not. They slipped into a pew next to Warren's brother and sister-in-law.

    "How did Molly do today?" Warren asked Martha. She laughed then answered

    "Better."

    "Good." Warren responded then he turned to Susan and explained. "Molly never wants to leave mommy when it's time for Sunday school."

    Just then music started playing and everyone stood up. They sang a few hymns then the pastor came up and shared some announcements before going into his sermon. His sermon was on a story called The Prodigal Son. The story was about a man who went to his father and asked to get his inheritance early. The father gave him the money and the son left. He went to parties, bought fancy clothes, ate wonderful meals, pretty much just had a wonderful life, for a while. Finally he realized he had wasted all of his inheritance. He didn't have any left for clothes or even food and ended up eating with the pigs. Finally he decided to return home. He thought his father would be furious with the way he had wasted his inheritance, but as soon as the father saw his son in the distance he ran to him with open arms. He immediately forgave his son and even through a party in honor of his return.

    Susan thought, walking into the building, that she would be bored, but no. Instead she was fascinated by the story. In fact, she wanted to hear more. So when she returned home she found the old Bible that had belonged to her grandmother so many years ago. She had no clue where to begin so she just opened to a random page and found herself reading in Matthew about Jesus dying on the cross and rising again three days later. Then it hit her. It hit her hard as a rock coming at her full blast.

"Aslan!" She said in almost a whisper. She dropped the Bible and ran to her desk. She rummaged around the drawer trying to find that letter. Finally she found the one she was looking for. It was from Lucy. She had received this letter just a week after the one she read the other day.   

Dear Susan,

Remember how I told you about our trip to Narnia in my last letter? Well Aslan said something to me right before we left and I've been thinking about it ever since. He said "In your world I have another name. You must learn to know me by it. For this is the very reason you were brought to this world, that by knowing me here for a little you may know me better there." I'm so puzzled. What is his other name? And how will we know when we've found it? Well I'm sure we'll know. We will probably be able to feel the magic.

That was only the first part of the letter, but it was enough. Susan sank into her chair, shocked.

    "This is it. It has to be." She breathed. It made such perfect sense. Jesus died on the cross because of our sins, so we wouldn't have to. Aslan died on the stone table so Edmund wouldn't have to, because he was a traitor. Jesus rose again, Aslan rose again. There were so many similarities it was uncanny. This just had to be it.

    "Aslan you're real. I've found you. I'm so sorry Aslan, how could I ever forget? And how will I ever come back? I'm a traitor, no longer a friend!" Susan covered her face with her hands and wept. How could she have been so arrogant? Suddenly she felt a soft breeze on her face. She looked up and standing there in magnificent light was Aslan.

    "Aslan!" She stood up and ran straight into his soft mane. "Aslan I'm so sorry." She cried.

    "It's alright my child. You have been forgiven." He said.

    "Aslan, if I had believed, would my siblings have died?" She asked, looking into his soft eyes.

    "We can never know what would have happened." He told her. "But now you must decide what will happen." Susan knew immediately what she wanted to do.

"Aslan, is there any way I can become a friend of Narnia again?"

"Of course." His expression was forgiving. "But, you will have to find it again for yourself." Susan was puzzled.

"But I thought we could never come back?"

"Like I told your sister, in this world I have another name. To know me by it was the very reason you were ever brought to Narnia that by knowing me there you may know me better here, and you did. You learned to know me by my other name, therefore the way is open for you to come back." Aslan explained.

"But how will I find it again?"

"You must be patient and have faith." Is all he said, then another soft breeze blew, and just like that, he was gone.