Battle of Fear and Trust

Unwanted Guest

I look into the dark eyes of Jadis, who is staring back at me hungrily as if seeking to consume my soul. What is she doing here? How did she get here? This must be another nightmare.

"It's no dream." I jump at the Witch's words. It is not possible for her to be here, I tell myself, unable to find my breath or move my gaze from her cold eyes.

"Wh-what are you doing here? You're dead!" Those are the only words I can manage as I take a step back, or move my glance from her cold eyes.

"You should know, you're the one who invited me." She tells me in her chilling voice. I want to take another step backward, but my back is against the wall.

"What do you mean?" I ask while trying to keep calm, there is no way I would invent her anywhere. She is definitely one of the things from that other world I want to forget.

"Don't you remember my beautiful wall? How you ran in front of the Little King, and I took hold of your wrist." I look down at my wrist and hide it behind my back. "Did you really think it was over when the Traitor destroyed my wall?" she finishes in her cold voice that is all too familiar.

She is the voice I've heard this past year. But that's not possible, the cold voice was nothing more than my imagination at least that what I told myself. But there's no way I could imagine something like this. This can't be happening.

"But it is, you see, Daughter of Eve, my wall was meant to bring me back one way or another and since none of Adam's blood was given. You were the closest human I could attach myself to." She finishes, of course, I remember the ice falling on me and how some of it landed in my eyes and mouth. It is really her coming into my...

"No, I don't want you here!"

"Are you sure about that? After all, you wouldn't even let the Great Lion chase me away."

"NO!" I scream, taking one of my new shoes and throwing it at the mirror. It shatters into tiny little pieces. The blue glow is gone, and I crumple to the floor.

"You can't get rid of me that easily, Daughter of Eve!" She says in my mind and I can't stop myself from shaking.

No, she can't be here. I tell myself as the door opens, and see my parents come in.

"Susan, what happened? Honey, are you okay? Why are you so cold?" They both ask me questions as they rush over to me, and Mum wraps a blanket around me. I try to control my breathing.

"I'm alright. I-I just saw a huge spider and threw my shoe at it." I lie, they look at the broken mirror as Dad sighs. "Sorry about the mirror."

"We'll see if we can replace it on Monday. Go wash up for dinner." I nod and leave the room.

I sat down at the dinner table with my parents. I hold both their hands as I bow my head like we always do when we have dinner as a family. Only this time I feel rather uncomfortable doing it.

"Dear heavenly Father," Dad begins praying, but all I can think about is what the Witch said earlier. It can't be true; I don't want her in my mind. I feel a chill run down my spine. "In Jesus' name Amen," they both raise their heads, and we start eating. I don't feel as cold around them as I did in my room. At least I know why I've been colder than usual, though I hope I just imagined it. She can't really be in my mind, can she?

"Believe it. I'm not going anywhere." I stopped eating mid-bite. What should I do?

"What did Lucy say in her letter?" Mum's question interrupts my inner war.

"Oh, she just talked about how she and Ed started making friends with Eustace." They both smile in response. Of course, I can't tell them everything Lucy said. Nor can I tell them about the witch. It involves a lot more explaining than I am willing to do at the moment.

"That's good to hear. I was afraid they would mope around all summer." Mum tells us.

Dad nods his head in agreement. "I think it's even better for Eustace. The way Alberta and Harold were raising him, the poor boy was nasty to everyone. I don't think he had any friends."

"That's true, I guess some good came from having to leave our children with your sister," she replies. I wonder what in That Place made Eustace change so much. He used to be really beastly to me and my siblings, but now it sounds like he's Lucy and Edmund's new best friend. Which is a good thing, I guess. I know That Place can change people, it changed my family, especially Ed.

Oh Edmund, how am I going to explain my current situation to him, Peter, and Lucy? What would they think if they knew the witch has been in my head for a year? I ask myself, and I start to feel sick to my stomach even thinking about the idea. What if she finds a way to hurt them? I feel my eyes widen, there is no telling what she is capable of, even if she is not physically here.

"Remember that one time we were having dinner at my mother's house and Alberta was insisting she knew everything there was to know about parenting?" I hear Dad say to Mum.

"I remember the look on your sister's face when Eustace spewed all over her!" My Mum laughs and looks at me. "I also remember that you turned five a month before that and you were so proud to use your whole hand to tell everyone your age." I try to show her a smile.

"I must have done a lot of silly things as a child," Not that I like to think about it, after it was in the past there's no use dwelling on it.

"Yes, and to think, next year you'll be three whole hands," Dad adds laughing. Of course, I can't tell them I've already been that age. I remember when Lucy took me horseback riding to a special where she, Edmund, Peter, and a few of our close friends had a surprise picnic. It was one of my favorite birthdays. Not that I want to think about that right now. They look at me with the proud look they gave Peter, Edmund, and Lucy. They love the four of us so much, would the witch hurt them as well? No. I won't let her hurt my family.

"Do you really think you can keep me back, foolish girl?" the Witch laughs.