Odes of Autumn | A Narnia One-Shot Collection

Let Yourself Grow

October 1st Prompt: Change

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Lucy sat at the foot of Peter's bed, solemnly looking on as he packed his belongings into a small suitcase.

Books were stacked on his dresser in no apparent order, a collection of linen, button-down shirts were slung over the back of Peter's desk chair.

In Lucy's hand rested Peter's well-worn copy of 'Great Expectations' by Charles Dickens. The cover was cracked and frayed at the edges and try as she might to prevail over them, the pages refused to lie neat and flat.

Peter was quiet and focused as he arranged his clothes and books in the suitcase, only occasionally glancing up at Lucy.

She had stuck to him like glue for the past several days. Each day that brought them closer to his departure for university found Lucy getting quieter and quieter.

Peter had waited, thinking eventually she would speak up and tell him what was on her mind (as she usually did). Yet here they were, with only one full day left and hardly a word had passed between them.

"Did you pick that book up to read it or declare war with the wrinkled pages?" He jested, taking a seat at her side and giving her ribs a playful poke.

Lucy neither replied, nor did she look up from the book in her hand.

In the silence, a single, solitary tear dropped onto the open page.

"Hey..." Peter whispered, instinctively putting his arm around Lucy's shoulders.

"Everything's changing." She sniffled softly.

Peter handed Lucy his handkerchief and drew her close.

"Of us all, you're usually the most adaptable to change...what's different this time?"

Lucy closed the book gently and took a deep breath as she searched for words.

"We've always been together through change. But this time, being split apart is the change. I don't know how I'm going to do it, honestly."

Peter let Lucy's words ruminate for a moment, thinking to himself of all the change they had weathered together.

"We have experienced much change in the past few years, haven't we?"

Lucy nodded and wiped another tear away with Peter's handkerchief.

"Is it that you miss us already and the way things have been or...or are you afraid of what life will look like when we're not together?"

"Both." Lucy's lip trembled.

"It's okay to be afraid of what we do not know." Peter encouraged warmly. "But we must not let that fear hold us back from living. Change is hard, Lu. No change we have been through so far has been easy and yet we are all better for it."

"That's what Edmund keeps saying." Lucy interjected, hinting that she didn't find this advice particularly helpful.

Peter chuckled.

"You know, I came across this quote in my reading just the other day...let's see."

Rising to his feet, Peter shuffled around his suitcase, tossing books and sweaters across the bed.

"You just packed all that." Lucy groaned, a playful lilt returning to her tone.

"Ah! Here we go."

Peter returned to Lucy's side, his journal in hand.

"The quote was uncredited, but it says, 'Embrace change and let yourself grow.'". Peter sighed. "I wrote this quote down because even I am afraid of what's ahead. But I am choosing to believe that what's ahead is also just as good and exciting as what we are leaving behind. So, perhaps we can embrace change together and see how it grows us, hm?"

Lucy looked up at Peter and offered a small smile.

"Together."