SUSAN of NARNIA

Chapter 8: Green & Yellow

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man ..." -1 Corinthians 10:13

Susan had now finished packing and sent almost all the things that she wished to keep to the Kirke estate, but she still wanted to say goodbye to the old house so she decided to stay for a couple more days, in which she decided to take Professor Kirke's Chronicle with her to the cemetery where her family was buried and read it, and this was very unwise because, one shouldn't spend much time in a cemetery. Susan, however, did not think about this. Susan found that the Chronicle included the history of Narnia beginning with Professor Kirke's own story, (which she had never heard before), and being captivated by it she lost track of time. Upon finishing the story she found to her surprise that the day had passed and she now knew that she would have to pass through most of the cemetery in the fading light, but seeing that there was no other way to get back before dark, she set out at once.
And to Susan's horror, as she passed some rather large statues dressed in robes with hoods over their heads, (which sat on gravestones along the path), a seven foot figure made of brownish-yellow light stepped out from among the tombs and began to follow her, "Look in the bag!" came a thunderous hissing voice from all around her. Susan stopped and turned to the figure behind her. "What do you mean? Who are you?", she asked, for she knew this sort of being for she had met one once before.
"My name is Azaroth", said the tall shrouded spirit, in the same thunderous hissing voice, "I know you well Queen Susan, for I am a goddess of Calormen, (which used to be to the South of Narnia). We have met before though you didn't see me then. I have alone partly escaped from the destruction of Narnia through a chink between Narnia and London. May it be known to you this day that all that you have ever known in Narnia is now gone. Tash is confined now to his own realm and Aslan to his. It was only by great effort that I managed to separate myself from my body, and come into your world before the passages were closed forever ... but this is all beside the point. In your bag you have an antique leather bag. In that bag you will find the answer to all your questions. Do not be afraid to look into the answers."
"I always thought you to be a myth", Susan said suspiciously.
"No indeed I am not a myth. I originally came into Narnia, (as did Tash), from your world, but we wore a different form in Narnia from the one that we once wore when we were here. We are the parents of the royalty of Calormen, though most of the common people originally came from your world, from India. Go on now, look in the bag!"

Susan thought that she probably should not do it, because the light had faded so much, by now, but she drew out the antique leather bag, untied the leather strings and then poured some of the contents into her hand. Immediately, she was very glad that she was wearing gloves, for there in her hands were the green and yellow rings from Professor Kirke's Chronicle. A shudder ran down her spine as she realized what she had almost done. Susan put the rings back in the bag and bound it shut again.
"With the power of these rings you can be as Aslan and as Tash, traveling at will between worlds at your desire. If you will but permit me to accompany you, I know the worlds represented in the pools of the wood and can be your guide."
It was now becoming quite dark in the cemetery and the figure of Azaroth could be seen better. She stood seven feet tall with a great mass of black hair and a golden crown upon her head. Her eyes and tongue were red, her skin was pale grayish and she was dressed in purple & scarlet-crimson. She had four arms and in her hands were a sword and a spear, and a stone and a drinking vessel of flaming liquid.
Susan considered what Azaroth had said for a moment and then suddenly realized how very dark it had become. "I must start back at once", she suddenly said and quickly shoved the leather bag back into her bag beside Professor Kirke's Chronicle, and without another word she set out.

Susan took a cab to the River Thames where she got out to walk over the bridge. About half way across she stopped and began to think about how much she wanted to explore the wood, she remembered how her friend Marjorie had talked to her about a mythical wood in which there were nine other worlds, and now she had the keys to explore them herself.
"But Susan, Aslan wants no one to use them ever again", said the voice of her conscience.
"Aslan can't see me though", thought Susan as she took out the bag again and separated just the Yellow rings into the palm of her right gloved hand.
"You know better than that Susan. Aslan isn't limited to but one world or another", replied the voice of her conscience.
Susan suddenly realized what she was considering doing and decided that she better tie up the bag and bury it again like before. "But then you might dig them up again", said the voice of her conscience.
"Then I must put them where even I can't get at them", Susan decided. She looked down into the dark water below the bridge. "Yes, this is the perfect place", she told herself.
Just then another thought came into her mind, "But what if Aslan would have you or someone else use them at some later time? They came to you for some reason. Don't just throw them away." Susan turned to see Azaroth still standing behind her. Susan quickly turned back to face the dark water, and closing her eyes she remembered the words of Aslan, "You need no rings when I am with you," she opened her eyes and with all the strength that she could muster she flung the yellow rings as far as she could and they scattered, skipped and sank into the ripples below.
And with that something happened inside Susan. All her doubts of Narnia and of Aslan and of her brothers and sisters vanished as do rats when a light is brought into a dark dungeon.