School boy | Prince Caspian

02

They were stood in the mouth of a cave on the edge of a beach surrounded by cliffs and green trees. Otto could smell the sea breeze and feel the texture of sand beneath his shoes. He could hear the crashing of waves and see the golden sun. He stared, eyes wide in shock.

Lucy let out a loud whoop of delight which startled everyone from their surprise. She began running across the sand, tugging off her shoes and dropping her bag behind her. This seemed to wake up her siblings and they too began removing their shoes and running after her, leaving Otto behind in the cave. He blinked, still trying to absorb his surroundings.

"What the fuck?" He whispered to himself. He could feel panicked tears build up in his eyes and he glanced around. The beach stood on the edge of a lush green forest, which covered the hills and cliffs as far as the eye could see. On top of some cliffs stood an out cropping of ruins. What looked to be the remains of some old castle. He spun around in a hundred and eighty degree turn. More sand and glittering blue sea like something out of a postcard.

Stumbling slightly, Otto walked over the sand to where the Pevensie siblings were paddling in the sea. "Peter", he called. The blonde boy turned, eyes widening in surprise as he realised that Otto was here with them. He froze as everyone turned. "Peter, where are we?" Otto was crying. Tears rolled silently down his cheeks in a bodily reaction to his chaotic emotions. "We were in the underground waiting for the train and now we're here. How are we here? It's simply not possible".

"How did you come with us?" Edmund asked a bit harshly. Otto took a stumbling step back. He rubbed a sleeve over his cheeks, leaving damp patches on his uniform jumper.

"Where are we?" He repeated, seemingly unheard as the siblings shared looks and began whispering furiously. He hugged his sack to his chest.

"I was holding his hand", Lucy stated, crossing her arms. She fixed her siblings with a stubborn look.

"Why Luce? He doesn't know a thing about Narnia, he's just gonna hold us back". Otto winced at Peter's words. They stung slightly even though he had no idea what they were talking about. "It's dangerous", Peter sounded angry.

"What the hell is Narnia?" He shouted, interrupting them. The Pevensie siblings turned to him guiltily. They exchanged expressions, all glancing at each other to see who would speak first. Eventually Peter walked out of the sea towards him. Otto stepped back and Peter held out his palms, steps slowing.

"Hey, Otto, it's okay. Let's just sit down and we'll explain everything. There's no reason to be scared". Otto let his best friend put an arm around his shoulders and lead him further up the beach. They sat down facing towards the sea but out of the reach off the waves as Peter began talking. The more he talked, the less scared Otto felt. His confusion fading into weary acceptance, despite the wildness of their story. Occasionally Susan, Edmund, and Lucy took turns to add their versions or argue over details. They told Otto about the lion, the witch and the wardrobe, of battles and magic the likes of which Otto had only ever read in books. He listened with round eyes and eager ears.

A while later Otto was left blinking around at the four children. He had long ago removed the horrible navy uniform jumper and stuffed his tie in his bag. His shoes and socks were placed on a nearby rock as Otto stretched his toes out in the sand. The sun beat warmly on his face and he could feel himself relaxing further under its gaze, tears now completely dry on his face.

"So you're kings and queens? You got transported to a magical land where you defeated a witch, grew up and became royalty?"

"That jut about sums it up", Edmund muttered as he shook sand from his shoes.

"Don't forget about Aslan", Lucy chimed in.

"Of course, lets not forget that you made friends with a giant talking lion". Otto snorted at the image. He stood up, brushing sand from his clothes. They had all given up with keeping their uniform smart. Everyone had untucked their shirts and removed their ties. Susan and Lucy  had removed their tights. Only Otto and Edmund still held onto their bags, the others having left theirs back on the platform.