Ruth's Magpie

Chapter 40: Boredom and Beds

PETER:

I wandered down the hall to Lucy's room. Her door was open, and she was splayed across her bed looking at a pair of stockings.

"What are you doing, Lu?" I asked.

"Trying to figure out if this hole is big enough to warrant getting out my sewing supplies," she replied.

I walked over to her. "Let me see."

"Gladly." She tossed them to me and sat up, running her fingers through her hair and sighing.

""What hole?" I tossed them back to her with a laugh.

"Maybe I'm so bored and hot I'm seeing things," she said, sighing again.

"It is warm," I agreed. "Want to go for a swim?"

"I can't," she moaned.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Never mind, you wouldn't get it." She waved her hand dismissively and rose to her feet. "Let's go see what Susan is up to."

We wandered around the castle until we found her in the library, nose deep in a book.

"Hi Su," Lucy said, flopping down in a chair next to her.

"Hi," she said absently, setting the book down. Lucy reached for it, opened to a random page, and began reading aloud.

"'Time seemed to slow to a crawl as I lost myself in his sapphire eyes. I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and floated across the floor as if drawn by an invisible rope.' Did Ruth write this about you, Peter?"

I laughed. "I wish."

"I wonder what they're up to," Susan mused.

"Probably something more exciting than what we're up to; nothing, that is!" Lucy exclaimed with a laugh.

I collapsed into a chair, flapping my shirt in an attempt to dry the sweat clinging to my body. "Why is it that we're suddenly so bored? What do we possibly do differently with five that we can't seem to do with three?"

"Well, it is probably at least partially caused by this dreadful heat," Susan replied. "And additionally, I am not quite sure. What do we do?"

"Things more fun than this!" Lucy answered, laying her head on the desk. "I'm bored! And hot!"

"I suggested a swim," I said defensively.

"We can't," the girls said at once.

"Why not?" They both met my eyes, then exchanged a glance, then looked back at me and burst into laughter. "Fine, keep your secrets," I teased, rising. "But I am going for a swim, and you can join me if you wish."

"We could at least dip our toes in the water, Lu," Susan offered.

"I'll meet you there, then," I said, going to my room to quickly change into Narnia's closest thing to swim trunks. By the time I got there, both girls were already knee-deep in the water.

I clambered up to the tallest rock and cannonballed in. When I emerged from the water, both girls were shrieking and trying to splash me back - I had soaked them thoroughly. The swim successfully took up a couple hours of my time, warding off complete boredom. But as soon as I got out and dried off and sat with my sisters on the grass, the boredom returned.

"What do you think they're up to?" I wondered as we looked across the water.

"Well, what was the plan?" Lucy asked.

I laughed. "I don't think even they know. Go around, ask questions, see what they can find out, then come back."

"Oh, so it'll only be a couple of weeks, then."