The Faded Portrait of a Bygone Era

Narnia, Again

When Maggie awoke, the fire had gone out, and not a single candle in the little house remained alight. Slowly, she rose to her feet, looking around for Mister Tumnus, who had disappeared. Beside her, Lucy slowly stirred.

"Lucy," Maggie whispered, catching her attention.

"What's going on?" Lucy whispered back. Just then, she caught sight of the daylight - rather, lack thereof - out the window. "Oh, I should go..."

Maggie followed her gaze and gasped. "My grandmother is going to be so upset with me... I'd better get back too."

"It's too late for that now," came the shaky voice of Mister Tumnus. The two girls found him huddled over on the steps in front of his desk. "I'm such a terrible faun..."

Maggie came over to kneel in front of him, but he very nearly flinched at her close proximity.

"Mister Tumnus, that's not true at all! You're not terrible."

Lucy slowly stood from her chair and came over to them as well.

"Oh, no," Lucy said, "You're the nicest faun I've ever met!"

Tumnus gave them a watery smile and shook his head.

"Then I'm afraid you both have had a very poor sampling..."

"No," Lucy said resolutely. She pulled a handkerchief from her skirt pocket and leaned past Maggie to press it into Mister Tumnus' hand. "You can't have done anything that bad."

Maggie nodded in agreement. "I'm sure whatever it is, it's really something silly that you're overthinking."

"It's not something I have done, Lucy Pevensie and Maggie Halloran... It's something I am doing."

Maggie suddenly became aware of an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She took up Lucy's hand in her own, ready to whisk the younger girl away at the first sign of danger.

"What are you doing?" Lucy asked.

Shamefully, Tumnus looked up at them and whispered, "I'm kidnapping you."

Lucy gave a soft gasp, and Maggie pulled her close.

"It was the White Witch!" Tumnus said through his tears, "She's the one who makes it always winter, always cold. She gave orders... If any of us ever find a human wandering in the woods, w-we-we... we're supposed to turn it over to her."

"But Mister Tumnus, you wouldn't..."

"You're not really going to give her what she wants, are you?" Maggie asked, watching his every move.

"I thought you were our friend..." Lucy whispered sadly.

At that, Mister Tumnus looked up at them, a new fire in his eyes.

"Yes," he said resolutely. "Yes, I am. And now I know what must be done. Come, girls. We must steal you away, back to Lantern Waste, before the Queen finds you."

He stood, offering one of his hands to each of them. Maggie very nearly didn't take it, for she was not so trusting as dear Lucy, but that nasty feeling she'd had had somehow been replaced by a flicker of warmth... a spark of hope, and determination. Something in her heart told her that Tumnus was true.

Swiftly, Tumnus guided the two girls out the door, leading them nimbly through the forest. Poor Lucy had a more difficult time keeping up, but Mister Tumnus never allowed her to stumble.