[A/N: The chapters I am posting at the moment have not been edited for mistakes. I will post the edited version when my editor send it back to me. Meanwhile, I hope I have not committed so many mistakes as to annoy you all. Hope you enjoy it.]
Chapter 3
Comparisons
“She looks like Jadis.”
Ed’s word rang through my head over and over again as I sat in stunned silence. Please Aslan. Please let him be joking.
It was a vain prayer. I know Ed never joked about Jadis or talked about her for that matter. Still I couldn’t be a very good judge of his statement because I had seen White Witch only once or twice and that too a very long time ago. In Aslan’s How, her face hadn’t been clear.
“Are you sure? I mean do you remember the Witch’s face?” I asked though I already knew the answer. Of course he remembered her face. He had seen her many times – first when he was her captive and then later when he had been haunted by nightmares starring her.
Glaring at me Ed said, “I can never forget her face.”
Before I could say anything I heard a knock on the door. Ed quickly took a few deep breaths and after rubbing his face against the back of his sleeve, nodded to me.
“Come in.” I called out.
Lucy entered the room, followed by Jill and Eustace, and sat on the other bed.
“What were you both talking about? I mean whose face were you referring to?” She asked looking directly at me though her question was meant for both Ed and me.
I sighed. Edmund’s red eyes hadn’t escaped her notice. “Ed thinks Sarah looks like White Witch.”
“I don’t think. She actually does look like her.” He said angrily. Eustace opened his mouth to say something but Ed cut him off saying, “Don’t you even suggest that I am mistaken. White Witch’s face is not something I have been able to forget.”
“I think Ed may be right. I mean, we weren’t actually comparing them both. Moreover, Peter and I had seen White Witch only two-three times and Jill and Eustace had never seen her. But Ed has…” Lucy said but trailed off at the end, getting lost in her own thoughts.
“How about we all go down and you three try to compare her face?” I would know who suggested this even if I had not heard the speaker’s voice. It was of course Eustace Clarence Scrubb.
I wanted to say something to him but Jill beat me to it saying, “Scrubb, what do you think they are going to do? Go down and stare at her?!”
“Well, if you have a better plan then please enlighten Me.” he answered back sarcastically.
Jill was about to say something – probably rude if we foretold from her expression- but Lucy interrupted her saying, “Listen, I know Eustace’s idea is not very good but it’s the best we have got at the moment.”
“Then fine. Let’s go.” Jill said with an irritated undertone and left the room.
Eustace and Lucy followed her out after a few minutes.
I looked down at Ed and asked, “You coming?”
He shook his head saying, “I would rather not.”
I left him seated on the bed and went downstairs after another few minutes’ wait. When I reached the parlor, Jill had already started a conversation which engaged both Susan as well as Sarah’s attention. Looking at Lucy, I saw her staring intently, though subtly, at Sarah. My entrance went unnoticed by everyone but Eustace, who ignored me except for raising an eyebrow at me and gesturing at Sarah.
Sitting down beside Lucy as quietly as possible, yet casually, I looked at Sarah though not directly. I looked somewhere between Su and her so that even if they happen to notice me, it would look like I was listening to their conversation.
At first glance I could not find anything like the Witch in this girl. She looked very much normal to me. But after a few moments, I could see some resemblances.
The shape of her face and the way sometimes her lips pressed together brought vivid memories of Jadis to me. Her and White Witch’s hair was also of identical color though Sarah’s looked softer and she wore it differently. After another few minutes, I had begun to look for differences between them. There were two most prominent. First, unlike Jadis’ ghostly pale skin, hers had a slightly golden tinge to it. But then, Professor Kirke had told me that the White Witch had turned that pale after she ate the apple of the Garden on the hill. It was possible that before eating that apple, her complexion was like this. Second difference was the kindness and compassion that was ever-present on her face.
Other than these, she looked like a younger, kinder mirror image of Jadis.
“Kids, come in and have your lunch.” We heard Pamela call out to us.
“Peter, I didn’t see you come in.” Susan said surprised to see me.
I merely shrugged and led the way towards the table. Edmund was already sitting when we arrived. Strangely, he wasn’t the only one tensed. Sarah was as tensed by Edmund’s presence as he was by hers. But thank Aslan it passed uneventfully. All through the meal, various glances were passed around. Jill and Eustace threw Lu and me several questioning glances which stopped after I silently told them to wait. Lucy looked at me nervously and I sent her an assuring look. The resemblance between Sarah and White Witch were now obvious even to her. Ed looked up from his plate only once. He gave me an I-told-you look and then eyes went back to his food. Sarah too glanced at Edmund several times though only Aslan knew why. Susan remained oblivious to all these glances as she chattered away excitedly with Sarah about things I would hardly ever notice.
All in all, the lunch passed fairly quickly and it was less than fifteen minutes after Lunch that Lucy, Ed, Eustace, Jill and I were sitting in my room.
“So, what do you all think?” Jill asked as she entered the room and closed the door behind her. She was the last one to come and Lucy shifted a little to give her place on the bed. Once she was settled Lu began.
“Like Ed said, she does look like White Witch.” She said fidgeting nervously, “In truth, after a few minutes, I am sure, we both were looking for differences between them. But don’t go just by what I say because I saw White Witch when I was very young. I don’t remember her face very well.”
“I think Ed is right.” I said, “She does have a resemblance to Jadis and that level of resemblance is not normal or just a co-incidence.”
We were all quiet for a long, endless moment before Eustace said, “Listen people. You all have creeped me out and now whether you like it or not, I am not sleeping alone downstairs. I am moving into your room.”
I very narrowly avoided groaning. From what Ed and Lu had told me, Eustace snored like a pig. But it was justifiable. Since Professor Kirke and Miss Polly had canceled their plan of coming, Eustace was the only one who would be sleeping downstairs and with all this about Sarah and White Witch, he was bound to be scared. Though it didn’t mean I have to be happy about it.
“Alright” Ed said the reluctance clear in his voice.
“If Eustace is sleeping in your room then we can move into the downstairs room with me.” Jill said to Lucy. “This way you wouldn’t have to share a room with Sarah and Susan.”
In my opinion, it was a very good idea. Honestly speaking, since I had seen the resemblance between Sarah and White Witch, I did not like the prospect of either of my sisters in the same room as Sarah. I couldn’t do anything about Susan so was glad that at least Lucy would be safe.
“The room adjacent to ours is empty and these two rooms are connected by a door though it is locked.” Ed suggested and his suggestion was heartily accepted by everyone.
“Alright people, to be honest, all the shuffling required is not possible for us to do without Susan’s supervision. Let’s go and ask for her help.” Lucy said and went off away with Jill to Su’s room.
OoOOoOoOoOoOo
It took us about a little more than an hour to make the necessary arrangements. Eustace’s room took the longest to shift. His things were scattered everywhere in his room and we couldn’t find anything quickly. By the time Ed, Eustace and I carried Eustace’s stuff back to our room, Susan and the other girls, with the help of Jim, our burly gardener, had already done the necessary shifting of the beds.
In our room, there were now three beds. I threw Su a grateful glance when I saw that she had set Eustace’s bed in the extreme North corner of the room and Ed’s and my bed was set against the South side of the room. The door opening to Jill and Lucy’s room was just near the headrest of Edmund’s bed. Our room could just accommodate the three beds and our belongings but Eustace’s bed was far enough that his snores wouldn’t disturb us. Edmund too snored but strangely I was never disturbed by his snores. On the contrary, sometimes they were assuring. Maybe this was because over the course of nineteen years in this world and the numerous years in Narnia that I have shared room with him, I had grown used to them.
Shifting and arranging the girls’ room took less than twenty minutes and after that Ed and I once again found ourselves walking in the kitchen garden. He had been unusually quiet today. I knew Sarah’s resemblances to White Witch were weighing heavily on his mind. I gave him his space knowing he would speak in his own time.
“Let’s go to Roger’s place.” Ed suddenly said looking at me.
I agreed and we walked down the few streets to his house. Roger Hilton was Edmund’s best friend. They both had become friends when they were in Kindergarten and their friendship had survived through a lot of hardship. Though he did not like the bullying Edmund, Roger had been by his side even then. When Edmund had returned from the country-side, Roger had helped him deal with those bullies as well. Ed had once told me that even though he had been perfectly capable of dealing with them alone, Roger’s support had been a great help to him.
Now Ed wanted to be there for him because Roger’s father had died in the war and he and his mother were dealing with such a financial crisis that Roger had had to discontinue his education. Dad had offered to pay his college fees several times but every time he had declined.
As soon as we entered the front gate of his house, we were greeted by an excited dog that jumped onto Edmund and started licking his face.
Leaving him on the ground there, I proceeded inside the house where I received a thousand time more civilized greeting by Mrs. Hilton.
“Hello, Peter. Isn’t it good to see you?” She said appraising me up and down. I could easily guess what she was going to say next and I was proved correct when she continued exasperatedly, “You have grown so thin. Don’t they feed you lot at that camp?”
“Hi Peter. You are here alone? Where’s Edmund?”
I had no need to answer him because at that moment Ed yelled from outside, “ROGER! GET YOUR DOG OFF ME!”
We all laughed and Roger went outside while I made my way to his room. His room was very neat in one sense but extremely untidy in other. His bed was made properly and the room was spotlessly clean. But the things still somehow looked out of place.
I didn’t have to wait for long before Roger entered the room followed by a very wet-faced Ed and an extremely satisfied looking golden-brown colored harrier.
“So, tell me everything about your college Ed?” Roger said as soon as they were inside.
Ed looked at me once before he was bombarded with non-stop questions by Roger. Roger was asking questions one after another so fast that Ed was getting hardly anytime to breathe.
It continued for a long time before Mrs. Hilton came and said, “Roger, son, give Edmund some time to breathe.”
“Uh-huh” Roger said awkwardly.
“Boys listen,” Mrs. Hilton turned to us, “I know your parents are not home and you all are grown ups and all that. But for me, you both are still kids and I don’t like you both staying out this late.”
“Late? What time is it?” Ed asked no one in particular.
“Nearly eleven.” Both Ed and I jumped when he heard the time. It can’t be this late already, can it? I had not noticed the time passing.
“Ok. Bye Roger, Mrs. Hilton.” I said getting up and pulling Ed up with me.
“Bye chaps.” Roger called out to us as we were nearing the front gate.
Ed turned round and said joking, “Don’t worry Roger. I think I’ll be slumbering in your house quite often now. And don’t blame me for it. It’s not my fault that Mrs. Hilton is such a good cook and her food is so irresistible.”
Though Roger and Mrs. Hilton just laughed and said, “You will always be most welcome here.” I could see that Edmund meant it. He was still nervous about Sarah.
The walk home was quiet but comfortable. Ed was so tired and sleepy that I had to nearly support his whole weight. To get home quickly we took a short-cut through a back ally. As we were rounding the corner of the alley I heard a somewhat familiar voice. It was Sarah.
I was taken aback as much by her presence in such an isolated place at such a time as by what she was saying – or rather muttering.
I stopped so abruptly that Edmund bumped into me. He growled at me but I was sure he was still more than half sleep. I tried my best to ignore his quiet growls and mutters because the few of Sarah’s word that I could hear startled me.
The words ‘White Witch’, ‘Aslan’, ‘Narnia’ did not startle me as much as the phrase, ‘will hurt Edmund”. I could not contain myself anymore and without really thinking about anything, I rushed round the corner to catch a glimpse of pink dress and light blonde hair. Instinctly, I ran after it, ignoring Edmund’s shout of “Hey!” when on losing my support, he narrowly avoided falling face-down.
It was less than ten minutes before I was standing in our living room breathing heavily. Edmund entered moments later growling incomprehensible and angrily at me.
I ignored him and went on to Susan’s room where I saw Sarah, wearing a blue dress, sitting and chatting amiably with Susan and Lucy. Lucy looked uncomfortable and was not an active participant of the conversation. She looked up at me and happily came to me.
“Where were you both? You missed supper.” She said folding away the handkerchief she was working on for Ed.
Pulling her aside I asked, “Lucy, did Sarah leave the room just now?”
“Yes, she did, about ten minutes ago.” She replied, confused at my question.
“For how long was she gone? Was she wearing blue?” I asked breathlessly.
Lucy scrunched up her face and said, thinking, “Well, no she was wearing a pink dress but water fell on it so she went out to change. She was gone – I think – for four-five minutes.
Her answer surprised me. Five minutes? How was that possible? Ed and I were both fast runner. Still it took us ten minutes to get back from that alley. She had had to be gone for at least twenty minutes. It wasn’t making sense. Moreover, I had not seen her at all during my run to the house.
Before I could ponder on it more, Su came out and said, “I know you all will love to stay up whole night and chat but sorry. Go to sleep. Now. Both of you. Eustace and Jill are both already asleep.”
“Yes, Mommy.” Ed said teasing her as he passed us on his way to our room.
I have been sitting on the bed wide awake for half an hour now but still couldn’t come up with a justifiable answer as to how Sarah had been gone for only five minutes. Thinking it would frighten the others more, I hadn’t told about it to anyone.
Suddenly I heard Ed groan and sit up on the bed beside mine. Just as he was sitting up I felt an unnatural sleepiness take over me. My eyelids suddenly weighed a ton and I lay back on my bed. Just before my eyelids finally drooped, I saw two things.
One, Ed was suddenly wide awake though he had been snoring a minute ago. His eyes were wide and frightened and he looking across me at the door.
Second, on following his gaze, I saw Sarah, striding with unmatchable grace, towards my brother.
And then I succumbed to that unnatural slumber praying that Aslan would keep my brother in His paws and protect him from He only knows what…