The Return of the Lion

"Welcome, child" he said.
"Aslan," said Lucy, "you're bigger."
"That is because you are older, little one," answered he.
"Not because you are?"
"I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger."
For a time she was so happy that she did not want to speak. But Aslan spoke.
"Lucy," he said, "we must not lie here for long. You have work in hand, and much time has been lost today."
"Yes, wasn't it a shame?" said Lucy. "I saw you all right. They wouldn't believe me. They're all so -"
From somewhere deep inside Aslan's body there came the faintest suggestion of a growl.
"I'm sorry," said Lucy, who understood some of his moods. "I didn't mean to start slanging the others. But it wasn't my fault anyway, was it?"
The Lion looked straight into her eyes.
"Oh, Aslan," said Lucy. "You don't mean it was? How could I - I couldn't have left the others and come up to you alone, how could I? Don't look at me like that... oh well, I suppose I could. Yes, and it wouldn't have been alone, I know, not if I was with you. But what would have been the good?"
Aslan said nothing.
"You mean," said Lucy rather faintly, "that it would have turned out all right - somehow? But how? Please, Aslan! Am I not to know?"
"To know what would have happened, child?" said Aslan. "No. Nobody is ever told that."
"Oh dear," said Lucy.
"But anyone can find out what will happen," said Aslan. "If you go back to the others now, and wake them up; and tell them you have seen me again; and that you must all get up at once and follow me - what will happen? There is only one way of finding out."
"Do you mean that is what you want me to do?" gasped Lucy.
"Yes, little one," said Aslan.
"Will the others see you too?" asked Lucy.
"Certainly not at first," said Aslan. "Later on, it depends."
"But they won't believe me!" said Lucy.
"It doesn't matter," said Aslan.
"Oh dear, oh dear," said Lucy. "And I was so pleased at finding you again. And I thought you'd let me stay. And I thought you'd come roaring in and frighten all the enemies away - like last time. And now everything is going to be horrid."
"It is hard for you, little one," said Aslan. "But things never happen the same way twice. It has been hard for us all in Narnia before now."
Lucy buried her head in his mane to hide from his face. But there must have been magic in his mane. She could feel lion-strength going into her. Quite suddenly she sat up.
"I'm sorry, Aslan," she said. "I'm ready now."

The Horse and His Boy

I recently saw the trailer for Prince Caspian which comes out May 16th and pulled the full Chronicles of Narnia off my shelf last weekend to re-read it. Backstory on my copy of the Chronicles: Capitol Books is this amazing used bookstore in Eastern Market. You walk in and the guy is always like "fiction upstairs, nonfiction downstairs, poetry in the far back..." Then he'll insert something witty like "this is a recording, you are now free to roam." It has this old dusty book smell. You always have to watch where you're walking - one wrong step and you'll knock over a floor to ceiling pile of books. I'm telling you, book lovers paradise. So anyway the very first time I went in there was a illustrated hardback Chronicles of Narnia behind the counter and I just KNEW it was going to be mine. I never even leafed through it - it simply was MY copy that I didn't get to take home yet. Everytime I walked in I always looked to make sure no one had snatched it up. Sweeting and Muffin ended up being the snatchers and they gave it to me for Christmas last year. One of my best presents :)

Anyway so I pulled it off the shelf to re-read Prince Caspian and realized I never read Horse and His Boy which is the Chronicle after Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe and before Prince Caspian. I'm in the throws of Horse and His Boy right now. Other than the nostalgia that reading the Narnia series effectuates, I wonder why we as adults love to read or revisit fairytales. We love them so much more, perhaps, than even when we first read them as children.

C.S. Lewis thought about this too. He wrote the following dedication of Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe to his Godaughter Lucy:

My Dear Lucy,

I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand a word you say, but I shall still be

your affectionate Godfather,
C.S. Lewis

Sigh... The next time I check in, I will know if Shasta makes it to Archenland in time to warn that the Calormene army is coming to overtake them as a strategic entry point to invade Narnia if Cair Paravel doesn't give Queen Susan up to marry the evil, self-centered Rabadash. Until then!