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The new crop of freshmen is mostly pretty ordinary. They're fresh out of middle school, playing with new identities, seeing how the batch from this neighborhood react to the batch fed in from the other side of town. They're bonding or forming petty enmities over music and fashion and flash-in-the-pan romances; they're developing opinions about their teachers and the quality of the cafeteria and how early they have to get up in the morning to catch the bus.
Here, sitting by herself writing in a prettily-bound notebook, is a twelve-year-old. Must have skipped a couple grades.
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deepest_magic
deepest_magic
"Or in no specific direction -"
The pulling goes on, the scenery blurs out, the scenery blurs back in, and they are all three closely surrounded by branches and dimly dappled light and the smell of the sea.
The pulling goes on, the scenery blurs out, the scenery blurs back in, and they are all three closely surrounded by branches and dimly dappled light and the smell of the sea.
against_all_trouble
After a moment of disorientation, Arthur grins and says, "I don't think we're in Phoenix anymore."
deepest_magic
"That was... very, very different from the wardrobe," murmurs Isabella. "And this time I didn't have a chance to pack - I've got my notebook and a water bottle and a sandwich and that's about it. Let's get out of this thicket."
ladysunday
"Right." She looks around, picks a direction that looks clear-ish, and strides forward.
deepest_magic
Once they are all out of the thicket (which takes its toll in pricks and scratches first), they are on a beach. The sea is calm, the weather is warm.
"This could be Narnia," says Isabella, "but then it could be somewhere else altogether - I'll be able to get a good guess when the sun sets and I can see the stars, but we might want to have made progress towards a source of water besides what we have on us before then. I don't immediately see civilization and none of these trees look awake to me. Unless one of you heard or saw or smelled a spring back in the direction of the thicket we probably want to walk along the beach until we find a stream emptying into the sea."
"This could be Narnia," says Isabella, "but then it could be somewhere else altogether - I'll be able to get a good guess when the sun sets and I can see the stars, but we might want to have made progress towards a source of water besides what we have on us before then. I don't immediately see civilization and none of these trees look awake to me. Unless one of you heard or saw or smelled a spring back in the direction of the thicket we probably want to walk along the beach until we find a stream emptying into the sea."
against_all_trouble
"Yeah, good plan... Anything special to look for by the shore? Every Boy Scout outing I did was in the mountains or desert."
deepest_magic
"If you see a boat out on the water, or anything by the shore that looks like people made it, etcetera, let me know. Unless one of you has matches or something on you it's not worth the time it would take to build a fire, and therefore not worth hunting up and carrying around any seafood we run across, but if you see berries or something that look appetizing I might be able to identify them."
against_all_trouble
"Basics, then. OK, let's look for civilization."
As he's about to start walking, though, he notices Suzy. "Hey, Earth to Suze?"
As he's about to start walking, though, he notices Suzy. "Hey, Earth to Suze?"
ladysunday
"What? Oh, yeah, sure. Is the ocean this big on Earth?"
She's ready to go, though. There will be plenty of ocean to walk past.
She's ready to go, though. There will be plenty of ocean to walk past.
deepest_magic
There are occasional seagulls. Isabella says, "Excuse me?" to the first couple, but they don't answer her; eventually she stops.
Their path curves right. They cross a bit of rock that runs out into the water until it comes to a point. There's a sharp turn, and more land is visible off in the distance. "Can you two swim?" asks Bella. "I'm beginning to wonder if we're on an island. We might still find a connecting bit of land, though, soon or at lower tide."
Their path curves right. They cross a bit of rock that runs out into the water until it comes to a point. There's a sharp turn, and more land is visible off in the distance. "Can you two swim?" asks Bella. "I'm beginning to wonder if we're on an island. We might still find a connecting bit of land, though, soon or at lower tide."
deepest_magic
Eventually they climb up some rocks - Isabella with exquisite slowness and care - and find that they are indeed on an island.
"Okay," she says, "I see a stream over there, we should go hydrate and then follow it inland and see if there's anything to see there."
"Okay," she says, "I see a stream over there, we should go hydrate and then follow it inland and see if there's anything to see there."
against_all_trouble
"Ok, let's go. Come on, Suze, the ocean will still be there later."
deepest_magic
Walking, walking, walking.
Eventually, they find: perfectly recognizable apple trees in full fruit.
Rows and rows of them.
And crumbling old stone walls.
Eventually, they find: perfectly recognizable apple trees in full fruit.
Rows and rows of them.
And crumbling old stone walls.
against_all_trouble
Arthur reaches for an apple from a lower branch, then stops. "Are apples too symbolic to be trustworthy?"
deepest_magic
"I ate apples in Narnia. This is an orchard, not a tree marked do not eat, the Emperor says so." Isabella picks one and bites it. "They're ripe."
against_all_trouble
"Hey, the most I know about magic stuff is fairy tales and old myths. And there are at least five apples that were bad news."
Still, he grabs the apple and bites in. "Mmm, delicious."
Still, he grabs the apple and bites in. "Mmm, delicious."
deepest_magic
Isabella quickly finishes her apple, then starts wandering the ruins.
When she's standing in the middle of the front chamber, just beyond the gate, she comes to a stop.
When she's standing in the middle of the front chamber, just beyond the gate, she comes to a stop.
deepest_magic
"I'm - not sure yet."
She starts walking again.
When she's turned a few corners, and found a well -
"I think this is Cair Paravel. I didn't think it would ever fall apart like this - I didn't have an heir named, but there were some competent people, there was a household, why wouldn't it have gone on being occupied - how long has it been? Fifteen years passed in no time, I suppose it could have been centuries, long enough to turn the peninsula into an island and overgrow the apples and wreck my castle - but oh if we're here, if it was abandoned early on and not after some period of infighting -"
Her accent is very thoroughly Narnian now.
"- then some of my things might be here, put away, maybe, I don't see anything much just lying around, my cloak and bag and scepter and bow and so on were probably all left where I disappeared and I don't know if anyone would have recovered them but the bookshelf at least wouldn't be trivial to move away from the castle -"
She starts walking again.
When she's turned a few corners, and found a well -
"I think this is Cair Paravel. I didn't think it would ever fall apart like this - I didn't have an heir named, but there were some competent people, there was a household, why wouldn't it have gone on being occupied - how long has it been? Fifteen years passed in no time, I suppose it could have been centuries, long enough to turn the peninsula into an island and overgrow the apples and wreck my castle - but oh if we're here, if it was abandoned early on and not after some period of infighting -"
Her accent is very thoroughly Narnian now.
"- then some of my things might be here, put away, maybe, I don't see anything much just lying around, my cloak and bag and scepter and bow and so on were probably all left where I disappeared and I don't know if anyone would have recovered them but the bookshelf at least wouldn't be trivial to move away from the castle -"