V

When they arrived at Margaret's house, David led her inside and made her sit on a comfortable sofa in the sitting room. He announced their arrival to Margaret's father who was still working in his study and then went to the kitchen and asked the servant, Anna, to make a pot of sweet tea. Then he returned to the sitting room and sat down next to Susan, handing her an aspirin, a glass of water and his handkerchief. She took them from him without comment.

After a short while, David said to her softly. “If you want, I can leave now. I will ask Anna to make sure you get to bed comfortably.” He hesitated, “But something tells me that there's more going on than you simply feeling unwell. If you want to talk to someone, I'm willing to listen.”

The aspirin was starting to kick in and the warmth of the fire in the hearth was making her feel better. Just then, Anna came in with the tea. Susan didn't want David to leave just yet, so she suggested he stay for tea. They sipped their tea quietly. Susan knew she wouldn't get any sleep that night, so she decided maybe she should talk to David for a while.

When she was calm enough to trust her voice, she enquired after his family. He answered her politely and asked what had brought her to London. Without telling the whole story, she explained about visiting Scotland Yard and recounted her experiences there. When she got to the part about finding the rings, she choked up, and couldn't say any more. She started crying again.

At first David was silent, he realised that anything she found which reminded her of her family would cause her to be upset. He placed a kind hand gently on her shoulder and looked at her. “I understand,” he said, “I still feel like that when I find some forgotten item of my mother's.” His mother had died of cancer when he was a few years younger than she was now.

“It's not just that,” said Susan unexpectedly. She hadn't planned on telling him, but she suddenly wanted David to know the full story, “It's Margaret.” She told him what Margaret had said at the party. David nodded, then cautiously added, not wanting to insult Susan's friend however nasty she might be, “Margaret has never been very discreet and she doesn't know how to deal with other people's tragedies. She's become worse since hanging out with that new group of friends; I'm afraid they're having a bad influence on her. But that doesn't excuse her behaviour towards you. I'm going to talk to her the next chance I get. For her to make up tales about you for the sake of a laugh is low even for her.”

“But there's more too it,” added Susan. For some inexplicable reason she felt a desire to defend her friend, “Margaret was telling the truth. I did tell her that I thought the rings came from another world. I think they did.” David was taken aback, but didn't say anything.

For the second time that day, Susan found herself telling someone all about Narnia and the confusion she'd been in since the day of the accident. She knew she was taking a great risk. She didn't even know David that well, and couldn't guess how he'd respond. But for some reason she felt that she had to tell him; that if she didn't she would regret it more than if he disbelieved her and cast her off as mad.

David listened to every word. When she was finished he asked, almost with a sense of awe, “May I see the rings? I promise I won't touch them.” Susan got up and went to fetch the bag. After this afternoon's episode she had taken the green ring back from Margaret and hidden the bag in the bottom of her suitcase. When she opened the bag, David stared at the rings. It seemed in the lamp light that they were giving off their own glow.

“I believe you,” he finally said. Susan looked at his face and knew he was telling the truth. “I also believe that this Narnia place you speak about is real and that you were so adamant to forget about it while growing up that you convinced yourself that it was just a game.” He was speaking seriously and earnestly. Susan knew he wasn't teasing her.

“It's strange,” she said as way of reply. “Sometimes I think you're right. I can almost remember Narnia as though it was a real place where I grew up with my siblings and we ruled as kings and queens. But at other times I remember it the way I did until recently – as simply a game which we made up using our own props and imagination. It's as though I have two warring memories in my head and I don't know which is the real one.” David smiled in understanding. “So what do you plan to do?” he asked.

Susan wasn't sure. She had been so preoccupied with finding the rings that she hadn't really thought about what she would do if she found them. “I suppose the next step is to find out if they work,” she finally said. And as she said it she realised that that had been her plan all along. The thought gave her a sense of mingled dread and anticipation. “We know the green ones have no effect on earth, but I'm now sure that I was wrong and that they are the ones that bring us away from the other world. 'Green for safety' is what the Professor always used to say. The yellow ones draw us into that other world.”

“Okay,” said David. Susan still couldn't believe he was listening to her, “When do you plan on testing the rings?” Susan thought about it. “I'll travel back to Cambridge tomorrow. I won't leave until I've reported back to the Scrubbs. I need to tell them that I found Eustace's diary. After that, I'll pack a bag with things I might need in the other world – then I guess I'll pick up a yellow ring and see what happens.”

“Hang on,” said David, as though the thought had suddenly occurred to him. “Are you sure this is such a good idea. What is this 'other world' like? It's been years since you were last in Narnia. How do you know whether it's safe and the people there will accept you?”

“Oh, the rings don't take you to Narnia,” said Susan, although she had only just remembered this fact herself. David looked at her quizzically, and she smiled. Simply talking to David was making her feel better, and the fact that he believed her made her feel more special than she had in a long time. “No,” she continued, “the rings take you to an in-between world. It was from the in-between world that Uncle Digory and Aunt Polly got into Narnia. It was different with us, we went there directly.”

David's eyes grew a little wider, and there was a strange expression on his face she couldn't quite place. She was afraid she'd gone too far and he would stop believing her. But the expression passed and he smiled again. “You mean there's a world that's not really a world, but like a station, which links up to all kinds of different worlds, and wearing these rings will get one there?” Susan nodded, surprised at his understanding. He frowned “So what about this 'in-between world', is it safe? What creatures live there?”

“Oh, don't worry about that,” said Susan, “that world is perfectly safe. It's like a big giant wood. “The only living things there are trees. Just trees and...” Susan broke off and started laughing. David stared at her, “What? What's so funny?” Susan took some time recover herself. “Guinea-pigs,” she finally said with another batch of giggles, “There were guinea-pigs there. Apparently the Professor's uncle had been testing the rings on guinea-pigs before he and Aunt Polly stumbled on his office and he used them as his guinea-pigs.” Susan started laughing again and this time David joined in. Margaret's father ducked his head through the study door to check what was going on. All seemed in order so he let the two young people be.

David was the first to recover himself, “So, once you've arrived in this wood, then what happens?” he asked. Susan frowned, “I guess I find my way to Narnia,” she said. Her frown deepened. “Now what's wrong,” asked David. “It's just...well that's if I can get into Narnia,” she said. Now David was frowning. “You see, the last time I was there he said I wouldn't be allowed back.”

“Who's he?” asked David, “Some prince in shining armour whose love you scorned?” Susan laughed again. Though her face was still very red, David was glad to see that Susan had temporarily forgotten her earlier sorrow. “Don't be silly,” she retorted, “Although there was that one prince. He lived in the South and nearly launched a full-scale attack on Narnia because of me,” she suppressed a further giggle.

“But he was long gone when we returned the second time. It was Aslan – the great lion and ruler of the world who said that Peter and I were getting too old to return. I think it was shortly after that that I started to convince myself it was all a game. Not that it was directly because of the ban. I was growing up and no longer had place for such childish interests. After my experiences in America I didn't care for Narnia any more. By the time I returned I was convinced that it was just a game.” The mention of Aslan had sent a warm feeling through Susan. She felt stronger and happier and more at peace.

“So are you going to try and get back to Narnia anyway?” asked David, not even stopping to question her about the fact that Narnia was ruled by a lion. “Well I'm certainly going to try the rings,” she replied, “He didn't say anything about not going that world, and something tells me I have to go there. I don't think I would have found the rings if I wasn't meant to use them. Whether or not I get to Narnia after that I shall have to wait and see.” Susan stopped. She wondered when she had started talking about Narnia as though it was a real place. She still felt the two conflicting memories battling in her mind, but it somehow felt natural talking about Narnia as a real rather than imagined place.

“It's getting late,” said David, taking out his pocket-watch. Susan smiled that he still had a pocket watch when most people had long discarded them for the far more popular wrist variety. “You had better get some sleep,” he added, “if you plan to return to Cambridge tomorrow.” Susan agreed, she was feeling tired now, and felt that she just might be able to get some sleep. “I'll come back in the morning and check on you before you leave,” said David then.

“Say, would you like me to walk you to the station? Margaret is going to get home late tonight and I doubt she'll feel like taking you.” Susan politely thanked him for his kindness, adding that it wasn't necessary, though inwardly she smiled. She said that she was sure Margaret's father wouldn't mind taking her, but David insisted and so she gave in. “Good night,” he said, touching her shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze, “I hope you feel better in the morning.”

“I feel better already,” said Susan. She watched him walk out the door and then made her way to the spare bedroom.