aslan makes a door in the air

at the sight of aslan the cheeks of the telmarine soldiers became the colour of cold gravy, their knees knocked together, and many fell on their faces. they had not believed in lions and this made their fear greater. even the red dwarfs, who knew that he came as a friend, stood with open mouths and could not speak. some of the black dwarfs, who had been of nikabrik's party, began to edge away. but all the talking beasts surged round the lion, with purrs and grunts and squeaks and whinneys of delight, fawning on him with their tails, rubbing against him, touching him reverently with their noses and going to and fro under his body and between his legs. if you have ever seen a little cat loving a big dog whom it knows and trusts, you will have a pretty good picture of their behaviour. then peter, leading caspian, forced his way through the crowd of animals.

"this is caspian, sir," he said. and caspian knelt and kissed the lion's paw.

"welcome, prince," said aslan. "do you feel yourself sufficient to take up the kingship of narnia?"

"i - i don't think i do, sir," said caspian. "i'm only a kid."

"good," said aslan. "if you had felt yourself sufficient, it would have been a proof that you were not. therefore, under us and under the high king, you shall be king of narnia, lord of cair paravel, and emperor of the lone islands. you and your heirs while your race lasts. and your coronation - but what have we here?" for at that moment a curious little procession was approaching - eleven mice, six of whom carried between them something on a litter made of branches, but the litter was no bigger than a large atlas. no one has ever seen mice more woebegone than these. they were plastered with mud some with blood too - and their ears were down and their whiskers drooped and their tails dragged in the grass, and their leader piped on his slender pipe a melancholy tune. on the litter lay what seemed little better than a damp heap of fur; all that was left of reepicheep. he was still breathing, but more dead than alive, gashed with innumerable wounds, one paw crushed, and, where his tail had been, a bandaged stump.

"now, lucy," said aslan.

lucy had her diamond bottle out in a moment. though only a drop was needed on each of reepicheep's wounds, the wounds were so many that there was a long and anxious silence before she had finished and the master mouse sprang from the litter. his hand went at once to his sword hilt, with the other he twirled his whiskers. he bowed.

"hail, aslan!" came his shrill voice. "i have the honour -" but then he suddenly stopped.

the fact was that he still had no tail - whether that lucy had forgotten it or that her cordial, though it could heal wounds, could not make things grow again. reepicheep became aware of his loss as he made his bow; perhaps it altered something in his balance. he looked over his right shoulder. failing to see his tail, he strained his neck further till he had to turn his shoulders and his whole body followed. but by that time his hind-quarters had turned too and were out of sight. then he strained his neck looking over his shoulder again, with the same result. only after he had turned completely round three times did he realize the dreadful truth.

"i am confounded," said reepicheep to aslan. "i am completely out of countenance. i must crave your indulgence for appearing in this unseemly fashion."

"it becomes you very well, small one," said aslan.

"all the same," replied reepicheep, "if anything could be done... perhaps her majesty?" and here he bowed to lucy.

"but what do you want with a tail?" asked aslan.

"sir," said the mouse, "i can eat and sleep and die for my king without one. but a tail is the honour and glory of a mouse."

"i have sometimes wondered, friend," said aslan, "whether you do not think too much about your honour."

"highest of all high kings," said reepicheep, "permit me to remind you that a very small size has been bestowed on us mice, and if we did not guard our dignity, some (who weigh worth by inches) would allow themselves very unsuitable pleasantries at our expense. that is why i have been at some pains to make it known that no one who does not wish to feel this sword as near his heart as i can reach shall talk in my presence about traps or toasted cheese or candles: no, sir - not the tallest fool in narnia!" here he glared very fiercely up at wimbleweather, but the giant, who was always a stage behind everyone else, had not yet discovered what was being talked about down at his feet, and so missed the point.

"why have your followers all drawn their swords, may i ask?" said aslan.

"may it please your high majesty," said the second mouse, whose name was peepiceek, "we are all waiting to cut off our own tails if our chief must go without his. we will not bear the shame of wearing an honour which is denied to the high mouse."

"ah!" roared aslan. "you have conquered me. you have great hearts. not for the sake of your dignity, reepicheep, but for the love that is between you and your people, and still more for the kindness your people showed me long ago when you ate away the cords that bound me on the stone table (and it was then, though you have long forgotten it, that you began to be talking mice), you shall have your tail again."

before aslan had finished speaking the new tail was in its place. then, at aslan's command, peter bestowed the knighthood of the order of the lion on caspian, and caspian, as soon as he was knighted, himself bestowed it on trufflehunter and trumpkin and reepicheep, and made doctor cornelius his lord chancellor, and confirmed the bulgy bear in his hereditary office of marshal of the lists. and there was great applause.

after this the telmarine soldiers, firmly but without taunts or blows, were taken across the ford and all put under lock and key in the town of beruna and given beef and beer. they made a great fuss about wading in the river, for they all hated and feared running water just as much as they hated and feared woods and animals. but in the end the nuisance was over: and then the nicest parts of that long day began.

lucy, sitting close to aslan and divinely comfortable, wondered what the trees were doing. at first she thought they were merely dancing; they were certainly going round slowly in two circles, one from left to right and the other from right to left. then she noticed that they kept throwing something down in the centre of both circles. sometimes she thought they were cutting off long strands of their hair; at other times it looked as if they were breaking off bits of their fingers - but, if so, they had plenty of fingers to spare and it did not hurt them. but whatever they were throwing down, when it reached the ground, it became brushwood or dry sticks. then three or four of the red dwarfs came forward with their tinder boxes and set light to the pile, which first crackled, and then blazed, and finally roared as a woodland bonfire on midsummer night ought to do. and everyone sat down in a wide circle round it.

then bacchus and silenus and the maenads began a dance, far wilder than the dance of the trees; not merely a dance for fun and beauty (though it was that too) but a magic dance of plenty, and where their hands touched, and where their feet fell, the feast came into existence sides of roasted meat that filled the grove with delicious smell, and wheaten cakes and oaten cakes, honey and many-coloured sugars and cream as thick as porridge and as smooth as still water, peaches, nectarines, pomegranates, pears, grapes, strawberries, raspberries pyramids and cataracts of fruit. then, in great wooden cups and bowls and mazers, wreathed with ivy, came the wines; dark, thick ones like syrups of mulberry juice, and clear red ones like red jellies liquefied, and yellow wines and green wines and yellow-green and greenish-yellow.

but for the tree people different fare was provided. when lucy saw clodsley shovel and his moles scuffling up the turf in various places (which bacchus had pointed out to them) and realized that the trees were going to eat earth it gave her rather a shudder. but when she saw the earths that were actually brought to them she felt quite different. they began with a rich brown loam that looked almost exactly like chocolate; so like chocolate, in fact, that edmund tried a piece of it, but he did not find it at all nice. when the rich loam had taken the edge off their hunger, the trees turned to an earth of the kind you see in somerset, which is almost pink. they said it was lighter and sweeter. at the cheese stage they had a chalky soil, and then went on to delicate confections of the finest gravels powdered with choice silver sand. they drank very little wine, and it made the hollies very talkative: for the most part they quenched their thirst with deep draughts of mingled dew and rain, flavoured with forest flowers and the airy taste of the thinnest clouds.

thus aslan feasted the narnians till long after the sunset had died away, and the stars had come out; and the great fire, now hotter but less noisy, shone like a beacon in the dark woods, and the frightened telmarines saw it from far away and wondered what it might mean. the best thing of all about this feast was that there was no breaking up or going away, but as the talk grew quieter and slower, one after another would begin to nod and finally drop off to sleep with feet towards the fire and good friends on either side, till at last there was silence all round the circle, and the chattering of water over stone at the ford of beruna could be heard once more. but all night aslan and the moon gazed upon each other with joyful and unblinking eyes.

next day messengers (who were chiefly squirrels and birds) were sent all over the country with a proclamation to the scattered telmarines - including, of course, the prisoners in beruna. they were told that caspian was now king and that narnia would henceforth belong to the talking beasts and the dwarfs and dryads and fauns and other creatures quite as much as to the men. any who chose to stay under the new conditions might do so; but for those who did not like the idea, aslan would provide another home. anyone who wished to go there must come to aslan and the kings at the ford of beruna by noon on the fifth day. you may imagine that this caused plenty of head-scratching among the telmarines. some of them, chiefly the young ones, had, like caspian, heard stories of the old days and were delighted that they had come back. they were already making friends with the creatures. these all decided to stay in narnia. but most of the older men, especially those who had been important under miraz, were sulky and had no wish to live in a country where they could not rule the roost. "live here with a lot of blooming performing animals! no fear," they said. "and ghosts too," some added with a shudder. "that's what those there dryads really are. it's not canny." they were also suspicious. "i don't trust 'em," they said. "not with that awful lion and all. he won't keep his claws off us long, you'll see." but then they were equally suspicious of his offer to give them a new home. "take us off to his den and eat us one by one most likely," they muttered. and the more they talked to one another the sulkier and more suspicious they became. but on the appointed day more than half of them turned up.

at one end of the glade aslan had caused to be set up two stakes of wood, higher than a man's head and about three feet apart. a third, and lighter, piece of wood was bound across them at the top, uniting them, so that the whole thing looked like a doorway from nowhere into nowhere. in front of this stood aslan himself with peter on his right and caspian on his left. grouped round them were susan and lucy, trumpkin and trufflehunter, the lord cornelius, glenstorm, reepicheep, and others. the children and the dwarfs had made good use of the royal wardrobes in what had been the castle of miraz and was now the castle of caspian, and what with silk and cloth of gold, with snowy linen glancing through slashed sleeves, with silver mail shirts and jewelled sword-hilts, with gilt helmets and feathered bonnets, they were almost too bright to look at. even the beasts wore rich chains about their necks. yet nobody's eyes were on them or the children. the living and strokable gold of aslan's mane outshone them all. the rest of the old narnians stood down each side of the glade. at the far end stood the telmarines. the sun shone brightly and pennants fluttered in the light wind.

"men of telmar," said aslan, "you who seek a new land, hear my words. i will send you all to your own country, which i know and you do not."

"we don't remember telmar. we don't know where it is. we don't know what it is like," grumbled the telmarines.

"you came into narnia out of telmar," said aslan. "but you came into telmar from another place. you do not belong to this world at all. you came hither, certain generations ago, out of that same world to which the high king peter belongs."

at this, half the telmarines began whimpering, "there you are. told you so. he's going to kill us all, send us right out of the world," and the other half began throwing out their chests and slapping one another on the back and whispering, "there you are. might have guessed we didn't belong to this place with all its queer, nasty, unnatural creatures. we're of royal blood, you'll see." and even caspian and cornelius and the children turned to aslan with looks of amazement on their faces.

"peace," said aslan in the low voice which was nearest to his growl. the earth seemed to shake a little and every living thing in the grove became still as stone.

"you, sir caspian," said aslan, "might have known that you could be no true king of narnia unless, like the kings of old, you were a son of adam and came from the world of adam's sons. and so you are. many years ago in that world, in a deep sea of that world which is called the south sea, a shipload of pirates were driven by storm on an island. and there they did as pirates would: killed the natives and took the native women for wives, and made palm wine, and drank and were drunk, and lay in the shade of the palm trees, and woke up and quarrelled, and sometimes killed one another. and in one of these frays six were put to flight by the rest and fled with their women into the centre of the island and up a mountain, and went, as they thought, into a cave to hide. but it was one of the magical places of that world, one of the chinks or chasms between chat world and this. there were many chinks or chasms between worlds in old times, but they have grown rarer. this was one of the last: i do not say the last. and so they fell, or rose, or blundered, or dropped right through, and found themselves in this world, in the land of telmar which was then unpeopled. but why it was unpeopled is a long story: i will not tell it now. and in telmar their descendants lived and became a fierce and proud people; and after many generations there was a famine in telmar and they invaded narnia, which was then in some disorder (but that also would be a long story), and conquered it and ruled it. do you mark all this well, king caspian?"

"i do indeed, sir," said caspian. "i was wishing that i came of a more honourable lineage."

"you come of the lord adam and the lady eve," said aslan. "and that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth. be content."

caspian bowed.

"and now," said aslan, "you men and women of telmar, will you go back to that island in the world of men from which your fathers first came? it is no bad place. the race of those pirates who first found it has died out, and it is without inhabitants. there are good wells of fresh water, and fruitful soil, and timber for building, and fish in the lagoons; and the other men of that world have not yet discovered it. the chasm is open for your return; but this i must warn you, that once you have gone through, it will close behind you for ever. there will be no more commerce between the worlds by that door."

there was silence for a moment. then a burly, decent looking fellow among the telmarine soldiers pushed forward and said:

"well, i'll take the offer."

"it is well chosen," said aslan. "and because you have spoken first, strong magic is upon you. your future in that world shall be good. come forth."

the man, now a little pale, came forward. aslan and his court drew aside, leaving him free access to the empty doorway of the stakes.

"go through it, my son," said aslan, bending towards him and touching the man's nose with his own. as soon as the lion's breath came about him, a new look came into the man's eyes - startled, but not unhappy - as if he were trying to remember something. then he squared his shoulders and walked into the door.

everyone's eyes were fixed on him. they saw the three pieces of wood, and through them the trees and grass and sky of narnia. they saw the man between the doorposts: then, in one second, he had vanished utterly.

from the other end of the glade the remaining telmarines set up a wailing. "ugh! what's happened to him? do you mean to murder us? we won't go that way." and then one of the clever telmarines said:

"we don't see any other world through those sticks. if you want us to believe in it, why doesn't one of you go? all your own friends are keeping well away from the sticks."

instantly reepicheep stood forward and bowed. "if my example can be of any service, aslan," he said, "i will take eleven mice through that arch at your bidding without a moment's delay."

"nay, little one," said aslan, laying his velvety paw ever so lightly on reepicheep's head. "they would do dreadful things to you in that world. they would show you at fairs. it is others who must lead."

"come on," said peter suddenly to edmund and lucy. "our time's up."

"what do you mean?" said edmund.

"this way," said susan, who seemed to know all about it. "back into the trees. we've got to change."

"change what?" asked lucy.

"our clothes, of course," said susan. "nice fools we'd look on the platform of an english station in these."

"but our other things are at caspian's castle," said edmund.

"no, they're not," said peter, still leading the way into the thickest wood. "they're all here. they were brought down in bundles this morning. it's all arranged."

"was that what aslan was talking to you and susan about this morning?" asked lucy.

"yes - that and other things," said peter, his face very solemn. "i can't tell it to you all. there were things he wanted to say to su and me because we're not coming back to narnia."

"never?" cried edmund and lucy in dismay.

"oh, you two are," answered peter. "at least, from what he said, i'm pretty sure he means you to get back some day. but not su and me. he says we're getting too old."

"oh, peter," said lucy. "what awful bad luck. can you bear it?"

"well, i think i can," said peter. "it's all rather different from what i thought. you'll understand when it comes to your last time. but, quick, here are our things."

it was odd, and not very nice, to take off their royal clothes and to come back in their school things (not very fresh now) into that great assembly. one or two of the nastier telmarines jeered. but the other creatures all cheered and rose up in honour of peter the high king, and queen susan of the horn, and king edmund, and queen lucy. there were affectionate and (on lucy's part) tearful farewells with all their old friends - animal kisses, and hugs from bulgy bears, and hands wrung by trumpkin, and a last tickly, whiskerish embrace with trufflehunter. and of course caspian offered the horn back to susan and of course susan told him to keep it. and then, wonderfully and terribly, it was farewell to aslan himself, and peter took his place with susan's hands on his shoulders and edmund's on hers and lucy's on his and the first of the telmarine's on lucy's, and so in a long line they moved forward to the door. after that came a moment which is hard to describe, for the children seemed to be seeing three things at once. one was the mouth of a cave opening into the glaring green and blue of an island in the pacific, where all the telmarines would find themselves the moment they were through the door. the second was a glade in narnia, the faces of dwarfs and beasts, the deep eyes of aslan, and the white patches on the badger's cheeks. but the third (which rapidly swallowed up the other two) was the grey, gravelly surface of a platform in a country station, and a seat with luggage round it, where they were all sitting as if they had never moved from it - a little flat and dreary for a moment after all they; had been through, but also, unexpectedly, nice in its own way, what with the familiar railway smell and the english sky and the summer term before them.

"well!" said peter. "we have had a time."

"bother!" said edmund. "i've left my new torch in narnia."

15阿斯兰打开一道天门

看到阿斯兰，台尔马士兵们顿时吓得面色如土，魂不附体，不少人瘫倒在地上。他们从不相信狮子的传说，于是，在毫无思想准备的情况下，恐惧感一下子占据了他们的心灵。虽然红发小矮人们知道阿斯兰是自己的朋友，这时也惊讶得张大嘴巴，一句话都说不出来。尼克布瑞克部下那些黑小矮人，不知什么时候已经悄悄退到一边去了。丝毫不感到惊慌和恐惧的倒是纳尼亚的老居民，那些会讲话的动物。它们把阿斯兰团团围住，欢乐地叫着、跳着，或冲着它摇头摆尾，或亲热地在它身上摩擦，或用鼻子轻轻地拱它亲它，或在它的身下、腿间钻来钻去。这时，彼得领着凯斯宾挤进重围，来到阿斯兰的面前。"

“这是凯斯宾王子，伟大的阿斯兰。”他介绍说。凯斯宾单腿跪下，亲吻了雄狮的巨爪。

“欢迎你，王子!”阿斯兰说，“你有足够的信心治理好纳尼亚王国吗?”

“我——没有十分把握，陛下。我还太年轻，没有经验。”

“好，”阿斯兰满意地点点头，“假如你自以为很有把握，那其实只能证明你的不成熟。现在，你就要继我们之后成为纳尼亚的国王、凯尔帕拉维尔的统治者、孤独群岛的君主。只要你的人民仍在这片土地上繁衍生息，你和你的继承人便将对他们负起责任。你将戴起王——哈!让我们看看，那边抬过来的是什么——”

就在这时，一支小小的队伍缓缓走了过来——那是十一只老鼠。其中六只抬着一个树枝编的担架，看不清上面放着什么。鼠勇士们身上全是泥浆和血迹，一个个愁眉苦脸，耷拉着耳朵，低垂的胡子失去了往日的神采，连尾巴也无精打采地拖在草地上。它们的领队用短笛吹奏着一支忧伤的曲子。队伍来到近前，大家这才看清担架上有一小堆湿漉漉的东西，那便是雷佩契普。它身上伤痕累累，一只爪子被踩得粉碎，尾巴也不见了，眼看已经奄奄一息。+

“露茜，该看你的了。”阿斯兰说。

露茜马上取出她的钻石小瓶子。虽然每个伤口只需一滴药水，但是，在一片焦急的期待中，她用了很长的时间才给雷佩契普上完药，因为它身上的伤口实在太多了。最后一滴药水刚刚点上，老鼠将军便翻身从担架上跳下地来。只见它一手放在剑柄上，一手捻一捻胡须，风度翩翩地向阿斯兰鞠了一躬。

“你好，阿斯兰!”场地上又响起它尖细的声音，“我非常荣幸地——”说到这里，它突然停了下来，似乎有什么惊人的发现。

事实上，虽然伤口都已经痊愈，它现在仍然没有尾巴——也许是露茜忘了治疗这一部分，要不然就是她的药水虽然可以治愈伤口却无法使身体失去的部分重新长出来。雷佩契普鞠躬时突然发现自己身上的变化，不由失去了平时的镇定。它越过右肩向身后望去，没有看到自己的尾巴。于是，它又把脖子使劲向后伸去，直到整个身子和臀部都跟着扭动起来，结果仍然看不到自己的尾巴。就这样，它反复看了好几次，终于确信了那可怕的事实。

“我真该死，”雷佩契普对阿斯兰说，“在你面前表现得如此不冷静。伟大的阿斯兰，我这副不体面的样子出现在你面前，请你千万原谅我。”

“小家伙，你这样子没什么不好。”

“我的尾巴……如果能想想办法，让它再长出来才好。”雷佩契普突然对露茜行了个礼，“也许女王陛下……”

“可是你要尾巴有什么用呢?”阿斯兰问道。

“陛下，”鼠将军说，“没有尾巴，我可以照样吃，照样睡，照样为你去战斗，去牺牲。然而，尾巴是一只老鼠的荣誉和骄傲。”

“朋友，有时我不禁想，你对你的荣誉是否考虑得过多了?”阿斯兰打趣说。

“至高无上的君主，请允许我提醒你，命运赋予我们老鼠这样小的体形，假如我们不努力保护自己的尊严，那么有一些以身材来衡量价值的家伙，就会不恰当地寻我们的开心。这就是为什么我要不厌其烦地告诫人们，如果不想尝尝宝剑的滋味，就别在我面前说‘老鼠夹子’、‘老鼠药’、‘上灯台、下不来’这一类的话。无论他是谁!个子再大也不行!”雷佩契普说到这里，狠狠地瞪了韦姆布威热一眼。可是，像屏障般挡在大家身后的巨人此时并没有注意到脚下的朋友在谈论什么，自然也没有在意鼠将军话里的含沙射影。

“你的部下为什么都把宝剑抽出鞘来?”阿斯兰诧异地问。

“禀报至高无上的君主，”名叫雷佩希克的老鼠副统帅回答说，“假如我们的头儿无法恢复它的尾巴，我们将集体割去自己的尾巴，以分担它的不幸。”

“哈!”阿斯兰高声叫道，“你们用高尚的心灵说服了我!雷佩契普，你将重新得到你的尾巴，不是为了你的尊严，而是为了你与同伴之间的友爱，更为了你们对我的帮助。还记得吗，是你们在大石桌咬断了绑在我身上的绳索，也就是从那时起，你们学会了讲话。”

阿斯兰话音未落，雷佩契普就长出了一条新尾巴。接着，按阿斯兰的指示，彼得授予凯斯宾雄狮骑士封号。凯斯宾当即封特鲁佛汉特、杜鲁普金和雷佩契普为护国将军，封克奈尔斯博士为大法官，并且确定棕熊为决斗公证所所长。这些任命引起了一阵阵热烈的掌声。

那些被俘的台尔马士兵被押解过河，囚禁在柏卢纳，每天发给他们牛肉、啤酒，以维持他们的生命。过河费了很大的劲儿，因为那些士兵就像害怕森林一样，也特别仇视、害怕奔流的河水。所以在膛水过河时他们一个个大呼小叫，惊恐万状。不管怎样，该做的事情都做过了。于是，大家开始了这一天中最美好的一段时光。

露茜坐在阿斯兰身边，感到说不出的愉快。突然她注意到那些树神，不知它们在那儿干什么。开始她以为它们是在舞蹈。只见它们围成两个圆圈，缓慢地移动着；一个圈从左往右，另一个圈从右往左。这时露茜注意到，它们不停地往圆圈的中心抛掷着什么。那些东西刚一落地，马上就变成了干柴。这时，三四个红发小矮人拿着火柴走上前去，点燃了地上的干柴。先是点点火星，很快燃成了熊熊火焰，大家纷纷在火旁围坐下来。

这时候，巴库斯、野姑娘和塞利努斯开始翩翩起舞。那是十分奇特的舞蹈，不仅舞姿优美，而且简直是在变魔术——他们的手足所及之处，立即冒出各式各样的美味佳肴：一盘盘烤肉散发出令人馋涎欲滴的香味；各式各样的蛋糕、馅饼和五光十色的糖果更是令人眼花缭乱、目不暇接，还有奶油、蜂蜜、鸭梨、葡萄、草莓、蜜桃、哈蜜瓜……接着，每人面前的草地上出现了一个巨大的木杯或木碗，里面醇香的美酒不时变换着颜色和味道，而且总是喝不完。

阿斯兰就以这样的盛宴款待着纳尼亚的臣民，直到夜幕降临，天上星星眨起了眼睛。巨大的篝火像一座灯塔照亮了黑暗的山林。宴会还在继续，但喧闹声渐渐低了下去，大家一个接一个垂下脑袋，或躺在草地上，依偎在好朋友中间，沉沉地进入了梦乡。终于，篝火旁一片安静，只有不远处传来柏卢纳渡口潺潺的水声。此时，只有一个身影清醒地伏在草地上，默默地仰望着天空皎洁的月亮。那是阿斯兰。6

第二天，信使们(主要是松鼠和小鸟儿)被派往全国各地，向逃散的台尔马人——当然包括柏卢纳的那些俘虏——宣告：凯斯宾已经成为纳尼亚的国王，因此这个国家不仅属于人类，它从此也同样属于所有会讲话的动物、小矮人和巨人。任何乐意在这块土地上继续生活下去的人都可以留下来，但绝不勉强。阿斯兰将把那些持不同意见者送往他们新的家园，但这些人务必在第五天中午前到柏卢纳渡口集合。不难想像，新法令使许多台尔马人大伤脑筋。他们当中有许多人，主要是年轻人，像凯斯宾一样自小听到过许多关于古代纳尼亚的传说，他们为那美好时光的来临而高兴，并且已经开始和动物们交朋友了。这些人无一例外，都决定留在纳尼亚。可多数上了年纪的人，尤其是那些在弥若兹统治下有权有势的人却闷闷不乐。他们无法想像，一旦失去了权势，生活还会有什么意义。他们说：“和那些无知的动物生活在一起!还有小矮人、巨人、人头马之类的幽灵鬼怪!吓死人了，我们可不干!”还有人持怀疑态度：“我无法信任那狮子和它的属下，它不会让我们过安稳日子的，等着瞧吧!”他们同样不相信阿斯兰会给他们新的家园：“它很可能会把我们带回山洞，一个个吃掉!”类似的交谈使他们更加忧心忡忡，疑虑不安。可是在指定的那一天，半数以上的人还是来了。

在一片林中空地上，阿斯兰已经让部下竖起两根一人多高的木棍，间隔一米左右，又把另一根比较轻一些的木棍横绑在那两根木棍的顶端，看来就像个门框。阿斯兰站在离这门框不远处，左边是彼得，右边是凯斯宾，环绕他们站着爱德蒙、苏珊、露茜和其他众人。孩子们和小矮人们穿上了贵族的盛装。这些华丽的衣服来自弥若兹城堡，当然，现在它已经成为凯斯宾城堡了。连动物们也戴上了名贵的首饰。可是，没有谁顾得上去注意和欣赏这些。阿斯兰那充满活力并发出金色光芒的鬣毛令他们目眩。．还有许多纳尼亚臣民分立在空地两旁。远处站着那些台尔马人。这时阳光明媚，旌旗在微风中飘扬。

“台尔马的百姓们，”阿斯兰庄严地开始说话了，“愿去新的土地上重建家园的人们，请听我说。我将把你们统统送回你们自己的国家，只有我知道那个地方。”

“我们不记得哪儿有这个国家!”“谁知道那里是什么样子……”台尔马人七嘴八舌地咕哝着。

“你们从台尔马来到纳尼亚，但你们并非祖祖辈辈都居住在台尔马。你们自己的国家根本不属于这个世界。几百年前，你们属于另一个世界，也就是至尊王彼得的那个世界。”

听到这儿，许多台尔马人开始坐不住了。“看看，我说得不错吧!他就要把我们统统杀死，把我们从这个世界上消灭掉!”但是，另外一些人则挺起了胸，高兴地拍拍彼此的肩膀，小声说：“怎么样!我们早该猜出来，实际上我们根本不属于这片土地，不该与这些奇形怪状的家伙为伍。我们有着高贵的血统，等着瞧吧!”这时候，甚至凯斯宾、克奈尔斯和孩子们也都吃惊地向阿斯兰望去。

“静一静!”阿斯兰用一种低沉的、近乎吼叫的声音说。大地似乎轻轻颤抖了一下，在场的每一个人都一下子闭上了嘴巴。

“凯斯宾国王，”阿斯兰说，“你应该知道，只有像纳尼亚的历代君王一样，身为亚当的儿子，并来自亚当的儿子们的国家，才有资格成为纳尼亚的真正国王。你正是亚当的儿子。很久以前，就在那世界上被称为南海的地方，一船海盗被风暴吹上一座小岛。他们以海盗特有的方式，杀尽了当地的男人，强迫当地的妇女为妻。岛上有自制的椰子酒，他们便终日狂饮，常常喝得酩酊大醉，睡倒在椰子树下，醒来后便互相争吵，甚至自相残杀。一次，其中六个人受到同伴的追杀，带着他们的女人逃到小岛中部的山顶上，躲进一个山洞藏身。没想到那是个魔力山洞，是两个世界之间的通道。古时候曾经有许多类似的通道把两个世界连接起来，可惜如今绝大多数已自动封闭了。他们恰巧钻进了其中的一个。结果，他们飞快地往下沉，或者往上升去。再睁开眼时，他们发现自己已置身于一个陌生的国度——台尔马国。当时这片土地还没有人类的踪迹。这六对男女从此在台尔马定居下来，生儿育女，世代相传，渐渐形成一个凶猛而又骄傲的民族。许多年过去了。有一年，台尔马发生了饥荒，他们便去侵略纳尼亚，占领并统治这个国家直到昨天。凯斯宾国王，这些话你都记下了吗?”

“我将牢记在心，陛下，”凯斯宾说，“我一直以为自己出身于一个更体面的家族。”

“你的祖先是亚当和夏娃，这足以令最贫困的乞丐骄傲地挺起胸膛，也足以令最伟大异邦的君主自愧不如。青年人，可以知足了。”

凯斯宾深深鞠了一躬，表示回答。阿斯兰转过身去，说：

“那么现在，你们这些台尔马的男人和女人们，你们愿意重返你们祖先世代生活的那个人类世界吗?那是个很好的地方。原来那个岛上的海盗家族早死光了，那儿一直没人居住。你们会有水源旺盛、水质甘甜的水井：肥沃的土地可以耕种，充足的木材可以造房，还有环礁水域中捕不尽的鱼虾。人类至今仍然没有发现那个小岛，世界通道也依然为你们开放。可是，我必须提醒你们，一旦你们从那通道返回人类世界，天门将永远关闭起来。”

一阵沉默。随后，台尔马士兵中一个粗壮、体面的人走上前来，说：

“那么好吧，我愿意接受这个安排。”

“明智的选择，”阿斯兰说，“你敢于第一个做出决定，将得到神灵更多的帮助，你的命运会比别人更好。现在，请你往前走。”

那人脸色微微发白，迈步朝前走去。阿斯兰和它的人往两旁退去，闪出一条路来，一直通往木棍架起的那个孤零零的门框。

“走过去，我的孩子。”阿斯兰说着探起身子，用鼻子在那人的鼻子上轻轻碰了一下。接触到阿斯兰的气息，那人的神色随之一变，仿佛一下子增添了无穷的勇气。只见他耸耸肩，从容地走向那门框。

在场的人都紧紧盯着他。同时，人们清楚地看到那三根木棍和木棍那边的草地、树林和纳尼亚的天空。他们看着那人一条腿跨过门框，然后——眨眼之间，他消失不见了。

空地的另一端，其余的台尔马人齐声惊叫起来：“天哪!他怎么了?难道你想谋杀我们吗?我们不去!”

这时，一个聪明的台尔马人站出来说：“从这门框望过去，我们根本看不到另外一个世界。如果要我们相信它的存在，除非派你的部下先走过去。为什么你的朋友们一个个都

远远地避开那门框呢?”

那人话音刚落，雷佩契普挺身而出，向阿斯兰鞠了一躬。“假如我的榜样能说服他们，尊敬的阿斯兰，你一声令下，我将带着我的十一名兄弟，毫不迟疑地走过去。”

“不，小家伙，”阿斯兰把毛茸茸的爪子轻轻放在鼠将军的头上，“在那个世界里，他们会虐待你们的。让别人去吧。”

“快，该我们上了。”彼得突然对爱德蒙和露茜叫道。

“你要干什么?”爱德蒙迷惑不解地问。

“从这条路回家呀!”苏珊抢着回答，似乎对将要发生的事一清二楚。“但我们必须先换下这身衣服。”

“为什么?”露茜问。

“要是穿这身衣服出现在火车站里，那还不惹得别人都来看我们呀!”

“可是我们所有的行李都放在凯斯宾城堡里了。”爱德蒙说。

“没有。行李都在这里——今天早晨送来的。这早已安排好了。”彼得说。

两个年纪小的孩子更加惊奇了。露茜忍不住问道：

“今天早晨阿斯兰对你和苏珊谈的就是这个吗?”

“是的——还有一件事，”彼得说着脸色变得庄重起来，“我无法全部讲给你听。有些事情它只想要我和苏珊明白，因为我们将不会重返纳尼亚了。”

“永不回来?”爱德蒙和露茜一齐叫起来。"

“哦，你们俩还会回来的，”彼得回答说，“至少从它的话里，我相信你们俩总有一天会回到这里来。可我与苏珊却不会了。它说我俩都长大了。”

“彼得，这真是不幸!”露茜忧伤地望着哥哥，“你怎么能接受这样的事实!”

“我想我能够的，”彼得说，“我的思想已经有了许多改变，总有一天你也会这样的。好了，让我们行动起来，行李送来了。”

孩子们很不情愿地脱下华丽的贵族服装，穿上原先那身学生服，就听见有几个台尔马人在吃吃地笑。而所有的朋友们都起立欢呼，向至尊王彼得、神号女王苏珊、爱德蒙国王和露茜女王致敬。大家恋恋不舍地互相道别——小动物们的亲吻、大棕熊的拥抱，以及与杜鲁普金长时间的握手。凯斯宾要把神号还给苏珊。苏珊犹豫了一下，然后郑重地把号送回凯斯宾的手上，以作纪念。最后，他们以非常复杂的心情向阿斯兰告了别。然后，四个孩子在前面领路，后面跟着一长队台尔马人，依次向门框走去。随之而来的是一阵天旋地转，孩子们似乎同时看到三幅图画：第一幅是一个山洞口，看出去是太平洋上一个无名岛屿。台尔马人将从门框直接来到这里，开始他们新的生活；第二幅是纳尼亚，他们在瞬间看到了小矮人和动物们的笑脸，看到了阿斯兰深邃的目光；第三幅图画很快取代了前面的两幅，那是乡间火车站那个灰蒙蒙、阴沉沉的站台和站台上那条长凳，周围堆放着箱子和玩具盒。孩子们很快站稳并清醒过来，面对周围熟悉的一切，想到即将开始的校园生活，不由产生一种非常亲切

的感觉。

“怎么样，”彼得说，“我们度过了一段非常美好的时光。”

“糟糕，”爱德蒙突然叫道，“我的手电筒丢在纳尼亚了。”