I wove my way through the masses of mothers peppering their children with kisses and children, particularly older boys, receiving them with stony faces to appear strong. I saw a little girl out of the corner of my eye, clinging tightly to her mother, who stroked her hair and said a final "I love you". Touched by the scene, I immediately looked down when I felt the hot pinpricks of tears rising to my eyes. Blubbering like a baby when the constable found me among the wreckage was embarrasing enough... now there were other people around who would see.

I climbed the creaky metal steps onto the train, glancing behind me one last time. "Goodbye," I whispered to nobody in particular as I ducked through a doorway to look for a vacant car. I moved behind a blue and white striped curtain and sat down next to the window. Instictively, I reached up to make sure my beanie was still there. It was.

I sighed. It wasn't necessarily a sigh of relief or exhaustion or sadness. It was just... a sigh. Resting my head against the back of the seat, my eyes naturally closed. Before I knew it, I was sound asleep.

I was sprinting through a forest, all alone, at night. Rain pelted me, stinging wherever my skin was exposed. Lightning struck nearby, and I screamed as I spied the orange glow of fire.

I ran as fast as I could, but the flames hopped from tree to tree despite the blinding rain. I was closed in. Thunder boomed, knocking me off my feet. Gasping for breath, I heard the thunder again... or was it thunder? It almost sounded like a roar.

Panicking more than ever before, I rose to my feet shakily. I grabbed a small log.

"Back!" I cried, spinning in slow circles, wagging my weapon. "Stay... stay away!"

"Ruth," a deep voice said gently. "It is alright. Drop the log."

​​"Who are you?" I squeaked, fearfully scanning the burning trees.

​​​​A golden flicker appeared on my right. I jumped to the left and dropped the log, thinking the fire had reached the grass I stood on. But as the shape grew larger, I saw it was a lion. Every muscle of my body told me to run, but my heart told me to stay and allow him to come closer.

Looking into his eyes, I saw infinite pools of wisdom and love, yet a power that paralyzed me.

"You fear much, Daughter of Eve," he stated, without a hint of judgment. I opened my mouth to formulate a reply, but no words came. I trembled in awe and, yes, fear. The lion did the most unexpected thing; he kissed my cheek with his soft pink tongue. Then, the tears came. I threw my arms around his neck and nuzzled into his mane.

"Who are you?" I repeated when my tears dried up.

"I am Aslan." I heard a loud sound, almost like knocking. The dream began to fade, but Aslan shook his mane and it came back into focus. "One last thing, Ruth. Do not fear the future because of the past. I know what you have gone through, and with time I know you will overcome your fears."

I noticed the trees had ceased to burn, save for a few of the branches' tips, and the clouds parted to reveal a bright full moon. The rain had softened to a comforting drizzle, and the thunder and lightning had moved farther away. Aslan smiled at me, a crooked smile, but one that radiated the strongest sense of affection I had ever felt. I felt safe. Cared for. Loved.

"Will I see you again soon?" I asked, not wanting to wake up.

"Yes, child. But next time, it will not be a dream."

"Ticket please, girly," a man's voice said as I stretched sleepily. I could tell he was trying to be gentle, but his patience was waning. I opened my eyes and blinked a couple times. The train was now chugging steadily, the countryside rolling by lazily.

"Ticket. Yes. It is right... here." I placed it in his hand.

"Thanks. You'll get off at the next stop."

"Oh, really? Thank you for telling me; I must have been asleep longer than I thought."

He gave me a crooked grin, like I was a puzzle he was trying to solve. "Guess so. Take care, miss."

"Thank you. You as well."

Once he left, I took a deep breath and recalled my dream. Being alone. Storms. Loud noises. Fire. Some of my greatest fears. Aslan. He was now my now-greatest source of hope and strength. When I turned to him, my problems didn't disappear. But they diminished. They still existed, but I was at peace.

The train came to a halt a few moments later. I grabbed my small bag of belongings, touched my beanie, and got off onto a tiny platform. A lone man with grey hair sticking up in several directions stood off to the side, staring at the clouds and mumbling to himself. I checked my label.

I took a few steps closer. "Professor Kirke?"

He snapped out of his daze and fixed a brown-eyed gaze at me.

"Ruth Byrne?" His voice had a clipped tone to it as he checked something on his palm.

"Yes, that is me," I said, offering a polite smile as he looked me up and down.

"Very well. Come along, now. I'm afraid we have to walk. Mrs. Macready had a tour group today, and the horse and buggy seemed to her to be a vital asset." He puffed a laugh. "But I will refrain from bothering you with my problems for now. It seems you have plenty of your own. So tell me about your family, Ruth."

I twisted my beanie in my hands as I willed away tears. "My father is in the military. I had one 11-year-old brother and twin 8-year-old sisters, but they died in the bombing. Along with my mum."

"I'm sorry," he replied. Most of the time, these type of responses seemed automatic. But the professor's seemed genuine; it seemed like he could read my mind and knew my pain. I cleared my throat.

"Thanks." I straightened up and hefted my bag onto my shoulder. "So you said there was a tour group? Why?"

"Ah, you shall see. My house is very... queer. Mrs. Macready has quite the fascination with it. She makes money for us by leading tours throughout the house. You will have fun exploring it, I'm sure. You and the other children."

"Other children?"

"Oh, dear me, I have forgotten. There are four other children coming later today. All siblings, can you imagine? The eldest is 14, and the youngest is 8."

"I am 14, and my sisters were 8, so I imagine I'll feel right at home."

He smiled at me as we stood at the base of a hill. "That's great. The house is right over the hill. Ready?"

I smiled back. "Ready as I shall ever be."