Red and brown

"Where are you going?", Edmund asked as he came down the stairs.

Lucy, who stood with her coat and shoes on, two bags stripped over her shoulders, looked up at him.

"I'm going shopping. With Susan", she said, carefully watching Edmund's expression slip.

"Have fun", he said, his grin fading.

"I could tell her to come home again for a visit", Lucy tried to cheer him up.

"And then we'd have discussions again", Edmund said. "Maybe it's better that way."

The light of the rising sun shone on his black hair through the window.

"Before I forget, I made cookies. I left some for you and Pete", Lucy said.

Edmund had to smile. "Cinnamon and chocolate chips?", he guessed.

"They're in the kitchen", she said smiling.

"How early did you get up?", Edmund asked.

"Shortly after dad", Lucy answered. "Mum went somewhere too, and Peter is either out studying or working. What are you going to do today?"

"Staying home. Reading. Maybe I'll go to the reading club that Davison organised."

"Sounds good", Lucy said.
"Have fun."

"You too", Edmund said and watched his sister leave.

⊱

"Lucy!", Susan called out and hugged her younger sister. "It's good to see you."

Her dark hair fell in carefully placed curls over her shoulders.

"Hello Susan", Lucy smiled. "How are you?"

Sadness filled her heart. From endless talks until dawning came, this was what they had to ask.

"Oh, it's alright. Sure, it could be better, but it could be worse", Susan said. She hesitated.
"How's it at home?"

"Everyone's busy", Lucy replied. "We never really get to spend time together anymore."

"We're growing up", Susan said, sadness in her eyes, nodding.
"Oh, this wasn't supposed to be sad", she said then. "Can I take one of your bags?"

Laughing about something they made their way down the road.

"Where are we going first?", Lucy asked, now smiling wider than she had in a week.

Their old, frozen bond had thawed and came back just as warm and sunny as it had before.

"I need a new skirt, and a blouse to go with it", Susan said. "Otherwise there's nowhere I need to go today." She smiled.

"Then let's do that!"

They found a beautiful dark blue skirt and a white blouse with lace and Susan twirled when she tried them on.

"I feel like a princess!", she laughed.

Their bags filled and their laughter grew.

"Over there's a hat shop", Susan suddenly suggested. "They opened just a few months ago."

They entered and warm, scented air greeted them. The shelves were filled with hats in all sizes and colours.

Lucy quickly walked over to one. "How about this one?", she asked jokingly, putting it on her head.

Susan laughed. "With that hat you'd clear every shelf at home."

It was a wide, black hat, probably made for funerals of richer people, and Lucy, with her colourful clothes, looked ridiculous with it.

They spent at least an hour trying on different hats, until Lucy saw two hats, one red and one brown, but otherwise identical.

"These ones, Susan!", she said.

"The red one for you, and the brown one for me", Susan said and smiled, and after they'd put them on, and they fit, they went to buy them.

"Oh, I forgot again", Lucy said, after they'd left again. "I brought you cookies! And I've got a poem."

Susan smiled. "Then let's go to the park, shall we?"

"Lead the way!", Lucy said and smiled.

It had become something like a tradition that one of them brought a poem to their meeting, and it had been Lucy's turn this time.
They often forgot to read it though, because they spent too much time talking about other things.

The park was beautiful that time of the year. The coloured leaves were everywhere and ducks were swimming on the lakes.

Over one of these lakes a bridge led, and facing that bridge from the side, a park bench stood, where they always sat, today too.

Lucy got the cookies from her bag, and then her little book where she'd written in all the poems they'd ever shared with each other.

"These are with chocolate chips, and these with cinnamon", she said to Susan, who smiled sadly.
"Ed's and Pete's favourite."

Lucy didn't know what she should reply to that.

"Please, begin reading it", Susan said when she realised.

Lucy smiled and turned to her book.

"The castle.

Now that the wood is dying again
Between the yellow leaves
One might find long forgotten stones
And the stories they might tell.

But take care for between the trees
A ghost takes its stroll through its home
It's longing for a time lost long ago
A time that will never return.

It seems like a dream, a childhood wish
And it doesn't know it was real
But it listens to the stone's stories
Of glory and despair.

But the ghost was the Queen of that castle once
From centuries ago
And she doesn't remember the name she had
Whispered by the ivy all around.

The trees all try to make her see
The glory she once had
But she only remembers it like a dream
And dreams don't come true in her world.

And the Queen has forgotten her castle
Her home, her shelter and refuge
But her people, they're waiting patiently
For her glorious return."

Susan wiped away a tear from her face with her handkerchief. Lucy acted as if she hadn't seen.

They sat in silence for a while.

"Why is it making me cry?", Susan asked, her voice fragile, not angry as the last times she'd cried when she was fighting with her brothers.

"I don't know", Lucy said. She did know. She did know very well. But it would be useless if she told her.

"Who wrote it?", her sister asked, her voice now steadier.

"Anonymous", Lucy answered.

Susan sighed.

They continued walking afterwards, not too far away from the Pevensie's home, and Lucy remembered that she'd forgotten something she'd wanted to show her sister.

"There's probably no one going to be home", she promised. "And if Edmund is home, I bet he'll try to not start a fight."

Susan still had a bad feeling when they entered the door.

Guilt and shame mixed up with sadness. She felt like a stranger in her own home.

Lucy told her to wait downstairs, while she raced up to her room.

Edmund didn't seem to be home.

Still, there seemed to be a layer between her and everything else. She should have stayed.

"Susan?", a voice asked from behind.

"Dad", she said, turning around.

Her father looked at her, a tea cup in his hand and a book under his arm, and maybe tears in his eyes.

"Lucy needed to get something from her room", she explained her appearance.

"I'm glad you're here", her father said, placing down his cup and his book.

Silence followed.

The distance was even between her and her father, and she didn't seem to be able to break through it. It was suffocating her.

"That's a nice hat."

"Thanks. Lucy got the same in red."

There was more silence, and if Susan could have vanished into thin air, she maybe would have.

"We're missing you", he finally said.

"I miss you too", she almost squeezed out, tears streaming into her eyes.

"You know, you'd be welcomed back. Always. I tried to sort it out with the boys."

She smiled. "Thank you."

It was silent again.

"I might come by next weekend", she said after hesitating.

A smile spread on his face and defeated all the layers that could have been between them. "I'd be very happy if you did."

Lucy came down the stairs and slowed down when she saw her father.

He turned around to see her.
"Hi dad", she said.

"Hello Lucy", he said and smiled.

"I figure you'll be off again?"

"Yeah", Susan said, her heart seeming to beat more easily.

Her father nodded.
"Have fun", he said. "And Lucy, don't come home too late."

"Of course", Lucy said happily, taking Susan's arm. Laughing they went outside again.

Inside Mr. Pevensie stared at the closed door.

His family was breaking apart.

But maybe just so it could grow into something new.