That night I couldn't sleep. You would think that, after making the reassuring decision I had made today, I'd be able to sleep like a baby. But, I tossed and turned for at least three hours before I finally sighed in frustration and slipped out of my bed.
Without really thinking about what I was doing or where I was going, I found myself in front of the wardrobe room's door, flashlight in hand. I carefully opened the door, being sure to let it close quietly behind me, and stepped into the room. I pointed my flashlight beam toward the wardrobe, as if reassuring myself it was still there.
I slowly crossed the distance until I reached the wardrobe itself. I pulled open the door, breathing in the smell of the wood as it rushed out to greet me, and stepped into the wardrobe. I was cautious not to let the door close behind me, because everyone knows it isn't smart to close a wardrobe door behind you.
I pushed forward through the thick coats, until I reached the back of the wardrobe. It was only when I felt my hand hit the wooden back that I realized I had been holding my breath in anticipation the whole time. And my eyes had been closed.
I sighed deeply, and couldn't help but allow a few tears to run down my face. I reluctantly backtracked out of the wardrobe, glancing behind me just in case Narnia's woods were to suddenly appear. They didn't.
"Oh!" I cried, when I had finally exited the wardrobe and saw my uncle standing directly in front of me.
"Sam?" Uncle Kirk raised his eyebrows as if in a question, but his eyes showed he knew what was going on.
"I, uh…I was just…Do you think I'll ever go back?" I asked, sighing.
"Oh, I imagine so." Uncle Kirk nodded, closing the wardrobe door carefully behind me.
"But it'll most likely happen when you're not looking for it." He added, putting his arm around my shoulder as we began to walk toward the room's exit. I gave a small smile, comforted at least by the fact he believed I'd return to Narnia one day.
"All the same," Uncle Kirk continued, and then leaned down to whisper "Best to keep your eyes open."
My parents returned home as planned, and were as excited about my good news as I imagined they would be. Surprised, even. But I wasn't the only one giving any surprises. My parents seemed to have something to tell me as well.
After they arrived at my uncle's house, we all sat down in the living room together.
"Sam, we're very sorry we couldn't tell you before…" My mother began, and then glanced over at my father for assistance.
"Umm-hmm, we shouldn't have gotten you all upset, but we, uh, we really didn't go to France." My dad finished. I looked at the two of them as if they had both lost their minds.
"What?!" I exclaimed, glancing over at Uncle Kirk to see if he seemed surprised. To my astonishment, he didn't.
"We just had to get you and Hugh out of the house because your father and I had to work a lot these past two weeks." My mom continued. As I opened my mouth, my dad interrupted.
"We had to work extra so we could get enough money to send you to archery camp at the end of this summer. We know how much it means to you." My dad explained, flashing a grin that made him look like a school-boy presenting his straight-A report card to his parents.
"Wow…I…I don't even know what to say." I looked down, suddenly feeling even more horrible for the way I had treated my parents before they "left".
"We're really sorry we had to lie to you, but we didn't want you to find out. We wanted it to be a surprise." My mom said, smiling hesitantly, as if she were afraid I'd be mad at her.
"Mom…Dad…I'm the one who should be apologizing. I was so mean to both of you. I…Will you please forgive me?" I sighed, looking up at them.
"Well of course, Sam." My mom appeared shocked, and exchanged startled looks with my dad.
"And thank you both so much for doing this for me. You're right…it does mean a lot." I smiled and then reached over to hug first my mom, then my dad.
"Wow, Ed, what'd you do to her?" My dad teased his brother.
While the three adults laughed, I felt a pang of sadness shoot through me. Even though I knew my uncle's name was Edward, not Edmund, hearing my dad call him 'Ed' made me think of Edmund. And the way the two brothers looked at each other and laughed reminded me of two other brothers, both of whom were very close to my heart.
"Sam? Are you all right?" Uncle Kirk asked. I nodded, and I saw in his eyes that he realized why I suddenly seemed so gloomy.
"Well, how about we go check out the wonderful meal Maggie has prepared us?" Uncle Kirk's voice boomed cheerfully as he ushered my parents ahead of him into the dining room where Maggie and Hugh waited.
As I passed my uncle on my way into the dining room, he caught my arm gently.
"Remember, Sam, keep your eyes open." He whispered, winking.
And keep my eyes open I did. I returned home and attended my archery camp which, after training in Narnia with Telum, seemed like a kid's game. I, of course, didn't tell my parents that. In fact, I never spoke of my Narnian adventures to anyone but my trustworthy uncle, who I visited every so often in order to seek his advice and check the wardrobe. But each time the back of the wardrobe remained standing. In fact, I never entered Narnia through the wardrobe again. But that's not to say I never entered Narnia at all. I returned twice more, and saw Peter both times. Actually, I saw all of my "family" again. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. And, of course, I saw Aslan. Peter and I were able to resume our love for each other, not that it ever really was put on pause, and we shared many more memories together. The four of us fought more battles, saved more lives, and loved each other more deeply. But all those things, I'm afraid, belong in another story. A story that would begin about a year after my return from Narnia…
Fine