I'm sure you are reading and are preparing for a good discussion... Here's a little something from me about a story that I loved reading the first time and have loved returning to it often...
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Several years back I had read the story about two small children – Polly and Digory. The two become good friends in the summer vacations and decide to explore their own homes for some adventure. Digory’s eccentric uncle dabbles in magic and considers himself a great magician, and actually he is nothing but a fool. His mother is unwell and the doctors have given up hope for the most part. His father is posted in India (the story belongs to a time when the British ruled India).The name of the book was ‘The Magician’s Nephew’, and it is one of the series of the Chronicles of Narnia. Although it was written later than the other books, this book serves as a prologue to the Chronicles of Narnia.
During one of their explorations they stumble upon the Uncle’s study and find two rings – a yellow and a green one. Using these rings one could travel to other worlds. Digory’s uncle finds them and tricks them into using it. Polly and Digory land up in place-between-the-worlds from there could visit other worlds.
Polly and Digory then visit a world, Charn, on the verge of its end. When Polly and Digory visit it, they do not find anyone in that world, until they come to a room full of statues sitting in thrones placed in circles within circles, and right in the middle is the highest throne where a woman’s statue sits. They seem like real people frozen by some power. Digory finds a bell in the middle of the room and, in spite of Polly’s protests, rings it. The woman in the middle awakes. She introduces herself as Jadis, queen of Charn and the one responsible of its destruction. She destroyed her world following a war for power with her sister, where she poured the blood of her army like water. And now she sat within her court waiting to be awakened and taken to another world where she would rule.
Jadis forces Polly and Digory to take her back to Earth where she causes havoc in one day that she stays there. Digory then tricks her into taking her back to the place-between-the-worlds from they had gone to Charn. However, they find that the opening to Charn is closed because the world has ended.
Just to get rid of Jadis they run into another opening, into a new world, and this bunch land there right in the middle of creation. In his hurry, Digory has brought with him, the queen, a cab, a horse, a street light pole, and his uncle. Of course, Polly is also there. The queen senses the new creation and runs for it – she has her wish, a new world to rule on. In this new world, they see nothing much, but hear a song. They discover that the creation is taking place through the song being sung, and the things being created are corresponding to the song being. Soon they find out that the singer of the creation song is a huge Lion. When he sings in short high notes, they can see stars springing out in the sky, when the song is in a melodious flow, they can hear waters and rivers, when the notes are a short sprouts, they can see the grass springing beneath their feet, and so on.
More coming soon…
Love,
