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CHAPTER ONE

THE ISLAND

ONCE there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, and it has been told in another book called The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe how they had a reic wardrobe and found themselves in a quite different world fros and Queens in a country called Narnia While they were in Narnia they seen for years and years; but when they caain, it all seemed to have taken no time at all At any rate, no one noticed that they had ever been away, and they never told anyone except one very wise grown-up

That had all happened a year ago, and now all four of the on a seat at a railway station with trunks and playboxes piled up round them They were, in fact, on their way back to school They had travelled together as far as this station, which was a junction; and here, in a few irls away to one school, and in about half an hour another train would arrive and the boys would go off to another school The first part of the journey, when they were all together, always seemed to be part of the holidays; but nohen they would be saying good-bye and going different ways so soon, everyone felt that the holidays were really over and everyone felt their terloo to boarding school for the first time

It was an empty, sleepy, country station and there was hardly anyone on the platforave a sharp little cry, like so by a wasp

"What's up, Lu?" said Edmund - and then suddenly broke off and made a noise like "Ow!"

"What on earth-",began Peter, and then he too suddenly changed what he had been going to say Instead, he said, "Susan, let go! What are you doing? Where are you dragging me to?"

"I' me Oh - oh -oh -stop it!"

Everyone noticed that all the others' faces had gone very white

"I felt just the sa dragged along A ain"

"Me too," said Lucy "Oh, I can't bear it"

"Look sharp!" shouted Edic - I can tell by the feeling Quick!"

"Yes," said Susan "Hold hands Oh, I do wish it would stop-oh!"

Next e, the seat, the platform, and the station had co hands and panting, found the in a woody place - such a woody place that branches were sticking into them and there was hardly room to move They all rubbed their eyes and took a deep breath

"Oh, Peter!" exclaiot back to Narnia?"

"It ht be anywhere," said Peter "I can't see a yard in all these trees Let's try to get into the open - if there is any open"

With sos froled out of the thicket Then they had another surprise Everything becahter, and after a few steps they found the down on a sandy beach A few yards away a very cal on the sand with such tiny ripples that it ht and no clouds in the sky The sun was about where it ought to be at ten o'clock in thein the sea-smell

"By Jove!" said Peter "This is good enough"

Fivein the cool clear water

"This is better than being in a stuffy train on the way back to Latin and French and Algebra!" said Ed, only splashing and looking for shrimps and crabs

"All the same," said Susan presently, "I suppose we'll have to "

"We've got the sandwiches Mother gave us for the journey," said Edot mine"

"Not "

"So were mine," said Susan

"Mine are in my coat-pocket, there on the beach," said Peter "That'll be two lunches a to be such fun"

"At present," said Lucy, "I want so to eat"

Everyone else now felt thirsty, as one usually is after wading in salt water under a hot sun

"It's like being shipwrecked," res of clear, fresh water on the island We'd better go and look for them"

"Does that o back into all that thick wood?" said Susan

"Not a bit of it," said Peter "If there are strea the beach we're bound to come to them"

They all noaded back and went first across the smooth, wet sand and then up to the dry, cru on their shoes and socks Edmund and Lucy wanted to leave the with bare feet, but Susan said this would be a ain," she pointed out, "and we shall want theins to be cold"

When they were dressed again they set out along the shore with the sea on their left hand and the wood on their right Except for an occasional seagull it was a very quiet place The as so thick and tangled that they could hardly see into it at all; and nothing in it moved - not a bird, not even an insect