Narnia, Chapter XIII
Beauty and the Chronicles of Narnia, the Other
Chapter XIII
*Telemark Sundays*
Ever present time floats as light gradually penetrates the dark of the forest. Stillness. Birds awaken, singing their anthem to the new day. Night creatures return to their resting places and sleep.
Inside the cabin, Popsi Blui is the first one up. He makes his quiet way down the ladder, step by step, then gush! His bare foot lands on something soft, wet, and crunchy. Molly has left the remains of her night kill, mouse entrails, right where someone would most likely find them. No doubt it was her misguided way of expressing gratitude for her upkeep. After a whispered curse, he disgustingly scraped off the goop. Then, got to work!
It was Sunday, Pancake Day! (A side note that even to this day, Pancake Day is celebrated in Cheyenne’s family. He carried on the tradition.)
He first stoked the dying embers in the Tempwood and added several more logs, bringing an instant influx of heat to the cold air. In the kitchen he broke the ice on the cat’s water dish. Furtherest from the heat of the stove, the kitchen maintained a healthy refrigerator temperature all winter.
Measuring out the buckwheat groats, he poured them into the hand grinder permanently mounted at one end of the work bench, and began to labor the handle. Soon after, between the intense physical workout and heat from the now roaring stove, he struggled half-way out of his union-suit and tied the top around his waist. Sweat started pouring from his body. Always one to work hard for his family, no effort ever was too big.
The grinding sound woke everyone and quickly roused the sleep from their eyes. All knew just what day it was, a day that was always looked forward to with eager anticipation.
The mom fired up the cookstove and brought down the castiron skillet from its hook. Soon, multiple pancakes were sizzling in the pan, and when thoroughly cooked and slipped onto a plate, butter was spread, maple syrup was poured and the feast commenced. Once satiated, they all sort of passed out from food coma, but with happy smiles on their faces. This once a week for ritual somehow ameliorated the hard living required during the other days and gave it extra importance.
Next on the Sunday agenda was the trip to Telemark Lodge, 15 miles away, for showers, another weekly practice. Because the mom was employed there, first as a dish washer in the restaurant kitchen when their money was desperately low, and then in the art department, and finally as its head artist. So, they were permitted to use the hotel facilities. Actually, all local backwoods people were accepted to come if they had no water for bathing at their place. The heated spa was great, too, and the hot showers a blissful experience.
After showering and for some hours, they then just sort of hung out. Comfortable chairs offered cozy spots for reading and watching ritzily-dressed people come and go, and snacks and drinks were available in one of the several shops. Early in the day of ski lodges, Telemark was a hot spot until larger operations with bigger hills became the norm. It hosted the annual Birkebeiner cross-country ski race every year where some thousands of skiers came from around the world to compete in a 30k race. As the head artist, the mom would be in charge of making the 300 trail signs posted to show the skiers the right directions and alert them to any danger areas. Just before and after the family left the area in 1984, the place was embroiled in financial problems and several bankruptcies. Finally, in 2021, it was demolished. Thus ended a historical era which had served the skiing community and contributed to the financial prosperity of the area businesses.
Back then for this family, it was nirvana, giving them a luxurious day-spa retreat from the rigors of living in the woods with few amenities.
One prophetic day, a device suddenly appeared in a more secluded area of the lobby. Tucked into a corner was a maze video game machine. Beauty took to it like a fish to water. Little did she know at that moment that learning to operate this new found friendly pharaoh was to give her early training, speedy dexterity, strength for her willing fingers, as well as an enduring love affair with all things computer related. For today, those abilities account for a great part of her income! That and hand-eye and brain coordination, as well as the many attributes she developed along the way. It became a solid platform for her to grow from.
Pac-Man, originally called Puck Man in Japan where it originated, was developed in 1980, one of the first of many video games to follow in its wake. The player controls Pac-Man, who must eat all the dots inside an enclosed maze while avoiding four colored ghosts. Eating large flashing dots called “Power Pellets” causes the ghosts to temporarily turn blue, allowing Pac-Man to eat them for bonus points. It became one of the greatest video games of all time.
Beauty begged for all the quarters she could in order to keep playing, sometimes for hours at a time. She became an expert at it, even drawing crowds of admirers. Being only ten, and somewhat of a Pac-Man prodigy, she beat even college-aged guys who challenged her to a play-off. Some years later, she learned and became proficient at playing pool as well. Both games helped give her an arena for self-building confidence, and a cool, unflappable persona.
In addition to the lodge, built at the base of a substantial hill, or mount, Telemark also had a ski lift up to the top. One winter day, the parents procured a discounted rate for Beauty and Sunwood to learn down-hill skiing which included the ski rental as well. They left the lodge to do some nearby grocery shopping in Cable, confident that the instructors were teaching and minding their offspring well.
On their return, they sought out the kids on the bunny hill for beginners where they had left them an hour earlier. They were not there! Concerned, they searched the area, drifting over to the bottom of the big ski hill, scanning the horizon for some sign. Then, pop! Into view halfway down the hill they spotted Beauty in her new and bright “Purple Princess” winter parka, speeding down and expertly zigzagging around a grove of trees. We were amazed at her quick learning! But where was Sunwood?! Suddenly she stopped and looked behind her. Then we saw this little bent-over, bullet-sized streak of dressed-in-dark blue human, racing down, but being unable to avoid the trees, disappeared into the woods. Wondering and suddenly deeply concerned, we saw him emerge and resume his downward rush to the bottom, Beauty quickly following as well.
They had gotten bored with the bunny hill and wanted a bigger challenge. How they got on the ski lift and rode it to the top was something we could only imagine.
So, after a long and fun-filled adventurous day, a rather unique Sunday, they squeezed back into the truck cabin, headed for home in the dark, and unloaded groceries and water jugs onto the sled behind the snowmobile parked and waiting at the bottom of the stairwell.
Like everyone experiences after a day involved in the hustle and bustle of the world, it was always good to return home to its homey comforts and routines.
As the years passed by and the children grew, none of them had any clue that their time in Narnia would one day be over.
Image Source: unknown