Focus on the Family's Radio Theatre

Narrator: Last time on The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Lucy: Oh look! Is it the body of a man?

Caspian: Yes, in the sense that it's a statue of a man. A gold statue from the look of it.

Edmund: Ah! My boots! Get back! Get back from the water!

Lucy: What in the world is the panic, Edmund?

Edmund: Look at the toes of my boots. They look a bit yellow. They were in the water and now they're gold. Solid gold.

Caspian: You don't mean to say that...

Edmund: Yes, I do. That water turns things into gold.

Lucy: What's that noise? Oh, I say.

Chief Dufflepud: All right boys, what I say is get down to the shore between them and their boat, and let every mother's son look to his weapons.

Caspian: Invisible enemies! Well, this is an ugly furrow to plow.

Chief Dufflepud: We've been waiting forever so long for a nice little girl from foreign parts that would go upstairs and go to the magic book and find the spell that takes off the invisibility and say it. And that's why, gentlemen, if your little girl doesn't come up to scratch, it will be our painful duty to cut all your throats. Merely in the way of business, you might say, and no offense, I hope.

Reepicheep: I don't see your weapons. Are they invisible too?

Chief Dufflepud: Any other questions, Reepicheep?

Reepicheep: Not at the moment, sir.

Edmund: I still don't like it.

Caspian: Neither do I.

Lucy: But let me do it and get it over with.

Focus on the Family: The most beloved children's series. And what wonderful adventures we shall have. I do wish we knew the story that's behind all this. Brought to glorious life.

Guest (Male): It's the army! It's Rabadash and he's coming this way! Quick, we must get to Anvard before them.

Guest (Male): Tomorrow I will begin the conquest of the world.

Focus on the Family: And coming to an imagination near you. There's not much point in finding a magic ring that lets you into other worlds if you're afraid to look at them when you've got there. C.S. Lewis's classic Narnia series, available for you to cherish in your own home.

Produced by Focus on the Family's Radio Theatre. Stories like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Horse and His Boy, The Magician's Nephew, Prince Caspian, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader now can be yours. Call our toll-free number at 1-800-A-FAMILY or visit our website at radiotheatre.org. Focus on the Family's Radio Theatre, set sail for adventure.

ChatGPT and AI can offer you ideas and attempt to give you answers, but it can't listen with compassion, pray with you, or offer biblical wisdom. Real connection is what brings true hope. Focus on the Family offers a free confidential consultation with a Christian counselor to guide you and help you find hope with whatever you're facing. Go to focusonthefamily.com/gethelp or call 1-800-A-FAMILY. That's 1-800, the letter A, the word family.

Narrator: She finally reached the last door on the left. The door was open. It was a large room with three big windows and it was lined from floor to ceiling with books. More books than Lucy had ever seen before. But she knew from her instructions that she needn't bother about any of them. For the book, the magic book, was lying on a reading desk in the very middle of the room.

She saw that she would have to read it standing, and also that she would have to stand with her back to the door while she read. So at once she turned to shut the door. It wouldn't shut. This made her worried. One other thing that worried her a good deal was the size of the book. The Chief had not been able to give her any idea whereabouts in the book the spell for making things visible came.

Lucy: Oh, but with a book this size, it might take me days and weeks. And I feel already as if I've been in this place for hours.

Narrator: She went up to the desk and laid her hand on the book. Her fingers tingled when she touched it. She tried to open it but couldn't at first. This, however, was only because it was fastened by two leaden clasps. And when she'd undone these, it opened easily enough.

And what a book it was. It was written, not printed, in a clear, even hand with thick downstrokes and thin upstrokes. Very large, easier than print, and so beautiful that Lucy stared at it for a whole minute and forgot about reading it. There was no title page or title. The spells began straight away.

And at first, there was nothing very important in them. There were cures for warts and toothache and cramp, and a spell for making a swarm of bees. The pictures accompanying the spells were so lifelike that Lucy thought for a moment the bees in the fourth spell were really flying. Lucy could hardly tear herself away from that first page. But when she turned over, the next was just as interesting.

Lucy: Oh, but I must get on.

Narrator: She went on another thirty pages, which, if she could have remembered them, would have taught her how to find buried treasure, how to remember things forgotten, how to forget things you don't want to remember, how to tell whether anyone was speaking the truth, how to call up or prevent wind, fog, snow, sleet, or rain, how to produce enchanted sleep.

And the longer she read, the more wonderful and real the pictures became. Then she came to a page which was such a blaze of pictures that one hardly noticed the writing. Hardly, but she did notice the first words.

Lucy: An infallible spell to make beautiful her that uttereth it beyond the lot of mortals.

Narrator: Lucy peered at the pictures with her face close to the page. And though they seemed crowded and muddlesome before, she found she could now see them quite clearly. The first was a picture of a girl standing at a reading desk reading in a huge book. And the girl was dressed exactly like Lucy.

In the next picture, Lucy, for the girl was Lucy, was standing up with her mouth open and a rather terrible expression on her face, chanting or reciting something. In the third picture, the beauty beyond the lot of mortals had come to her. It was strange, considering how small the pictures had looked at first, that the Lucy in the picture now seemed quite as big as the real Lucy.

And they looked into each other's eyes. And the real Lucy looked away after a few minutes because she was dazzled by the beauty of the other Lucy, though she could still see a sort of likeness to herself in that beautiful face. And now the pictures came crowding on her thick and fast. She saw herself throned on high at a great tournament in Calormen, and all the kings of the world fought because of her beauty.

After that, it turned from tournaments to real wars. And all the countries, even Narnia and Archenland, were laid waste with the fury of the kings and dukes and great lords who fought for her favor. Then it changed, and Lucy, still beautiful beyond the lot of mortals, was back in England. And Susan, who had always been the beauty of the family, was jealous of the dazzling beauty of Lucy. But that didn't matter a bit because no one cared anything about Susan now.

Lucy: I will say the spell. I don't care. I will.

Narrator: But when she looked back at the opening words of the spell, there in the middle of the writing where she felt quite sure there had been no picture before, she found the great face of a lion, the lion, Aslan himself, staring into her face. It was painted such a bright gold that it seemed to be coming towards her out of the page.

And indeed she was never quite sure afterwards that it hadn't really moved a little. At any rate, she knew the expression of the face quite well. He was growling, and you could see most of his teeth. She became horribly afraid and turned over the page at once.

A little while later, she came to a spell which would let you know what your friends thought about you. Because Lucy didn't try the spell that made you beautiful beyond the lot of mortals, she decided she would say this one. And all in a hurry, for fear her mind would change, she said the words and then waited for something to happen.

Lucy: Well?

Narrator: And all at once, the pictures in the book came to life. And she saw the very last thing she expected: the picture of a third-class carriage in a train with two of her friends from school sitting in it. She knew them at once: Marjorie Preston and Anne Featherstone. And gradually she could hear that they were talking about her.

Guest (Female): So are you still going to be all taken up with Lucy Pevensie?

Guest (Female): I don't know what you mean by taken up.

Guest (Female): Oh yes, you do. You were crazy about her last term.

Guest (Female): No, I wasn't. I've got more sense than that.

Guest (Female): Not a bad old kid in her way, but I was getting pretty tired of her before the end of term.

Guest (Female): Well, you jolly well won't have the chance any other term. Two-faced little beast. I did think better of her than that. And I did all sorts of things for her last term. And I stuck to her when not many other girls would, and she knows it too.

Lucy: Oh. I wonder. Are all my friends the same?

Narrator: There were more pictures, but Lucy decided not to look at them.

Lucy: What if... what if all my friends are?

Narrator: With a great effort, she turned over the page, but not before a large angry tear had splashed on it. On the next page, she came to a spell for the refreshment of the spirit. The pictures were fewer here but very beautiful.

Lucy: Oh.

Narrator: And what Lucy found herself reading was more like a story than a spell. It went on for three pages and before she'd read to the bottom of the page, she'd forgotten that she was reading at all. She was living in the story as if it were real. And all the pictures were real too.

Lucy: Oh my.

Narrator: When she got to the third page and came to the end, she said...

Lucy: Oh, that was the loveliest story I've ever read, or ever shall read in my whole life. Oh, I wish I could have gone on reading it for ten years. At least I can read it over again now.

Narrator: But here part of the magic of the book came into play. You couldn't turn back. The right-hand pages, the ones ahead, could be turned. The left-hand pages could not.

Lucy: Oh, what a shame. I did so want to read it again. Well, at least I must remember it. Let's see. It was about... about... oh dear, it's all fading away again. And even this last page is going blank. This is a very strange book. How could I have forgotten? It was about a cup and a sword and a tree and a green hill. I know that much, but I can't remember. And what shall I do?

Narrator: And she never could remember. And ever since that day, what Lucy means by a good story is a story which reminds her of the forgotten story in the magician's book.

Lucy: Now what's this? Oh, a spell to make hidden things visible. This must be the one.

Narrator: So she read the spell through to make sure of all the hard words and then said it out loud. And she knew at once that it was working because as she spoke, the colors came into the capital letters at the top of the page, and the pictures began appearing in the margins. They were odd pictures and contained many figures that Lucy didn't much like the look of. And then she thought...

Lucy: I suppose I've made everything visible, and not only the Thumpers downstairs. Oh, there might be lots of other invisible things hanging around a place like this, and I'm not sure I want to see them all.

Narrator: At that moment, she heard soft, heavy footfalls coming along the corridor behind her. And of course she remembered what she'd been told about the magician walking in his bare feet and making no more noise than a cat. It's always better to turn round than to have anything creeping up behind your back.

Lucy did so. Then her face lit up and for a moment she looked almost as beautiful as that other Lucy in the picture. She ran forward with a little cry of delight and with her arms stretched out. For what stood in the doorway was the Lion, the highest of all high kings.

Lucy: Oh, Aslan! Oh, Aslan, Aslan!

Aslan: My child.

Lucy: Oh, Aslan, it was so kind of you to come.

Aslan: I've been here all the time. But you have just made me visible.

Lucy: Aslan, don't make fun of me. As if anything I could do would make you visible.

Aslan: Oh, it did. Don't you think I would obey my own rules? But child, I think you have been eavesdropping.

Lucy: Eavesdropping?

Aslan: You listened to what your two friends on the train were saying about you.

Lucy: Oh, that. I never thought that was eavesdropping. Wasn't it by magic?

Aslan: Spying on people by magic is the same as spying on them in any other way. And you have misjudged your friends. They are weak and were only trying to impress each other at your expense. But they really love you.

Lucy: I don't think I'll ever be able to forget what I heard them say.

Aslan: No, you won't.

Lucy: Oh dear, have I spoiled everything? Do you mean to say we would have gone on being friends if it hadn't been for this? And been really great friends, all our lives perhaps? And now we never shall?

Aslan: Child, did I not explain to you once before that no one is ever told what would have happened?

Lucy: Yes, Aslan, you did. I'm sorry. But please...

Aslan: Speak on, dear heart.

Lucy: Shall I ever be able to read that story again? The one I couldn't remember? Will you tell it to me, Aslan? Oh do, please do.

Aslan: Indeed, yes. I will tell it to you for years and years.

Lucy: Thank you.

Aslan: But now, come.

Lucy: Where are we going?

Aslan: We must meet the master of this house.

Focus on the Family: Hey, this is Dr. Greg Smalley from Focus on the Family. If you're married, you know it takes work for two lives to become one. Your wins and losses are often tied to who you are and how you work together.

The Focus on the Family marriage assessment provides a combined report that considers your individual strengths and areas of growth and how unique people like you can better come together. To get started, visit focusonthefamily.com/marriageassessment. That's focusonthefamily.com/marriageassessment.

Hi, I'm Jim Daly with Focus on the Family, and I want to strongly encourage you to watch Truth Rising, a powerful documentary featuring courageous believers standing firm in their faith despite real challenges. Watch their inspiring stories now at truthrising.com.

Focus on the Family Radio Theatre is made possible through the generous donations of listeners like you. For more information, visit radiotheatre.org or contact Focus on the Family at 1-800-A-FAMILY.

Narrator: Lucy followed the great lion out into the passage. And at once she saw coming towards her an old man, barefoot, dressed in a red robe. His white hair was crowned with a chaplet of oak leaves. His beard fell to his girdle, and he supported himself with a curiously carved staff. When he saw Aslan, he bowed low.

Coriakin: Welcome, Aslan, to the least of your houses.

Aslan: Do you grow weary, Coriakin, of ruling such foolish subjects as I have given you here?

Coriakin: No, they are rather stupid, but there's no real harm in them. I begin to grow rather fond of the creatures. Sometimes perhaps I am a little impatient, waiting for the day when they can be governed by wisdom instead of this rough magic.

Aslan: All in good time, Coriakin.

Coriakin: Do you intend to show yourself to them?

Aslan: Nay, I should frighten them out of their senses. Many stars will grow old and come to take their rest in islands before your people are ripe for that. And today, before sunset, I must visit Trumpkin the Dwarf, where he sits in the castle at Cair Paravel, counting the days till his master Caspian comes home. I will tell him your story, Lucy.

Lucy: But Aslan...

Aslan: Do not look so sad. We shall meet soon again.

Lucy: Please, Aslan, what do you call soon?

Aslan: I call all times soon.

Lucy: Oh, he's gone again.

Coriakin: And you and I quite crestfallen. It's always like that. You can't keep him. It's not as if he were a tame lion. And now child, how did you enjoy my book?

Lucy: Oh, parts of it were...