terb’s world: my favorite things

This is the first time I’m posting an entry both in my Narnia blog – since this is a story that happened in Narnia – and my non-Narnia blog – since this is a story that can be understood and enjoyed even by people who have never read of Narnia. I just read “Byron on Wells,” a book written by someone I met in the TLC (The Lion’s Call) forum, EveningStar aka John Burkitt.

Byron on Wells is a town in Narnia, located far from Cair Paravel and all the other places familiar to Narnia fans. The narrator is Mountebank Beaverlee (Mountie for short), a young beaver with great dreams, who tells vignettes about life for Wellanites. To me, it’s like a funny, poignant coming-of-age, like The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (by Mark Twain) and Little Women (by Louisa May Alcott).

Mountie is close friends with Buck (a badger kit) and Bramble (a fox pup), who are always full of mischief but have hearts of gold. Along the way, we meet their family and friends too, and learn their tragedies and dreams, which make the stories even more heartwarming and homey.

Here are my favorite stories from Byron on Wells in order of preference:

# 1 – Good News (Chapter 4)

I cried a bit after reading this story. Don’t read it if you haven’t read the previous 2 chapters (The Regatta and Making Repairs), because they provide the background of the story, and if you don’t have an idea of Aslan’s sacrifice in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Truly, He is risen!

# 2 – Brotherly Love (Chapter 21)

This is perhaps one of the most heart-wrenching stories in the book dealing with the loss of a child. If you only had to read one story from this book, I suggest you read this one, since it is pretty much a “stand-alone” story that you can understand even without reading the previous ones. I won’t give it away by telling you what happened, but here’s a short quote that would give you an idea:

Of all the gifts I’ve ever seen given, none ever compared with that selfless gesture of pure love. He gave back to my mother the most precious gift of all, the joy of living.

# 3 – The Succession (Chapter 26)

Again, I cried a bit after reading this one. If you’ve ever felt a tinge of guilt for disappointing your parents by not going after their dreams for you and instead, chasing your own dreams, then you have to read this story. Here’s how Mountie described the moment:

And then I saw something I wish I had not. It was Dad sitting on the bench with his face buried in his paws. It was only the second time in my life I saw Dad cry.

The depth of his pain cut me like a knife as he surrendered his cherished dreams for me. And though I’ve always loved my father, in that one moment I believe I loved him more than ever before and more than I ever could again.

# 4 – The Written Word (Chapter 8)

EveningStar (the author) actually shared the plot for this story in the TLC forum, so I knew what was going to happen before I even read it. But it was quite a different experience to read the story knowing the characters already – Mountie and his Dad, Horace, and his Mom, Crystal, and the Vicar, Faun Chios. I was moved when I read the plot, but I was even more moved when I read the entire story.

# 5 – Relatively Speaking (Chapter 13)

This is a story everyone can understand, about the typical snooty, well-to-do family who turned their back on their daughter because she chose to marry a poor guy. The only difference is that they are actually all foxes. It is a very painfully, poignant story that made me fall in love with the crusty old Nickaby, who said, “… family is not something you are, it’s something you do.”

# 6 – The Prize (Chapter 24)

This is a wonderful story about the things that really matter in life. Here’s what Horace had to say to his son, Mountie:

“It’s like that with us – I hope for the best, but I prepare for the worst. I want to go easy on you because I love you, but I stand firm in the end because I love you.”

# 7 – The Christmas (Chapter 19)

One of my favorite characters is Thorny (Bramble’s dad), whose young wife Clara died a few years before. On Christmas day, during the party at the inn where he worked, his sister-in-law Holly dropped by and asked him to dance. He hesitated at first, until his employer and dear friend Nickaby gave him permission and said:

“Remember lad, this can be the happiest day of the year… or the loneliest. Use your chances wisely.”

I understand exactly how it feels. For someone grieving the loss of a loved one, Christmas is always one of the most difficult days to go through. Anyway, here is what happened:

She rested her head on his shoulder. “You dance divinely,” she said. He was lost in a dream of happiness. The order of nature had been upset and time began to work backwards. Two lonely years had rolled back and for a moment all was as it should have been. Holly understood that it was Clara he was dancing with, but she did not mind.

# 8 – The Club With No Name (Chapter 1)

Of course this has to be in my list because it introduces us to all the main characters of Byron-on-Wells. To set up my favorite part (which is one of the most poignant), Mountie has a twin brother Sam who died years ago, but who “lived on in [his] imagination. Since Mountie didn’t have any friends, he got into the habit of going to the river to talk to “Sam” – who was actually his reflection. Towards the end of the story, after Mountie met and became friends with Buck the badger and Bramble the fox, he went back to “Sam” to say goodbye:

That evening I went to where the water was still. The sun was sinking low in the sky but I could still get a clear reflection. “Hello, Sam. It’s me again.”

I could see the melancholy look on his face, a reflection of my own mood. “I bet you can tell something is happening. Well it is. Today I made me some new friends. You’d like Buck and Bramble. They’re fun to be with. Someday you’ll get to meet them.”

I sighed… so did Sam… “It’s not that you weren’t fun to be with, but you have friends now in Aslan’s Country that you can touch, and now I do too. Each of us ought to spend more time with them and less with each other. Don’t worry though. I’ll never forget you.”

(For those who haven’t read The Chronicles of Narnia, Aslan’s Country represents heaven, where my two brothers are, happy and serene and patiently waiting for our entire family to be reunited again.)

To read Byron on Wells and other stories and poems by John Burkitt, please visit http://www.royalmagi.org.