Chronicles of Narnia: Remnants of a darkened mirror.

Chapter 2
I-70 Inroad to New Jersey 7:00 PM present day

Starlight reminiscence came to an abrupt end as Josh loudly asked his mom, as little kids customarily do, “Are we there yet”?

About 2 hours earlier at the Lampposts nightclub, New Jersey

Theresa Martinez was an up and coming dancer from Brooklyn. She was eager to start her new job as Go-Go dancer at the club when a bouncer told her that Mr Cromwald himself wanted to see her. Feeling nervous, but proud to be called to the presence of the man that had the biggest night club chain in the Eastern United States, she complied. “Mr. Cromwald you asked for me?” she asked as she entered the poorly lit office. Cromwald was at his desk with 2 of his extremely intimidating guard wolves at each side of the desk. “Yes I did my dear, I want to take a picture of you. Will you please go into the next room so I can take it?”

An expression of displeasure appeared on Theresa’s face as she heard Cromwald’s proposal. She sighed deeply, and with obvious held back anger “I see, OK I’ll be leaving now, this was a mistake obviously” she said as she began to walk out “What is the problem? It’s just a picture!” Cromwald said knowing full well what the response would be, the Faun had become an expert in manipulating people and their emotions.

“Just a picture?” Theresa snapped back “Mr Cromwald I came here to dance not to pose topless, naked or otherwise for whatever fantasies you may have. If that’s what you want you should have written you wanted to hire a slut and not a dancer!”. Cromwald just sat behind his desk, amused and somewhat bewildered at the response the young women before him gave. Most other girls whom he had made the same kind of deal had not refused and even asked if he wanted them to pose topless or naked and yet this human female did not conform to that laxed, hedonistic behavior. He finally spoke up “I never asked for you to pose naked, topless or otherwise, I asked just to take a picture of you that’s all.”

“Really, what’s the catch?” Theresa asked incredulously “Catch? No catch just a picture.” Cromwald replied with the same annoying and yet somehow soothing calm demeanor. “Really? Just a picture of me. Not topless, not naked, not making out with some other girl or anything like that?” Theresa asked back intrigued.

“No, just you. May I ask you something?” Cromwald replied “What?” Theresa replied. “You are here to get a Job as a Go-Go dancer which requires pretty skimpy clothing. Yet the idea of not wearing a top or being naked in front of a camera disgusts you, why is that? Not that I want that sort of thing as I explained but I’m curious as to why.” Cromwald inquired.

Theresa sighed again “Mr Cromwald I cannot believe you do not see the difference between wearing a bikini and a tank top and wearing nothing or being topless right?” she answered, not liking the line of questioning at all. Cromwald now had her exactly where he wanted her to be and changed to a more conciliatory tone. “Yes I do as I said I was just curious, I take it you really must have had some bad experiences with other employers right?”

“Most of them have tried to take advantage of me, to force to pose for pictures or worse…” Theresa explained

Cromwald stood and strode until he was behind Theresa and placed his arms on her shoulders. Theresa felt inexplicably relaxed as he did. “Dear child you have suffered long enough, come with me to take that picture of yours and I guarantee you that no one will ever disrespect you as those other employers did” Theresa now under the full influence of the faun complied.

Cromwald led Theresa under his trance to the small room adjacent to his office were a strange looking camera on a tripod and a green tarp on the opposite side Cromwald placed his subject, now devoid of free will, in front of it. Then he went behind the camera and once again spoke very soothingly “Now show me your moves dear, dance for me!”

Just as Theresa complied starting a sexy dance routine, Cromwald depressed a button on the odd looking camera and a small hissing sound was heard. Theresa felt a sting below her breasts but before she could make sense of anything she felt in horror her whole body turning to stone. It was over so fast she just did not have time to react. She was left in a dancing pose with a terrified stare on her face.


“Do we have to kill each and every one of them, Cromwald? It seems like such a waste” Trixxie the Nymph said as she stepped out of the shadows and gently rubbed the cheek of the former dancer now turned to stone. Of all the creatures of Narnia besides Dwarves she was the most human looking though her pale white skin purplish hair, amber eyes and pointed ears were distinctive features of her people.

“You know as well as I that we won’t be able to wipe them all out in one swoop. Once their numbers are down to the brink of extinction you can keep as many as you want as pets if you like sweetheart!” Cromwald replied as he issued an order to the closest Minotaur. “Get my new statue to my garden SAP!” “Yes sir” the Minotaur replied as he almost automatically complied “And someone phone that idiot Reinhardt again. He is late as usual.

Trixxie was one of 3 Nymphs that came with the Renegades to this world to “remake” Narnia again. But as time had passed she increasingly questioned that goal and it’s motives. While she and her kind lived in Narnia, they had been mostly very reclusive being creatures of the forest. They rarely ever mingled with Humans.

But humans destroyed her home nonetheless and at first she shared the same anger and hatred that kept the others focused; focused like a laser beam on its target. Her time on Earth had greatly changed her views, she had learned that she could not all humans responsible for what had happened to her much less those of this world which was not even their own in the first place.

Her fellow Nymphs did not share that sentiment although they pursued pleasure by mingling with humans in the club as with Cromwald’s spell to humans they looked just like another Bar Girl having a good time. To her “sisters” mingling with humans for pleasure was just the means to an end. For her it had also been like that at first. Until one day a male customer got rowdy and a human female came to her aid kicking the guy in the crotch and calling the bouncer.


From then on she began to change her views about humanity. Trixxie knew that what was being planned was perverse and evil. But she had no way to stop it. She knew she could never go to the authorities and reveal herself. She knew she would end up being dissected in some lab as a result. For the first time in a long, long time she pleaded to the deep magic as her ancestors once did. “Dear mighty Aslan, I don’t know what to do, this needs to be stopped and I can’t see how, help me!”


“What’s the matter, dear?” A very soothing but unidentified male voice inquired, Startled Trixxie looked back to see who had spoken a medium sized man with gentle eyes was looking plaintively at her. “Who are you? How did you get here? I did not hear you come in!” “You asked for help” the man replied. “What you heard me on the hallway?” The man smiled “Aslan heard your pleas child.”

“How could you possibly know about Aslan? You don’t look like a Telmarine nor like a Calormene which are the only humans besides the Pevensies to know of Narnia and of Aslan.”

“He goes here by another name my dear, and as I said he has heard your pleas and has sent me to tell you that soon Mr Reinhardt shall be arriving with his kids and it is his kids you shall seek for they are the ones that will help you, you will help each other defeat this evil plot”

“So a few children are the ones that are going to save this world?” Trixxie asked even though she knew the Pevensies themselves came as children and defeated the White witch back in her own world she still had trouble digesting that Children could or should take the lead in situations like this. “Why do you doubt it, when you know full well that the Pevensies defeated the White witch? Kids have not only become rulers in Narnia as the Pevensies did. They have become leaders and kings right on this world as well, never underestimate what children are capable off.” the man explained as if reading her thoughts. “Now go. Time is off the essence, Aslan will be with you” he finished before he disappeared before her very eyes to be replaced by a gentle breeze that blew across the room.