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The_Complete_Chronicles_of_Narnia_(volumes_1-7,_in_order_of_publication)

The_Complete_Chronicles_of_Narnia_(volumes_1-7,_in_order_of_publication)

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<strong>The</strong> crowd and the dance round Aslan (for it had become a dance once more) grew so<br />

thick and rapid that Lucy was confused. She never saw where certa<strong>in</strong> other people came<br />

from who were soon caper<strong>in</strong>g about among the trees. One was a youth, dressed only <strong>in</strong> a<br />

fawn-sk<strong>in</strong>, with v<strong>in</strong>e-leaves wreathed <strong>in</strong> his curly hair. His face would have been almost<br />

too pretty for a boy's, if it had not looked, so extremely wild. You felt, as Edmund said<br />

when he saw him a few days later, "<strong>The</strong>re's a chap who might do anyth<strong>in</strong>g absolutely<br />

anyth<strong>in</strong>g." He seemed to have a great many names - Bromios, Bassareus, and the Ram<br />

were three <strong>of</strong> them. <strong>The</strong>re were a lot <strong>of</strong> girls with him, as wild as he. <strong>The</strong>re was even,<br />

unexpectedly, someone on a donkey. And everybody was laugh<strong>in</strong>g: and everybody was<br />

shout<strong>in</strong>g out, "Euan, euan, eu-oi-oi-oi."<br />

"Is it a Romp, Aslan?" cried the youth. And apparently it was. But nearly everyone<br />

seemed to have a different idea as to what they were play<strong>in</strong>g. It may have been Tig, but<br />

Lucy never discovered who was It. It was rather like Bl<strong>in</strong>d Man's Buff, only everyone<br />

behaved as if they were bl<strong>in</strong>dfolded. It was not unlike Hunt the Slipper, but the slipper<br />

was never found. What made it more complicated was that the man on the donkey, who<br />

was old and enormously fat, began call<strong>in</strong>g out at once, "Refreshments! Time for<br />

refreshments," and fall<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong>f his donkey and be<strong>in</strong>g bundled on to it aga<strong>in</strong> by the others,<br />

while the donkey was under the impression that the whole th<strong>in</strong>g was a circus and tried to<br />

give a display <strong>of</strong> walk<strong>in</strong>g on its h<strong>in</strong>d legs. And all the time there were more and more<br />

v<strong>in</strong>e leaves everywhere. And soon not only leaves but v<strong>in</strong>es. <strong>The</strong>y were climb<strong>in</strong>g up<br />

everyth<strong>in</strong>g. <strong>The</strong>y were runn<strong>in</strong>g up the legs <strong>of</strong> the tree people and circl<strong>in</strong>g round their<br />

necks. Lucy put up her hands to push back her hair and found she was push<strong>in</strong>g back v<strong>in</strong>e<br />

branches. <strong>The</strong> donkey was a mass <strong>of</strong> them. His tail was completely entangled and<br />

someth<strong>in</strong>g dark was nodd<strong>in</strong>g between his ears. Lucy looked aga<strong>in</strong> and saw it was a bunch<br />

<strong>of</strong> grapes. After that it was mostly grapes overhead and underfoot and all around.<br />

"Refreshments! Refreshments," roared the old man.<br />

Everyone began eat<strong>in</strong>g, and whatever hothouses your people may have, you have never<br />

tasted such grapes. Really good grapes, firm and tight on the outside, but burst<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to<br />

cool sweetness when you put them <strong>in</strong>to your mouth, were one <strong>of</strong> the th<strong>in</strong>gs the girls had<br />

never had quite enough <strong>of</strong> before. Here, there were more than anyone could possibly<br />

want, and rib table-manners at all. One saw sticky and sta<strong>in</strong>ed f<strong>in</strong>gers everywhere, and,<br />

though mouths were full, the laughter never ceased nor the yodell<strong>in</strong>g cries <strong>of</strong> Euan, euan,<br />

eu-oi-oi-oi-oi, till all <strong>of</strong> a sudden everyone felt at the same moment that the game<br />

(whatever it was), and the feast, ought to be over, and everyone flopped down breathless<br />

on the ground and turned their faces to Aslan to hear what he would say next.<br />

At that moment the sun was just ris<strong>in</strong>g and Lucy remembered someth<strong>in</strong>g and whispered<br />

to Susan,<br />

"I say, Su, I know who they are."<br />

"Who?"

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