SUSAN
Lucy, the only wood in here is the back of the wardrobe.

Edmund pops from behind the wardrobe.He looks at her like she’s crazy.

PETER
One game at a time, Lu.We don’t all have your imagination.

Peter musses her hair.He turns to leave.The others follow.

Lucy checks for herself.She comes back out confused.

LUCY
But I wasn’t imagining.

The others stop.Susan grows concerned.

SUSAN
That’s enough, Lucy.

LUCY
I wouldn’t lie about this.

EDMUND
Well, I believe you.

LUCY
You do?

EDMUND
Of course.Didn’t I tell you about the football field in the bathroom cupboard?

Peter SHOVES him against the wall.

PETER
Oh will you just stop it.You just have to make everything worse, don’t you?

EDMUND
It was just a joke!

PETER
When are you going to learn to grow up?

Edmund swells with annoyance.

EDMUND
Shut up!You think you’re Dad, but you’re not.

Edmund storms out.Susan follows him.

SUSAN
Well, that was nicely handled.

Peter looks back to Lucy.Small by the wardrobe.

LUCY
But...it really was there.

But Peter’s lost in his own problems.

PETER
Susan’s right, Lucy, that’s enough.

He leaves her there alone.

30 INT. PROFESSOR’S HOUSE, GIRL’S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Lucy tosses and turns, staring at a flickering candle.

An ominous RUMBLING disturbs the silence.Lucy looks over to see...SUSAN SNORING.Lucy quietly slips out of bed.

31 INT. PROFESSOR’S HOUSE, BEDROOM HALL - NIGHT
Lucy eases out of her room, wearing galoshes and a dressing gown.Carrying her candle, she sneaks away down the hill.

After a moment, a toilet flushes from behind a door.

Edmund steps out of the bathroom to see Lucy at the far end of the hall.He grins and creeps after her.

Lucy opens the WARDROBE ROOM DOOR.She goes in, closing it behind her.

32 INT. PROFESSOR’S HOUSE, WARDROBE ROOM-NIGHT
Lucy’s hand hesitates on the Wardrobe handle.She bites her lip and PULLS THE DOOR OPEN.

A WIND BLOWS FROM THE WARDROBE, EXTINGUISHING THE CANDLE.

Lucy smiles.

33 INT. PROFESSOR’S HOUSE, BEDROOM HALL - NIGHT
Edmund steps out of the shadows.He reaches up for the knob, throws open the door and jumps in to find...

34 INT. PROFESSOR’S HOUSE, WARDROBE ROOM - NIGHT
Nothing.The room lies bare and silent.Edmund taunts:

EDMUND
Luccyyyy.Where are you?

The WARDROBE DOOR hangs ajar.Edmund creeps up.He reaches for the knob and YANKS OPEN THE DOOR.

EDMUND (cont’d)
BOO!

Nothing but coats.Edmund peers into the darkness

He climbs inside the wardrobe and...

EDMUND (cont’d)
Lucy - I hope you’re not afraid of the daaarrrk...

SHUTS THE DOOR BEHIND HIM.

35 INT. WARDROBE - NIGHT
DARKNESS.Edmund clunks and struggles in the wardrobe.

EDMUND
Lucy?Lucy?Where are you?

He stumbles and falls out of the darkness, into...

36 EXT. NARNIA, LANTERN WASTE - DAY
SNOW SWIRLS, then settles, revealing,

A SMALL FIGURE standing stock still in a forest clearing.

Edmund stares wide-eyed at the woods around him.He peers up at the lamp-post and walks forward.

37 EXT. NARNIA, FOREST NEAR LANTERN WASTE - CONTINUOUS
The wind blows through Edmund’s thin clothes.

EDMUND
Lucy...I think I believe you now.

He turns to where the wardrobe should be.He finds nothing.

Suddenly, he stops and listens.There...SLEIGH BELLS.

EDMUND (cont’d)
Lucy?

Through the swirling snow, a flash of black and red appears.

Edmund stares as it grows larger.And larger.

Until finally his eyes widen at the sight of A SLEIGH pulled by hard-charging WHITE REINDEER.

Snow plumes from the runners.Steam jets from the reindeers’ nostrils as...THE SLEIGH BEARS DOWN.

Edmund jumps back, falling into a snowbank.

The sleigh hisses to a stop.A MEAN-EYED DWARF at the reins.

EDMUND TAKES ON LOOK AND RUNS, BUT THE DWARF LEAPS DOWN AND TACKLES HIM. HE PUTS A DAGGER TO EDMUND’S THROAT.

EDMUND (cont’d)
Leave me alone!

Ginarrbrik just growls and tightens his grip.

From the sleigh comes A COLD, FEMININE VOICE

WHITE WITCH (O.S.)
What is it now, Ginarrbrik?

Edmund yells past the dwarf at the mysterious sleigh.

EDMUND
Make him let me go!I didn’t do anything wrong!

The dwarf presses his knife deeper.

GINARRBRIK
How dare you address the Queen of Narnia?

EDMUND
I didn’t know!

GINARRBRIK
Well, you will know her better hereafter.

The dwarf raise the dagger...

WHITE WITCH (O.S.)
Wait!

Puzzled, the dwarf releases Edmund’s arm.

Edmund gapes up.

AN ASTONISHINGLY TALL AND BEAUTIFUL WOMAN STANDS IN THE SLEIGH, RISING ABOVE HIM.

Her skin gleams whiter than the polar bear fur that surrounds it.Atop her head sits a many-pronged CROWN.

SHE STARES DOWN AT EDMUND, HER GREEN EYES BORING IN.

WHITE WITCH (cont’d)
What is your name, Son of Adam?

The dwarf looks at Edmund with new found interest.

EDMUND
Ed...Edmund

WHITE WITCH
And how, Edmund, did you come to enter my dominion?

EDMUND
I’m not sure.I was just following my sister, and-

WHITE WITCH
Your sister?How many are you?

EDMUND
Four.

The Witch shoots Ginarrbrik an alarmed look.Edmund looks at them both nervously.

EDMUND (cont’d)
Lucy’s the only one that’s been here before.She said she met some faun called Tumnus...Peter and Susan didn’t believe her.

The Witch interrupts suddenly and sweetly.

WHITE WITCH
Edmund, you look so cold.

She extend her slender hand.

WHITE WITCH (cont’d)
Will you come and sit with me?

Edmund doesn’t move.The Witch’s eyes flash.He swallows and takes her hand.

She sits him beside her, cocooning him in fur.

WHITE WITCH (cont’d)
Now, how about something hot to drink?

EDMUND
Yes, please...
(sucking up)
Your Majesty.

She takes out a SMALL COPPER VIAL, pops the cork and lets A SINGLE DROP fall to the snow.

THE SNOW MELTS UPWARDS, forming a steaming JEWELED CUP.

EDMUND GAPES, ASTONISHED.

Ginarrbrik hands him the cup.

GINARRBRIK
Your drink.Sire.

Edmund hesitates, then sips.

EDMUND
How did you do that?

WHITE WITCH
I can make you anything you’d like.

HE EYES THE COPPER VIAL.

EDMUND
Can you make me taller?

SHE LAUGHS.Edmund grins, pleased for having pleased her.

WHITE WITCH
Anything you would like...to eat.

Edmund thinks for a long moment, then smiles craftily.

EDMUND
(a challenge)
Turkish Delight?

She cocks an eyebrow, tipping the bottle once more, dropping a RUBY-COLORED PEARL.

A GLITTERING BOX appears.Ginarrbrik hands it up to Edmund.Edmund tears it open, gawking at rows of TURKISH DELIGHT.He put a piece in his mouth.His eyes glaze as he chews.

WHITE WITCH
Edmund, I would very much like to meet the rest of your family.

He looks hurt.

EDMUND
Why?They’re nothing special.

Edmund continues with the Turkish Delight, noisily sucking his fingers clean.

WHITE WITCH
Oh, I’m sure they’re not nearly as delightful as you are.

The Witch plucks off Ginarrbirk’s hat and gently wipes the boy’s sticky mouth.The dwarf seethes.

SHE LOOKS DEEP INTO EDMUND’S EYES, READING HIM.

WHITE WITCH (cont’d)
You see, Edmund, I have no children of my own.And you are exactly the sort of boy who I could see one day becoming a Prince of Narnia.
(she leans closer)
Maybe even King.

Edmund smiles, unsure.

EDMUND
Really?

WHITE WITCH
Of course, you’d have to bring your family...

EDMUND
(disappointed)
You mean Peter would be king, too?

WHITE WITCH
No, No... But a King needs servants.

Edmund smiles, considering the possibilities.

EDMUND
(a little reluctant)
I guess I could bring them.

He pops the last piece of Turkish delight into his mouth

WHITE WITCH
Beyond these woods, you see those two hills?My house is right between them.

She helps him down from the sled.

WHITE WITCH (cont’d)
You’d love it there, Edmund. It has whole rooms simply stuffed with Turkish Delight.

He looks longingly at the empty box.

EDMUND
Couldn’t I have some more...now?

WHITE WITCH
No!You don’t want to ruin your appetite.

Edmund stares up at her, helpless.He nods.

WHITE WITCH (cont’d)
Besides, you and I are going to be seeing each other again very soon, aren’t we?

EDMUND
I hope so...your Majesty.

Ginarrbrik cracks his whip and the reindeer spring to life.

WHITE WITCH
Until then, dear one...I’m going to miss you!

The Witch waves to Edmund as the sleigh sweeps her away into the white, hazy distance.

Edmund stands alone, dazed.

LUCY (O.S.)
Edmund?

He whips around to see LUCY RUNNING TO HIM.

LUCY (cont’d)
Oh, Edmund, you got in, too.Isn’t it wonderful?

Edmund wipes his mouth guiltily.

EDMUND
Where have you been?

LUCY
With Mr. Tumnus!He’s fine.The White Witch hasn’t found out anything about him meeting me...

EDMUND
The White Witch?

LUCY
She calls herself the Queen of Narnia, but she really isn’t.

EDMUND GOES GREEN, GUILT-RIDDEN.He looks down at the SLEIGH TRACKS in the snow, the turns away.

LUCY (cont’d)
Are you all right?You look awful.

EDMUND
Well, what do you expect, I mean, it’s freezing.How do we get out of here?

Lucy takes his hand.He stumbles along with her, pale.

LUCY
Come on.This way.

Kindly provided by DavisChristian

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