'Free Passage to Narnia': Victoria woman posts fantastical sign on free wardrobe
Jennifer is in the midst of a move. While the piano she’s playing in the front entrance is coming with her, the wardrobe she’s left out in the front yard is not.
“I discovered cube storage and how great it is,” Jennifer smiles.
It’s more practical to have 16 cubes, than the wardrobe’s four drawers. So she’s giving it away.
“I should let other people experience the magic,” she says.
By “magic,” Jennifer is referring to what she wrote on the sign that she stuck on the wardrobe: Free passage to Narnia.
“I know that now,” she says. “Because of what happened to me.”
Jennifer says she discovered her wardrobe’s connection to the beloved book series by accident, during routine cleaning.
“I was wiping it off then pa-chew!” Jennifer makes an explosive sound. “It was amazing.”
Jennifer says the fawn that first appeared in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe burst from the wardrobe’s doors.
“[I was] glad to see him,” Jennifer smiles. “He was a big part of my childhood.”
Which raises the big question: Why get rid of something that has an antique handle, interior tie-rack, mysterious number three stamped on the back, and inspires a feeling of childhood magic? The answer: Jennifer’s life is filled with enough everyday excitement.
“I watch an episode of Fraser, I have a hot bath, then I go upstairs and my husband and I compare notes on the events of the day,” Jennifer smiles. “That’s enough.”
And that’s enough for me to appreciate that the story on the sign is simply an example of Jennifer’s dry wit and creative writing.
But then, just before I drive away, I hear the sound of hooves on the sidewalk, and see a deer walking towards the wardrobe with an ear tag that features a number with a three, just like the stamp on the back of the wardrobe.
A coincidence or something more?
“Don’t dismiss whatever magic you find,” Jennifer smiles. “There are some things in life that just don’t make sense and that’s just the way it is. And sometimes that can be amazing. In fact, most of the time it is.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.