Eliza was an orphan. She was found when she was eight by a Canadian doctor, who treated her for a head injury and then took her the orphanage, near the capital of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. She had no past, no home and no family. All she had was a necklace.

     The necklace was a heart-shaped, flat piece of silver. Engraved on the front were the words, TOGETHER IN NARNIA. The heart rested on a gold chain around her neck. I wish I knew who gave it to me. My parents maybe?, thought Eliza. She sighed. All I want to do is find my home, love and family. I just want to belong to my family--if I have one.

     Eliza came out of her daydream when an old, French-accented voice called her. Eliza sighed. The voice belonged to the headmistress of the orphanage, Ms. Glockenburg. Eliza knew what she was being called for. She had to leave, for she was 18, the age most orphans left the orphanage at. She probably had to go work in a factory. Eliza stood up. She pulled on her worn leather-trench coat over her heavy purple sweater and blue jeans. A blue newsboy cap, purple gloves and a scarf completed her wardrobe.

      Eliza walked out of the empty bedroom. She went down the staircase to the first floor. Ms. Glockenburg was waiting at the bottom, tapping her foot on the floor impatiently.

     "About time you got here," she scowled, "We don't have all day." She led the way to the door.

     As they walked out the door, into the cold and snow, the other orphans waved from the windows and shouted, "Bye, Eliza, bye!" Eliza waved back.

    "Stop dawdling and hurry up!," said Ms. Glockenburg, as she led Eliza toward the gate. "You have been a worthless waglefish ever zince you came here. So, I had the wonderful task of hiring you out to zee power plant."

     "The power plant!," exclaimed Eliza, "But why?"

     Ms. Glockenburg cut her off. "You ungrateful girl! You should consider yourself lucky that you have had a place to stay for ten years, instead of the street, like your parents left you!"

     Lucky!?, thought Eliza, Why would I be LUCKY to be HERE? Anger surged through her. My family didn't abandon me! They were probably poor and couldn't take care of me!

     "Go down zis path until you get to the fork in the road. Go left. Good riddance!" She slammed the gate after pushing Eliza through. Eliza walked down to the road's fork, a good half mile away.

     "The power plant!," exclaimed Eliza, sitting down on the road side under the road's sign. She sighed. Eliza was at a crossroads, a crossroad of her life. Either she went to the power plant-- "I can't go there! I'll find my family first!"--or...she didn't really know. She was glad she had on a pair of heavy snow-boots and long handles. It was cold. The snow fell softly. Eliza twirled a lock of her auburn-blonde hair, while she thought. She opened her coat and pulled out the much cherished book, The Silver Chair. It was worn from being read so much.

     "I must have read this book a million times!," said Eliza. When she was ten, the nearest town's local pastor had passed out many copies of the Chronicles of Narnia. Eliza had received The Silver Chair. She loved to read it. She especially liked it because she somehow CONNECTED to Princes Rilian. She didn't understand why, so she asked the pastor. He said she did because she has something in common with Rilian: they had both been separated from their families for ten years.

     Eliza had believed the pastor, but she thought it might be something else, something DEEPER than that. She sighed again. She returned the book to her coat. Then she decided to walk.

     She did so, wandering a bit down the snowy road, not toward the factory, but to the right, towards New Brunswick's capitol. While walking Eliza passed a cottage and spied inside the window. She saw a family inside, eating lunch and having a wonderful time as a family. That was one thing Eliza wanted most: a family of her own. Then she thought of the job she was supposed to go to. I'm NOT going to that power plant, she thought, It may offer food and shelter, but my family is more important. Starting here my life begins! I'll never have to take the crud of that orphanage ever again. Eliza went on down the road, thinking again of the strange connection she had with Prince Rilian.

     "I wonder what it means?," wondered Eliza. Then suddenly, she had an idea. "Maybe if I could go to Narnia, I could find out! But Narnia isn't real."  Then she gave a startled cry as a puppy jumped on her and sent her into a pile of snow.

     "Get off me!," said Eliza. The puppy got off and she stood up, brushing snow off herself. "I don't have time to play right now!" The curly-haired spaniel puppy looked up at her with sad eyes.

     "Oh, poor dog," said Eliza, "You look like you don't have a family either." The pup nodded as if he could understand her. Her blue eyes filled with sympathy. "Why don't you come with me?" The puppy barked and jumped into her arms. "All right, all right! Let's go!"

     She stood perfectly still, closed her eyes and said, "Aslan,. Aslan, Aslan, Please let me into Narnia." For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. But then....Eliza suddenly felt different. She no longer felt the bitting winter air nor the falling snow. She opened her eyes.