by Chris Wright
I nod my head. "I've often seen it."
"That light marks the path you must take to the Wicket Gate."
Wisdom leaves me, and I keep reading the letter. In the evening I show it to Matthew and Samuel, the oldest two of my four brothers. "What do you think?" I ask.
"I think you ought to go," Samuel says. Although he's the second oldest, I always think of him as being the most sensible brother I have.
"I'd like to go, but what will happen to you boys if I leave you alone?" I ask.
"We'll go with you," Matthew, the oldest of the four says immediately. "At any rate I will."
"Will you really?" I give him a hug. Matthew is only a year younger than me, but he's not as thoughtful as Samuel.
"I've often thought about going," Matthew tells me. "You know, since our father and mother crossed the Dark River. It will be good for us all to go together."
I smile as I look into the fire. "Our parents will certainly be pleased to see us. But I don't know what to do about Joseph and James. James is probably too young for such an adventure."
The door flies open, and my two youngest brothers rush in. "What are you three talking about?" James, the youngest, asks.
"Christiana has a letter," Samuel tells him, as he puts it on the table where both brothers can read it.
"Look, it's from the King," Joseph says excitedly. "Why has he written to Christiana?"
"Who brought it?" James asks. "Did it really come from the King?"
"One of the visitors to the city brought it," I explain. "Her name is Wisdom. I'm sure you've seen her in the streets."
"She spoke to me the other day," Joseph says, "and I liked her. So are you going?" He comes round to the fire and leans against my chair, looking into my face.
"If I do, will you come with me, Joseph?" I ask.
"I don't mind. Will we have to fight anybody? Are there any wild beasts?"
"I don't know, but Wisdom says the King's Son will watch over us. We have to pass through a Wicket Gate with the light over it. Do you remember hearing how Pliable went with Christian, and both of them fell into the Slough of Despond."
"That terrible place?" Joseph pulls a face.
"What is it?" James asks.
"It's a great bog like quicksand that sucks people down," Joseph says, and he makes a loud sucking noise as he tries to frighten his younger brother.
"Then we'll be careful," Samuel says. Yes, he's by far the most sensible of all my brothers, and I think he's also the bravest.
"I'd like to be a pilgrim, Christiana," Joseph tells me, jumping up and down, "but what about James? You can't leave him behind."
"No," I tell him, "of course we can't." I have to smile, for Joseph is only a year older than James. If Joseph can make it, surely James can too.
"Does that mean we're all going?" Joseph asks. "Please say we are, Christiana. Please."
I nod happily. "If that's what you want."
"When can we start? Tomorrow?" Joseph is still jumping up and down.
I want to jump up and down too, but as their sister I have to behave a little more sensibly. "The next day, I think. We can prepare everything at night and leave early, as soon as the gates of our city are opened."
On a piece of paper, write down the names of Christiana and her four brothers, starting with the oldest and finishing with the youngest.
Christiana, Matthew, Samuel, Joseph and James.
This will be my last afternoon in the City of Destruction, and one of my friends has called to see me. Her name is Mercy. She's the same age as Matthew. Unfortunately, Mercy's mother has come as well. We call Mercy's mother Mrs. Bats-Eyes, but of course not in front of her. James thought of the name last year, and I told him it's extremely rude to make up names for people. But we all use it now. I don't think Mercy knows it's what we call her mother. At least, I hope she doesn't.
Mrs. Bats-Eyes has a habit of saying, "I can't see this, I can't see that," whenever anyone has an idea she doesn't agree with. She has a friend we call Mrs. Know-Nothing, and I'm glad to say she hasn't come this afternoon.
"Oh, you do look busy, Christiana," Mrs. Bats-Eyes says. "We're here to invite you to go with us to the country tomorrow."
"I don't think I can," I say, not wanting to say too much about my plans. "I have so many things to do at the moment."
"I can't see that matters. Not if you want to be with Mercy," Mrs. Bats-Eyes says. "No, I can't see it at all."
I'm glad my brothers are out. They would all be looking at each other and giggling by now.
"You're packing everything away," Mercy says. "Are you getting ready for a journey, Christiana?"
I've not planned to tell Mercy about the King's letter, but now I feel it would be better to say what I'm going to do.
"I've received a message from the King," I say, "and I'm going to the Celestial City."
"Oh," Mrs. Bats-Eyes cries, "I can't see that's a sensible thing to do at all."
"I'd like you to come with me, Mercy," I say, avoiding her mother's eyes.
"And leave this beautiful city and all her friends?" Mrs. Bats-Eyes gives a loud snort. "I can't see why Mercy would want to do that, Christiana. And what will your brothers do? It's wrong of you to think of leaving them."
"I'm not leaving them. They're coming with me."
Mrs. Bats-Eyes laughs. "You must be mad, girl. How can young boys like Joseph and James be pilgrims? We all know about your friend Christian and his troubles. He was nearly lost in the Slough of Despond. How do you think that place got its name?"
"Because it's like a marsh," I say, worried now that Mercy's mother might talk me out of going.
When Christian got stuck in the marsh, he had someone with him who was stuck as well. Who was it?
(Hint on the next page)
Hint: You may need a mirror to read this name.
"The Slough of … Despond." Mrs. Bats-Eyes says the last word loudly. "It sucks people under. Pliable was stuck there, as well as Christian. No, I really can't see it's a good idea."
"I've made my mind up to go," I say firmly.
Mrs. Bats-Eyes hasn't finished. "Two boys told us that Christian met lions on Hill Difficulty."
"I'm not afraid of lions," I say, but of course I am.
"Yes," Mrs. Bats-Eyes continues, "and you can't have forgotten the news from Vanity Fair about young Faithful. You're stupid to run into such danger, Christiana -- especially with four brothers who need you to take care of them."
"Matthew's big enough now to take care of me," I tell her. "Anyway, the King has promised to watch over us. Look, here's his letter. You can read it if you like."
But Mrs. Bats-Eyes won't even look at it, so I pass it to Mercy.
Mrs. Bats-Eyes stands up. "It's no use wasting our time here," she tells Mercy. "You can go if you want, Christiana, but you'll soon be back!"
I'm not sorry when the door closes and I'm alone again. But only for a moment, for Joseph and James burst in and ask me if anything's the matter.
I tell them how Mercy's mother has been doing her best to talk us out of going to the Celestial City, and they're not to take any notice of my tears.
"Mrs. Bats-Eyes is silly," Joseph says. "She can never see the sense in anything."
"I'm not taking any notice of her," I say, "but I'm glad Wisdom came here and spoke to me. If she hadn't, I don't think I'd be bothering to pack."
Samuel comes back for tea much sooner than usual, to ask if he can help, eager for us to start our pilgrimage. Matthew, of course, is the last to return. He can be so irresponsible at times.
"I've washed and mended your clothes," I tell my brothers, "but they're getting very shabby. You'll have to look after them carefully."
"Perhaps the King will send us some new ones," Samuel suggests.
"Perhaps he will," I say, but I don't think it's likely.
"Maybe without new clothes we won't be allowed to see the King," James says.
Mercy and her brothers cannot afford new clothes,
so what will they have to wear? Will they be allowed into the Celestial City?
Very early in the morning we creep away from our cottage in our old clothes, and out through the gates of the city. Joseph and James run on in front because they're anxious to get to the Wicket Gate first.
"Maybe we'll meet a lion," Joseph calls back. "If we do, I won't be frightened."
"Nor will I," James adds, sounding fearless. "Pilgrims are always brave, and we must fight for Christiana."
I think it's more likely I'll be fighting for them -- with the help of Matthew and Samuel, of course. I hear a shout, and turn to see Mercy running across the meadow.
"Stop!" she cries. "Please let me speak to you, Christiana."
Mercy sounds out of breath as she catches hold of my hand. "Can I walk a little way with you?" she asks.
"You can travel with us all the way to the Celestial City," I tell her.
Mercy shakes her head. "I can't," she says. "The King hasn't sent me a message. I don't think he'll let me into his City if he hasn't invited me."
"I'll tell you what we'll do," I say, having a sudden idea. "Come with us as far as the Wicket Gate, and we'll ask if it's all right for you to pass through."
We go on together happily until we reach the edge of the Slough of Despond, a large soggy marsh.
This is the place where I heard that Pliable and Christian were nearly sucked under and drowned, which makes me more than a little scared -- not that I'm going to tell the others. I say, "I don't know how we can get across. It seems rather dangerous."
The soft mud oozes out between the tufts of grass as we move our feet, but as we look around we catch sight of some stepping-stones. Samuel, the bravest, goes first, slowly checking that each stone is firm. Joseph and James follow him, skipping lightly from stone to stone, and we soon find ourselves on the far side on firm ground.
"I want everyone to keep going towards the light," I tell them. "Perhaps we can rest once we've gone through the Wicket Gate."
Who keeps the Wicket Gate?
(Hint on the next page.)
Hint: Turn your screen upside down and use a mirror.
About the middle of the day, the six of us reach a large door set into a high wall. Over the door I see the words: Knock, and the door will be opened to you. The bright light we saw in the distance shines out from these words that the King's Son has put there.
"You're older than us," Matthew says to me, looking a little scared, "so you'd better be the one to knock."
I lift a small hammer that's hanging by the door and knock, but no one answers. A dog starts to bark somewhere behind us, and although I'm sure Joseph and James mean to be brave, they both turn pale, and whisper, "Can we go home?"
"There's nothing to be afraid of," Mercy says firmly, but I think she's as frightened as my youngest two brothers.
"Knock again," Samuel suggests, standing back with Matthew. "Knock louder this time."
So I lift the hammer and start knocking as hard as I can.
Suddenly a small door within the large one opens. This small door, I realize, is the Wicket Gate. Surely no one could open the large door, but this one is just big enough to let us through one at a time.
"My name is Goodwill," a pleasant man says. "Who are you?"
The dog hears his voice and leaves off barking.
"We've come from the City of Destruction where Christian lived," I tell Goodwill, feeling a little braver now that I've seen him smile. "We want to be the King's pilgrims -- if you'll let us pass through your door. These are my brothers."
Goodwill leads us through, saying, "I always let young people come to me."
I've seen words like these written in the Book Christian was so fond of reading, and know the King's Son himself spoke them. Just for a moment I wonder if Goodwill is the King's Son. Certainly, I could never want to be welcomed by anyone kinder. I smile with relief as I enter the Way of the King, with my brothers following one by one. The Wicket Gate closes behind us.
Suddenly a trumpet sounds out from high on the wall. Goodwill has told a man to play a tune of welcome to five new pilgrims. Five? There should be six of us. I can see my four brothers, so who is missing?
Someone is knocking frantically.
"Don't forget me," I hear a voice call from outside the Wicket Gate, as the trumpeter finishes his piece.
"Is that your friend?" Goodwill asks.
It certainly sounds noisy enough to be her. "I think so," I say.
Goodwill throws the door open. "Are you all right?" he asks.
Mercy is lying on the ground. I think she's fainted with shock at the thought of being shut outside.
Goodwill stoops down and picks her up in his arms. "Don't be frightened," he says softly, as Mercy opens her eyes. "Tell me why you've come."
Mercy looks pale. "I don't have a letter. I only came this far because my friend Christiana let me."
"Did Christiana invite you to go to the Celestial City with her?" Goodwill asks.
"Yes, and I'd like to go. Will the King be angry with me?"
Goodwill shakes his head. "My Gate is open to everyone who knocks at it. Didn't you see the promise written above it?"
Mercy nods.
"And can you remember what it says?"
Mercy smiles up at him. "It says, 'Knock, and the door will be opened to you.' That's why I kept knocking."
"I put those words there specially for you," Goodwill tells her. "So of course you can come in."
Goodwill carries Mercy through the Wicket Gate to join us, then leads the way into a cool, quiet room where he says we can rest until he comes for us later.
As soon as we're alone, Mercy says, "It was awful when you'd all gone in, and I was left behind." She's laughing now. Perhaps it's relief. "I didn't like to knock again, until I looked up and saw the words carved over the Gateway. Then I knocked as loudly as I could."
"Loudly?" I say. "I never heard such knocking in all my life. I thought you were going to break the door down!"
"Well," Mercy says, "I couldn't help it. The Wicket Gate was shut, and that fierce dog must have been somewhere near. You'd have knocked loudly if you'd felt so frightened."
"I wonder why Goodwill keeps that noisy dog," I say. "But we're all safe now."
Joseph says, "James is afraid it will bite us when we leave here."
I have to smile. It's probably Joseph who's afraid, although he won't admit it. But maybe I'm a bit frightened myself. Perhaps we all are.
James pulls me to one side. "I like Goodwill," he says. "Do you think he's the King's Son?"
What do you think?
I don't laugh, which is probably what James is expecting me to do. I've been wondering the same thing ever since we came here.
When Goodwill returns, I'm about to ask him who he really is, but Mercy interrupts and wants to know why he keeps the dog.
"It's not mine," he says. "There's a dark palace not far from the Wicket Gate. The dog belongs to the evil prince. It lives at the palace, but it can run along his master's land until it comes close to my cottage. Then, as soon as it hears pilgrims knocking, it begins to bark. The evil prince has taught it to do this, but I always open the Wicket Gate as soon as I know someone really wants to come in."
I ask Goodwill about the Way of the King, and he's ready to answer all my questions.
"Before it gets dark you will come to the house of Interpreter," he says. "Knock on the door. It's safe to stop there for the night."
Afterwards he tells us to wash while he prepares a midday meal for us. At last we feel refreshed, and are able to go on our journey.
As we stand outside his house, Goodwill points to a high wall by the side of the road, and says it stops the savage dog seeing us.
The branches of some trees hang over the wall, making a pleasant shade from the sun. Some of the trees are full of ripe berries. As the branches are within easy reach, my brothers of course begin to pick the fruit.
"You shouldn't do that," I warn them. "It
may be dangerous to eat. That garden belongs to the evil prince."
My brothers already have their mouths full. "This fruit is lovely," Matthew says.
Joseph and James are wise enough to listen. They quickly spit their berries out and throw the rest away. I think Samuel has already eaten some, but he stops immediately.
"I'm as big as you," Matthew tells me. "And I know just as much as you do. This fruit is good." So he goes on eating.
Do you think it is safe to eat the berries? Or are they…?
I tell my brothers to behave themselves and keep close to me from now on. Samuel soon feels well again, and Matthew has at last stopped eating the fruit. Joseph and James are keeping much closer to me than they did in the morning, while Mercy says her feet are hurting.
We see a large house in the distance, close to the road. "That must be the house of Interpreter," I tell the others brightly, hoping to make them feel better. "Goodwill said we can sleep there tonight."
The windows are wide open, and as we come up the pathway to the door of the house, we can hear people talking. I knock on the door and a young servant comes to open it.
"Who do you wish to see?" she asks pleasantly.
My brothers and Mercy stand back. I seem to be the one who has to do all the talking when we meet people. "My name is Christiana. I think a friend of mine called Christian stayed here when he was a pilgrim. These are my four brothers, and this is our friend, Mercy."
The young servant goes quickly to a large room where we can see a man sitting at a table with some very young pilgrims who are probably his children. "Can you guess who is at the door?" I hear her say. "It's Christiana, with her brothers and a friend."
The man pushes his chair back and hurries to the door to welcome us. "Come in, come in. My name is Interpreter. Are you really Christiana?" he asks. "Christian told us about you when he came here, and we heard you were on your way."
"Yes, I'm Christiana," I say, feeling embarrassed, and we all stay on the doorstep. I wish now that I'd started the journey with Christian, because it seems that all the good things he told me are true.
"How pleased Christian will be when he meets you in the Celestial City," Interpreter says. "But we mustn't let you stand at the door. Come in and rest."