Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. This story is about something that happened to them when they left London during the war.
The four children were sent to an old man's house in the countryside, ten miles from the nearest railway station and two miles from the nearest post office. The old man had untidy white hair which grew over most of his face. On the first evening, he went out to meet the children. He looked so strange that little Lucy was a bit afraid, but Edmund wanted to laugh and tried to hide it by blowing his nose.
After saying goodnight to the old man, they went upstairs. The house was so large with all those steps and rows of doors leading into empty rooms. The boys went into the girls' room and they argued about the house and the old man. While they were talking, there came a strange noise. The noise and the thought of the large house made Lucy feel even more frightened.
"It's an owl (猫头鹰)," said Peter. "This is a wonderful place for birds. Let's go and explore tomorrow. You might find anything in a place like this. Did you see those mountains and woods as we came along?"
But the next morning, there was a rain falling, so thick that you could see neither the mountains nor the woods. After breakfast, they were upstairs in the room. Edmund started complaining about the weather. Susan suggested reading books in the room. "Not for me," said Peter, "I'm going to explore in the house." Everyone agreed to this and that was how the adventures began.
