Eustace Clarence Scrubb did not know how to be a dragon.

His sharp tongue and pretentious vocabulary were useless in a dragon’s mouth, and his scaly limbs were better at smudging out his clumsy words in the sand than they were at writing them. In any case, he had nothing to say—no explanation for what had happened and no one to blame but himself.

And then there were the other things he had no explanation for. Lucy’s kindness in doing what she could to relieve the pain caused by his greed. Everyone’s futile willingness to consider the impossibility of accommodating him on the voyage. Most of all, the companionship and well-meant attempts at encouragement from his former enemy, Reepicheep.

What Eustace couldn’t explain, he began to learn. He learned to fly, to hunt, and to be useful. He discovered the joy
“of being liked, and still more, of liking other people.”

The more Eustace learned about being a dragon, the more he realized that he’d never really known how to be human. And now, it seemed he never would.

Until the night the Lion called him.

Eustace recoiled in fear. The presence of this Lion overflowed with the Unknown. With infinite power, terrifying goodness, and the knowledge of all things hidden.

There was no arguing with Him.

There was no explaining Him.

(Eustace never did try to explain the moonlight that surrounded Him though the night was dark. Or how the Lion commanded him without speech.)

There was only beholding His fullness, and to see Him was to trust and obey.

This time, fear found its completion in humility.

Eustace followed the Lion into the unknown. He would have to let go of his own answers one more time.

Thank you for reading! This is the third part of a series exploring the value of curiosity through the eyes of Eustace Scrubb from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis.