Aw, Ruth, this was very sweet, and quite funny! You've written Trumpkin so perfectly; he's exactly how I might have imagined him in his crotchety old age. I loved the Useless Eustace bit, in particular! This reads a bit differently from your other works (not a criticism!), but I love that there are still those little pieces (particularly with regard to the Beasts) that are so true to what we have all come to know and love about your Narnia.