A/N-This is a narrative I wrote for my essay class a while ago. As I said in my summary, this is my own little adventure in Middle Earth! ) Reviews are GREATLY appreciated!
One of my biggest life lessons, there are many, was taught to me only a small number of years ago It was a night of joy and laughter for some, but for others, such as my good friend, Amy, and I, it was a night of fear and peril! Little did we know as we walked away from the festivities of a new Eagle Scout that something terrible awaited us just across the courtyard in the main church building! A terror that awaited us in the darkness of the halls that led to the ladies room! But, before I carry on too far, I must start from the beginning, the beginning of an unexpected adventure!
It had started out like any other joyous Eagle Scout celebration would. Food was eaten, punch was sipped, jokes were cracked. People laughed and ate as others congratulated the young man; everywhere you looked were smiling faces and mirthful children. In a quiet little corner one could even see the flustered mother of the recipient accept congratulations from her fellow human beings. My friend and I were among them. However, after a bit merry mingling we found ourselves in need of the bathroom. Without delay we set out on the journey that led to the main building, and within it the restrooms.
The stars shone down upon us as we discussed our favorite scene from the movie, The Fellowship of the Ring. The scene was placed in the Mines of Moria as the Fellowship contemplated their next choice of action when the young Hobbit, Pippin, knocked a skeleton into the echoing abyss of a well. At first they were angry with Pippin, but the anger soon froze into fear when they heard the sound of drums coming from beneath them in the Mines. If you have seen the movie then you would know that the drums heralded, like the cry of a certain horseman that alerted America of the advancing British, the coming of a cave troll led by a legion of goblins. We were so engrossed in our discussion, of such a strange subject for two little girls, that we did not notice we were in the building. That is, until we heard it.
Although it was faint, the familiar sound instantly put an end to our conversation as we stopped to listen. What was it? Where was it? There it was again! Only closer this time! It was the loud boom that sounded very much like a drum being pounded by the fists of a monstrous and hideous creature! A creature, of course, who hadn't had "maiden" for dinner in quite some time! The once steady beat of our hearts was now rushed and erratic, blood swiftly flowed through our veins, and adrenaline, like electricity flowing down the kite's string, began to work its way through our body.
Now, the effect of the boom on us would have been much different if we had been like other girls and stuck to reading sleep over stories of baby-sitters. But, that was not the case with us. No, we preferred tales of elven archers, ugly goblins, and furry footed hobbits to pink ballerinas, peppy cheerleaders, and golden-haired heroines. And, whatever free time we had was spent in the employment of running around in towels, to us they were capes of purple, hunting for white stags upon broomstick horses, and, our favorite, avoiding death by cave troll, many a time it was our willing brothers who played the role.
Now back to the story. Fear, fear that had hands of ice that clutched our heart, glued our feet to the floor as we heard yet another drum beat sound off at a lesser distance. We new that if we stayed to see the drummer that we would be counted as dead. Perhaps songs would be sung of the two valiant girls who bravely fought the Cave Troll, only to be defeated and turned into dinner. Would we be boiled, roasted, or perhaps sat upon one by one and squished to jelly? Yes, fear held us there and only one thing could move us.
We stood silent, our eyes fixated on the door at the end of the hall. Somewhere in the darkness a raven cawed as a sure omen of death. And then, yet another boom echoed from behind the door! The ground shook, lights flickered, and the one thing in the world that could have moved us, did. A need for survival kicked in, like the lithe creatures of the savannah fleeing from the jaws of a predator, making us run faster than what was thought impossible for humans. A speed that was necessary for the escape. A speed that tipped the scale of survival in our favor. It was every man for himself.
We never did find out what the source of the noise was. Was something heavy dropped? Did someone slam a door? It was truly a great mystery. Though we did not learn of the origin of the sound, we learned a very important lesson. We should never let our imagination get carried away to the point of sheer terror. We laugh, though for some time it was quite nervous, now at the irrationality of our fear. Though we must always keep in mind that an irrational fear is always rational in the mind of the sufferer. Whether it is in the Mines of Moria or in the "Mines of Church".