The Road to Middle-Earth
A fanfiction by MushrooomsPTook
Disclaimer: I own nothing. You might as well say it owns me!
A/N - I'd like to share with you the various music that I listen to for inspiration when writing certain scenes. Therefore, I've listed each music title at the end of various chapters. For multiple selections, I have settled on numbered footnotes. Please note that not every chapter will have a track name listed. If you feel obliged to listen to them, you can probably find most of them on YouTube.
Chapter One: What a Question
1"17, 18, 19, 20. Here I come, ready or not!"
I removed my hands from my face and immediately my eyes went to work, scanning the saturated earth thoroughly, looking for any and all signs of movement. It was the last day of May and what had began as a hot spring was looking like the beginnings of an even hotter summer. The weather this week had climaxed at 98 degrees, and with the humidity that lingered over the Chicago suburbs, you might as well say it was 110 degrees. This evening, however, brought something special, something that hadn't been seen for nearly a month. Rain. This element of surprise brought a delightful relief and I made sure to relish this companionable moment with my burden.
My cousin and his wife brought over their seven-year old daughter hours ago. There had been a death in her family, and rather than bringing little Alice along, they turned to me. I, of course, readily agreed. I didn't get to see Alice that often anymore and I welcomed the opportunity to spend some time with her.
Now here we were, little Alice and me, and enjoying each others company in an age-old game of hide-and-seek in the rain. I knew I couldn't keep her out there for very long, but I risked playing a couple of games, so she could enjoy the magical weather. I walked as silently as I could, peering carefully behind a large oak tree. As expected, there was Alice crouching as low to the ground as possible. It was an easy guess, as my apartment grounds had very little to accommodate the game. This was the third time she had hidden here. And naturally, this was the third time I put on my surprised face and said, "There she is! I have been looking all over for you!" Alice giggled delightedly at my words and darted off into a run, squealing in excitement as I waited for a moment and then gave chase. Both times, previously, I allowed her to enter the covered picnic area—the safe zone—before shaking my fist in mock defeat. But the rain had gotten a great deal heavier during the last game, and I knew it was time to go inside.
Before Alice could reach the first post of the picnic area, I quickened my pace, and scooped the child up in my arms. She shrieked and giggled and kicked as I pulled her into a hug, glad to have my little cousin with me.
"All right, Alice, time to go inside and get dried off," I said as the child still struggled to get free.
"No! No! No!" cried Alice. "I want to play some more."
"We've played three games, Alice," I laughed. "And besides, you're soaking wet, and if your parents saw you now, they'd surely kill me. I wouldn't want you to catch a cold."
Alice seem to think this over and said, "Okay. Will you tell me a story?"
"I will," I quickly touched her nose with my finger, "after we get you washed up and in bed."
I continued to carry Alice into my apartment room, where I removed the child's shoes after removing my own. I went to the bathroom and drew the water into a nice warm bath.,
After many splashes of water and numerous popping of soapy bubbles, I toweled Alice dry, got her into some dry bed clothes, and carried her to my bed. Her parents would be there soon to pick her up and take her home, but Alice had yawned cavernously and I knew the child was tired.
"There, there," I said, tucking in my little cousin. "You get some rest. You've had an exciting day!"
"Alayna," Alice reached for my hand before I could leave. "You promised me a story!"
I gasped mockingly. "Well, so I did!" I reached into my bookcase and grabbed her favorite book. Coincidentally, it was also my favorite.
"Now tell me, have I ever told you the story about a certain hobbit named—"
"Biwbo!" Alice clapped her hands excitedly. I couldn't help but smile at my cousin's appreciation.
"Why yes, indeed! Now, Mr. Baggins, as you know, was a hobbit, and he didn't like adventures. Well one day, Bilbo got a knock on his door, and when he went to open it. Do you know what he found?"
"A dwawf!" Alice grinned from ear to ear.
"That's right, Alice. A dwarf. Now getting an unexpected visit from one dwarf can be most uncomfortable. But Bilbo—he got thirteen! And you know who was with them?"
"Gandoff!" Alice laughed and clapped her hands again. Gandalf was her favorite character. This went on for quite some time during the first chapter, me improvising some of the lines, and little Alice interjecting whenever she got a rush of excitement over some of her favorite moments. But by and by her excitement was dying down, and her eyes would close, only to have them fly open again in hopes of evading dreamland. It was only when I began to sing the song of the Misty Mountains that she shut her eyes and her breathing became even. I smiled and after silently reading the rest of the chapter on my own, put the book back on the shelf.
I got up from the bedside and started to walk away when I heard a small voice.
"Alayna?"
I turned to walk back to her side and knelt close beside her. Her eyes were still closed.
"Yes, dear?"
2"Is it real?" asked the small voice.
"Is what real, Alice?"
"Middle-earth. Is it real?" Here, Alice opened her eyes and looked at me in earnest. What a question. How many times had I asked myself that and the same amount of times wanted the answer to be a firm yes. But as it was, Alice's parents didn't like her to get too involved with thoughts revolving around Lord of the Rings. Though they never said anything to my face, I knew they thought I was a bit cracked. I smirked. Just like mad old Baggins.
"Well now, Alice, that is a question worth considering," I said matter-of-factly. Truth be told, I had no idea how to answer this question. "I suppose it's as real as you want it to be." I told this partly to the child within me as well.
Alice turned her head and stared at the ceiling, as though snatched away into Middle-Earth itself.
"I want it to be real," she said after a while. "I hope it's real." Alice turned her gaze on me once more. "If you find it will you tell me?"
I swallowed. What had I done to this child? I had thoroughly hobbitized my cousin. Her parents would kill me if they knew how often we read these magical books together.
"Of course I will," I said, smiling. I ruffled the girl's head and brought my head close to her ear. "And it'll be our little secret!"
Alice smiled broadly and her eyes sparkled. Then she opened her mouth once more to a wide yawn, begging for sleep. She closed her eyes again and I planted a kiss on her head before leaving.
About an hour later, there came a knock at my door and I opened it to my cousin and his wife. They had come to gather up their possession. I led them to my room where we found a sleeping Alice. For a moment, I wondered if she had found Middle-Earth in her dreams. As they turned to leave, Alice's eyes opened half-way to look at me and she grabbed my hand.
"Don't forget about our secret," she whispered.
"What secret?" asked her dad.
I grinned. "Well if I said that then it wouldn't be a secret, now would it?"
He only looked at me suspiciously before smiling and herding his family out the door. I sighed. What a question.
1Soundtrack The Holiday (Hans Zimmer), "Maestro"
2Soundtrack Far and Away (John Williams), "Am I Beautiful?"
