Harriet, Anna, Jem and Jemima crowded round the middle earth map that had just arrived in the post from eBay.
"Epic" breathed Jemima. "It's so realistic! Where'd ya get it Jem?"
"Just of the internet, it's pretty cool huh?" answered Jem.
"God, we are such Tolkien nerds, it's silly, but anyway, there's nothing wrong in having a passion, even if it is a made up world full of small hairy men." Laughed Anna.
"Legolas, is not a small hairy man!" Exclaimed Harriet. "Legolas, is amazing." Her face going dreamy, then scowling at Anna who hid her smile.
Everyone knew Harriet had a massive obsession with Legolas, if someone made any mockery about him, they knew they would die at her hand.
"I think I'm going to blue tack the map on my wall? What do you think?" Jem said.
"Good idea, but let's have a look at it properly first." Harriet chattered.
The map looked old and smelled old, even if it was only an Internet replica. It had an eerie entrancing effect on the girls and they seemed to gaze upon it like they had discovered treasure. It was a golden parchment, the runes, mountains, forests and place names of the world they loved so much were inked delicately in ink upon the paper. Jemima traced the path of the dwarves and Bilbo to the lonely mountain with her finger.
What they did not know was that this map, was the first ever created by Tolkien, hand drawn his self. This map was full of the dreams and stories Tolkien had, had in his mind, and at his death this map had absorbed his invented world, and the magic of it's tales had been awakened and made real within the map. Middle earth was awakening.
As they looked upon it in silence, the mountains seemed to flex, the trees looked as if they swayed in the breeze, and to their amazement the sea and rivers looked as if they flowed. A wild wind rose from the map and engulfed them in a raging whirl wind of silver leaves; sweet ocean spray; fresh flakes of mountain snow and the choking smoke of a dragon. Anna screamed and Jem grabbed her arm.
"What the hell is happening?" Harriet shouted.
The roaring grew deafening and the flurry of smoke, snow and ocean forced them to shut their eyes tight. Now they all screamed, and began to fall, the sensation was terrifying. The wind stopped and as they opened their eyes they saw the crisp clear ground miles beneath them and silver clouds above them. They fell into the map.