Prologue: Concerning the Facts of Death
When Ari imagined death she thought it'd be a painful, terrifying experience. When her nightmares destroyed her very being, she was no more. Her mother said when people died, their souls left the earth for the eternal heavens up above. When her mother left her, she passed away peacefully, never to be heard from again. Death had always been a fact. Once you were dead, you were dead. No more. The end. Game over. Hasta la vista, baby.
So when Ari saw the bright flashing lights of the massive truck quickly becoming the blinding light you see before you death, she did not think this would happen. This wasn't right, this isn't possible.
Ari's death wasn't painful or terrifying. She still existed. Her entire being, not just her soul, was brought to a new place, perhaps this was heaven, like her mother said. But it didn't feel right. This couldn't be heaven. Was this a dream? Perhaps she was alive, in a hospital bed somewhere, with nurses and doctors fussing over her while her sister cried incessantly and her father fought his way through the men trying to keep him at bay. And this… it was a dream, yes, just a dream.
A very real dream. One with a very vivid smell of rain and dirt. Was that running water Ari heard? Yes, it was. And a beautiful pair of bright eyes were hovering over her own, staring with a concerned expression. His mouth was moving, but Ari heard nothing but the wonderful sound of water cascading down a river of rocks and sand.
Suddenly, almost unconsciously, Ari sat up a bit too quickly, forcing her aching body to move, and only ended up where she began, on the ground, after two foreheads crashed together, leaving two very stunned people very confused.
After a few awkward moments of mumbles and groans, Ari sat up again, slowly, to view the owner of the beautiful ocean eyes.
His face was absolutely flawless, almost childish, but the way he carried himself made him seem as though he had lived a long life, a stressful one at that. Or perhaps he was dreading something to come. He sat on the ground, rubbing the sore spot on his forehead. His hair curled almost perfectly, hanging around his face. He was… small. Short and cute, with large feet. And all of this did not seem to faze Ari. No, the ears were what shocked her. Large not completely pointed, but pointy enough, ears were partially hidden behind his brown locks. And this left Ari utterly bewildered.
"Y- your ears!" she stuttered, pointing at the man. He stopped caressing his forehead and looked up at her, a questioning look upon his face.
"Your ears,' he replied.
Ari, suddenly frightened that she had become the creature the man in front of her was, reached to the side of her head, lightly touching the tips of her ears. Much to her surprise they were rounded, like they had been before. For good measure, she stood up to test her height. The man followed suit, still staring with a question on his lips. She was a good two feet taller than him, and her feet remained the same as before., She was not what he was.
He finally spoke.
"Are you alright? I thought for sure you were… gone."
No, no, she wasn't dead. She was alive, sore, but alive. Surrounded by a beautiful green forest and a three foot tall man.
"Where am I?" was Ari's answer.
"The Shire of course! We do not often get humans around these parts. Have you lost your way, Milady?"
"Ari."
His brow crinkled in confusion.
"My name is Ari. And yes, I am lost." The Shire was certainly not a town nearby her home. Perhaps, whoever killed her, drove her body off and threw it in the woods, to save themselves. And… a three foot tall, pointed ear creature found her? No. this is a dream.
Ari realized that the man had been talking, but again she had not been listening.
"I'm sorry?"
"Frodo. My name is Frodo Baggins. You are more than welcome to follow me to Bag End and I'm sure Bilbo will allow you to stay until you've found you way, Lady Ari." He waited until Ari gave a hesitant nod. "Well then, Milady, please follow me." And with that the little man was off, confidently hopping on the rocks in the river Ari had been laying by. the one she heard so clearly. It was a dream, right? Follow the man, what did she have to lose?
