A cycle story made from the collaboration of Panbelacqua, Kyonkichi9,ichipup, meepet, K9olaquia, and bryn bryn. Purely for fun. Please enjoy.
I dropped my bus fare into the receptacle, barely hearing it "clink" against the rest of the coins, sitting in the clear plastic box. The driver grunted, clearly bored with his job. I readjusted my black backpack upon my shoulders, and made my way to an empty section of seats, the bus already in motion. Without much grace, I dropped into one seat, and set my backpack in the one next to me.
My back pressed against the hard plastic seating, and I turned toward my backpack. It was a medium-sized affair, but it could hold quite a bit more than it looked, due to the numerous pockets, nestled away within, that practically inflated the bag. I lightly pulled on one of the zippers, revealing a pack of gum. Habitually taking care not to show the other passengers (especially the children), I slipped a piece of gum into my mouth, and began absentmindedly chewing it.
From another pocket, I pulled "The Fellowship of the Ring". No, not the members of the group, the book. I flipped through its worn pages, like an old friend. In a way, it was. I'd grown to know each of the characters, when I was young, and had only recently picked it up again. It was somewhat like traipsing through a dream, everything half remembered.
Putting away my poetic side, I looked up, and brushed my dirty-blonde hair out of my eyes. It was slightly overgrown, and the bangs were just starting to intrude upon my field of vision. I saw a boy about my age, his hair messy, and brown, his eyes matching. The brown part. Not the messy part. He was lean, with a muscular edge. Just as I was opening my mouth, to call to him, I put aside my romantic ideas, and glanced towards the bus driver, who was playing Angry Birds, on his iPhone. I turned back to my book.
Wait, what?! The bus driver was playing Angry Birds?! I opened my mouth once more, preparing to call to him, when the bus lurched. The driver looked up, and slammed on the brakes. Everything became really chaotic. Up seemed to be everywhere, and nowhere, simultaneously. Not to leave out the other directions. I had managed to loop my arm through my backpack, and was likely saved by it. I shored up against one of the bus walls, but my backpack landed before me, cushioning my fall. Nonetheless, the impact still whipped my head quickly around. My vision spun, and turned black.
Light. Light poured down. I rubbed my eyes, and stretched, preparing to fall back asleep, before my arms began echoing pain. I slowly sat up, and noticed my backpack next to me. Lying beside it was the first Lord of the Rings book, excluding the Hobbit. I tried to stretch once more, slowly this time, to lessen the discomfort. The sleeves of my hoodie were torn in multiple places, and the fabric looked much worse-for-wear. I tried to recall what had happened, but could only pull up some foggy recollection of giant, circular birds, a really cute guy, and...
That was it. The bus had crashed. I looked around, trying to figure out where I was. The landscape was craggy, and vegetation dotted it, hanging down, painting the grey, green. Waterfalls fell, carrying their massive payloads for what seemed like eternity. The entire scene was beautiful, if somewhat alien. I turned, to better take in the view, and saw a house. To call it a house would be unfair. It looked as if innumerable generations had continually added, trying to create a space that was their own. The result was a grandiose, palatial building that looked the size of a small town. Spires, towers, balconies, and windows dotted the structure, aiding in creating the beautiful effect. A small garden house sat amongst the cliff faces, and a waterfall cascaded behind it, perfecting the scene.
I cast my mind about, searching for the name. It seemed to have leapt right from somewhere. I paced, trying to recall why this enchanting landscape was so familiar. Frustrated, I cast my eyes to the ground, and saw it. The Fellowship of the Ring. I know remembered the name of the place. Rivendell. I was in Rivendell.
It seemed impossible. No, it was impossible. Despite the scene in front of me. Clearly, it was Rivendell. And yet, I knew it couldn't exist. One of these possible realities was the true one? I became increasingly irritated. It simply didn't make sense. A bus crash does not bring one to Middle Earth. That simply isn't how the world works.
But it seemed I was no longer in my world. No, this was an entirely new one. "I reject your reality, and substitute my own." I thought. A small laugh escaped my lips, and despite myself, my eye twitched.
~ Panbelacqua