Evelyn Kaiser was staring at her cell phone, distracted from homework, wishing someone would call her. She was sitting at her desk in her apartment, bored out of her mind, because her best friend, Melanie, had disappeared after class. Evelyn and Melanie were supposed to go and see the new Avengers movie that was currently in theaters, but Evelyn should have known better. Melanie had just started seeing a new boyfriend (about the third since the start of the new semester), and he was probably who she ditched Evelyn for.

Melanie and Evelyn both attended Wesleyan University, a private college in Kansas, and they were both going for something art related. The ever-dramatic Melanie was going for acting; she had attended one of the state's most prestigious private schools for acting. Evelyn, however, was going for a photography degree; it was in her blood. Both of her grandmothers and her only aunt were all photographers; her father, before he died, was a decent one, but did not have the knack for it that his daughter had. When her father died, Evelyn and her mother went to live with Evelyn's grandmother in a small town, called Solomon.

Solomon was a rather Podunk town, but filled with rich kids that loved to drink, party, and nearly kill each other while drunk driving. They had made fun of Evelyn while she was in school, simply because she dressed differently and preferred to read, instead of party. Well, they HAD made fun of her, up until she had punched one of the guys in the face.

Evelyn opened her assigned English literature book and began to read; she smiled, noting that it was the Lord of the Rings. Hours passed, and when Evelyn finally tore her eyes from the book, she saw that it was nearly dinnertime. Setting the book down, she wandered into her kitchen, wondering if Melanie would kill her for eating the last burrito.

"Oh well," she told herself. "If she wanted it, she should have been here."

While her burrito heated in the microwave, she could have sworn that she heard a faint voice chanting in another language.

After getting her stomach full and washing the few dishes in her sink, she decided it was nearly time for bed. She guessed that Melanie was going to be out late, but she did not really want to wait up for her. It was nearly ten o'clock at night and she had class at eight in the morning. However, when she looked in the mirror, she noticed that her hair was in need of a good washing.

As Evelyn grabbed a towel from her linen closet, she swore she could hear chanting again. She brushed it off again, making a mental note to tell her landlord that the neighbor in 7B was having loud psychic parties again. She turned on the cool water, stripped off her clothes, and quickly hopped into the shower. Even on a nice Kansas day, during the summer, one still felt sticky and sweaty by the time the sun went down.

As Evelyn scrubbed her hair with her favorite shampoo, she belted out a rather girly rendition of Meatloaf's "You Took the Word Right Out of My Mouth," not noticing that her slippery shampoo was dripping onto the floor of the tub. So, when Evelyn turned to grab her conditioner, her foot slipped in the patch of shampoo, and she fell. The shock of falling and the sharp pain of her bathtub meeting her temple were the last things Evelyn felt before everything went black.


Evelyn felt as if she were floating.

"This is a good dream," she stated, enjoying the light, fuzzy feeling immensely.

"This is no dream, young one," said a man's voice gently. Normally, Evelyn would have been petrified that a man's voice was invading her dream, but she was too relaxed to care. After a few moments, however, curiosity got the better of her.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I am known by many names dear, most of which you would not be able to pronounce. However, you may call me Gandalf."

"Oh, hello Gandalf," Evelyn simpered, but something in the back of her mind told her that she was forgetting something important.

"Well, Gandalf, may I ask you what you are doing in my dream?"

Gandalf did not answer for a moment. "It is not a dream, dear child. I am looking for someone to share an adventure with. Middle Earth is in need of our help."

"Middle Earth? I've never heard of Middle Earth. Is it somewhere in Canada?"

Gandalf let out a soft laugh. "I do not know of any place called Canada, but I can tell you that you have indeed heard of Middle Earth. Your memories will return to you as soon as you, erm, 'wake up.'"

"Well," Evelyn chuckled, "where in Middle Earth am I going?"

"Wherever you heart leads, my dear. I do not know. I shall see you soon, I expect."

"But-"

Evelyn's voice cut off when she began to feel like she was falling. Down, down the rabbit hole she fell, a whirl of colors rushing past her in a nauseating blur. Without warning, she felt herself hit something cold, hard, and wet. Her already injured temple met the edge of something sharp, and, once again, the darkness overtook her.


"Well," Galadriel said softly, "she seems slightly incompetent."

Gandalf frowned and shook his head. "Incompetent or not, she is still important to this quest."

Galadriel crossed to her mirror, ignoring the jab. "She will probably end up somewhere within the realm of Men. They are very weak-hearted, as you well know."

Gandalf raised a bushy eyebrow. "Even if she does, then there is still a great chance that she will stand with the Free People."

Galadriel, however, said nothing. She poured more water into her mirror, then gently waved an arm over it.

"Let us wait and see."


A/N: Another updated chapter. I'm hoping to get inspiration by fixing these so I can post some new chapters.