Serenity Lockwood sighed to herself as she walked into the campus coffee shop for her hot chocolate. Her reusable travel mug was blue with small reindeer on it, and annoyingly empty. She smiled at the barista as she paid, then took her change back and handed over her mug. Checking her watch one more time, she flipped the tail of her rainbow tichel over her shoulder and walked to the pick-up counter.
"Thanks," she murmured to the barista as he handed her her hot chocolate.
"My pleasure," he responded cheerfully, as if the mid-May weather wasn't rainy and as if finals weren't coming up.
Nodding, Serenity sat at one of the empty tables in the coffee shop to study. She dug a battered Latin copy of The Hobbit, a Latin dictionary, and her trusty notebook out of her backpack. One of her final projects for Latin class was noting the translation differences in this version of The Hobbit, and while she loved the story and also the Latin language, pouring over this book for hours was really wearing her out.
Her handwriting spiraled over the pages as she opened to the riddle passage of the book. Annotating was a pain, but worth it. The riddle passage was the main focus of her project, as almost everyone in the class had seen the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies, and that was among the most iconic passages.
After a half hour of glaring angrily at the book and her notebook, Serenity had had enough of Latin and decided to work on her personal project, learning Sindarin. Ever since she saw the Lord of the Rings movies as a young child, she had loved the Elves and their language. Learning Sindarin had been a dream of hers ever since, and now that she was a language major in college, she was beginning to realize that dream.
As she went through the words she was learning that week, muttering them under her breath, she felt a jolt deep in her stomach. Serenity closed her eyes for a second, and when she opened them she was sitting in the grass on a sunny hillside. Her backpack was next to her, Latin dictionary, Latin Hobbit, and trusty notebook still inside, along with various feather pens and ink and a thick leather book that hadn't been there before.
She looked around, nervous. There were small round doors set into some of the hills surrounding the one she was on, but no one seemed to be outside.
After what seemed like ages, Serenity saw a tall man with a long grey beard and grey robes walking towards her. She stood quickly, adjusting her tichel only to feel her fingers brush against what seemed to be facial hair. Gasping, she reached in her bag for a compact mirror, and, unable to find one, stood to greet the man.
"Hello dwarf," he said in a gentle voice. "What brings you to the Shire on this beautiful day?"
"I'm- wait. The Shire?" Serenity couldn't help but keep the surprise in her voice. "I'm supposed to be in New York, in the Adirondacks."
"Ah, yes, but here you are. And I can assure you, that this is not New Zealand."
"I'm sorry, sir, but who did you say you were?"
"My name is Gandalf, and Gandalf means me." He smiled at her, and she realized exactly where she was: Middle-Earth.
"Mr Gandalf sir, how do I get home?" she asked, voice starting to raise in pitch.
Gandalf continued to smile, then said "Why don't you come with me, and we'll figure out just what to do with you."
Trying not to cry, Serenity picked up her backpack and followed the wizard. She may have figured out where she was, but she didn't know what year it was, or how to get back home.
"Now, miss dwarf, do tell me your name," Gandalf said after they had walked silently awhile.
"Serenity Lockwood."
"Adirondacks, you said?"
"Yes, sir."
"It has been awhile since I passed that way, you know."
Serenity didn't say anything. She was beginning to get curious, and stared in wonder at the hobbit-holes as they passed.
"So I'm a dwarf in this world, huh?" she finally asked.
"Yes, it appears you are. I'm sure you are concerned about your sudden changes, and as soon as we get to our destination you will have access to a seeing-glass, as they are referred to in these parts." Gandalf sent her another warm smile, and Serenity could tell he had seen her frantically realizing she had facial hair back on the hilltop.
Her tichel tails whipped in the wind as they crested yet another hill. She had noted the color difference; while she had put on a rainbow scarf that morning, she was now wearing a forest green one.
"We are meeting with an old friend of mine, if you can call him that still, dear Serenity," Gandalf said pleasantly.
"Yeah?"
"Indeed. It has been many years since my last time in the Shire. I do always love coming back, though."
"Mr Gandalf, can I ask you a question?" Serenity said after a moment.
"Of course, young dwarf."
"Have you heard of the book, The Hobbit?"
"Ah yes. In these parts it has yet to be written, however it will ultimately become called The Red Book of Westmarch."
"Wait, are you going to see Bilbo, right now?"
"Indeed I am, Serenity. I see you are familiar enough with the Shire to have heard of Bilbo Baggins of Bagend?" Now the wizard was looking at her with an expression of amusement, and Serenity almost didn't want to answer.
"Yes, sir. I am."
