Chapter 6: The Hour Before Dawn
Aire felt a presence, even in her sleep she felt it, she slowly opened her eyes. She had only been sleeping for about 3 hours. She could just make out the red glow from her alarm clock. She rubbed her eyes, 4:00, an hour before the coming of dawn. She sat up, and again rubbed her eyes, she stretched and wondered why she had woken up so early. It was then that she became aware of the figure hidden in the shadows outside her window.
"Ganfalf!" Cried Aire, she got out of bed and opened the window. "What are you doing here?" She asked.
Gandalf smiled. "I am sorry to wake you, I came to see, Aireromen, if you have chosen."
"You don't understand Gandalf! It's not that easy to just choose between this life and the other. I love them both, I have a family here that loves me, and yet I have a family and friends who love me there as well." Responded Aire.
The smile on Gandalf's face faded. "You have not chosen then."
"No, how can I choose?" questioned Aire. "I want to go back, but how can I just leave this family? They love me; they chose me to be their daughter. I cannot bare to break their hearts, besides all of this; I could not leave without giving them a good reason, without telling them. And that is not easy either, what do I say? I'm an Elven Princess from another world? They would never believe me! They would probably lock me up in an institution!"
There was silence for a moment. Finally Gandalf broke the silence.
" Then I ask you this, you have seen this world and what it is that you would miss here, but you have not seen what it is that would miss in Middle- Earth were you to stay here." He looked at her waiting for an answer.
"What are you saying?" she asked.
Gandalf replied, "I am saying quite plainly, will you return to Middle- Earth, if only to see what you will miss."
Aire stared, her mouth slightly open, as if struggling to get the words out. The question tumbled around in her head. ' Go back?' she thought. 'Go back to my home?' Aire closed her eyes; she breathed in and then let it all out.
"Okay" she agreed, slowly nodding her head. "Okay."
Gandalf smiled, Aire grabbed some clothes and went out her door to the bathroom where she dressed. Aire pulled on some dark blue jeans and a plane white T-shirt. Then she slipped on her tennis shoes. She sneaked slowly down the hall, unlocked and opened the front door slowly and quietly. She crossed the yard to where Gandalf still stood outside her window, he smiled and bowed. Aire felt uncomfortable having him bow to her.
"Will you walk with me?" he gestured his hand down the street. Aire followed him in silence.
'What am I doing?' she thought.
They walked to a large grassy field a few blocks away. Aire looked at the far end of the field; there was a small grove of willow trees. A strange bluish mist hung around them, and within them. But what was really strange was that the mist was nowhere else in the field, just where the trees were.
"What is that?" asked Aire pointing at the trees.
"That is the gateway to Middle-Earth." Replied Gandalf.
Aire stared with wonder as they came closer.
"Don't you worry about unwanted people finding it?" she asked.
"No, it is only opened when we wish it to be. It is a shame that it comes to that but men are corrupted in your world. They are not to be trusted." Stated Gandalf.
They stood now at the very entryway into the mist, Gandalf turned to face Aire.
"I must warn you, this world is different. As I'm sure you remember. Things are different here, you yourself will be altered upon entering."
Aire nodded, "okay" but in her mind she thought. "Altered? Altered how?'
Gandalf stepped into the mist as was soon gone, he could no longer be seen by Aire.
"Gandalf?" Aire called.
She looked at the mist, it was so thick. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Here we go" she said to herself. And she stepped into the mist.
Aire felt a presence, even in her sleep she felt it, she slowly opened her eyes. She had only been sleeping for about 3 hours. She could just make out the red glow from her alarm clock. She rubbed her eyes, 4:00, an hour before the coming of dawn. She sat up, and again rubbed her eyes, she stretched and wondered why she had woken up so early. It was then that she became aware of the figure hidden in the shadows outside her window.
"Ganfalf!" Cried Aire, she got out of bed and opened the window. "What are you doing here?" She asked.
Gandalf smiled. "I am sorry to wake you, I came to see, Aireromen, if you have chosen."
"You don't understand Gandalf! It's not that easy to just choose between this life and the other. I love them both, I have a family here that loves me, and yet I have a family and friends who love me there as well." Responded Aire.
The smile on Gandalf's face faded. "You have not chosen then."
"No, how can I choose?" questioned Aire. "I want to go back, but how can I just leave this family? They love me; they chose me to be their daughter. I cannot bare to break their hearts, besides all of this; I could not leave without giving them a good reason, without telling them. And that is not easy either, what do I say? I'm an Elven Princess from another world? They would never believe me! They would probably lock me up in an institution!"
There was silence for a moment. Finally Gandalf broke the silence.
" Then I ask you this, you have seen this world and what it is that you would miss here, but you have not seen what it is that would miss in Middle- Earth were you to stay here." He looked at her waiting for an answer.
"What are you saying?" she asked.
Gandalf replied, "I am saying quite plainly, will you return to Middle- Earth, if only to see what you will miss."
Aire stared, her mouth slightly open, as if struggling to get the words out. The question tumbled around in her head. ' Go back?' she thought. 'Go back to my home?' Aire closed her eyes; she breathed in and then let it all out.
"Okay" she agreed, slowly nodding her head. "Okay."
Gandalf smiled, Aire grabbed some clothes and went out her door to the bathroom where she dressed. Aire pulled on some dark blue jeans and a plane white T-shirt. Then she slipped on her tennis shoes. She sneaked slowly down the hall, unlocked and opened the front door slowly and quietly. She crossed the yard to where Gandalf still stood outside her window, he smiled and bowed. Aire felt uncomfortable having him bow to her.
"Will you walk with me?" he gestured his hand down the street. Aire followed him in silence.
'What am I doing?' she thought.
They walked to a large grassy field a few blocks away. Aire looked at the far end of the field; there was a small grove of willow trees. A strange bluish mist hung around them, and within them. But what was really strange was that the mist was nowhere else in the field, just where the trees were.
"What is that?" asked Aire pointing at the trees.
"That is the gateway to Middle-Earth." Replied Gandalf.
Aire stared with wonder as they came closer.
"Don't you worry about unwanted people finding it?" she asked.
"No, it is only opened when we wish it to be. It is a shame that it comes to that but men are corrupted in your world. They are not to be trusted." Stated Gandalf.
They stood now at the very entryway into the mist, Gandalf turned to face Aire.
"I must warn you, this world is different. As I'm sure you remember. Things are different here, you yourself will be altered upon entering."
Aire nodded, "okay" but in her mind she thought. "Altered? Altered how?'
Gandalf stepped into the mist as was soon gone, he could no longer be seen by Aire.
"Gandalf?" Aire called.
She looked at the mist, it was so thick. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Here we go" she said to herself. And she stepped into the mist.