A/N: Thanks for the nice reviews! I'm so happy that you like this. I'll get
the next chapter in before I have to go.
*~*~*~*~*
Time passed slowly. Most everyone had given up on Erin, who inisted that she'd visted Middle-Earth. Some thought she'd lost her mind, others that she had an over active imagination. The only one that seemed to realise something was wrong was Jackie. She stuck by her.
Today, the two girls were lounging in Erin's room. Jackie sat on the floor, flipping through a magazine, as Erin sat on her bed staring blankly at the wall. Jackie sighed.
"Erin? Please.. tell me what really happened! We used to be best friends. We used to tell eachother everything!" Jackie looked up at her friend, and saw nothing but deep sorrow on her face."Please tell me,Erin."
"You wouldn't believe me if I did. No one will." Erin said with a monotone voice.
"Try me. Please, Erin! I want to help you."Jackie turned so she could give her full attention to her friend.
Erin sighed and looked down at Jackie."I've told you before. I traveled to Middle-Earth, I met the hobbits, I met Strider.. and then I came back. Thats the truth."
Jackie frowned. That was what she said, always. But maybe she should go along with it, just this once."Sure. So you went to Middle-Earth. Is there any way you can prove this?"
Erin shook her head."Sometimes I wonder if I go back to that same place in the woods, I'll travel back. Oh, I want to go back so badly! I don't belong here, Jackie!"
Jackie had an idea."Lets camp out in the woods tonight and find that spot, and we'll try it?"
Erin chewed her lip as she thought this over. Jackie thought this was a disgusting habit. Finally, she nodded slowly."You'll do that with me?"
"Of course! You're my best friend and I want to see you happy again."
Erin smiled. It was a rare thing to see these days.
"Tonight I'm going back to Middle-Earth!"
Later that night, Erin led the way to the woods with a backpack. This time, she was bringing a camera so she could prove that she'd been there. Behind her Jackie walked a little slower. She'd packed more things than Erin and it was weighing her down.
"Maybe you should drop a few things out?"Erin suggested, but Jackie held her backpack protectively and Erin shook her head, continueing on.
Erin hadn't exactly gotten her parents permission to come out here, but it didn't matter. She didn't intend on coming back. As they reached the edge of the woods, Jackie slowed to give her feet a rest.
"No! We gotta keep going, Jack. We can't stop yet!"Erin waited for her friend to follow.
Jackie flipped her golden hair and got up, looking particularly annoyed." I just got a pedicure. I'll get blisters!"But she said nothing as she followed Erin into the woods, and Erin tried to remember the path she'd taken so long ago.
"I think it was here that I heard the creature, then I ran straight.. through there!"Erin pointed excitedly forward and started running. Jackie groaned and followed at a much slower speed.
"How much longer?" Jackie called to Erin, who was still running, despite the weight of her backpack.
"I think we're close! I'll know it when I see it." Jackie was beginning to think this wasn't such a good idea after all, just as Erin stopped right in front of her, and the two tumbled to the ground.
"Ouchies.."Jackie mumbled, brushing herself off. But Erin was staring fixedly at a tree.
"This is it." Erin muttered."I slept here that night."
Jackie was relieved to finally have stopped. She found a semi-clean spot to sit down and waited for Erin, wjo sat down next to her a minute later.
"Now what?" But Erin put a finger to her lips."Quiet. We must concentrate on everything LotR. I dreamed about it tha night, I remember. I was thinking about. So we've got to now. Shut your eyes!"
Jackie grumbled but did as she was told. She giggled as she thought about Erin running around, looking like a hobbit. Jackie thought it was funny how short her friend was. She was much taller but was also very skinny, and.. she had looks going for her, she knew. Well, whatever, it was time to do what she was supposed to. She concetrated on the cutey Legolas, on Frodo and the other cute hobbits, and Aragorn and..
Jackie opened one eye to see what was happening. Nothing. She saw her friend with her eyes tightly shut and she really felt for her. The whole thing had obviously been a dream. A dream that went away, like all others did.
Jackie ended up lying down and waited for Erin to quit. She closed her eyes and eventually fell asleep.
Erin woke. She did not remember falling asleep, but she kenw she must have, because now she was in a bed, in a beautiful room...
"Oh my! I know where I am, I'm-" But she was cut off by someone.
"You're in Rivendell." Said a familiar voice. It was Frodo. She looked over and saw him and Sam.
"Oh.. wow.. I did it!" Erin said excitedly, and sat up.
"Did what?" Sam asked, but Erin just grinned.
"What happened?" Erin asked after a bit. She couldn't help but smile.
"Thats a long story, actually-" Erin looked over and saw Pippin and Merry walk in.
"You screamed, and when we ran to you, you were gone!" Said Merry.
"Frodo got stabbed-" Sam said.
"And a few days later, they found you outside Rivendell."Frodo finished.
Erin's eyes widened as she realised something very important."Did they, by chance, find a tall blond girl with me?"
They all shook their heads no, and Erin didn't know what to think. Surely Jackie had traveled with her! So what happened?
Jackie woke feeling very uncomfortable, like she'd slept on a rock. Well, turned out, she did. She stood up quickly and swayed before falling back over.
"What the heck?"She frowned and got back up, and started walking. Why had the forest changed?
Jackie had a horrible headache. She wanted nothing more than to go back to bed and sleep the pain away. Just then, she remembered what Erin and her had done last night, and she stopped in her tracks. What if.. what if it had worked? She had to find out. Up ahead, she saw a man on a horse and she made her way to him. Her headache only grew worse as she walked, and she wondered if she hadn't gone and hit it somehow.
The man, she realised now that she was closer, was not normal. She recognized him. He was staring at her, and she him. So.. it was true. She was in Middle Earth.
*~*~*~*~*
Time passed slowly. Most everyone had given up on Erin, who inisted that she'd visted Middle-Earth. Some thought she'd lost her mind, others that she had an over active imagination. The only one that seemed to realise something was wrong was Jackie. She stuck by her.
Today, the two girls were lounging in Erin's room. Jackie sat on the floor, flipping through a magazine, as Erin sat on her bed staring blankly at the wall. Jackie sighed.
"Erin? Please.. tell me what really happened! We used to be best friends. We used to tell eachother everything!" Jackie looked up at her friend, and saw nothing but deep sorrow on her face."Please tell me,Erin."
"You wouldn't believe me if I did. No one will." Erin said with a monotone voice.
"Try me. Please, Erin! I want to help you."Jackie turned so she could give her full attention to her friend.
Erin sighed and looked down at Jackie."I've told you before. I traveled to Middle-Earth, I met the hobbits, I met Strider.. and then I came back. Thats the truth."
Jackie frowned. That was what she said, always. But maybe she should go along with it, just this once."Sure. So you went to Middle-Earth. Is there any way you can prove this?"
Erin shook her head."Sometimes I wonder if I go back to that same place in the woods, I'll travel back. Oh, I want to go back so badly! I don't belong here, Jackie!"
Jackie had an idea."Lets camp out in the woods tonight and find that spot, and we'll try it?"
Erin chewed her lip as she thought this over. Jackie thought this was a disgusting habit. Finally, she nodded slowly."You'll do that with me?"
"Of course! You're my best friend and I want to see you happy again."
Erin smiled. It was a rare thing to see these days.
"Tonight I'm going back to Middle-Earth!"
Later that night, Erin led the way to the woods with a backpack. This time, she was bringing a camera so she could prove that she'd been there. Behind her Jackie walked a little slower. She'd packed more things than Erin and it was weighing her down.
"Maybe you should drop a few things out?"Erin suggested, but Jackie held her backpack protectively and Erin shook her head, continueing on.
Erin hadn't exactly gotten her parents permission to come out here, but it didn't matter. She didn't intend on coming back. As they reached the edge of the woods, Jackie slowed to give her feet a rest.
"No! We gotta keep going, Jack. We can't stop yet!"Erin waited for her friend to follow.
Jackie flipped her golden hair and got up, looking particularly annoyed." I just got a pedicure. I'll get blisters!"But she said nothing as she followed Erin into the woods, and Erin tried to remember the path she'd taken so long ago.
"I think it was here that I heard the creature, then I ran straight.. through there!"Erin pointed excitedly forward and started running. Jackie groaned and followed at a much slower speed.
"How much longer?" Jackie called to Erin, who was still running, despite the weight of her backpack.
"I think we're close! I'll know it when I see it." Jackie was beginning to think this wasn't such a good idea after all, just as Erin stopped right in front of her, and the two tumbled to the ground.
"Ouchies.."Jackie mumbled, brushing herself off. But Erin was staring fixedly at a tree.
"This is it." Erin muttered."I slept here that night."
Jackie was relieved to finally have stopped. She found a semi-clean spot to sit down and waited for Erin, wjo sat down next to her a minute later.
"Now what?" But Erin put a finger to her lips."Quiet. We must concentrate on everything LotR. I dreamed about it tha night, I remember. I was thinking about. So we've got to now. Shut your eyes!"
Jackie grumbled but did as she was told. She giggled as she thought about Erin running around, looking like a hobbit. Jackie thought it was funny how short her friend was. She was much taller but was also very skinny, and.. she had looks going for her, she knew. Well, whatever, it was time to do what she was supposed to. She concetrated on the cutey Legolas, on Frodo and the other cute hobbits, and Aragorn and..
Jackie opened one eye to see what was happening. Nothing. She saw her friend with her eyes tightly shut and she really felt for her. The whole thing had obviously been a dream. A dream that went away, like all others did.
Jackie ended up lying down and waited for Erin to quit. She closed her eyes and eventually fell asleep.
Erin woke. She did not remember falling asleep, but she kenw she must have, because now she was in a bed, in a beautiful room...
"Oh my! I know where I am, I'm-" But she was cut off by someone.
"You're in Rivendell." Said a familiar voice. It was Frodo. She looked over and saw him and Sam.
"Oh.. wow.. I did it!" Erin said excitedly, and sat up.
"Did what?" Sam asked, but Erin just grinned.
"What happened?" Erin asked after a bit. She couldn't help but smile.
"Thats a long story, actually-" Erin looked over and saw Pippin and Merry walk in.
"You screamed, and when we ran to you, you were gone!" Said Merry.
"Frodo got stabbed-" Sam said.
"And a few days later, they found you outside Rivendell."Frodo finished.
Erin's eyes widened as she realised something very important."Did they, by chance, find a tall blond girl with me?"
They all shook their heads no, and Erin didn't know what to think. Surely Jackie had traveled with her! So what happened?
Jackie woke feeling very uncomfortable, like she'd slept on a rock. Well, turned out, she did. She stood up quickly and swayed before falling back over.
"What the heck?"She frowned and got back up, and started walking. Why had the forest changed?
Jackie had a horrible headache. She wanted nothing more than to go back to bed and sleep the pain away. Just then, she remembered what Erin and her had done last night, and she stopped in her tracks. What if.. what if it had worked? She had to find out. Up ahead, she saw a man on a horse and she made her way to him. Her headache only grew worse as she walked, and she wondered if she hadn't gone and hit it somehow.
The man, she realised now that she was closer, was not normal. She recognized him. He was staring at her, and she him. So.. it was true. She was in Middle Earth.