Disclaimer: I don't own Middle Earth and it's characters, Canada, or the
Narnia Chronicles. The only two characters I do own are Alex and Sarah.
Author's Note: Many thanks to those who reviewed, I really appreciate it. Constructive criticism is always helpful -- how else can I improve the story and my creative writing skills (or lack thereof)? ;)
Chapter 2: I Don't Think We're in Canada Anymore…
Alex and I followed a few paces behind Haldir. I leaned over and whispered to him "I know I've heard of someone called Haldir before, but I can't remember where..."
Alex raised an eyebrow in response. "Well, it's not exactly like it's that common a name... Knowing you, it's probably from one of those books you hide your nose in all the time..."
The mental flashbulb went off in my head at Alex's comment and I grabbed my brother's arm to get his attention. "That's it! Haldir was one of the characters in Lord of the Rings! He lived in Lothlorien... Galadriel lived there, and she was known as the Lady of the Wood. That Haldir guy did say we were in the Lady of the Wood's realm, didn't he?"
"Indeed I did," Haldir replied, looking at me suspiciously. I returned the look -- now that I came to look at him closer, I could see the slight pointed tips of his ears just barely noticeable underneath his hair. He was probably a 'Lord of the Rings' version of a Trekkie, and lord knew where he was planning to take us. There was probably some convention nearby and he'd gone overboard in an effort to get into character.
"Look, no offense or anything, but the two of us just want to go home. If you could just point us in the direction of the nearest phone, then we'll be out of your hair." If possible, Haldir looked even more perplexed than before. 'Boy this guy sure can get into character,' I thought.
"Where is your home?"
"Ottawa," Alex spoke up.
"I'm afraid I've never heard of this place before. Perhaps Galadriel is familiar with it, though. I overheard you speak of her, so I presume you know who she is..." said Haldir. 'How could he not know where Ottawa is? It's the capital of Canada for Christ's sake' I thought to myself. Glancing at Alex out of the corner of my eye, I could see similar thoughts were going through his head. 'This guy is either pulling my leg or he belongs in a mental institution. Or Alex and I have somehow been transported to Middle Earth.'
As if to answer the last question once and for all, I moved towards him and reached for his ear and pulled. Haldir let out a somewhat girlish scream, but his ear still seemed to be attached to his head, so I figured it had to be real. I didn't have much time to contemplate it, though, because we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by more arrow-wielding elves, and these ones didn't look very friendly.
I could just imagine what was going through their heads, and none of them seemed to bode well for us. "What did you do that for?" Alex whispered from the corner of his mouth.
I gulped, trying to stay calm even though a million different thoughts were going through my head and I was sure everyone in a 50-mile radius could hear the pounding of my heart. "Alex, I know you might not want to believe this, but I don't think we're in Canada anymore... Or even Earth for that matter... I think we're on Middle Earth..."
"You've got to be joking. Please tell me you're pulling my leg..." Alex pleaded not only with his voice but with his eyes. Up until then we'd both thought that we could somehow figure out a way to get home, whether by calling Mom and Dad up on a payphone to come and pick us up or finding some taxi cab that would take us back home. That was the thought that had kept us acting rationally even when we first found out we were lost. Now, though, the prospect of getting back home soon seemed to be shrinking rapidly, especially since we had no idea how we came to be here in the first place.
Haldir by now had recovered from the ear-tugging, but the arrows stayed fixed on us as we began moving forward again towards what I could only presume was Lothlorien. There was an uncomfortable silence as we traveled, made even more strenuous by the fact that both Alex and I had half a dozen arrows pointing in our backs the whole way and even Haldir had taken to walking further ahead, probably because he feared I might try something similar if I got the chance.
I held Alex's hand, looking to it both for comfort and reassurance. The two of us were in a strange land -- a strange world -- but at least we weren't alone. As we walked, I started thinking of home.
Home... I wondered if my parents had even realized we were missing yet. Then I started to wonder if time was even passing there -- if it was anything like the Narnia chronicles I'd read as a child, then years here could come and go and only moments would have passed back home. I crossed my fingers, hoping against hope that this was the case.
After walking for what seemed like ages, Haldir finally stopped. I practically fell to the ground in exhaustion and pulled off my running shoes. I wiggled my toes and smiled up at Alex, who had perched himself on a nearby hollow log. Haldir looked in my direction, amusement apparent on his face. "We will soon reach Lothlorien, and you can rest there for as long as you need to. We have time for a short meal before continuing, however, since Sarah looks as though she needs a rest."
I smiled at him in appreciation. "I sure did... But, how did you know my name?"
"I overheard your companion calling you by this name earlier."
Alex burst into laughter. He tried to stifle it, but the occasional snicker still escaped his lips, even as he spoke. "I'm sorry, but I'm not used to being referred to as Sarah's companion. I'm her twin brother, Alexander, but everyone calls me Alex for short..."
Haldir bowed. "It is my pleasure to meet you, Master Alex For Short."
This time it was my turn to burst into laughter. "Just call him Alex..." I said.
Far too soon we were on our way again. Luckily, Haldir seemed to be right about the next leg of the journey being much shorter than the first, although by the time we reached the giant tree I was sure I could feel blisters starting to appear on the soles of my feet. As we traveled up the tree, I couldn't help but think about the tree that had housed our tree house, and wondering how big our tree house could have been if it were housed in this tree, or how insignificant our tree house would look here.
By now, luckily, the other elves had let down there guard on the two of us a little, so I didn't constantly have arrows being jabbed into my back and forcing me forward. This didn't mean to say that these elves weren't prepared for trouble -- they still had their bows at the ready -- but it was a little more relaxed. I wasn't about to complain since it gave me a little bit more freedom to look around and admire the view as we spiraled upwards. Even having read the book didn't prepare me for what was waiting at the top.
I'll forewarn you that it might take a while to get the next chapter up (I've got some term papers due next week that I've been procrastinating on writing) -- I'll try and get it up by the middle of next week, though. :)
Author's Note: Many thanks to those who reviewed, I really appreciate it. Constructive criticism is always helpful -- how else can I improve the story and my creative writing skills (or lack thereof)? ;)
Chapter 2: I Don't Think We're in Canada Anymore…
Alex and I followed a few paces behind Haldir. I leaned over and whispered to him "I know I've heard of someone called Haldir before, but I can't remember where..."
Alex raised an eyebrow in response. "Well, it's not exactly like it's that common a name... Knowing you, it's probably from one of those books you hide your nose in all the time..."
The mental flashbulb went off in my head at Alex's comment and I grabbed my brother's arm to get his attention. "That's it! Haldir was one of the characters in Lord of the Rings! He lived in Lothlorien... Galadriel lived there, and she was known as the Lady of the Wood. That Haldir guy did say we were in the Lady of the Wood's realm, didn't he?"
"Indeed I did," Haldir replied, looking at me suspiciously. I returned the look -- now that I came to look at him closer, I could see the slight pointed tips of his ears just barely noticeable underneath his hair. He was probably a 'Lord of the Rings' version of a Trekkie, and lord knew where he was planning to take us. There was probably some convention nearby and he'd gone overboard in an effort to get into character.
"Look, no offense or anything, but the two of us just want to go home. If you could just point us in the direction of the nearest phone, then we'll be out of your hair." If possible, Haldir looked even more perplexed than before. 'Boy this guy sure can get into character,' I thought.
"Where is your home?"
"Ottawa," Alex spoke up.
"I'm afraid I've never heard of this place before. Perhaps Galadriel is familiar with it, though. I overheard you speak of her, so I presume you know who she is..." said Haldir. 'How could he not know where Ottawa is? It's the capital of Canada for Christ's sake' I thought to myself. Glancing at Alex out of the corner of my eye, I could see similar thoughts were going through his head. 'This guy is either pulling my leg or he belongs in a mental institution. Or Alex and I have somehow been transported to Middle Earth.'
As if to answer the last question once and for all, I moved towards him and reached for his ear and pulled. Haldir let out a somewhat girlish scream, but his ear still seemed to be attached to his head, so I figured it had to be real. I didn't have much time to contemplate it, though, because we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by more arrow-wielding elves, and these ones didn't look very friendly.
I could just imagine what was going through their heads, and none of them seemed to bode well for us. "What did you do that for?" Alex whispered from the corner of his mouth.
I gulped, trying to stay calm even though a million different thoughts were going through my head and I was sure everyone in a 50-mile radius could hear the pounding of my heart. "Alex, I know you might not want to believe this, but I don't think we're in Canada anymore... Or even Earth for that matter... I think we're on Middle Earth..."
"You've got to be joking. Please tell me you're pulling my leg..." Alex pleaded not only with his voice but with his eyes. Up until then we'd both thought that we could somehow figure out a way to get home, whether by calling Mom and Dad up on a payphone to come and pick us up or finding some taxi cab that would take us back home. That was the thought that had kept us acting rationally even when we first found out we were lost. Now, though, the prospect of getting back home soon seemed to be shrinking rapidly, especially since we had no idea how we came to be here in the first place.
Haldir by now had recovered from the ear-tugging, but the arrows stayed fixed on us as we began moving forward again towards what I could only presume was Lothlorien. There was an uncomfortable silence as we traveled, made even more strenuous by the fact that both Alex and I had half a dozen arrows pointing in our backs the whole way and even Haldir had taken to walking further ahead, probably because he feared I might try something similar if I got the chance.
I held Alex's hand, looking to it both for comfort and reassurance. The two of us were in a strange land -- a strange world -- but at least we weren't alone. As we walked, I started thinking of home.
Home... I wondered if my parents had even realized we were missing yet. Then I started to wonder if time was even passing there -- if it was anything like the Narnia chronicles I'd read as a child, then years here could come and go and only moments would have passed back home. I crossed my fingers, hoping against hope that this was the case.
After walking for what seemed like ages, Haldir finally stopped. I practically fell to the ground in exhaustion and pulled off my running shoes. I wiggled my toes and smiled up at Alex, who had perched himself on a nearby hollow log. Haldir looked in my direction, amusement apparent on his face. "We will soon reach Lothlorien, and you can rest there for as long as you need to. We have time for a short meal before continuing, however, since Sarah looks as though she needs a rest."
I smiled at him in appreciation. "I sure did... But, how did you know my name?"
"I overheard your companion calling you by this name earlier."
Alex burst into laughter. He tried to stifle it, but the occasional snicker still escaped his lips, even as he spoke. "I'm sorry, but I'm not used to being referred to as Sarah's companion. I'm her twin brother, Alexander, but everyone calls me Alex for short..."
Haldir bowed. "It is my pleasure to meet you, Master Alex For Short."
This time it was my turn to burst into laughter. "Just call him Alex..." I said.
Far too soon we were on our way again. Luckily, Haldir seemed to be right about the next leg of the journey being much shorter than the first, although by the time we reached the giant tree I was sure I could feel blisters starting to appear on the soles of my feet. As we traveled up the tree, I couldn't help but think about the tree that had housed our tree house, and wondering how big our tree house could have been if it were housed in this tree, or how insignificant our tree house would look here.
By now, luckily, the other elves had let down there guard on the two of us a little, so I didn't constantly have arrows being jabbed into my back and forcing me forward. This didn't mean to say that these elves weren't prepared for trouble -- they still had their bows at the ready -- but it was a little more relaxed. I wasn't about to complain since it gave me a little bit more freedom to look around and admire the view as we spiraled upwards. Even having read the book didn't prepare me for what was waiting at the top.
I'll forewarn you that it might take a while to get the next chapter up (I've got some term papers due next week that I've been procrastinating on writing) -- I'll try and get it up by the middle of next week, though. :)