Chapter 4
"Bring it here!" Elrond said sternly. Ceovern nodded and dashed out the room. They all held their breath. Ceovern ran back into the room and skidded to a halt in front of Elrond. He held out Nat's battered book. Elrond took it and smiled, "is this your book? Natalie?" Nat took it from him, "Yes it is, Sir Elrond" "Then perhaps you can tell us what will happen to Rivendell in the future?" He asked excitedly. Nat opened the book slowly. Then she gasped. "What's the matter Nat?" Heawood asked. Nat opened and closed her mouth like a fish. "Oh, for goodness sake!" Steph said snatching it from her. "Be careful, Steph. That's how we got here in." Heawood began. "Shut up, you plonker. I know how we got here and if you don't mind I'm trying to get back" Steph snapped. "But we have to help Middle-Earth first!" Nat argued back. "Stuff stinkin' Middle-Earth! I want to go home!" "We have to help!" "Don't" "Do!" "Don't" "Do!" "Do Not!" "DO!" "DON'T!" "WILL YOU PACK IT IN?!" Jennie yelled. They both fell silent. Elrond covered his ears. Jennie sighed angrily. "We are never going to get home if you just keep having your gay little 'do' 'don't' arguments and you 'is' 'isn't' and stuff" "And 'were' 'weren't'" Nat added. Jennie raised an eyebrow. "What is wrong with that book?" she asked. Nat handed it to her. Elrond tried to read it over her shoulder. Except there was nothing to read! "Right, I see" Jennie said. "What does it mean?" Nat asked. "I don't know. Hurry up and figure it out!" Steph said. "Maybe it hasn't been written yet?" Heawood suggested. "Don't be stupid. You three are always on about Legolas and Frodo" Steph said. "Heawood might be right" Nat said. "Yeah, whatever" Steph replied. "Maybe it hasn't been written yet because someone has to write it" Jennie said. "Someone like, us?" Nat said, catching on. "We have to write the story!" Heawood said excitedly. Steph groaned and found a pen in her bag. "I'll start writing it then" she said, snatching the book from Jennie and beginning to write. "One day four girls got sucked into a stupid earth. They were staying at a house with an elf that was called Git-Face with blue hair. Then Heawood's hair caught fire, Nat became bald and Jennie's hair grew so long, it reached the floor." Suddenly all those things happened, Heawood grabbed the water jug and tipped it over her head, Nat screamed and ran around the hall screaming, "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm bald! I'm BALD! I'M GONNA KILL YOU STEPH!" As Nat jumped on Steph and punched her in the jaw, Heawood grabbed the book and wrote, "Then Steph's hair caught fire and went florescent yellow. Then everything went back to normal and Nat and Steph stopped fighting" Then everything went back to normal. "Whoa, this is dangerous stuff!" Jennie said. Elrond nodded. "I suggest that you keep hold of it. I do not trust that Steph" he whispered to Jennie. Jennie smiled. "Don't worry, Nat can handle her" Jennie looked back at the book. "There's something written here!" she said. Everyone stared at her curiously. "What does it say?" Nat asked. "It says, one can only use this book if the one sticks to the guide lines that are given. The guidelines must be kept. These are the guidelines, never use this book to harm someone, never use this book to do evil, you cannot use it to transport you to places, you cannot use it to invent people, you cannot use it to bring people back from the dead. there's like another thousand more! Oh, god! I can't believe it. All the guidelines are impossible to keep, and now Steph and Heawood can't write in it. Nor can Elrond." "Why can't I write in it?" Steph demanded. "Because you broke the guidelines" Jennie answered. Steph's mouth fell open. "WHAT?" she said outraged, "WHICH ONE DID I BREAK?" "The one where it says 'you cannot use this book to do evil' and the one where it says 'never use this book to harm someone', take your pick" Jennie said. "Which one did I break?" Heawood asked. Jennie shrugged. "Try writing in it. If it doesn't work then you've broken a rule" Nat said. Heawood cautiously took the pen and book from Jennie. She began to write in it. "And then a grand horse cantered into the grand hall." They all waited. Nothing happened. "I've broken a rule" Heawood sighed. "Let me see." she read the rules and sighed again, "I've broken this one, 'you cannot use this book to do harm. The same as Steph's, all because I lit her hair on fire and turned it florescent yellow. I guess you can only use the book once, and if you make a mistake then, wham, you can't use the book again." "Damn it! I want to use the book!" Steph said grumpily. "I can still use it though," Nat said, grinning at Steph. Steph scowled and folded her arms. "Tomorrow you will learn how to use weapons and you will be taught all about the wild," Elrond said, "But for now you may explore Rivendell. You cannot leave Rivendell, for I am sorry, but you are now too important to lose. You may however, go anywhere in Rivendell. You are welcome to borrow a horse to ride around and if you need anything, just ask an elf" They thanked him and watched him leave. "I hate it in this stinking Rivendell. I hate being an elf," Steph said. "I think it's cool, what do you think, Nat?" Heawood asked. Nat bit her lip and then said, "Yeah, it's ok. But it'll get annoying later. I think I'd rather be at home in front of the TV, or listening to Westlife" "Westlife?!" Steph screeched. Nat raised her eyebrows. "Problem?" she asked. Steph snorted and said nothing. "What's the matter, Jen?" Nat asked, watching her friend who was staring thoughtfully at the ceiling. "What, sorry?" Jennie said. "What is the matter?" Nat repeated. "Nothing really. I'm just a bit, you know, scared" "Why?" Steph asked surprised. "Because I do not like the fact that if I cannot use a sword or shoot an arrow properly, I might be lying on the floor with my insides on the outside." Jennie sighed. "Urgh!" Steph grimaced. "Now I'm scared. I don't want to die!" "But we have the book!" Heawood said. "Yes, but one of the rules was that you can't bring people back to life" Nat remembered. "But surely bringing someone back to life is more important than using the book again?" Heawood questioned. Nat shrugged so Jennie answered for her, "You might not be able to bring people back to life. Maybe it's beyond the book's power, or something" "Maybe" Heawood answered. They all sat in silence and only the rush of elven feet outside the door could be heard. "Shall we go for a ride?" Heawood suggested. "Yeah, I'm going to" Jennie said standing up. Nat and Steph stood up too. "Come on then, I'm getting bored" Steph moaned. So they went outside and made their way to the stables.
"Bring it here!" Elrond said sternly. Ceovern nodded and dashed out the room. They all held their breath. Ceovern ran back into the room and skidded to a halt in front of Elrond. He held out Nat's battered book. Elrond took it and smiled, "is this your book? Natalie?" Nat took it from him, "Yes it is, Sir Elrond" "Then perhaps you can tell us what will happen to Rivendell in the future?" He asked excitedly. Nat opened the book slowly. Then she gasped. "What's the matter Nat?" Heawood asked. Nat opened and closed her mouth like a fish. "Oh, for goodness sake!" Steph said snatching it from her. "Be careful, Steph. That's how we got here in." Heawood began. "Shut up, you plonker. I know how we got here and if you don't mind I'm trying to get back" Steph snapped. "But we have to help Middle-Earth first!" Nat argued back. "Stuff stinkin' Middle-Earth! I want to go home!" "We have to help!" "Don't" "Do!" "Don't" "Do!" "Do Not!" "DO!" "DON'T!" "WILL YOU PACK IT IN?!" Jennie yelled. They both fell silent. Elrond covered his ears. Jennie sighed angrily. "We are never going to get home if you just keep having your gay little 'do' 'don't' arguments and you 'is' 'isn't' and stuff" "And 'were' 'weren't'" Nat added. Jennie raised an eyebrow. "What is wrong with that book?" she asked. Nat handed it to her. Elrond tried to read it over her shoulder. Except there was nothing to read! "Right, I see" Jennie said. "What does it mean?" Nat asked. "I don't know. Hurry up and figure it out!" Steph said. "Maybe it hasn't been written yet?" Heawood suggested. "Don't be stupid. You three are always on about Legolas and Frodo" Steph said. "Heawood might be right" Nat said. "Yeah, whatever" Steph replied. "Maybe it hasn't been written yet because someone has to write it" Jennie said. "Someone like, us?" Nat said, catching on. "We have to write the story!" Heawood said excitedly. Steph groaned and found a pen in her bag. "I'll start writing it then" she said, snatching the book from Jennie and beginning to write. "One day four girls got sucked into a stupid earth. They were staying at a house with an elf that was called Git-Face with blue hair. Then Heawood's hair caught fire, Nat became bald and Jennie's hair grew so long, it reached the floor." Suddenly all those things happened, Heawood grabbed the water jug and tipped it over her head, Nat screamed and ran around the hall screaming, "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm bald! I'm BALD! I'M GONNA KILL YOU STEPH!" As Nat jumped on Steph and punched her in the jaw, Heawood grabbed the book and wrote, "Then Steph's hair caught fire and went florescent yellow. Then everything went back to normal and Nat and Steph stopped fighting" Then everything went back to normal. "Whoa, this is dangerous stuff!" Jennie said. Elrond nodded. "I suggest that you keep hold of it. I do not trust that Steph" he whispered to Jennie. Jennie smiled. "Don't worry, Nat can handle her" Jennie looked back at the book. "There's something written here!" she said. Everyone stared at her curiously. "What does it say?" Nat asked. "It says, one can only use this book if the one sticks to the guide lines that are given. The guidelines must be kept. These are the guidelines, never use this book to harm someone, never use this book to do evil, you cannot use it to transport you to places, you cannot use it to invent people, you cannot use it to bring people back from the dead. there's like another thousand more! Oh, god! I can't believe it. All the guidelines are impossible to keep, and now Steph and Heawood can't write in it. Nor can Elrond." "Why can't I write in it?" Steph demanded. "Because you broke the guidelines" Jennie answered. Steph's mouth fell open. "WHAT?" she said outraged, "WHICH ONE DID I BREAK?" "The one where it says 'you cannot use this book to do evil' and the one where it says 'never use this book to harm someone', take your pick" Jennie said. "Which one did I break?" Heawood asked. Jennie shrugged. "Try writing in it. If it doesn't work then you've broken a rule" Nat said. Heawood cautiously took the pen and book from Jennie. She began to write in it. "And then a grand horse cantered into the grand hall." They all waited. Nothing happened. "I've broken a rule" Heawood sighed. "Let me see." she read the rules and sighed again, "I've broken this one, 'you cannot use this book to do harm. The same as Steph's, all because I lit her hair on fire and turned it florescent yellow. I guess you can only use the book once, and if you make a mistake then, wham, you can't use the book again." "Damn it! I want to use the book!" Steph said grumpily. "I can still use it though," Nat said, grinning at Steph. Steph scowled and folded her arms. "Tomorrow you will learn how to use weapons and you will be taught all about the wild," Elrond said, "But for now you may explore Rivendell. You cannot leave Rivendell, for I am sorry, but you are now too important to lose. You may however, go anywhere in Rivendell. You are welcome to borrow a horse to ride around and if you need anything, just ask an elf" They thanked him and watched him leave. "I hate it in this stinking Rivendell. I hate being an elf," Steph said. "I think it's cool, what do you think, Nat?" Heawood asked. Nat bit her lip and then said, "Yeah, it's ok. But it'll get annoying later. I think I'd rather be at home in front of the TV, or listening to Westlife" "Westlife?!" Steph screeched. Nat raised her eyebrows. "Problem?" she asked. Steph snorted and said nothing. "What's the matter, Jen?" Nat asked, watching her friend who was staring thoughtfully at the ceiling. "What, sorry?" Jennie said. "What is the matter?" Nat repeated. "Nothing really. I'm just a bit, you know, scared" "Why?" Steph asked surprised. "Because I do not like the fact that if I cannot use a sword or shoot an arrow properly, I might be lying on the floor with my insides on the outside." Jennie sighed. "Urgh!" Steph grimaced. "Now I'm scared. I don't want to die!" "But we have the book!" Heawood said. "Yes, but one of the rules was that you can't bring people back to life" Nat remembered. "But surely bringing someone back to life is more important than using the book again?" Heawood questioned. Nat shrugged so Jennie answered for her, "You might not be able to bring people back to life. Maybe it's beyond the book's power, or something" "Maybe" Heawood answered. They all sat in silence and only the rush of elven feet outside the door could be heard. "Shall we go for a ride?" Heawood suggested. "Yeah, I'm going to" Jennie said standing up. Nat and Steph stood up too. "Come on then, I'm getting bored" Steph moaned. So they went outside and made their way to the stables.