Beltane Fires - Chapter 4
The next morning found Shannon sleeping late. Her first thoughts when she woke was that somehow during the night she had been run over by a truck. Her head still ached and now her stomach was doing flip-flops. She reached to the nightstand for a glass of water. Bad idea! It no sooner passed her lips and it was back out again. Luckily there was a waste can close enough for her to grab. After she was done. She plopped her head back on her pillow. She would just lay here until Rhea got up. She rolled over and opened the drawer on the nightstand. She had put a little pack of saltines in there last night. Maybe these would help. The sun was really bright this morning and the air coming in the open window smelled fresh. She got up long enough to close the blinds against the sun, but left the window open. She laid there for a while with her eyes closed hoping that the pain in her head would go away soon.
There was a soft knock at the door and Rhea poked her head in. Seeing Shannon looking deathly pale and the waste can by the bed she rushed in. Rhea trying not to panic asked sweetly. "What's up? Is it getting the best of you this morning? She moved the can out of the way and sat on the bed. Putting her hand on Shannon's forehead feeling for a fever she sighed ."Wait here I'll get a basin with some water."
Shannon just giggled at that. "No, I think I'll go join a marathon and run 5 kilometers till you get back!"
Rhea frowned at her friend's sense of humor and sneered "Ha Ha! Don't move!" as she was going out the door.
Just as Rhea shut the door there was another flash of light. The brightness of it made Shannon cover her eyes with her hand. There was no vision though . She waited but the mystery man didn't show up this time. It took no time at all before Rhea came back. She had gotten a basin and cloth from the lady downstairs and filled it with cool water. She sat it on the small table next to the bed and rung out the cloth. Pulling Shannon's hand from over her eyes she put the wet cloth in it. "Here wash your face, you'll feel better. Can I get you anything?" she asked.
"No" Shannon said. She leaned up on one arm and dipped the rag back into the water. After she rung it out she plopped back on the pillow and laid the cloth over her eyes. "If I could just get rid of this headache I might feel better". She lay there that way for a few minutes. Rhea said softly. "I'm going to go get some coffee, I'll be back in a little while just lay here and rest. "
Shannon already feeling a little better mumbled "Ah huh." And stayed where she was.
Elrond was in the library, going through the parchments he wanted to take. The history of Middle Earth depended on some of these being passed down through the generations. They were very important to him. He had just picked up a sketch depicting Luthien and Beren when the flash came. He could see her again. The woman with the red hair. She was lying in a soft white bed. Her face was deathly pale, she had just become ill and laid her head back down. What did this vision mean? Did she need his help? He gripped the side of the desk he had been standing at. He hated to see her this way. When she first appeared to him he thought it was a dream because of the loneliness. That he had made her up to keep him from feeling so lonely here in Imladris. Now he was not so sure. Was the vision a call for help? Where could he find her? He watched as another woman came into the room. Her friend was carrying a basin with which to wash her. He saw the sadness in the new ones eyes. He watched her expression change as the red haired woman uncovered her eyes and looked at her. They were talking but he could hear no words. She covered her eyes with the cloth, He saw the woman leave the room and the vision disappeared. The library was back. He just stood there contemplating what he had seen. It was frustrating. Deep in his heart he knew she needed his help. He could feel it! But he didn't know where to look. Could she be someone he would meet after he sailed into the new land? Was she someone who already died? She did not appear to be an elf. He couldn't tell. The clothing they wore was different than anything he had ever come across. They may be from another land and dressed accordingly. The only thing he could do was wait. In the mean time he would pour through his books on other races. There might be a clue in one of those.
Later that day, Shannon found Rhea sitting on a bench in the garden reading a book. She had taken a shower and felt a lot better now that the headache was gone. She sat down next to her friend. Rhea looked up and seeing Shannon looking so much better smiled. She marked her page and closed the book. "Ah! She returns How do you feel now?"
"Better , did you eat lunch?" she asked.
Rhea frowned, "Yeah old Mrs. Miller made some kind of stew. It was nasty! What I wouldn't give for a Big Mac right about now! Lets go to that little pub and get something. It's got to be better than that stew! Then if you still feel all right we'll go take another look at those rocks." Shannon laughed and wrapped her arm around Rhea's. "The woman is a genius, my thoughts exactly" and they walked out to the car.