I coughed in disbelief. "Mr. Fladnag, could you mind making a little more
sense. It's a book.not reality." I smiled an angel smile.
He nodded. "To the unsuspecting eye, it is. But to the people who see it as more....well...perhaps imagination could become reality."
Courtney sat quiet in the corner chair. She seemed to be debating something. Her eyes were glazed, just as if she was in deep thought.
"Mr. Fladnag...if this is some April Fool's joke, it's over now. I really don't have time for this...I have to go to lunch.....
"Laura!" he yelled as I got up to leave. "You sit down, now! Have you ever realized my name, spelled backwards, is Gandalf? Or perhaps that wanting or desire to go to Middle Earth being too strong, one day? Or that, perhaps, a GOLD RING appears to you the DAY Return of the King comes out in theatres?"
I looked at him, trying to make up my mind. It was impossible yes.........but it had been an opportunity I had been waiting for since...for ever.
"FUCK!" Court suddenly screamed from the corner chair.
"COURTNEY!" I yelled, eyeing Fladnag.........I mean, Gandalf.
"Yes, Courtney?" he asked her, WAY too calmly. I mean, she had just CURSED in FRONT of the Vice-Principal.
"I saw it." She said in disbelief. "I...saw it! Middle Earth! It was right there! I was walking down the streets of Bree...it had to be! I saw all these people. It was just so real..." she looked at me. "That's it, I've finally cracked."
I shook my head.
"And it is there that you must meet her, Laura." Fladnag said.
"How? And are you Gandalf? And what about my sister?" I asked.
He laughed. "Middle Earth is some place that exists only in out hearts. You can easily move back in forth with just a simple thought. One simple thought, and your heart goes there. One simple thought...and you can come back here. As for me being Gandalf," he said, "I am not. However...fate was being stubborn when I got my last name. Whenever I switch to Middle Earth, I am Gandalf. For a short while, at least...until I come back here...when I become Mr. Fladnag. I shall be able to help you, but only a little. As for your sister..."
The door burst open and in stormed Lisa.
"I AM WILLING AND READY!" she yelled. She looked up to the ceiling. "ALIENS! I'M HERE TO KICK YOUR ASS! GOT THAT?"
"Lisa," Fladnag said, "Sit down and close the door. I am not an alien, nor is this about aliens."
"Damn." She said closing the door and sitting down.
"It's about Middle Earth." Courtney stated. "Your brilliant sister found the Ring of Power here."
"WHOA!" Lisa screamed. "Let me see it, Laura!"
"NO!" I said and recoiled away.
Silence filled the room.
"The Ring is beginning to take you over. You must leave...NOW! Begin in Bree. For now, you three shall take the Hobbit's places."
"We won't be short, will we?" Lisa asked.
"No, no. Not at all."
"Wait," I said. "Can't we just fast forward to Mount Doom and get this over with? I mean, we can control when we pop in and out of Middle Earth."
"Laura, popping in and out of Middle Earth only causes you to fall to the Ring faster. As for moving forward...unless you want to create a course of events that would destroy Middle Earth...which, I might add, is what you're trying to save...you will NOT go forward past Bree!"
"Okay.next week.we're dealing with aliens." Lisa said. "They are so much easier."
"Just merely think.and it shall be."
We all sat down next to each other.
"When you come back, imagine this same moment.so that no time will pass and I shall not have to cover for you for a year."
"Won't you have to anyway, and then we'll undo it?" Courtney asked.
"Idiot," Lisa snorted. "We're going to be the only ones who feel the one year, when we close our eyes, to Fladnag and anyone else who's watching, will think no time has passed. When we open our eyes a second later, no time will have passed...save a second...and we'll be the only ones who realized that we just spent a year of our lives in Middle Earth."
Fladnag looked at her.
I smiled. "Time travel freak."
Fladnag nodded. "Go." He said.
I closed my eyes and thought...and suddenly I was floating in nothing...then sitting at a bar with a pint in my hand.
He nodded. "To the unsuspecting eye, it is. But to the people who see it as more....well...perhaps imagination could become reality."
Courtney sat quiet in the corner chair. She seemed to be debating something. Her eyes were glazed, just as if she was in deep thought.
"Mr. Fladnag...if this is some April Fool's joke, it's over now. I really don't have time for this...I have to go to lunch.....
"Laura!" he yelled as I got up to leave. "You sit down, now! Have you ever realized my name, spelled backwards, is Gandalf? Or perhaps that wanting or desire to go to Middle Earth being too strong, one day? Or that, perhaps, a GOLD RING appears to you the DAY Return of the King comes out in theatres?"
I looked at him, trying to make up my mind. It was impossible yes.........but it had been an opportunity I had been waiting for since...for ever.
"FUCK!" Court suddenly screamed from the corner chair.
"COURTNEY!" I yelled, eyeing Fladnag.........I mean, Gandalf.
"Yes, Courtney?" he asked her, WAY too calmly. I mean, she had just CURSED in FRONT of the Vice-Principal.
"I saw it." She said in disbelief. "I...saw it! Middle Earth! It was right there! I was walking down the streets of Bree...it had to be! I saw all these people. It was just so real..." she looked at me. "That's it, I've finally cracked."
I shook my head.
"And it is there that you must meet her, Laura." Fladnag said.
"How? And are you Gandalf? And what about my sister?" I asked.
He laughed. "Middle Earth is some place that exists only in out hearts. You can easily move back in forth with just a simple thought. One simple thought, and your heart goes there. One simple thought...and you can come back here. As for me being Gandalf," he said, "I am not. However...fate was being stubborn when I got my last name. Whenever I switch to Middle Earth, I am Gandalf. For a short while, at least...until I come back here...when I become Mr. Fladnag. I shall be able to help you, but only a little. As for your sister..."
The door burst open and in stormed Lisa.
"I AM WILLING AND READY!" she yelled. She looked up to the ceiling. "ALIENS! I'M HERE TO KICK YOUR ASS! GOT THAT?"
"Lisa," Fladnag said, "Sit down and close the door. I am not an alien, nor is this about aliens."
"Damn." She said closing the door and sitting down.
"It's about Middle Earth." Courtney stated. "Your brilliant sister found the Ring of Power here."
"WHOA!" Lisa screamed. "Let me see it, Laura!"
"NO!" I said and recoiled away.
Silence filled the room.
"The Ring is beginning to take you over. You must leave...NOW! Begin in Bree. For now, you three shall take the Hobbit's places."
"We won't be short, will we?" Lisa asked.
"No, no. Not at all."
"Wait," I said. "Can't we just fast forward to Mount Doom and get this over with? I mean, we can control when we pop in and out of Middle Earth."
"Laura, popping in and out of Middle Earth only causes you to fall to the Ring faster. As for moving forward...unless you want to create a course of events that would destroy Middle Earth...which, I might add, is what you're trying to save...you will NOT go forward past Bree!"
"Okay.next week.we're dealing with aliens." Lisa said. "They are so much easier."
"Just merely think.and it shall be."
We all sat down next to each other.
"When you come back, imagine this same moment.so that no time will pass and I shall not have to cover for you for a year."
"Won't you have to anyway, and then we'll undo it?" Courtney asked.
"Idiot," Lisa snorted. "We're going to be the only ones who feel the one year, when we close our eyes, to Fladnag and anyone else who's watching, will think no time has passed. When we open our eyes a second later, no time will have passed...save a second...and we'll be the only ones who realized that we just spent a year of our lives in Middle Earth."
Fladnag looked at her.
I smiled. "Time travel freak."
Fladnag nodded. "Go." He said.
I closed my eyes and thought...and suddenly I was floating in nothing...then sitting at a bar with a pint in my hand.