Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings. If you see any characters or any of that stuff that you don't recognize, it's mine. The rest belongs to Tolkien.

Chapter One

Ali woke up and instantly squinted against the light pouring into her room. Ali suddenly sat up. Room? How did she get into a room? The last time she was awake, she was on the bike path with her friends, Eli and Elena. She must be in a dream.

"So the Halfling awakes," a voice said near her bed.

Ali looked to her right and saw a tall man with a long gray beard and hair was sitting in a chair, peacefully smoking his pipe.

"I beg your pardon? I'm not a Halfling. And I do beg your pardon once again, but who in the good Lord's name are you?" Ali asked.

"Oh, I am so rude. My name is Gandalf. Gandalf the Gray," the old man said.

"And where exactly am I? If this is some kind of kidnapping conspiracy, I want you to release me at once," Ali exclaimed.

"You are in Middle Earth, Miss-er, I'm sorry, but I don't think I quite caught your name?" Gandalf stated.

"Alexandria Wimund. Ali for short, if you'll please," Ali said haughtily. "And there's no such thing as Middle Earth. Professor Tolkien wrote about Middle Earth, created for a child's amusement. Well, not really a child's tale. Older people read it, as well, you know. I am in a dream, is all."

"Well, Miss Ali, I darst say you are in a child's tale. Middle Earth is quite real. And you are in it, whether it be a dream to you or not. But I think in time you'll see it's real," Gandalf stated.

"Yeah, well just wait until I get a lawyer," Ali said, getting up. But suddenly a sharp pain rose in Ali's head and shoulder and she quickly fell back onto the bed, groaning.

"Easy does it, Miss Ali, you're still not well enough. But if you rest now, you'll be able to get up later this afternoon," Gandalf said.

"How long was I asleep?" Ali asked.

"Well, we don't exactly know. You were found under a tree in the brush unconscious," Gandalf replied.

"Who's the 'we'?" Ali asked. "Lord Elrond of Rivendell, myself, everybody in the Fellowship, the whole of Rivendell. It was Aragorn who found you. Lucky for you, because in a few more hours you would have been lost," Gandalf said. "Now, you get yourself some rest."

Lord Elrond.Rivendell.a man named Gandalf.a Fellowship. What the heck is going on? Ali thought. This stuff is sounding like the stuff from that movie Elena and Eli and everybody made her watch that one time.Lord of the Rings, was it called? Something like that, but right now, Ali didn't care. All she cared about was going to sleep; she needed to rest so she could get out of here.Ali soon drifted off.