Disclaimer: I own nothing Tolkien created.
Ch 11 Dangers in the night
Finally they were all ready to go to sleep. It had been several hours since they had finished their meal and the forest was starting to look more threatening yet now because they had been up for so long talking about the past they were almost too tired to stay awake and keep look out. Even so David insisted that he would stay up and make sure nothing happened.
"Someone has to make sure we're safe tonight. Those things could still be hunting us. I think the last thing we want is to be attacked in the middle of the night when everyone's asleep." He said.
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay up. I don't mind. I probably won't be able to sleep out here anyway. Not after what happened last time anyway."
"No, you should rest. You were hurt."
"Don't worry Fred, I'm sure David will let you know if there are any killer ponies nearby." Ned laughed lying down next to the fire.
"Ha, ha. Very funny." Fred retorted also laying down only a little further away from the fire but also trying to stay as close as possible to David. She wanted to feel safe and he made her feel like that. Plus she was close to the knives should anything happen.
"Good night." David smiled at them as they crawled under their blankets.
No one answered him although Fred smiled at him.
David got his own blanket and wrapped it around him in an attempt to keep out the cold, which suddenly seemed to take over the forest despite the fire, which was still burning brightly. He prodded it with a stick whilst looking into the bright flames. He smiled. It was almost too nice to be with Fred and her friends in the forest. He hadn't met Ned before the night before but he had heard lots about her when he was with Fred in Orthanc. Most of it was true but he didn't remember her saying that she was quite so odd.
Bob was almost instantly asleep although she made sure she listened out for any unusual sounds in the forest just in case something was out there and they needed to fight or better run. Soon though she found that she couldn't stay awake any more and fell into a deep sleep.
Ned was also listening to the sounds of the forest trying to make out what was out there, unfortunately she found that she couldn't hear as well as she used to be able to, something she had noticed shortly after Bob and Fred had rescued her from the coffin. She didn't know why though but she thought that maybe Fred might. She made a mental note to ask her in the morning.
Her thoughts soon drifted back to Gollum, what if he wasn't in the forest after all? All this was for nothing. She knew how against it Fred was even if they wouldn't have found David if they hadn't had come. Bob was so certain that she could sense Gollum still here but there was something else out there, something unfriendly and something that wanted to kill them, as usual. It didn't make sense. Why were those things going after innocent people in the forest? They obviously weren't human. And they didn't come from Middle Earth so where? Another planet? Ned laughed at herself and shut out all those thoughts and closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Fred fell straight asleep. The feeling of David so close by calmed and reassured her. She felt safe and was soon in that land of dreams, although she soon realised that she didn't want to be. That same nightmare came back to her again. Like it was trying to tell her something that she should know. Something she should understand and yet she didn't no matter how much she tried. It was the same thing, almost like a run down of what had already happened.
**
She was in the room in Orthanc then the hand, then the creature in the hall she had pulled back the creatures hood but before she could see what it was it seemed to fade away. Like a mirage or an illusion. She was quite glad that she didn't have to look at that thing and see what was underneath its hood although she was even more curious now.
Still she stood up straight and looked down the corridor both ways hoping to see something that would allow her to get out of there. It was so cold. Like it was the middle of winter and it was raining and yet there was no water. It was a strange feeling and she didn't like it. She wanted to be away from that place, away from Orthanc, away from those creatures. There was nothing though, nothing but darkness, that deep darkness that you couldn't get away from.
Suddenly though there was a pin point of light at the end of the corridor. A white light, like a tiny lamp. She went instinctively towards it hoping it would allow an escape, anything to get her out of there. For some time she walked towards it and yet she didn't get any closer. Eventually she did. She reached the light and reached out in front of her trying to see what it was and where it was coming from. Her hand touched something solid. She pulled back, not expecting to feel it. She built up the courage and touched it again. She realised it was a door.
She couldn't believe it, this could be the way out. She smiled and quickly searched for a handle hoping that there was something good on the other side of the door. The light in the corridor seemed to increase, like it knew that she was looking at something and was helping her. She saw the handle and twisted it. Nothing happened. She almost cried out when she realised it was locked. Of course it would never be that easy. She searched around her in the vain hope of finding a key. No luck.
She looked around and as she was doing so she heard a sound. She stopped what she was doing and listened again. Nothing. Maybe it was her imagination, or another weird twist in the dream. Just as she was about to start looking again she heard the sound but this time she recognised it as someone calling for help. A desperate shouting, begging for help. She pressed her ear against the door hoping to hear better but the sound was too muffled, the only thing she could understand was one word.
"Fred." Someone was calling her name but she didn't know who it was. She couldn't hear the voice. It was in pain and it wanted her help. But she couldn't get through the door so how could she help? The desperation grew in the voice and it also grew in her.
She banged against the door and this time the voice grew louder, she recognised it. David. She shouted his name hoping he would tell her what to do. She banged against the door but nothing happened. She wanted to get in and help him but there was nothing she could do. She grabbed at the handle and started twisting it thinking maybe the door was just stuck. After a few seconds of holding it it became white-hot and burnt her hand forcing her to pull away with a cry of pain.
The screaming inside continued and now Fred recognised other voices. Bob and Ned were there too, begging her to help them, their anguished cries filling the corridor and forcing Fred to cover her ears and sink to the floor. She wanted them to stop, something to help them or make them go away. She cried out herself.
"No!"
**
Fred sat up looking about her. She was cold, but not just because of the winter weather but because of the lingering memory of the dream. Every time she was getting closer and yet she couldn't quite get there before something woke her. She knew that it was just a dream, a nightmare, and these certainly weren't new to her and yet they felt so real, like she should be taking notice of them. She should be listening to them. Maybe the events of Orthanc really had made her a little crazy.
"Fred, are you alright?" David asked reaching over to her and touching her arm.
"I'm fine. Just a bad dream that's all."
"The second one in two nights. Are you sure you're fine?" He asked concerned. He pulled her closer and she leaned against his warm body.
"You know what dreams are like. They scare you but they're not real. They just seem real. You can't tell me you've never had a bad dream after everything that happened."
"Of course I have. Who wouldn't?" He smiled. "My nightmare is always the same. I see you getting hurt and it hurts me even more."
"I'm fine. I'm not hurt. See right here." She smiled.
"What do you dream about? I believe it is good to talk about such things. Didn't you once tell me that?"
"Yes. It is good but only when the person wants to. I don't remember a whole lot. I just remember being frightened of something. It's just a dream nothing more."
"When your friend dreams you speak of them as premonitions."
"Yeah but that's Bob. She's different."
"I'm sure she'd love to hear you say that. Perhaps I should wake her." Fred hit him playfully on the arm.
"Don't you dare. She'd kill me." She laughed.
They sat for a moment looking into the fire, each enjoying the other's company. Fred felt safe with David, more so than she did with any other person. And David felt comfortable with Fred, after what they shared nothing seemed wrong to tell her and she always seemed willing to listen.
"We have to talk. You wanted to say something to me earlier. I got the impression it was important. You wanted to wait until we were alone and here we are alone so what did you want to say?"
"It's not important." Fred dismissed him.
"That's a lie. I know you. Now what was it?"
Ch 11 Dangers in the night
Finally they were all ready to go to sleep. It had been several hours since they had finished their meal and the forest was starting to look more threatening yet now because they had been up for so long talking about the past they were almost too tired to stay awake and keep look out. Even so David insisted that he would stay up and make sure nothing happened.
"Someone has to make sure we're safe tonight. Those things could still be hunting us. I think the last thing we want is to be attacked in the middle of the night when everyone's asleep." He said.
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay up. I don't mind. I probably won't be able to sleep out here anyway. Not after what happened last time anyway."
"No, you should rest. You were hurt."
"Don't worry Fred, I'm sure David will let you know if there are any killer ponies nearby." Ned laughed lying down next to the fire.
"Ha, ha. Very funny." Fred retorted also laying down only a little further away from the fire but also trying to stay as close as possible to David. She wanted to feel safe and he made her feel like that. Plus she was close to the knives should anything happen.
"Good night." David smiled at them as they crawled under their blankets.
No one answered him although Fred smiled at him.
David got his own blanket and wrapped it around him in an attempt to keep out the cold, which suddenly seemed to take over the forest despite the fire, which was still burning brightly. He prodded it with a stick whilst looking into the bright flames. He smiled. It was almost too nice to be with Fred and her friends in the forest. He hadn't met Ned before the night before but he had heard lots about her when he was with Fred in Orthanc. Most of it was true but he didn't remember her saying that she was quite so odd.
Bob was almost instantly asleep although she made sure she listened out for any unusual sounds in the forest just in case something was out there and they needed to fight or better run. Soon though she found that she couldn't stay awake any more and fell into a deep sleep.
Ned was also listening to the sounds of the forest trying to make out what was out there, unfortunately she found that she couldn't hear as well as she used to be able to, something she had noticed shortly after Bob and Fred had rescued her from the coffin. She didn't know why though but she thought that maybe Fred might. She made a mental note to ask her in the morning.
Her thoughts soon drifted back to Gollum, what if he wasn't in the forest after all? All this was for nothing. She knew how against it Fred was even if they wouldn't have found David if they hadn't had come. Bob was so certain that she could sense Gollum still here but there was something else out there, something unfriendly and something that wanted to kill them, as usual. It didn't make sense. Why were those things going after innocent people in the forest? They obviously weren't human. And they didn't come from Middle Earth so where? Another planet? Ned laughed at herself and shut out all those thoughts and closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Fred fell straight asleep. The feeling of David so close by calmed and reassured her. She felt safe and was soon in that land of dreams, although she soon realised that she didn't want to be. That same nightmare came back to her again. Like it was trying to tell her something that she should know. Something she should understand and yet she didn't no matter how much she tried. It was the same thing, almost like a run down of what had already happened.
**
She was in the room in Orthanc then the hand, then the creature in the hall she had pulled back the creatures hood but before she could see what it was it seemed to fade away. Like a mirage or an illusion. She was quite glad that she didn't have to look at that thing and see what was underneath its hood although she was even more curious now.
Still she stood up straight and looked down the corridor both ways hoping to see something that would allow her to get out of there. It was so cold. Like it was the middle of winter and it was raining and yet there was no water. It was a strange feeling and she didn't like it. She wanted to be away from that place, away from Orthanc, away from those creatures. There was nothing though, nothing but darkness, that deep darkness that you couldn't get away from.
Suddenly though there was a pin point of light at the end of the corridor. A white light, like a tiny lamp. She went instinctively towards it hoping it would allow an escape, anything to get her out of there. For some time she walked towards it and yet she didn't get any closer. Eventually she did. She reached the light and reached out in front of her trying to see what it was and where it was coming from. Her hand touched something solid. She pulled back, not expecting to feel it. She built up the courage and touched it again. She realised it was a door.
She couldn't believe it, this could be the way out. She smiled and quickly searched for a handle hoping that there was something good on the other side of the door. The light in the corridor seemed to increase, like it knew that she was looking at something and was helping her. She saw the handle and twisted it. Nothing happened. She almost cried out when she realised it was locked. Of course it would never be that easy. She searched around her in the vain hope of finding a key. No luck.
She looked around and as she was doing so she heard a sound. She stopped what she was doing and listened again. Nothing. Maybe it was her imagination, or another weird twist in the dream. Just as she was about to start looking again she heard the sound but this time she recognised it as someone calling for help. A desperate shouting, begging for help. She pressed her ear against the door hoping to hear better but the sound was too muffled, the only thing she could understand was one word.
"Fred." Someone was calling her name but she didn't know who it was. She couldn't hear the voice. It was in pain and it wanted her help. But she couldn't get through the door so how could she help? The desperation grew in the voice and it also grew in her.
She banged against the door and this time the voice grew louder, she recognised it. David. She shouted his name hoping he would tell her what to do. She banged against the door but nothing happened. She wanted to get in and help him but there was nothing she could do. She grabbed at the handle and started twisting it thinking maybe the door was just stuck. After a few seconds of holding it it became white-hot and burnt her hand forcing her to pull away with a cry of pain.
The screaming inside continued and now Fred recognised other voices. Bob and Ned were there too, begging her to help them, their anguished cries filling the corridor and forcing Fred to cover her ears and sink to the floor. She wanted them to stop, something to help them or make them go away. She cried out herself.
"No!"
**
Fred sat up looking about her. She was cold, but not just because of the winter weather but because of the lingering memory of the dream. Every time she was getting closer and yet she couldn't quite get there before something woke her. She knew that it was just a dream, a nightmare, and these certainly weren't new to her and yet they felt so real, like she should be taking notice of them. She should be listening to them. Maybe the events of Orthanc really had made her a little crazy.
"Fred, are you alright?" David asked reaching over to her and touching her arm.
"I'm fine. Just a bad dream that's all."
"The second one in two nights. Are you sure you're fine?" He asked concerned. He pulled her closer and she leaned against his warm body.
"You know what dreams are like. They scare you but they're not real. They just seem real. You can't tell me you've never had a bad dream after everything that happened."
"Of course I have. Who wouldn't?" He smiled. "My nightmare is always the same. I see you getting hurt and it hurts me even more."
"I'm fine. I'm not hurt. See right here." She smiled.
"What do you dream about? I believe it is good to talk about such things. Didn't you once tell me that?"
"Yes. It is good but only when the person wants to. I don't remember a whole lot. I just remember being frightened of something. It's just a dream nothing more."
"When your friend dreams you speak of them as premonitions."
"Yeah but that's Bob. She's different."
"I'm sure she'd love to hear you say that. Perhaps I should wake her." Fred hit him playfully on the arm.
"Don't you dare. She'd kill me." She laughed.
They sat for a moment looking into the fire, each enjoying the other's company. Fred felt safe with David, more so than she did with any other person. And David felt comfortable with Fred, after what they shared nothing seemed wrong to tell her and she always seemed willing to listen.
"We have to talk. You wanted to say something to me earlier. I got the impression it was important. You wanted to wait until we were alone and here we are alone so what did you want to say?"
"It's not important." Fred dismissed him.
"That's a lie. I know you. Now what was it?"