Chapter 4 WS
The Mortal
I wake to Firefly snorting in my ear, I suspect because Maeglin asked her to wake me. He seems suspiciously happy and bright eyed to see me awake, at least. Yawning, I roll over and sit up.
Maeglin laughs, he sounds so carefree for once and it's pleasant to hear even if I am a bit grumpy from being woken up!
'Sit up, Mandy and have some soup,' he smiles. A bowl is placed in my hands and I realise what some of the sounds that had sort of invaded my sleep were. Maeglin had been making vegetable soup, and I had him chopping things and playing with the fire. And he'd been talking to Firefly too. I take the offered spoon and try the soup, which is very good.
'This is really nice, Maeglin. Can I have some more?'
He nods, and eagerly fills my bowl again. I'm sure it's not because I like his cooking, but could it possibly because he was so happy to have company?
Breakfast over; I take Firefly out to the small grassy plain behind Maeglin's cave to graze. She is enjoying the freedom and I sit and watch her run about. She puts up a small rabbit, which she chases; playfully strikes at it with her forefeet.
Maeglin and I laugh at her showing off for us but I am surprised at her next action. She runs to Maeglin and tosses her head at him, and then she turns and pushes her shoulder against Maeglin.
'Astounded, I say, 'I think she wants to take you for a ride!'
'Indeed she does!' laughed Maeglin, leaping gracefully aboard Firefly. I can hardly believe this is happening, Firefly doesn't like people she doesn't know well to ride her.
Maeglin directs Firefly across the small plain, flat out. He is leaning far forward over Firefly's neck, his hair flying loose and wild in the breeze like her mane; in fact I hardly know where Firefly's mane ends and Maeglin's hair begins! They race around until Firefly starts to slow, and then Maeglin makes a spectacular flying dismount nearly on top of me!
I push him, 'show off!'
He laughs, and hugs me.
The Smith.
Foolish of me, I know to so enjoy a mortal's company. In a short while (to me at least) she will wither and die. But I hug her, and once again I feel the heat of her mortal fea, she is a real woman and she seems to like me! Me, an evil, disgusting betrayer. Oh yes, even all those long years ago I knew I was wrong to betray Gondolin. I knew it but I did not prevent it.
Almost I tremble with fear. If I tell this young maid the entire story of Gondolin, will she hate me? Yet I feel a compulsion to tell her, to tell someone how I regret what happened. All those who died uselessly, my pact with one Mandy would call the Devil, the one who my dear Mother had sworn to fight against. 'Mother, I broke your vow', I had cried to the sky when I awoke, in agony, barely alive at the bottom of the cliff the mortal threw me off. Then it was the eagle had swooped, and borne me away to this hidden cave many leagues from the ruin of Gondolin. Here in this place I had healed, and here I have lived, alone and I prayed forgotten by the Valar until the end of Arda.
Now as I hold Mandy, I know I have not been forgotten at all, and that terrifies me, for I have no doubt at all that a great doom is about to fall upon me and crush me. Then a little voice in my mind is telling me to stop worrying, that I should just enjoy Mandy's friendship.
I reach out my hand, and stroke Firefly's nose. 'Thank you for the ride,' I say, and the mare tosses her head before strolling off to graze. Hand in hand Mandy and I go inside, and she insists on showing me some more of her odd system of writing.
By mid afternoon, Mandy is packing her gear, saying she'd better go.
'Can't you stay? You don't like your family much, they are cruel to you, so why don't you stay here?' I rub her arm with my hand, staring at her.
'Oh, Maeglin, I wish I could. If I don't go home, someone's going to come looking for me and trust me, you don't want to be found. You'd be considered crazy or dangerous and I don't want you locked away simply because you're different to everyone else. I'll be back, I promise, but not until the weekend and I'll bring you a surprise.'
Perhaps she had a point, I don't want to be found, but not because I fear being locked up like an animal. Because I fear I'll cause a disaster of some kind if I'm allowed away from my cave. So I help Mandy pack, and kiss her farewell as I try not to think how lonely I will be.
The Mortal.
It's early Saturday morning, the sun barely risen but I am and heading off; to see Maeglin of course. I intend to stay until either very late Sunday or very early Monday. Firefly is heavily loaded, so I'll walk part of the way and lead her. She's happy, leaping around playfully like a young foal; surely she doesn't know where we're going? I know she likes Maeglin or she wouldn't have let him ride her.
I am feeling quite happy myself as Firefly and I walk up the last rise on the path to Maeglin's cave, have I got a good surprise for him! Plus lots of food and some clothes, and books. I've raided Mum's boxes of packed books and picked out a few I think he'll enjoy like my own favourite book, The Jungle Book. I hope it will appeal to his imagination and his love of animals.
Maeglin's waiting out the front of the cave, he smiles and waves when I wave to him.
Inside the cave, I unpack my things, including the surprise.
'You have brought many things, thank you,' says Maeglin.
'This stuff is all nothing, really. Take this,' I say and hand him one walkie-talkie. 'These used to belong to my real Dad and I pinched them, see we can talk to each other from a long way away with these.'
'Really!! How do they work?' I show him, and we spend the morning checking to see how far from the cave I can go and still speak to Maeglin.
'I think that's far enough,' I say when I get back from a long walk away from the cave, 'I should be able to talk to you in town.' I look over at Maeglin who is being very quiet and I notice tears streaming down his face.
'What's wrong!'
'Nothing,' he whispers. 'It just such a wonderful gift, to be able to speak to you when you are not here, you can't know what it means to me.'
'I think I do,' and I hug him. Soon he smiles and starts talking, quite happy once again.
'I have something for you too, Mandy.' He gets up and fetches one of the magazines I'd left him. As I'd guessed, he'd figured out the rest of what I hadn't had time to teach him and showed me he could read easily now. He shows me an advertisement in one of the magazines, of jewellery.
'I remember seeing you admiring this,' he says pointing to a pretty necklace made of crystal beads, 'I've got lots of crystals and gem and so I made you this,' and he puts something in my hand, a necklace almost identical to the one in the magazine.
'Oh, thank you, thank you,' I gasp. Maeglin helps me to fasten the necklace around my neck. 'This is lovely, the best present I've ever had!' and I hug Maeglin tightly. He seems very pleased with himself.
We pass the rest of the day, and the next talking, eating and playing games. I'd brought cards, and even a couple of board games, chess, and monopoly.
Sunday evening, I decided to go home, as the weather appeared to be taking a turn for the worse and I wanted to be home before the rain started. It was great, to be able to let Maeglin know I was home safe, and to talk to him before my next visit.
And so the next months go, on my days off from work or school, and on weekends, leaving a note for my mother saying I was visiting a friend and spending my free time with Maeglin. Why I should feel so close to this strange man I don't know. He's not even human!
The Mortal
I wake to Firefly snorting in my ear, I suspect because Maeglin asked her to wake me. He seems suspiciously happy and bright eyed to see me awake, at least. Yawning, I roll over and sit up.
Maeglin laughs, he sounds so carefree for once and it's pleasant to hear even if I am a bit grumpy from being woken up!
'Sit up, Mandy and have some soup,' he smiles. A bowl is placed in my hands and I realise what some of the sounds that had sort of invaded my sleep were. Maeglin had been making vegetable soup, and I had him chopping things and playing with the fire. And he'd been talking to Firefly too. I take the offered spoon and try the soup, which is very good.
'This is really nice, Maeglin. Can I have some more?'
He nods, and eagerly fills my bowl again. I'm sure it's not because I like his cooking, but could it possibly because he was so happy to have company?
Breakfast over; I take Firefly out to the small grassy plain behind Maeglin's cave to graze. She is enjoying the freedom and I sit and watch her run about. She puts up a small rabbit, which she chases; playfully strikes at it with her forefeet.
Maeglin and I laugh at her showing off for us but I am surprised at her next action. She runs to Maeglin and tosses her head at him, and then she turns and pushes her shoulder against Maeglin.
'Astounded, I say, 'I think she wants to take you for a ride!'
'Indeed she does!' laughed Maeglin, leaping gracefully aboard Firefly. I can hardly believe this is happening, Firefly doesn't like people she doesn't know well to ride her.
Maeglin directs Firefly across the small plain, flat out. He is leaning far forward over Firefly's neck, his hair flying loose and wild in the breeze like her mane; in fact I hardly know where Firefly's mane ends and Maeglin's hair begins! They race around until Firefly starts to slow, and then Maeglin makes a spectacular flying dismount nearly on top of me!
I push him, 'show off!'
He laughs, and hugs me.
The Smith.
Foolish of me, I know to so enjoy a mortal's company. In a short while (to me at least) she will wither and die. But I hug her, and once again I feel the heat of her mortal fea, she is a real woman and she seems to like me! Me, an evil, disgusting betrayer. Oh yes, even all those long years ago I knew I was wrong to betray Gondolin. I knew it but I did not prevent it.
Almost I tremble with fear. If I tell this young maid the entire story of Gondolin, will she hate me? Yet I feel a compulsion to tell her, to tell someone how I regret what happened. All those who died uselessly, my pact with one Mandy would call the Devil, the one who my dear Mother had sworn to fight against. 'Mother, I broke your vow', I had cried to the sky when I awoke, in agony, barely alive at the bottom of the cliff the mortal threw me off. Then it was the eagle had swooped, and borne me away to this hidden cave many leagues from the ruin of Gondolin. Here in this place I had healed, and here I have lived, alone and I prayed forgotten by the Valar until the end of Arda.
Now as I hold Mandy, I know I have not been forgotten at all, and that terrifies me, for I have no doubt at all that a great doom is about to fall upon me and crush me. Then a little voice in my mind is telling me to stop worrying, that I should just enjoy Mandy's friendship.
I reach out my hand, and stroke Firefly's nose. 'Thank you for the ride,' I say, and the mare tosses her head before strolling off to graze. Hand in hand Mandy and I go inside, and she insists on showing me some more of her odd system of writing.
By mid afternoon, Mandy is packing her gear, saying she'd better go.
'Can't you stay? You don't like your family much, they are cruel to you, so why don't you stay here?' I rub her arm with my hand, staring at her.
'Oh, Maeglin, I wish I could. If I don't go home, someone's going to come looking for me and trust me, you don't want to be found. You'd be considered crazy or dangerous and I don't want you locked away simply because you're different to everyone else. I'll be back, I promise, but not until the weekend and I'll bring you a surprise.'
Perhaps she had a point, I don't want to be found, but not because I fear being locked up like an animal. Because I fear I'll cause a disaster of some kind if I'm allowed away from my cave. So I help Mandy pack, and kiss her farewell as I try not to think how lonely I will be.
The Mortal.
It's early Saturday morning, the sun barely risen but I am and heading off; to see Maeglin of course. I intend to stay until either very late Sunday or very early Monday. Firefly is heavily loaded, so I'll walk part of the way and lead her. She's happy, leaping around playfully like a young foal; surely she doesn't know where we're going? I know she likes Maeglin or she wouldn't have let him ride her.
I am feeling quite happy myself as Firefly and I walk up the last rise on the path to Maeglin's cave, have I got a good surprise for him! Plus lots of food and some clothes, and books. I've raided Mum's boxes of packed books and picked out a few I think he'll enjoy like my own favourite book, The Jungle Book. I hope it will appeal to his imagination and his love of animals.
Maeglin's waiting out the front of the cave, he smiles and waves when I wave to him.
Inside the cave, I unpack my things, including the surprise.
'You have brought many things, thank you,' says Maeglin.
'This stuff is all nothing, really. Take this,' I say and hand him one walkie-talkie. 'These used to belong to my real Dad and I pinched them, see we can talk to each other from a long way away with these.'
'Really!! How do they work?' I show him, and we spend the morning checking to see how far from the cave I can go and still speak to Maeglin.
'I think that's far enough,' I say when I get back from a long walk away from the cave, 'I should be able to talk to you in town.' I look over at Maeglin who is being very quiet and I notice tears streaming down his face.
'What's wrong!'
'Nothing,' he whispers. 'It just such a wonderful gift, to be able to speak to you when you are not here, you can't know what it means to me.'
'I think I do,' and I hug him. Soon he smiles and starts talking, quite happy once again.
'I have something for you too, Mandy.' He gets up and fetches one of the magazines I'd left him. As I'd guessed, he'd figured out the rest of what I hadn't had time to teach him and showed me he could read easily now. He shows me an advertisement in one of the magazines, of jewellery.
'I remember seeing you admiring this,' he says pointing to a pretty necklace made of crystal beads, 'I've got lots of crystals and gem and so I made you this,' and he puts something in my hand, a necklace almost identical to the one in the magazine.
'Oh, thank you, thank you,' I gasp. Maeglin helps me to fasten the necklace around my neck. 'This is lovely, the best present I've ever had!' and I hug Maeglin tightly. He seems very pleased with himself.
We pass the rest of the day, and the next talking, eating and playing games. I'd brought cards, and even a couple of board games, chess, and monopoly.
Sunday evening, I decided to go home, as the weather appeared to be taking a turn for the worse and I wanted to be home before the rain started. It was great, to be able to let Maeglin know I was home safe, and to talk to him before my next visit.
And so the next months go, on my days off from work or school, and on weekends, leaving a note for my mother saying I was visiting a friend and spending my free time with Maeglin. Why I should feel so close to this strange man I don't know. He's not even human!