TO ARLEEN: Nat's pickle of a situation will be explained! =0)
TIMEKEEPER: It's been 2 weeks since Sméagol splatted into Earth.
*&*
"Well, she can't possibly have disappeared into thin air, could she?" Kathy remarked, her hands on her hips. She was definitely not please about her holiday being interrupted, and the fact that she was getting rather worried for that nut of a best friend was not helping her mood.
"I don't know, had to get a locksmith to get into your house. She wasn't here, and she wasn't at her place. And it's been quite a while for her to have gone shopping, don't you think?" Patrick shot back, still not very willing to forgive Kathy for chasing him out of the beach house. "It's like she vanished from the face of the Earth."
Vanished from the face of the Earth. That struck something in Kathy's mind, and she gasped. "Vanished from the face of the Earth! That's it! I think she's found the portal. Oh my gosh, she might be in Middle Earth!" Ignoring Patrick, she dashed up to her room, Sméagol following hard on her heels, feeling rather excited about the idea of going back to Middle Earth, and therefore avoiding the bath that Kathy had said to give him, and also avoiding the need to use a fork.
Patrick and Kathy spent an hour searching her room, but there was no sign of the portal, or where it could possibly be. Sméagol tried helping too, but decided against it after he opened a drawer and discovered that it was full of Kathy's undergarments (he was definitely not used to seeing that).
They finally gave up, and sat on the floor, exhausted. "Maybe the portal only opens at a certain time, like once a week or something," Kathy suggested. "Then we just have to wait for one week for Nat to get back, and to send Sméagol home." She crossed her fingers behind her back. Please let Nat find a way back. Much as they liked to fantasise about it, she was sure that neither of them would be very happy living long term in Middle Earth, and Nat might be halfway down the Pit of Doom, or already fried to a crisp by molten lava. Please let Nat come back.
*&*
Nat scurried after Lura, trying to keep her pace. Man, Dwarves walked fast!
Finally they came to a great hall, and Lura stopped and curtsied (or something like that) to the dwarf inside, examining a map. "Lord Gimli. I have brought you a visitor. I found her unconscious outside the caves awhile ago, and she just woke up. She does not know where she comes from, and I thought it best to let you decide what to do with her."
What to do with her? WHOA. "What to do with me? What do you mean, what to do with me?" Nat burst out.
Lura did not answer, but looked to Gimli. He nodded. "Don't worry, miss, we have no wish to harm you. But you are dressed strangely indeed, unlike anyone I have seen in Middle Earth, and you say that you know not where in Middle Earth you come from? That is strange!" he said, gesturing for her to take a seat on one of the benches.
Nat obeyed. "Lord Gimli, I'm really sorry for imposing on you like that, but it was through no choice of my own. You see, I come from this place called Earth, and I chanced upon. a portal of sorts. And I suppose that was what brought me here."
Gimli nodded. "I have not heard of such portals, but Middle Earth is full of strange things. Perhaps if Lura brought you back to where you were found, you could find the portal and make your way back."
Nat nodded in relief. "Yes, that would be a good idea, my lord. Thank you!"
*&*
There was no portal when Lura led her back. "This is impossible! You are sure that it is here?" she asked in disbelief.
Lura nodded. "Of course I am sure, I have a good memory! It was this very spot where I found you!"
Nat sighed. Perhaps it was one of those portals that only opened at a certain time. Great. Then she could be here for months and years or even decades and no one would know where she was. She was going to be left here, living with Dwarves for the rest of her life! She was never going to have a good boyfriend or get married. ugh. She shook her head. But I should have materialised in the Pit of Doom, and died. no wait. Mount Doom was blown up, and so the portal was probably covered. That explains it then. Well, at least she was still alive.
"Come on, let's go back and tell Lord Gimli the news. Perhaps he will have to send you somewhere. The caves are probably not a good place for you to stay," Lura said brusquely.
"Well, I should have to stay here, because if I left the caves how would I know when the portal opened again? If I missed the next opening, it could be years before it happened again!"
Somehow Lura didn't seem to enjoy thinking about that possibility.