Carrie sat on her porch smoking a cigarette when she saw a familiar car pull in the driveway. She tossed the butt in the cup she was using for ash and got up to open the screen door for her friend.

"I came right over," Ronnie said, giving Carrie a hug. "What the hell is going on?"

Carrie shook her head, still bewildered from what had happened earlier that morning. "I… I don't even know where to begin."

Ronnie peeked over Carrie's shoulder at the door to the house. "Is he still here?" she whispered.

"No." Carrie stepped backwards, away from her friend. "He, uh… left."

"Well that's good, right?" Ronnie asked hopefully. "I mean, right?"

Grimacing, Carrie held her hands out and shrugged. "I…" She shook her head, not knowing how to put her thoughts into words.

"Wow!" Ronnie said, "I don't think I've ever seen you like this."

"I don't think I've ever been like this." She rubbed her hands on her pants, closed her eyes and shook her head once more, as if this time would actually clear it. Abruptly, she opened her eyes. "Come on," she said, gesturing Ronnie through the door, "Let's go inside. I'll try to catch you up."

The two girls sat on the couch as Carrie recounted the strange events of the prior evening and earlier that morning. Ronnie's expression changed from one of polite interest to shock. By the time Carrie ended her account, Ronnie looked completely intrigued.

"Do you think he would have kissed you?" she asked. "You know, if you hadn't said anything?"

"What?" Carrie frowned at her. "That's what you're focused on?"

"Well… yeah," Ronnie said, as if it were obviously the most important part of the story.

"Unbelievable." Carrie raised her eyebrows and shook her head. "I don't know if he would have kissed me." She had to admit, the thought did give her chills, but there were other more important things to consider. "I was more focused on the fact that, I don't know, he thinks he's an elf."

"Well yeah, there's that." Ronnie grudgingly agreed and Carrie laughed.

"Yeah, that small matter of being delusional. That's all. No big deal."

Ronnie pulled her mouth to one side, the expression she used when she was trying to figure something out. "There's got to be a reasonable explanation."

Carrie shrugged. "Got me."

Ronnie sat silently for a moment, drawing her lips from one side to the other. When she started chewing on her lip, Carrie knew she was really perplexed. Finally her face brightened with an idea before she schooled her features and smiled tentatively at Carrie.

"Hear me out." It was never good when she started like that. "What if…" she paused dramatically, "he actually was an elf?"

Carrie stared at her blankly and blinked a few times. "Ok…"

"No, wait, listen," Ronnie protested. "If that kind of thing was real and he was what he says he is…"

"If there actually were elves in the world?" Carrie interrupted. "He would still be a fictional elf."

"Ok." Ronnie held her palm out towards Carrie. "Forget who he says he is. If it were possible," she drew out the word, "and his identity was not an issue…"

"So basically, you're saying if Legolas had actually been in my house this morning?"

"Would you stop interrupting!"

"Sorry," Carrie said mildly. "I'll let you finish."

"Thank you." Ronnie flipped her hair over her shoulder. "As I was saying, does it matter if he's telling you he's an elf? I mean, seriously?"

"Yes," Carrie said automatically.

"Why? It's not like you're going to marry the guy. Come on," she wheedled. "Go out, have fun for once."

Carrie raised her eyebrows. "With a crazy person?"

Ronnie considered that for a moment. "Sure." She shrugged. "Why not?"

Carrie tried to come up with a good rationale -- other than the obvious insanity -- for not having romantic interest in the man who claimed to be Legolas but could not think of any. Ronnie, on the other hand, had not yet run out of reasons to support her case.

"You said he was good looking, right?" Carrie felt her face get hot thinking about his looks. "You don't even have to answer. That blush is a definite 'yes'."

"He is gorgeous," Carrie conceded.

"So what's the problem?" Carrie opened her mouth but Ronnie held out her hand. "I know! I know! He thinks he's an elf." She shrugged again. "Let him. There are worse things."

Carrie's eyes widened. "Like what?"

"Come back and talk to me if he's a bad kisser," Ronnie teased.

Carrie laughed. "You are too much."

"Come on, admit it; you've had more excitement in the past day than you have this whole past year."

"Maybe." It was true, but Carrie would not give Ronnie the satisfaction of agreeing with her. Ronnie put her hand on Carrie's shoulder.

"That's sad."

Carrie mirrored Ronnie's gesture. "I know."

They only spoke for a few more minutes before Ronnie left. As Carrie got ready to go to the theater, she thought about the strange events of the past 24 hours and her conversation with Ronnie. The other girl was right; her life was usually boring, but was that enough of an excuse to pursue anything or even to allow it to happen? And did she really need an excuse? As much as she tried to fight and deny it, she had to admit that she was very much attracted to the man who thought he was Legolas.

Her mind was still reeling from how incredibly stupid she had been to let a strange man in her house on an assumption that he was sent by her friend, no matter how attractive she found him. Ronnie hadn't seem concerned by this and Carrie wondered if she was making too much of a big deal out of it. After all, nothing bad had happened. On the contrary, he had been completely courteous -- she looked down at the bruise on her wrist -- well, mostly courteous, at least until he almost kissed her.

She checked her reflection in the mirror and frowned at herself. Had he almost kissed her, or was she completely mistaken about that? It was hard to know; her thoughts were jumbled and confused when it came to him. Carrie had never felt this way about anyone before. It was as if she was under a spell when he was around.

Maybe he is what he says he is, she thought, half-serious. She heard Ronnie's words in her head. 'If that kind of thing was real...' Weren't elves supposed to be the image of perfection and beauty? And weren't mortal women supposed to fall at their feet, unable to resist their charm? Carrie smiled wryly at her reflection. Stranger things have happened.

"NO!" Carrie shouted at the mirror. "Stranger things have NOT happened." In fact, she could not think of a single thing that was stranger than either the events of the past day, or the idea that these men were really from a different time or place and were, in truth, different races than she was. But if not, then what was the explanation?

She picked her bag up off the floor and walked out the door, closing it behind her. "I guess we'll see how this plays out," she said before locking the door and walking to her car.