Disclaimer: I STILL don't own LotR, but I have a plan of action set out.
Now I just need the means to do it with...
A/N: Beware, this is a VERY strange chapter, but it is necessary, to me, to get a lot of my feelings about my own father out. Not that I want anything to happen to him, but I know that he doesn't have much time left before he leaves this earth, and I really need to have this story relate to that. Argh, can you say run-on sentence?
I replaced chapters 1-9, revised and SPACED, because it is Valentine's Day and I'm all alone and lonely. ;)
COME ON Y'ALL, WHERE ARE THE REVIEWS??????????? REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!!!!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter 12: Going Home: The Saddest Day
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Calime felt herself hurtling through the air, and suddenly she was sitting on her bed again, the Tolkien dictionary open on the floor by her feet, the silver ring clasped tightly in her hand. She slowly opened her hand and peered at the silver ring. It looked so ordinary, so plain. How could it hold so much power, so much energy?
A piercing scream punctuated her thoughts. Dropping the ring, she rushed to the door, and threw it open. She ran down the stairs, and into the living room. The sight there stopped her dead in her tracks. Her mother stood hunched over, her arms wrapped around herself, as if she was freezing, though it was 80 degrees in the room. Her brothers stood, looking
shell-shocked, and Maja, her twin, was sobbing unrestrainedly, curled in a ball on the floor. The baby of the family, five-year-old Hope, sweet Hope who lived in a silent world, was looking around her, clearly confused. The phone lay on the floor, as if someone had dropped it in a hurry, and horrific images filled the muted television screen. Sunni focused on them: a headline proclaimed "Bomb Kills at U.S. Embassy in Riyadh." Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia. Where her father worked. Stunned, she turned to her brothers, who shook their heads as though they were one being. Her gaze traveled to the photos that hung on the wall. One stood out. It was her family, proudly standing around the new barn, after a long month of building. Her brothers and sisters stood around. In the middle, her mother, radiant with joy, stood with her arm around a tall, lean man. He had curly brown hair and chocolate brown eyes, and he smiled, not looking at the camera, but at his wife and children, so proud, so happy. Her father.
"Papa is dead." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Amazing grace,
How sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost,
But now am found
Was blind,
But now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come.
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home."
Sunni had always loved the song Amazing Grace. Now she would never be able to listen to it without crying again. She sat in a state of shock, her
fingers tightly laced with Hope's on her left and Adam's on her right. Her mother sat stoically at the end of the pew, staring straight ahead, her lips moving silently along with the Lutheran prayer now being said. Sunni glanced around at the packed church. Her father had many friends: somber men and women from work, dressed in suits; relatives, not a dry-eyed one in
that bunch; her mother's mother and three sisters, all the way from Thailand; Bobby, her dad's best friend, with his wife Lucy and their two sons; more of his friends, from church and college, hockey and the horse world, the stable hands and stable managers, many of the students at Wind Dancer Farm, Sunni's best friend Aimee, and some of her brother's and sister's friends. He had touched everyone in the church in some way. Jack Hudson had been a sweet man, with a friendly smile and kind word for everyone he met, a man who always had good advice, and a fierce passion to do the right thing.
Sunni couldn't stand it anymore; being in the crowded church made her claustrophobic. She stood up and, brushing past legs, pushed her way out of
the sanctuary and into the cool air of a California evening. The sun had retreated into its fiery resting place, waiting to come out and grace the morning with its presence. Her shoulders shook with tearless sobs. She took
a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She wouldn't allow herself to cry.
Crying wouldn't bring Papa home. It wouldn't solve anything.
Sunni reached into her pocket and pulled out an Altoids tin. She opened it carefully. Inside, nestled among the mints was a small strip of metal: a
razor blade. Turning away from the church doors, she pulled it out and rolled up her sleeve. She groaned with relief as the blade cut through her soft flesh. Soon, wet, red lines joined the myriad of similar lines, all in
varying shades of pink and white. Some were years old, others days old. When she finally felt numb, felt the tears and sadness retreat, she wiped the blood from the blade and pushed it back among the pristine white mints.
Behind her, the heavy church doors opened, and Maja and Evan appeared. They hurried over to her.
"Sunni," her sister said softly. Evan took her arm and pushed the sleeve
back further. Tears glistened on his eyes, and on Maja's, too.
"Why, Sunni? Why?" Evan asked. Sunni could hear the despair in his voice.
"You wouldn't understand."
"I wouldn't understand? We wouldn't understand? Sun, we just lost our
father, too. Everyone in that room just lost someone very important. Of
course we understand."
"I'm not talking about Papa. I know you guys lost him, too. I'm not
completely selfish."
"Then what are you talking about?"
"What I'm talking about is-it's just that you can cry. You can tell
someone that you're sad, but I can't. I promised Papa when he left that I
would be strong. If anything happened, I had to be strong, because I was
his little elf, a warrior," she explained, her hand traveling to her ears.
(A/N: Her dad was a big Tolkien fan, like mine. That's why she likes her ears so much.)
"Sunni, hon, he didn't mean that you couldn't cry. He would rather have
had you cry than do this to yourself," Maja soothed. At her kind words,
Sunni couldn't help herself. She burst into tears. Two pairs of arms
encircled her, comforting. Their tears mingled together.
"We're triplets, Sunni. We might not always understand, but we can try
to, and we'll ALWAYS be here for each other," Maja's voice broke the
silence. Sunni felt calmer than she had in years. People were beginning to
trickle out of the church, but the three of them didn't break apart until
the last of them had left and their mother came out, surrounded by family.
She smiled at her children, and hugged each of them.
"Come, dakkan," she said, using her term for sweethearts. "Let's go
home." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sunni roused herself early the next morning. Glancing at her clock, she
saw that it was 2.30 A.M. She slipped from her bed and, with a last glance
at the sleeping Maja, she took the silver ring from the chain around her
neck and slid it onto her finger.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: That was a chapter that I really had to put in. Thank you for letting me get that out. ::hugs to anyone who is reading this::
Lil Eimeim: Thanks so much for your review and for reading this! You are awesome!
Feanen: Once again, thanks for your review, and keep reading!
Latanya: Well, here's the next installment with the Fellowship of Ten. Enjoy, and keep reading and reviewing!
Legolas's Bride: Thank you so much for your review! And for your prayers! This chapter really helped, so I hope you liked! Yup, she took off the ring (duh, hello, sun, that's pretty obvious), and she can go between M-E and earth, so she'll have some choices coming up soon. Keep reading and reviewing, please!
Elvinscarf: Thanks for loving my story! I feel so loved! ;) Don't worry, I'll keep updating: I don't want to die! LOL. Please, keep reading and reviewing!
Eamane-elf: Thanks for reviewing! I know what you mean: I love Pippin too! I just had to put in that hug, as I've imagined it many times! Well, keep reading, and I hope you keep reviewing as it brightens up my day! And stop yelling at me!!! I have my reasons for taking off the ring!! Bear with me!!
A/N: Beware, this is a VERY strange chapter, but it is necessary, to me, to get a lot of my feelings about my own father out. Not that I want anything to happen to him, but I know that he doesn't have much time left before he leaves this earth, and I really need to have this story relate to that. Argh, can you say run-on sentence?
I replaced chapters 1-9, revised and SPACED, because it is Valentine's Day and I'm all alone and lonely. ;)
COME ON Y'ALL, WHERE ARE THE REVIEWS??????????? REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!!!!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter 12: Going Home: The Saddest Day
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Calime felt herself hurtling through the air, and suddenly she was sitting on her bed again, the Tolkien dictionary open on the floor by her feet, the silver ring clasped tightly in her hand. She slowly opened her hand and peered at the silver ring. It looked so ordinary, so plain. How could it hold so much power, so much energy?
A piercing scream punctuated her thoughts. Dropping the ring, she rushed to the door, and threw it open. She ran down the stairs, and into the living room. The sight there stopped her dead in her tracks. Her mother stood hunched over, her arms wrapped around herself, as if she was freezing, though it was 80 degrees in the room. Her brothers stood, looking
shell-shocked, and Maja, her twin, was sobbing unrestrainedly, curled in a ball on the floor. The baby of the family, five-year-old Hope, sweet Hope who lived in a silent world, was looking around her, clearly confused. The phone lay on the floor, as if someone had dropped it in a hurry, and horrific images filled the muted television screen. Sunni focused on them: a headline proclaimed "Bomb Kills at U.S. Embassy in Riyadh." Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia. Where her father worked. Stunned, she turned to her brothers, who shook their heads as though they were one being. Her gaze traveled to the photos that hung on the wall. One stood out. It was her family, proudly standing around the new barn, after a long month of building. Her brothers and sisters stood around. In the middle, her mother, radiant with joy, stood with her arm around a tall, lean man. He had curly brown hair and chocolate brown eyes, and he smiled, not looking at the camera, but at his wife and children, so proud, so happy. Her father.
"Papa is dead." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Amazing grace,
How sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost,
But now am found
Was blind,
But now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come.
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home."
Sunni had always loved the song Amazing Grace. Now she would never be able to listen to it without crying again. She sat in a state of shock, her
fingers tightly laced with Hope's on her left and Adam's on her right. Her mother sat stoically at the end of the pew, staring straight ahead, her lips moving silently along with the Lutheran prayer now being said. Sunni glanced around at the packed church. Her father had many friends: somber men and women from work, dressed in suits; relatives, not a dry-eyed one in
that bunch; her mother's mother and three sisters, all the way from Thailand; Bobby, her dad's best friend, with his wife Lucy and their two sons; more of his friends, from church and college, hockey and the horse world, the stable hands and stable managers, many of the students at Wind Dancer Farm, Sunni's best friend Aimee, and some of her brother's and sister's friends. He had touched everyone in the church in some way. Jack Hudson had been a sweet man, with a friendly smile and kind word for everyone he met, a man who always had good advice, and a fierce passion to do the right thing.
Sunni couldn't stand it anymore; being in the crowded church made her claustrophobic. She stood up and, brushing past legs, pushed her way out of
the sanctuary and into the cool air of a California evening. The sun had retreated into its fiery resting place, waiting to come out and grace the morning with its presence. Her shoulders shook with tearless sobs. She took
a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She wouldn't allow herself to cry.
Crying wouldn't bring Papa home. It wouldn't solve anything.
Sunni reached into her pocket and pulled out an Altoids tin. She opened it carefully. Inside, nestled among the mints was a small strip of metal: a
razor blade. Turning away from the church doors, she pulled it out and rolled up her sleeve. She groaned with relief as the blade cut through her soft flesh. Soon, wet, red lines joined the myriad of similar lines, all in
varying shades of pink and white. Some were years old, others days old. When she finally felt numb, felt the tears and sadness retreat, she wiped the blood from the blade and pushed it back among the pristine white mints.
Behind her, the heavy church doors opened, and Maja and Evan appeared. They hurried over to her.
"Sunni," her sister said softly. Evan took her arm and pushed the sleeve
back further. Tears glistened on his eyes, and on Maja's, too.
"Why, Sunni? Why?" Evan asked. Sunni could hear the despair in his voice.
"You wouldn't understand."
"I wouldn't understand? We wouldn't understand? Sun, we just lost our
father, too. Everyone in that room just lost someone very important. Of
course we understand."
"I'm not talking about Papa. I know you guys lost him, too. I'm not
completely selfish."
"Then what are you talking about?"
"What I'm talking about is-it's just that you can cry. You can tell
someone that you're sad, but I can't. I promised Papa when he left that I
would be strong. If anything happened, I had to be strong, because I was
his little elf, a warrior," she explained, her hand traveling to her ears.
(A/N: Her dad was a big Tolkien fan, like mine. That's why she likes her ears so much.)
"Sunni, hon, he didn't mean that you couldn't cry. He would rather have
had you cry than do this to yourself," Maja soothed. At her kind words,
Sunni couldn't help herself. She burst into tears. Two pairs of arms
encircled her, comforting. Their tears mingled together.
"We're triplets, Sunni. We might not always understand, but we can try
to, and we'll ALWAYS be here for each other," Maja's voice broke the
silence. Sunni felt calmer than she had in years. People were beginning to
trickle out of the church, but the three of them didn't break apart until
the last of them had left and their mother came out, surrounded by family.
She smiled at her children, and hugged each of them.
"Come, dakkan," she said, using her term for sweethearts. "Let's go
home." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sunni roused herself early the next morning. Glancing at her clock, she
saw that it was 2.30 A.M. She slipped from her bed and, with a last glance
at the sleeping Maja, she took the silver ring from the chain around her
neck and slid it onto her finger.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: That was a chapter that I really had to put in. Thank you for letting me get that out. ::hugs to anyone who is reading this::
Lil Eimeim: Thanks so much for your review and for reading this! You are awesome!
Feanen: Once again, thanks for your review, and keep reading!
Latanya: Well, here's the next installment with the Fellowship of Ten. Enjoy, and keep reading and reviewing!
Legolas's Bride: Thank you so much for your review! And for your prayers! This chapter really helped, so I hope you liked! Yup, she took off the ring (duh, hello, sun, that's pretty obvious), and she can go between M-E and earth, so she'll have some choices coming up soon. Keep reading and reviewing, please!
Elvinscarf: Thanks for loving my story! I feel so loved! ;) Don't worry, I'll keep updating: I don't want to die! LOL. Please, keep reading and reviewing!
Eamane-elf: Thanks for reviewing! I know what you mean: I love Pippin too! I just had to put in that hug, as I've imagined it many times! Well, keep reading, and I hope you keep reviewing as it brightens up my day! And stop yelling at me!!! I have my reasons for taking off the ring!! Bear with me!!