The Passing
What shall happen to me?
Gandalf the Grey looked over the landscape before him.
He felt the chill of the mountains, and the whistle of breezes that overlay the land.
He was approaching the gap between towering and ominous mountains while following the Old Forest Road out of the grim Mirkwood, toward his endeavors in the west.
The letter he had received from Bilbo Baggins months ago had brought much toil. He had raced to Mirkwood to make arrangements, and now he was out in the mist of another mission. The wind and trees seamed to whisper gravely at Middle Earth's uncertain future.
Gandalf could feel the weight of the future on his old bones. Thousands of years he had road through these lands in much hast and in queer circumstances but non such as these.
A mysterious stranger in the west plagued his mind.
Threats of Modor crept into his dreams. And it all felt wrong, and strangely out of order and context. Somehow he knew it wasn't supposed to happen like this. It wasn't the right order, as if a queer element had been changed in a tale.
He felt the old ones among the heavens stretch and move in protest.
Now he edged Shadowfax on toward the Shire.
'May the questions be answered' he though as mountains sped past his vision, toward the horizon.
As much as the Boffin's questioned the girl, her answers never wavered. She was from some strange land of California, and needed a 'phone' or be taken to the 'British Police'. Finally, the Boffin's stopped asking her more information, and believed all would be settled by Gandalf the Grey. She was a rather peculiar girl.
Months past in the Shire with Kohana counting the days until she could escape.
She had grown to like the Boffin family much, but still reminded herself that these people were crazy. She stopped talking, for they didn't comprehend much of what she said, anyway.
However, she became weary that she was the crazy one.
Days melted into one another at a pace that she started to forget how long she had actually been there.
Life had seemed to go on. Mrs. Boffin had made Kohana a new dress to her scale. The dress wasn't very stylish, but Kohana would never refuse the woman's generosity. Mrs. Boffin's hospitality had been too great.
Kohana began to understand the workings of the Boffin household, and the Shire for that matter.
She would wake with the dawn; help prepare breakfast the best she could, for cooking was not one of her skills. During the day, while Mr. Boffin and his sons worked the fields, Mrs. Boffin, Kohana, and Marien went about the house doing odds and ends.
Kohana learned to love Marien the most in the household.
After the candles had been blown out and the house quiet and asleep, Marien would creep into Kohana's bed and ask her questions about her home. Kohana humored the little girl because she needed someone to talk to mostly, but also because she felt sorry for the poor Amish kid.
"Tell me a story from your home." Marien curled up to Kohana, waiting for the night's tale. Kohana thought to herself. What is a story she could tell a five year old? Kohana searched her memory for a story she could tell Marien. One story she loved as a little girl was Peter Pan. 'Well, that seems safe enough', she thought.
"Once, in a town called London, there was a family that did not have any adventures. Mr. and Mrs. Darling wanted their eldest daughter, Wendy, to move out of the family's nursery because she was at the age when most children grow up.
But Wendy did not want to grow up . . ."
Kohana's voice went into the wee hours of the night, telling Marien a tale filled with sword fighting, pirates (she had to explain this term to Marien many times) and mermaids.
She reached the part in which Tiger lily is captured by Captain Hook when she realized Marien was asleep.
She then took this time to carry the child back to her bed that was a few inches from her own. Kohana then climbed back into her warm covers, and stared out into the sky through her window. It was often in these times that she cried.
She missed the soothing embrace of Shina, and the joyful laugh of Tori. Absent mindedly Kohana began to grab the cross around her neck. It was the only link to her home, and perhaps her sanity.
As she slept that night, she had a reoccurring dream. It was filled was silent riders in black riding after her on black stallions and gleaming swords. It was the Nazgul, but they were after her, not Frodo.
Not as it should be.
'It's just a dream, after all' she would remind herself.
The late night stories continued through the next week. After 'Peter Pan' was finished, Kohana moved on to 'Aladdin', and then to 'Beauty and the Beast'. Marien was in heaven with all of the brilliant stories every night, and Kohana was happy to tell someone else stories from her home.
Mr. Boffin was sitting in his parlor one evening, when Kohana walked into the room, making sure not to hit her head on the doorframe.
"Ah, Ana-what may I do for you" Mr. Boffin was a rather shy man, and being around Kohana made it worse.
Since her stay at the Boffin's home, the family avoided conversation with her, as did she to them, aside from Marien. When conversation did arise, the family called her Ana, because her true name was foreign and hard to pronounce.
"I was wondering- if I may", Kohana folded her hands together"ask as to when I will meet this 'wizard' (oh, and believe me, she used hand quotations in this part) so I may go home"
At that very moment a knock was heard at the door. Mr. Boffin, half curious as to who was at the door, and half wanting to stop the awkward conversation with the strange girl, walked to the door.
"Who is it"
"Gandalf the Grey". Came the firm reply.
'This is just peachy' thought Kohana folding her arms. Was she suppose to believe that
1) She was in middle earth, and
2) Gandalf the Grey was to see her?
'I hope they don't sacrifice me to him' she laughed to herself.
Mr. Boffin opened the door to a very tall figure with a cloak and big pointy hat.
'Well, at least he got the costume right' Kohana thought.
The figure stepped inside the Boffin's home while watching the door frame and removed his hat. What stood before was more of a presence than an actual man. He radiated power and a urethral quality about him. His gray hair framed a straggly face with tiny eyes, but rather large nose. He had a thick beard which hide most of his features, but framed the expression that radiated from his face.
It was a mix of disappointment and curiosity.
Gandalf greeted Mr. and Mrs. Boffin and let the Mrs. Boffin take his cloak. He could tell the Boffin's were intimidated by him, for they had never been in the presence of a wizard or any other outsider for that matter. Well, that is except for the girl. He let his eyes rest on her. She seemed nothing special.
She was an average looking human girl. She had dirty blond hair, pretty face, and an average build. He could predict she was a maid from Rohan, perhaps even a shield maiden. The way she faced him, with no fear, unlike most other gentile maidens made him question his first impression.
'This should be very interesting.' The wizard thought.
Mrs. Boffin returned to the threshold after depositing Gandalf's cloak in another room, and invited the wizard into the parlor. The hobbits and Kohana followed after the wizard through the small archway into the sitting room with uneasiness in the air, for no one spoke a word.
"So this is the maid." Gandalf asked Mr. Boffin with little interest, for his eyes never left Kohana. She thought it amusing that this old man was being so serious about his role.
'Let's have a little fun.' She thought with a gleam in her eyes.
"I suppose you are Gandalf the Grey, or Mithrandir." Kohana said challengingly.
"You know much child." Gandalf kept a solemn face. "What is your name, and where do you hail from"
"My name is Kohana and I'm from San Francisco, California."
"I have not heard of this land you speak of."
Kohana was very frustrated by now. She was so angry with being told she was strange or mistaken. Her home did exist, and this crazy reclusive cult would not let her go to it. She had no other option than to get it into their heads, somehow.
So she did what any other confused, frustrated, and irritated girl would do.
She yelled.
"You crazy Amish people! This is not Middle Earth so just get it out of your heads! I don't know where I am, but it is not in some fairy tale! I am from the United States, and I want to go home NOW"
Gandalf stood with fire in his eyes. Mr. and Mrs.Boffin started apologizing for Kohana's outburst.
"SILENCE" The wizard commanded. The Hobbits shook with fear. Kohana felt chills up her spine.
He turned to the Hobbits. "Leave us" He ordered.
He could not believe how rude this child was. She dared to yell at him. He could see the frustration in her eyes and demeanor, but that was no excuse to disrespect your elders.
Mr. and Mrs. Boffin scampered out of the room, leaving Kohana sitting in a chair, and Gandalf standing in front of her. Gandalf bore his eyes into Kohana's and there was silence for some time.
"What reason do you have to yell at an Istari? You are not ignorant, for you know who I am."
"You are not Gandalf." Kohana replied dryly. "He is not real."
"Is that so" Gandalf stepped forward, inches away from Kohana. He brought his hands and wrapped them around the crown of her head.
Kohana was about to scream at a stranger touching her but then everything went blank.
She opened her eyes to a field of grass, and then it shifted to the towers of Isenguard. A voice whispered in her ear 'you now too much, you know too much' over and again.
And then it was gone.
Then she came back to the present. Her eyes opened, and began to shake. Her hands reached up to her face and head. Her eyes looked up and met those of the wizard.
"Why . . . What" She said over and over as she looked around her surroundings shocked by what had just occurred.
Gandalf looked at her confusion and shock with an expression of understanding.
"I can feel the fear that comes from you, but do not fret."
Kohana shook her head feverously and stood up.
"This can not be real! You can not be real! Lord of the Rings is just a STORY! Middle Earth is not real" She buried her head in her hands crying. "I just want to go home! Please let me go home"
Kohana collapsed to the ground still crying.
'What is going to happen to me?' She thought as the tears streamed down her face onto the floor.