Chapter 6
"So, what do you guys want to do?" asked Katie. She had joined them between classes because she was bored.
"I heard about a look-alike contest for Lord of the Rings up in Niagra Falls," suggested Jill. With a look at the "visitors", she added, "The grand prize is that you get to meet the actors you look like, plus a secret surprise."
"But how will we get there?" queried Adrienne.
"Cappy could drive us!" exclaimed Stephi.
"You want to try to fit 8 people in a Ford Focus?"
"I'll ride on the roof!"
"What are you talking about?" asked Aragorn. "Why don't we just walk?"
"Because it would take about a week to get there," explained Andy. "And I don't think that the contest will wait for us."
Just then, who else should walk by than Cappy herself. At first she just said hi to Stephanie and Adrienne, but then it seemed she got confused.
"Cappy," asked Stephi, "could you drive us up to Niagra Falls after school?"
Cappy still looked a little alarmed. But then she realized that it must just be a dream. She did the Cappy laugh. "Ya, sure, whatever. I can take you now, actually. I had an early dismissal anyway."
So they all snuck out to the back parking lot where the Focus was parked.
Getting everyone into the car was interesting. Cappy got into the driver's seat, of course. Katie and Adrienne crammed into the passenger side. Legolas, Aragorn, and Andy stuffed into the back. But before all that, they used some spare rope to tie Jill and Stephanie to the roof. Then they started off.
"This is the weirdest thing we've ever done, Estel," Legolas said over Andy's head.
"I had noticed that," replied Aragorn faintly.
"What, haven't you ever been in a car before?" asked Cappy quizzically.
"Oh, is that what this is called?"
Cappy started to respond, but Adrienne cut her off saying, "Just drop it."
The trip went along fairly uneventfully until right before the New York state line. At that point, Cappy screamed. She had looked into the rearview mirror and saw a random man, boy, and hobbit sitting on the trunk. These people just so happened to be Boromir, Frodo, and ... Joey? Cappy swerved to the side of the road. Joey fell off and bounced away down the road, but Boromir and Frodo managed to stay on. Cappy stopped the car.
Everybody in the car jumped out, while Stephanie and Jill looked on from the roof.
"I'm confused," said Frodo. "Where are we?"
"In New York," said Katie.
"What in the name of the Valar did Lord Elrond send you for?!?" exploded Aragorn at the Halfling. "You don't have it with you, do you?"
"Of course I do," he said apprehensively.
"What was he thinking?" screamed Aragorn, turning on Boromir.
"Frodo volunteered and both Gandalf and Lord Elrond agreed."
Legolas quickly changed the subject, seeing the looks of intense interest emanating from the teenagers present. (Cappy had run away screaming as soon as the car stopped.) "Did anyone find a way to get us back to Middle-Earth?"
"Yes," answered Frodo. "There should be a cheesewheel around here somewhere."
At this, Adrienne and Katie exchanged a nervous glance. They had only gotten there a few hours ago! They didn't need to leave yet! Plus, Katie thought she saw something large, round, and yellow down the road.
Adrienne had seen it too. "I think it's getting pretty cold out here. Why don't we get in the car to continue this discussion?" And before they knew what was happening, Frodo was being stuffed into the trunk. Boromir got tied to said trunk with some more rope. Everyone else went back to where they were, except, of course, Cappy.
Just then, Katie saw the cheese out of the rearview mirror. "I'm lactose-intolerant!" She slid into the driver's seat and sped away.
"Aren't we supposed to get hit with the cheesewheel?" yelled Boromir through the window.
Before anyone could answer, the cheese in question fell into a river.
"That's okay," screamed Frodo in the trunk. "There's another one somewhere." No one quite understood how he knew what had happened. Katie slowed down.
One hour later...
"Where are all the lights and sounds coming from?" asked Boromir.
"Uh-oh," said Katie, pulling over, "I was wondering when this was going to happen."
The policeman pulled up behind them and walked to the driver's side of the Focus. Katie rolled down the window and said, "What seems to be the problem, officer?"
"It seems that you have two people tied to the roof and one to the trunk."
"Oh!" said Adrienne quickly, "they're not people...they're...ventriloquist dummies! We have a gig in Niagra Falls tonight. We're ventriloquists," she added unnecessarily.
"I love ventriloquist acts!" said the officer. "Can I see a preview?"
"Uh...sure...right." Adrienne hoped Jill or Stephanie would say something. Luckily, or maybe unluckily, Jill had the "sense" to say something.
"Lay off on the doughnuts, fatso."
"I'll still need to see your driver's license," said the officer, suddenly stern.
"Run!" screamed Stephanie, cutting Jill and herself free. Katie popped the trunk, sending Boromir flying onto the windshield while Frodo scrambled out. Andy shoved Aragorn and Legolas out of the car. All of them ran as fast as they could to the nearest...horse field?
Note: Don't even ask. I probably couldn't explain it anyway.
Luckily, all but 1 of the horses were saddled. "I'll ride the one that's not tacked up!" yelled Legolas. (Duh, he is the elf here.)
Legolas jumped onto the horse he had claimed, but held back to make sure the others made it. Katie mounted one and rode north without a second glance. Everyone else reached the horses and hopped on, Aragorn grabbing Frodo to ride with him.
"Ride!" screamed Stephanie. Legolas started his horse off at a gallop and the others followed.
Not surprisingly, Andy promptly fell off. He tried to remount, but had difficulties. "We don't have time for this!" exclaimed Boromir in anguish. He rode back and yanked Andy on to his own hose. He then quickly dashed after everyone else.
This whole time, the fat cop had been chasing them on foot, too stupid to go back to his squad car.
"Do you think Cappy will be mad we left her Focus in the middle of nowhere?"
"Uh, yeah!"
"So, what do you guys want to do?" asked Katie. She had joined them between classes because she was bored.
"I heard about a look-alike contest for Lord of the Rings up in Niagra Falls," suggested Jill. With a look at the "visitors", she added, "The grand prize is that you get to meet the actors you look like, plus a secret surprise."
"But how will we get there?" queried Adrienne.
"Cappy could drive us!" exclaimed Stephi.
"You want to try to fit 8 people in a Ford Focus?"
"I'll ride on the roof!"
"What are you talking about?" asked Aragorn. "Why don't we just walk?"
"Because it would take about a week to get there," explained Andy. "And I don't think that the contest will wait for us."
Just then, who else should walk by than Cappy herself. At first she just said hi to Stephanie and Adrienne, but then it seemed she got confused.
"Cappy," asked Stephi, "could you drive us up to Niagra Falls after school?"
Cappy still looked a little alarmed. But then she realized that it must just be a dream. She did the Cappy laugh. "Ya, sure, whatever. I can take you now, actually. I had an early dismissal anyway."
So they all snuck out to the back parking lot where the Focus was parked.
Getting everyone into the car was interesting. Cappy got into the driver's seat, of course. Katie and Adrienne crammed into the passenger side. Legolas, Aragorn, and Andy stuffed into the back. But before all that, they used some spare rope to tie Jill and Stephanie to the roof. Then they started off.
"This is the weirdest thing we've ever done, Estel," Legolas said over Andy's head.
"I had noticed that," replied Aragorn faintly.
"What, haven't you ever been in a car before?" asked Cappy quizzically.
"Oh, is that what this is called?"
Cappy started to respond, but Adrienne cut her off saying, "Just drop it."
The trip went along fairly uneventfully until right before the New York state line. At that point, Cappy screamed. She had looked into the rearview mirror and saw a random man, boy, and hobbit sitting on the trunk. These people just so happened to be Boromir, Frodo, and ... Joey? Cappy swerved to the side of the road. Joey fell off and bounced away down the road, but Boromir and Frodo managed to stay on. Cappy stopped the car.
Everybody in the car jumped out, while Stephanie and Jill looked on from the roof.
"I'm confused," said Frodo. "Where are we?"
"In New York," said Katie.
"What in the name of the Valar did Lord Elrond send you for?!?" exploded Aragorn at the Halfling. "You don't have it with you, do you?"
"Of course I do," he said apprehensively.
"What was he thinking?" screamed Aragorn, turning on Boromir.
"Frodo volunteered and both Gandalf and Lord Elrond agreed."
Legolas quickly changed the subject, seeing the looks of intense interest emanating from the teenagers present. (Cappy had run away screaming as soon as the car stopped.) "Did anyone find a way to get us back to Middle-Earth?"
"Yes," answered Frodo. "There should be a cheesewheel around here somewhere."
At this, Adrienne and Katie exchanged a nervous glance. They had only gotten there a few hours ago! They didn't need to leave yet! Plus, Katie thought she saw something large, round, and yellow down the road.
Adrienne had seen it too. "I think it's getting pretty cold out here. Why don't we get in the car to continue this discussion?" And before they knew what was happening, Frodo was being stuffed into the trunk. Boromir got tied to said trunk with some more rope. Everyone else went back to where they were, except, of course, Cappy.
Just then, Katie saw the cheese out of the rearview mirror. "I'm lactose-intolerant!" She slid into the driver's seat and sped away.
"Aren't we supposed to get hit with the cheesewheel?" yelled Boromir through the window.
Before anyone could answer, the cheese in question fell into a river.
"That's okay," screamed Frodo in the trunk. "There's another one somewhere." No one quite understood how he knew what had happened. Katie slowed down.
One hour later...
"Where are all the lights and sounds coming from?" asked Boromir.
"Uh-oh," said Katie, pulling over, "I was wondering when this was going to happen."
The policeman pulled up behind them and walked to the driver's side of the Focus. Katie rolled down the window and said, "What seems to be the problem, officer?"
"It seems that you have two people tied to the roof and one to the trunk."
"Oh!" said Adrienne quickly, "they're not people...they're...ventriloquist dummies! We have a gig in Niagra Falls tonight. We're ventriloquists," she added unnecessarily.
"I love ventriloquist acts!" said the officer. "Can I see a preview?"
"Uh...sure...right." Adrienne hoped Jill or Stephanie would say something. Luckily, or maybe unluckily, Jill had the "sense" to say something.
"Lay off on the doughnuts, fatso."
"I'll still need to see your driver's license," said the officer, suddenly stern.
"Run!" screamed Stephanie, cutting Jill and herself free. Katie popped the trunk, sending Boromir flying onto the windshield while Frodo scrambled out. Andy shoved Aragorn and Legolas out of the car. All of them ran as fast as they could to the nearest...horse field?
Note: Don't even ask. I probably couldn't explain it anyway.
Luckily, all but 1 of the horses were saddled. "I'll ride the one that's not tacked up!" yelled Legolas. (Duh, he is the elf here.)
Legolas jumped onto the horse he had claimed, but held back to make sure the others made it. Katie mounted one and rode north without a second glance. Everyone else reached the horses and hopped on, Aragorn grabbing Frodo to ride with him.
"Ride!" screamed Stephanie. Legolas started his horse off at a gallop and the others followed.
Not surprisingly, Andy promptly fell off. He tried to remount, but had difficulties. "We don't have time for this!" exclaimed Boromir in anguish. He rode back and yanked Andy on to his own hose. He then quickly dashed after everyone else.
This whole time, the fat cop had been chasing them on foot, too stupid to go back to his squad car.
"Do you think Cappy will be mad we left her Focus in the middle of nowhere?"
"Uh, yeah!"