Allo everyone...I hope everyone had a good weekend. Vesper, thanks for jinxing me. ;) (Check out the blog) Okay enjoy the chapter! Oh, two things: 1) There are some er...'graphic' lines said by a girl named Jenna so when you get to that part...be warned..2) Someone is going to sing something and the question she poses to everyone also goes the same for you. I know that sounds confusing now but it'll make sense. :)
Chapter thirty
The Phantoms Experiment
It was around noon when Gwen and other others went back into the Great Hall shivering from shovelling ice and snow. The temperature was now around twenty degrees and the sun shone brightly over head. It was Gabrielle who ran over to Gwen and Kisha bug eyed and afraid.
"I think they really have it! They've been spitting up loads of mucus for the past half hour and Morgoth has the creepy purple tube neck!"
Gwen laughed.
"Oh they do not. Don't tell me the movie got to you too."
Gabrielle nodded frantically.
"They do!"
She led them to Morgoth and Sauron, who were lying on the couches. Just as Gabrielle said, they had the purple tube necks.
"Oh this can't be good," Kisha said.
"See! I told you!"
Morgoth cracked an eyelid open.
"Gwen, I don't feel good at all…am I going to die?" he asked.
He turned his head off the couch and spit up a bunch of green mucus.
Uh-oh. Gwen thought. She elbowed Kisha in the ribs.
"What's going on?" she whispered.
Kisha shrugged.
"Maybe they really thought they had it and they caught it…"
"But it's impossible to catch seeing as it doesn't exist!" Gwen whispered back.
"Gwen, my chest feels like something is crushing it," Sauron complained.
"I can't see anything and it's scaring me," Morgoth said after he sneezed again.
"What do you think we should do?" Kisha whispered to Gwen.
Gwen shrugged.
"I don't know, I didn't think this could actually happen," Gwen admitted.
"Maybe they're playing a prank on us?" Kisha suggested.
Gwen walked right up to Morgoth and turned back to Kisha.
"Well there's only one way to find out," she said and then turned back to Morgoth.
"What are you going to do?" Kisha asked.
Gwen knelt down next to Morgoth.
"Don't die Morgoth," she said sadly. "I love you."
She then planted a big kiss on his lips and stood up. Morgoth immediately jumped off the couch.
"I'm okay! I'm okay! We were only pretending because Sauron knew you were joking around when you said we had Captain Tripps!"
Sauron sat up and rolled his eyes. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and began sulking.
"Way to go lover boy, you ruined the entire prank!"
Gwen laughed and winked at Kisha.
"Told you it would work," she said.
Kisha shrugged.
"I had no doubt that it wouldn't work. You should have heard him when he was delirious yesterday. He kept admitting his love for you. It was the scariest thing I ever saw. What you just did came in at a close second."
"Meh, I did what I had to do. Now get the purple marker off your neck and clean up the green goo you both spit out."
Sauron sneezed.
"But we still have the flu," he replied.
"Yes but you don't have Captain Tripps. It appears as if you're on the down end of the flu anyway."
"But I don't want to get up," Morgoth protested.
Gwen pulled the blanket off him.
"Get up!"
Morgoth slowly got off the couch.
"What about that love stuff? Surely love will allow me to stay on the couch."
Gwen laughed.
"Ha. Yeah right."
"Why is love complicated?" Morgoth sulked as he went to find a mop to pick up the goo.
--
Two hours later Morgoth and Sauron had finished picking up the goo but they couldn't seem to get the purple ink off of their necks. Since there was no bathroom in the Great Hall, the two braved the cold and went into Lammoth.
"Sauron! You said this stuff would come off!" Morgoth yelled as the two scrubbed in the bathroom.
Sauron glared at him.
"Oh shut up."
"Don't tell me to shut up!"
Sauron put his wash cloth in the sink and looked at Morgoth.
"Shut…up!"
Morgoth punched Sauron in the nose and he backed up against the door.
"Ow! What the bloody hell is you're problem?" Sauron roared.
"I said don't tell me to shut up!"
Blood dripped from Sauron's nose as he fumbled to find a paper towel.
"Well I didn't think you'd break my nose! This is the second time it's been broken!"
"Good!"
"You are such an idiot! You foiled the Captain Tripps plan just because you're in love! I mean honestly, you've changed!"
"It's the camp!"
"No, I just think you're an idiot and I've always thought that! I was always the true power behind the throne!"
"You were not! Who's the one who stole the Silmarils and destroyed the Two Trees?"
Sauron rolled his eyes.
"It was Ungoliant who destroyed the Two Trees!"
"She helped, but I stole the Silmarils!"
Sauron walked out of the bathroom.
"You're an idiot," he said.
Morgoth exited the bathroom and poked his head down the hall.
"Yeah well you're…an even bigger idiot!"
Sauron kept walking and gave him the finger.
"Way to go moron, nice comeback."
--
"This is the second time I've had to set your nose!" Gwen exclaimed before she pulled on his nose.
"Yeah well blame this one on Mister I'm an idiot because I'm in love," Sauron said sulking.
Gwen pushed his nose back into place and covered it with paper towels.
"I'm sure you provoked it."
Sauron winced.
"He ruined our prank!"
"Well you both should not have done that."
"Why, you're the one who told us we were going to die from Captain Tripps."
"That was payback for all of the pranks you pulled on us," Gwen explained. "Now quit fidgeting and let me wipe up the blood."
"This is all you're fault," he mumbled.
"Oh is that a fact?" Gwen said. She pushed a little harder on his nose.
"OW! Stop it woman!"
Gwen smirked.
"Maybe I should let someone else clean up your blood. How about Lúthien or the king of Gondor? I think they'd be a bit rougher you think?"
Sauron glared at her.
"Shut up."
Gwen frowned.
"Aw, is little Sauron sad?"
"I swear I'm going to kill you and everyone else in this camp," Sauron promised.
"Sauron, I think we should have a talk outside," Manwë said walking up to the two of them.
"I'm not going," Sauron replied.
Manwë grabbed Sauron by the nose.
"Oh yes you are!"
"Don't get blood on the carpet!" Gwen exclaimed.
--
At around five that night the temperature was in the late fifties and Kisha said that everyone could leave the Great Hall if they wished. All that was left of the ice and snow was a small lake that surrounded the entire camp. It reminded Kisha of the flood they had last week.
Wow, we get a gigantic storm that floods the camp and then a week later a snow storm. This has to be the oddest camp season ever. She thought.
Gandalf and Kisha shared a smoke on the porch of Lammoth and watched as the campers, and some of the staff, played in the water.
"This place seems to have the oddest weather," Gandalf mused.
Kisha let out a string of smoke rings and nodded.
"Yes it does. Only three more weeks and the remainder of this week left. I'm ready for a vacation."
Kisha could hear the childish laughter of campers playing in the water and then realised that it wasn't a camper but Morgoth being splashed by water. Kisha shuddered.
"Now that is scary," she said.
Gandalf nodded.
"Yes, I never thought there would come a day where the laugher of Morgoth would be sincerely innocent and childish."
"It makes me feel as if he's up to something," Kisha said.
Gandalf added more pipe-weed to his pipe.
"Nay, I don't think he is. It's crazy but I think this camp might have changed him. Those words don't taste right in my mouth but I believe them," Gandalf replied.
Sauron exited Lammoth and sat on one of the porch chairs next to Kisha. He crossed his arms over his chest and watched a camper splash Morgoth on the Great Lawn.
"This is impossible," he said rolling his eyes.
"Oh calm down Sauron," Kisha said.
Sauron pointed at Morgoth.
"This should not be happening. I always thought Lúthien held power over men but here I see it's Gwen," he sulked.
Kisha grabbed her can of Fanta from under her chair and took a drink.
"Sauron stop brooding and just admit it. Morgoth is different here. It is creepy but it has happened."
Sauron huffed and nodded.
"Yeah, he's officially gone off the deep end."
"It's not like he'll be this way forever," Gandalf added.
"How so?" Sauron asked.
Gandalf watched as Morgoth tackled a camper and splashed him with water.
"You're smart you tell me," Gandalf replied.
"I'm in no mood to think," Sauron said.
Gandalf rolled his eyes.
"Yes and you weren't in a mood to think when the fellowship destroyed your ring."
Sauron placed his hand over his heart.
"Oh that was low," he said sarcastically.
Gandalf shrugged and blew a few smoke rings.
"I try."
Kisha finished her Fanta and placed the empty can under her chair.
"I think I know what Gandalf is thinking," she said.
"Oh here we go, the smart one with all the answers figures it out," Sauron exclaimed.
"Fine, I won't tell you then," Kisha replied.
"Oh fine one of you just tell me okay?"
"Well since I don't want to be arguing with a Dark Lord all day I'll tell you," Gandalf began. He turned to face Sauron.
"Okay well it is my personal believe that the lights that brought us here will take us back again. But when we go back we will have no recollection of this place or of anyone else."
"Why is that?" Sauron asked.
"If everyone remembered everything that happened here then everyone would have insight. For instance, you would know who had the ring and where it was."
Sauron nodded.
"This is true."
"So if that is the case then Morgoth won't remember Gwen and so he'll continue to be the very evil Dark Lord of the First Age."
"That makes sense," Kisha thought.
Gandalf nodded his head.
"Of course it makes sense. It's fact."
Sauron looked back out at the Great Lawn and saw Gwen splashing Morgoth.
"So what you're getting at is I should just leave Morgoth alone because everything that happens here will have no effect on us when we return?"
"That's exactly what I am getting at."
Sauron thought for a moment.
"Yes but its still weird that he's gone soft. I won't accept it."
"You don't have to accept it but its fact and it's not going to change."
Sauron huffed.
"Damn."
"Oh grow up. Everyone changes even if it's only for a short while," Gandalf said.
Kisha nodded.
"Yes and you can use this time to see how Morgoth acts when the side of good is his influence," Kisha suggested.
Sauron turned to look at her with dawning recognition.
"You mean like an experiment?"
Kisha raised her eyebrows and then nodded.
"Yea sure," she replied.
"Oh I know! I could perform a huge scientific experiment that will answer why evil men turn good due to the female influence!"
Kisha smiled.
"Have fun Sauron."
Sauron jumped out of his chair.
"Do you need a notebook?" Gandalf asked.
"No, I'll get some stuff from the arts and crafts building," Sauron replied as he took off down the porch steps and into the water.
"Hey, you're not allowed in there," Kisha said.
Sauron stopped in the water and hunched his shoulders.
"Stupid forging!"
Kisha laughed.
"Let me guess, you forge one stupid ring and you're branded for life," she said.
Sauron nodded.
"Oh you can go in. Even if you do forge a ring it'll only spice things up a bit at camp," Kisha replied.
Sauron took off towards the arts and crafts building. Gandalf turned to look at Kisha with shocked surprise.
"Are you sure that's such a wise idea?"
She shrugged and added more pipe-weed to her pipe.
"Well it seems like a good idea at the moment."
--
After a gourmet meal of chicken cordon bleu camp style, which consist of chicken with blue food colouring dipped over it, the campers and staff gathered into the camp theatre. Kisha had promised everyone that tonight they would hold the Variety Show. Some of the campers, and even some of the staff, prepared an act for the show. After Kisha calmed everyone down, she began her pre-variety show speech.
"Good evening campers! Well this should prove fun, interesting, and entertaining! We have many acts to get through tonight so with out further delay let's clap for the first act which is the nine Nazgul singing a rendition of 'wanted dead or alive' by Bon Jovi! Give it up for the Nazgul!"
Kisha started clapping and then took a seat next to Gwen in the audience. The nine Nazgul took the stage. Tim the Witch-King approached the microphone.
"Before we begin we'd like to tell you about the song. This is Bon Jovi's song 'Wanted Dead or Alive' but with a Tolkien twist. Now we present 'Neither Dead or Alive'. The new words were done by Gwen, so thank you Gwen."
Tim bent over and pressed play on the CD and the opening cords of the song rang out. The eight other Nazgul gathered around the other microphones as back up singers.
"It's all the same, only the place will change. Every day it seems I'm wasting away. Another place where the faces are so hot, I ride all night just to get back home. 'Cause I'm a Ringwrath. On a black horse I ride I'm neither dead or alive. Neither dead or alive."
A musical interlude took over and some of the Nazgul pretended to play the guitar.
"I never sleep, I never eat, and the people I meet always run away in fright. Sometimes I tell the day by how close I come to the ring, and when I'm alone all I do is drink. I'm a Ringwrath, on a black horse I ride. I'm neither dead or alive, neither…"
The back up singers came in with a 'neither' after Tim sang his.
"Dead or alive. Oh I ride…"
Bert and Barnhart came in with a killer pretend guitar riff and then Tim began singing again.
"Oh I'm a Ringwrath, on a black horse I ride. I'm neither dead or alive. I ride these streets, a Morgul blade at my side. I play for keeps, cause I might not make it back. I've been everywhere; still I'm standing in time. I've seen a million faces and I've killed them all cause I'm a Ringwrath. I'm neither dead or alive. I'm a Ringwrath I got the night on my side. I'm neither dead or alive…"
After that the song continued into many choruses of 'dead or alive' with the other Nazgul backing him up. The song finished and the audience erupted in laughter and claps. This time Gwen walked up on stage to announce the second act.
"Well guys that was wonderful! Thanks for performing! Next we have Mike Mickelson and his stand up act. Let's all give it up for Mike!"
Gwen walked off the stage and sat back down. When she was settled in her chair she looked up at the stage and saw that Mike was sitting in a chair on stage. He then proceeded to stand up. He then bowed.
"Thank you, thank you," he said.
It took a few minutes for everyone to realise what he did but when they did they laughed. Kisha let out a sigh because she realised she had to get on stage to announce the next act.
"Well that was wonderful. Thank you Mike. Next we have Danielle Cart and Don Davey. They will be singing the title track from the musical The Phantom of the Opera."
Kisha left the stage and sat back down. Danielle and Don finished setting up; they both looked like Christine and The Phantom from the musical. The music started playing and they sang beautifully. Neither one hit a discord nor a sour note. Gwen was very impressed. She had seen the musical a few times and had sung along with a choir group who preformed a few songs from the musical, but nothing major. By the time Danielle hit the high note at the end of the song, the campers and staff were on their feet and applauding. The two bowed and curtsied and left the stage.
Gwen walked up on stage.
"Weren't they wonderful? Now next we have the comic stylings of Jenna Bernstein. Let's all give it up for Jenna!"
Jenna waited for Gwen to sit back down. She then took the microphone.
"Do you guys ever wonder why some common things have sexual underlines? Take golf for instance. You know it was created by a man, I mean come on: the object of the game is to use a stick to get a ball into a hole. Even Lord of the Rings has sexual underlines. When I watch scenes with the Dark Tower and Sauron I've always got the impression that the tower is actually a big dick and the eye is a vagina. Either that or Sauron built the tower so big it would appear as if he was compensating for something…"
Sauron looked ill in his seat and Morgoth kept sniggering. Gwen shook her head and sighed and Kisha quickly jumped on stage.
"Okay Jenna that's enough. You've made Sauron sick," Kisha said ushering her off stage.
Jenna smiled.
"All in a days work," she said.
"I think I need to use the bathroom," Sauron said as he quickly left his seat and exited the theatre.
"Okay well next we have Gwen singing one of her many songs. Everyone clap for Gwen!"
Kisha sat back down in her seat as Gwen got ready on stage. She gave everyone a huge smile.
"Allo everybody! Tonight I will be singing one of my favourite songs called 'When Sorrow Sang' by Blind Guardian."
Gwen turned on the CD player and counted the beats in the intro.
"So let me out of it. Out of the cold to bring back light and hope for all. And so if I could get you in just for a little while into the songs of sorrow you might understand where I am now. Beyond the dawn hope's turned to dust at all. Immortal love's fooled by the hands of doom that love means death I realized too soon. Caught in the afterlife I've gone too far when sorrow sang softly and sweet. The air was filled with sadness and grief when sorrow sang softly and sweet."
A quick musical interlude took over and Gwen pulled the microphone from the stand.
"I feel like screaming but I can't breath in shall I wane right now. I will not leave this world of living till she has said goodbye. Out in the cold I still wait for her call and her last kiss it shall be release. I can't forget her, her face will not leave from the depths of my soul I long for her."
She took a quick drink from her water bottle while a musical interlude began. She counted the beats again.
"Caught in the afterlife I've gone too far when sorrow sang softly and sweet. The air was filled with sadness and grief when sorrow sang softly and sweet. So I heard all about it. Her voice's so clear. She's woven both themes in there moved me to tears. The world shall hear this sad song, song of sorrow song of grief. Can't change the way of his kind. Can't change the way of her kind. Caught in the afterlife I've gone too far when sorrow sang softly and sweet. The air was filled with sadness and grief when sorrow sang softly and sweet."
The music played on until it tapered off and the audience clapped. Gwen beamed and bowed.
"Now before I leave the stage I'd like to ask if anyone can figure out who the song's about. You don't have to answer it now but the first person who can tell me the correct answer will get an ice cream party for their room."
The campers began talking amongst themselves about who the song was about but Gwen hushed them.
"Talk to me after the show okay?"
Everyone nodded and Gwen walked off the stage. Kisha then jumped back on stage and smiled at everyone.
"Well Gwen that was wonderful! Next I will be sharing a story about this theatre with you. So settle in and get ready for a ghost story," Kisha grinned. She was about to continue on when a lone hand from the audience shot in the air.
"Yes?" Kisha asked.
"This ghost story is not going to result in a freaky demon coming back to life and attacking right?"
Kisha smiled and shrugged.
"We can only hope," she replied.
Gwen cringed and settled deeper into her chair. She knew the story was not real as she has heard it a million times.
Though I always thought the demon story was a fake but now we know that really happened. She thought.
Not realising what she was doing, she curled up against Morgoth and laid her head against his shoulder. If she had been looking at his face she would have spotted a very large grin. Fëanor, who had been sitting a row behind them, made a gagging sound and his wife smacked him behind the head.
Kisha held in laughter on the stage and then began the story. She told Finrod to wait behind the curtain and dim the lights when she began the tale. Kisha began to walk back and forth across the stage.
"The story I bring to you tonight is of a different sort. None of you may know this but this building is the oldest part of camp. The theatre was built in 1885 for Shakespearean plays but when the depression hit in the early nineteen hundreds, the building was abandoned. Now we jump ahead to the year 1985. I purchased the land to build this very camp. The only building here was the theatre and I was very happy to see it. When I went inside I saw that work had to be done before campers could enter this building and so while contractors built the Great Hall, dining hall, garage and the various other buildings at camp, I worked on the theatre.
"I was amazed to find that, for the most part, the building looked fine. I replaced the windows and the theatre seats in the first week. That first week everything went fine but then in the second week strange things began to happen. I remember as if it was yesterday. I walked into the theatre deciding if I wanted to tackle the stage or the backstage first. I decided on repairing the stage and so I began my work. Halfway through the day I began to hear strange noises coming from below the stage. Being the curious gal that I am, I found the trap door and, with my flashlight of course, I went under the stage.
"It was dark and damp and cold below the stage. It may have been in the upper eighties above stage but under it was in the negative numbers. I continued my laborious search below the stage but I couldn't find anything. Being dismayed, I left the underground and went back onstage to finish my days work. An hour later I could hear the noises again. I put down my hammer and nails and once again descended down.
"This time though, the air was pleasantly warm and the ground below my feet felt soft. I had no need for my flashlight, there was plenty of light. I watched a man propose to a beautiful girl only to have the ring thrown in his face. Before the girl stormed off she told the man that he was a monster and she cursed him. She said, 'Damn you Nicklebyious! I do not want to marry you! You are a monster! I curse you! You will never find love and you will never leave this theatre! I am leaving this town to find bigger and better theatre jobs but you shall always remain here! Forever!'
"I watched as the woman left. The man's face seemed to contort in sadness then in anger. I don't know what happened then because the vision vanished and I was left in the cold damp and dark underground. I quickly found my way to the trap door and hoisted myself up but to my amazement a hand was waiting for me. Being polite, I accepted the hand and when I had both feet planted on the stage I was face to face with the man the woman called Nicklebyious. Speech left me and I felt faint but he told me not to be afraid and he asked me to marry him. I denied and in anger he fled. I have seen him in this theatre from time to time. He likes to ask the females if they'll marry him. Gwen's been asked about twenty times and I've been asked more times then I can count. Maybe we can ask him to appear. Oh Nicklebyious…."
Kisha had planned the whole thing out; she asked Finrod to get into an old Shakespearean costume and come onstage and ask a few girls to marry him. He would then leave the stage mysteriously and that would close the night. But that's not how it happened. Instead of Finrod dressed in Shakespearean costume, a figure in a black cloak with a black fedora came swinging down from the rafters.
"Hey! That looks like the Phantom!" a camper exclaimed.
The Phantom appeared to be on a mission and he landed on the edge of the stage and rushed down the stairs. He grabbed Gwen and placed her over his shoulders and took off again.
"Put me down damnit! Kisha why do your ghost stories always end up like this?" Gwen yelled. She kicked The Phantom in the back but he made his way to the trap door. He would have gone below stage but Morgoth, who now knew this was not part of the performance, sprang into action and stopped The Phantom. He kicked him in the back of the knee and The Phantom let go of Gwen. She hit the ground and rolled. Morgoth then tackled The Phantom to the ground.
"You want to try that again Mister ghost guy?" Morgoth yelled.
The Phantom pulled out a notebook and a pen.
"Experiment number one: abduction. Tested positive. Results conclude Morgoth is in love."