Alright, enjoy chapter 35. :) Hope everyone's well. I just started a new job yesterday so I don't know if updates will happen as often as I'd like but I'm trying. :) (Oh, this opening sequence really happened. You'll see what I mean)
Chapter thirty-five
Imaginations through the looking glass
The two ran for it after the Valar captured Morgoth after the War of Wrath. Gwen kept trying to convince Sauron to give himself up, and that hiding and running away was not the answer. The two stopped running and hid a half-mile away. They sat next to each other and Gwen began panting.
"I can't believe you," she said.
"Well I'm not turning myself in!" Sauron exclaimed.
"But why? You know you'll get a lesser punishment if you turn yourself in. You are such an idiot!"
"No you're the idiot!" Sauron back talked.
"You're an even bigger idiot!"
Sauron looked Gwen in the eyes.
"You wanna know what? I love you!" he exclaimed.
"What?" Gwen demanded. She did not think she heard him correctly.
Sauron then started singing Handel's Hallelujha chorus.
Gwen woke up and did not know where she was or what happened the night before and it reminded her of her days at University. She sat up and saw that she was on the floor of the living room in Lammoth. She was resting against Morgoth, who was still sound asleep, and his bottle of beer was between his legs. Gwen stood up and stretched and saw that for the most part everyone else was also on the floor still sound asleep. She scratched her head and thought about the stupid dream but her thoughts were interrupted when Handel's Hallelujha chorus played again. Gwen pulled her cell phone out from her pocket.
"Hello?"
"Gwen! Finally I've gotten through to you. I've been calling all morning!" the voice said.
That explains the dream.
Gwen then racked her brain to figure out who this person was.
"Listen, I'm sorry but who are you?" Gwen asked.
"It's Belinda Martin. What have you been doing for the past few weeks?" she asked.
"I've been at the camp I work for. I've been doing this every summer for about seven years now. Why? And I'm sorry but I don't remember a Belinda Martin."
"Yes, sorry, I work for the Provincial Police."
The Provincial Police? What do they want with me?
"May I please ask what this is about?"
"Not at the moment. Will you please answer a few questions?"
"Yes of course."
"You have been at this camp for most of the summer?"
"Yes, I've been at the camp since June nineteenth."
"This camp is in British Columbia correct?"
Where is this going?
"Yes, we are located in Northern British Columbia."
"Well we have reports of someone who fits your description and three other people, two men and one woman, who were at exit forty-seven's 7-11, the day of a robbery. We have the entire thing on video tape."
Gwen felt a sickening sensation in her stomach.
Oh this can't be good.
"First we would like to congratulate the four of you on a job well done in stopping the robber. Secondly the rest of the Provincial Police any I have a bet going on. Is the other girl really a vampire?"
Gwen furled her eyebrows.
"No, she's not. She did it as a joke."
Belinda swore on the phone.
She must have lost the bet then.
"Okay listen, since nobody remembered the incident in the 7-11 no charges will be pressed and the video will remain in police vaults. We just thought the whole thing was weird enough to continue an investigation."
Gwen gave a sigh of relief.
"Have a good day Miss. Mosé."
"And you as well," Gwen replied.
The police officer hung up the phone and Gwen put hers into her pocket.
Well that was lucky.
She looked around and saw that some of the staff had begun to stir. Leaving the living room, she went to the kitchen and started making pancakes.
--
Kisha woke up to the smell of pancakes. She stretched and her arm hit something soft. When she opened her eyes she saw that she was lying next to Tulkas. He was still out and in his hand he held a beer bottle. She checked her watch and saw that it was around eleven in the morning.
No more drunken parties at Camp Glingal, Kisha thought as she stood up.
The smell of pancakes hit her again and this time she also smelt chocolate. She smiled.
Mmmm…. chocolate.
The smell also woke up most of the staff. They seemed to be confused as to where they were but they recognised this as a hangover.
"How much did I have last night?" Gil-Galad complained as he picked himself off the floor.
Kisha shrugged her shoulders.
"I haven't the slightest idea. But what I do know is that there will be no more drunken parties at camp anymore."
Manwë nodded his head.
"I couldn't agree with you more."
Morgoth woke up and sniffed the air.
"What is that?" he asked.
"I don't know. Let's go to the dining hall and find out," Sauron suggested.
--
Kisha entered the kitchen and found it a complete mess. There were boxes of pancake mix surrounded by empty milk cartons and bags of chocolate chips and cartons of blueberries.
"What happened in here?" Elrond asked.
"Let's head over to the dining hall."
So the staff then went to the dining hall. When Kisha opened the door she saw the staff tables were lined with big stacks of pancakes and maple syrup. There were also big bowls and plates full of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, and hash browns. A pitcher of milk, orange juice, and water was placed every five seats on the table. Kisha's eyes widened at the sight. Gwen then walked up to them. She had been at the other end of the dining hall putting the final plate of pancakes on the table.
"Do you like it?" she asked.
The staff looked around in wonder.
"Did you make all this?" Kisha asked.
Gwen shrugged.
"Yeah, I woke up really early when my phone rang and I couldn't get back to sleep so I made breakfast."
"It looks wonderful!" Kisha said as she pulled out a seat and sat down.
The rest of the staff followed suit and pretty soon the entire staff was eating, drinking, and laughing away their hangovers from the night before. Gwen sat across from Kisha and Sauron and next to Morgoth.
"So why did your phone ring?" Kisha asked after she swallowed a bite of pancake.
"It was the Provincial Police. They wanted to know about the incident in the gas station," Gwen replied.
Morgoth dropped his knife and it clunked against the plate. Sauron spit out his orange juice and Thuringwethil's face turned green. Gwen let out a small chuckle.
"Don't worry about it. They said the investigation stopped because there was no one able to press charges because everyone couldn't remember the event. The only reason they found out about it was because of the security cameras. They just wanted to know if Thuringwethil was a real vampire. I said she did it as a joke."
Morgoth picked his knife back up and continued eating his pancakes.
"My Ilúvatar, I thought you were going to say that they were coming to arrest us or something," Thuringwethil replied.
Gwen shook her head.
"Nope, they thought it was the oddest case that they had ever come across so they just dropped it. The video tape is being taken to the police vaults and it will never surface again."
Morgoth nodded.
"Good," he mumbled through a piece of bacon.
Gwen took a sip of her orange juice and then remembered her dream.
"Hey Kisha, do you want to hear something funny?" Gwen asked.
She nodded.
"What?"
"Okay so this morning I'm having the oddest dream. In it Sauron and I are running from the destruction caused by the War of Wrath. We then hid out in a cave and I tried to convince him to give up. We then called each other an idiot for a few exchanges and then he blurted out 'I love you' and then when I asked 'what?' He opened his mouth and started singing Handel's Hallelujha Chorus. That's when I woke up and realised the phone was ringing."
Kisha spit out her toast and laughed.
"Oh that's rich. That has got to be the oddest dream I've ever heard."
Gwen nodded.
"Tell me about it. I'm still puzzling over it."
"Wait, did Sauron admit he loved you in this dream?" Morgoth demanded. His hand tightened around his napkin.
Gwen rolled her eyes.
"Oh it doesn't matter. It's just a dream so don't worry about it. Sauron doesn't love anybody, especially me."
Sauron nodded.
"That's right."
Gwen smiled.
"See? Now finish your pancakes. I spent all morning making them."
Morgoth nodded and picked up his fork.
"Yes dear."
Kisha finished drinking her orange juice.
"Wow Gwen you've already got him whipped."
Gwen shrugged.
"All in a days work."
--
Breakfast ended around two in the afternoon and Gwen said that since she made everyone the meal she was not cleaning up. Before anyone could protest this Gwen was out the door and hopped on Beast for a small four-wheeler ride around camp. She wanted to check out the place of the leader and his people and see if they had left anything behind.
The wind felt great as it wafted through her hair. She was glad to be back on Beast and not have to worry about the camp or the staff for at least twenty minutes. She reached a clearing and recognised that it was the location of the leader and his followers. She turned off the four-wheeler and looked around the area. She found a piece of paper that appeared to be a part of the leader's journal and put it in her pocket. She smiled at the peacefulness of the woods and sat underneath a tree and closed her eyes.
--
"Gwen? Are you going to wake up?" Morgoth said as he shook her shoulder.
Gwen yawned, stirred and sat up. The sky was pitch black and Gwen could barley see her hand in front of her face. She could, however, see Morgoth's looming shadow standing above her.
"Gwen! We've been looking for you everywhere!" he exclaimed.
She stood up and looked around.
"What time is it?" she asked.
"It's getting close to eleven. Have you been out here all this time?"
Gwen nodded.
"Yeah, I just wanted to go for a small four-wheeler ride and then I decided to rest under this tree for a bit. I guess I fell asleep," Gwen replied.
Morgoth hugged her.
"You've been out here all day! Come on, you're riding in front of me on my four-wheeler. We can come back for yours tomorrow."
"So protective," Gwen mumbled.
"Well you would be too if the person you loved went missing for a whole day in the woods. You could have wrecked your four-wheeler and died for all we knew!"
They hopped onto his four-wheeler and Morgoth drove them back to camp. When they got back Kisha seemed a bit peeved and also relieved to find out Gwen was okay. After that mess was sorted out, the staff went to bed. Before Kisha fell asleep her final thought of the night was that this day seemed to be the first almost normal day of camp. It felt so boring too.
--
"Servatis a periculum; servatis a maleficum. Servatis a periculum; servatis a maleficum. Servatis a periculum; servatis a maleficum. Servatis a periculum; servatis a maleficum."
Before Gwen fell asleep she turned the alarm clock on and told it to play the radio at eight in the morning. Gwen was still asleep at eight but Morgoth shot awake at the sound of chanting on the radio.
"What in the name of Ilúvatar is that?" he exclaimed.
Gwen yawned and rolled over.
"Save yourself from evil, save yourself from danger," Gwen dictated.
Morgoth made a face.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.
Gwen sat up.
"It's what that sentence means. It's just a line in a song," Gwen replied.
"Oh. I thought it was some sort of incantation to get rid of evil."
Gwen rolled her eyes.
"Yes and if it worked you'd be gone."
Morgoth got out of bed.
"Very funny," he said.
Sauron put his pillow over his head.
"Stop with the flirting already!"
"Oh grow up," Gwen said as she got out of bed.
She fished through the closet and found a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that said, 'Frodo failed…Bush has the ring.'
"Would you mind leaving Sauron? I'd like to change."
He rolled his eyes and made for the door.
"Why doesn't Morgoth have to leave?"
Gwen shrugged.
"It's not like it matters. He's already seen me naked."
Sauron shuddered and left the room. Gwen smiled and Morgoth began digging through his clothes for something to wear.
"So what's on the agenda today?" Morgoth asked.
"Well today is Thursday of week four so until Saturday night we've got nothing."
He sighed.
"Damn, yesterday was so boring too. Is today going to be like yesterday?"
Gwen shrugged.
"Well unless you can think of a prank we can pull…"
Her eyes then glanced over at her dresser. Her entire face seemed to light up with thought.
"Gwen? Do you have a plan?"
She nodded and smirked.
"You know, I think I do."
--
"Hey Gwen? Remember the variety show night and you said whoever could tell you what the song was about would win an ice cream party?" a camper named Gabrielle asked.
Gwen turned around in the dining hall and nodded.
"Wow, that seems like forever ago but yes I remember."
"It's about Beren and Lúthien right?"
Gwen nodded and smiled.
"Indeed it is. Good job Gabrielle. But you know, I think it would be better if I treated everyone to an ice cream party. What do you think?"
"That would be cool."
Gwen smiled and stood up. She quieted down the entire dining hall.
"Great! After breakfast I'm going to go into town and buy ice cream for everyone," Gwen announced.
After the announcement there seemed to be complete pandemonium in the dining hall. The campers all seemed excited and the staff wanted to know what ice cream tasted like.
"Gwen? Are you sure?" Kisha asked.
Gwen smiled and nodded.
"Of course I'm sure. Gabrielle here answered my question on who the song was about and got it right. Since I forgot all about it, as probably did, I think it would be nice to treat everyone to an ice cream party."
The campers clapped for Gwen and she smiled again.
"Are you going to need any help getting the ice cream?" Kisha asked.
Gwen put her hand on Morgoth's shoulder.
"Don't worry. I got all the help I'll need. Are you done breakfast? We should head out."
--
Gwen's smile never faded as the two got into her black sedan and took off down the camp road. She fumbled through her CD case and found the Fallen CD by Evenesance and put it in. Going Under started and Gwen began singing along.
"Would you mind telling me what the plan is? Normally I'm the one who thinks up the great plans and I really don't like being kept in the dark."
"We're throwing an ice cream party Morgoth," Gwen replied.
Still, he knew there was something she wasn't telling him.
"Yes? And what else?"
"Well, there is the vomit inducing tubes and the laxatives that will be added."
"The what?"
"You've seen people puke right?"
He nodded.
"Of course. It normally happens after I torture someone for a long period of time."
Gwen shuddered.
"My favourite store came out with a series of 'sickness' tubes. It'll last for about an hour after consumption and it doesn't kick in until about a half hour later. Let's just say the bathroom is going to be the hot spot for an hour."
"Do you really think this is going to work?"
Gwen nodded and turned onto the highway.
"Of course it will work. All we have to do it add it to the ice cream. I already have the tubes in Angband so we're just going to pick up the ice cream."
"We're not going to eat the tainted ice cream right?" Morgoth asked.
"Don't be silly. Of course not."
--
Gwen pulled into the local grocery store. She pulled a cart from the front of the store and told Morgoth to do the same. She then went to the ice cream isle.
"Okay fill up the cart with any kind of ice cream you want. Just stay away from Ben and Jerry's. They cost like five bucks a pint."
Morgoth nodded and shrugged even though he had no idea what Ben and Jerry's was. He looked into the freezer that held the ice cream and pulled the cart up to the door. He began putting half gallons, and gallons of Rocky Road, Mint Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup, and various other flavours. He spotted a colourful half-gallon of ice cream on the top shelf and reached in. He tripped and fell inside the cooler and the door closed on him. He became stuck between the shelving and the door.
"Morgoth how much ice cream have you put into the cart?" Gwen asked as she pulled a gallon of plain chocolate from the cooler. When he didn't respond she looked around and could not find him. She furled her eyebrows.
"Morgoth?"
She spotted the cart with ice cream in it but Morgoth was not near it. She didn't think to look at the ice cream coolers.
"Morgoth?"
She put the gallon of chocolate ice cream in her cart and strolled over to his. She heard a noise coming from the coolers and looked over. Her eyes widened in amazement and then recognition.
"Morgoth!"
She quickly opened the cooler door and pulled Morgoth out by the collar.
"Are you okay?" she exclaimed.
His back was to her but she could hear his teeth chattering. She patted him on the back.
"You'll be okay; you were only in for a few seconds."
He shivered.
"Shut up. It was really cold in there."
She turned him around and gave him a hug and kiss.
"Is it all better?" she asked.
Morgoth smiled and nodded.
"Good now try not to get stuck in the coolers again. I didn't know where you had gone."
"Okay. I'll keep that in mind when I reach for ice cream on the top shelf."
--
"Woah, are you having an ice cream party?" the teenager at the checkout asked as she rang up ice cream after ice cream.
Gwen smiled and nodded.
"Yup we are. We work at Camp Glingal on the lake and we decided to throw an ice cream party."
Morgoth continued to put the ice cream on the checkout belt.
"No kidding? My brother is at that camp right now."
"Really? What's his name?"
"Dennis."
Gwen nodded.
"Ah, okay."
Gwen began bagging her ice cream and placed the bags in the carts. The teenager finished ringing up all the ice cream.
"That'll be five hundred and fifty-nine dollars please."
Gwen handed the girl her Discover Card and the girl scanned it in. Once the transaction had been completed, Gwen and Morgoth said goodbye to the teenager and they took the carts to the car.
--
Kisha and various other staff members finished cleaning up the Great Hall and placed tables all around the edges for the ice cream. Gwen had not told Kisha where the ice cream party would be held but Kisha kind of figured that the best place would be in the Great Hall. Kisha then turned on the stereo in the Great Hall and put a Battlelore CD in.
Between the heavy metal riffs Manwë heard the word 'Valar'.
"What is this obsession with music that mentions Arda?" he asked.
Kisha shrugged.
"It's just good music alright? Gwen should be back with the ice cream soon so let's go wait in the parking lot to help her carry it in."
--
"Gwen, may I ask you something?" Morgoth asked as Gwen turned the car down the camp road. Gwen nodded and turned down the radio.
"Sure."
Morgoth took a deep breath. He seemed lost in thought for a moment.
"Well, I now realise that pretty soon we'll all go back to Arda and complete the history of Middle-earth as it's meant to be. I know I'll go to the void and I'll never see you again so I have to know. Do you have feelings for me?"
Gwen sighed and thought back to the past three weeks of fun and adventure. She thought back and remembered kicking him out of the car. She thought of him rescuing her twice on the trip to Walisack and once in the woods. She nodded.
"I do. But in knowing this won't it torture the mind when you go to the void?"
Morgoth shrugged.
"I don't know."
"What were you doing in Middle-earth when you saw the lights?" Gwen asked.
"It was the War of Wrath. It wasn't called that when it happened but looking back and knowing what I know, it was the War of Wrath. I maybe had an hour left maybe two."
"Oh. Well now I pose the question back to you. Do you have feelings for me?"
Morgoth nodded his head.
"I do and I don't know why."
Gwen smiled.
"Neither do I."
They could see the camp lights and Gwen pulled into the parking lot. She parked the car and put her keys in her pocket. Kisha, Manwë, Tulkas, Aragorn, and Fëanor were waiting for them.
"Morgoth, they're going to want to help us with the ice cream so we won't be able to put the stuff in. But what I want you to do is after it's done get into a fight with Sauron. It'll distract them while I put the stuff in."
He nodded.
"I can do that."
"Good."
Gwen popped the trunk and the two left the car.
"Did you have fun buying ice cream?"
Gwen nodded.
"Morgoth got stuck in the ice cream coolers. It was quite comical," Gwen replied.
Morgoth rolled his eyes and huffed. Kisha then let out a whole hearty laugh.
"Oh bite me," Morgoth glowered.
Kisha smiled and covered her mouth with her hand.
"No it's not that. Five years ago Gwen did the same thing. It was hilarious. We went shopping with the other staff members a week before camp started and we were in the frozen food section and Erik asked if Gwen could grab the box of all dressed pizza on the top shelf. She said yes and then Erik and Jack closed the cooler door on her. I never could stop laughing."
Gwen blushed and shrunk in her spot.
"Okay enough chit chat. Let's get the ice cream…wait, where are we setting up?"
"Oh we took care of that. We set up tables in the Great Hall."
Gwen nodded.
"Cool. Okay so let's get these melting ice cream containers to the Great Hall and have a grand old party."
--
They finished putting the ice cream in the Great Hall and Morgoth asked if Sauron could join him outside. The two walked along the Great Lawn.
"Yes? What's this about?" Sauron asked.
"Sauron, I need you to punch me in the stomach," Morgoth commanded.
Sauron made a face and backed away from Morgoth.
"Are you feeling alright?"
Morgoth sighed and nodded.
"Yes, but I need to get in a fight with you."
"Why?"
"To distract Manwë and the others," Morgoth replied.
Sauron furled his eyebrows.
"Just punch me already!"
Sauron shrugged.
"I never thought you'd say that to me but whatever," Sauron said.
He wound up his fist and slugged him right in the stomach.
"Okay, now shout something at me," Morgoth wheezed.
"You're the boss."
Sauron kicked Morgoth in the knee.
"Why I can't believe you! You're such a moron Morgoth! I was always the power behind the throne!" Sauron yelled.
Morgoth clocked Sauron in the jaw.
"Take that back! I always had the great plans!" he roared.
Sauron punched Morgoth in the chest and then kicked him again.
"Name one great plan!"
"I stole the Silmarils!" Morgoth roared as he tackled Sauron to the ground.
The two then proceeded to kick and punch each other and curse each other. Gwen's fight distraction plan seemed to be working perfectly as Manwë and the other Valar ran over to see what was going on. This gave Gwen enough time to sneak into the Great Hall with the sickness tubes and mix them with the ice cream. Every so often she would look over at the Great Lawn and she saw that the two were still going at it. She smirked as she went from table to table.
This is going to be the best prank ever.