Janice: Yeah! A new chapter! I heart you guys!
Legolas: (mutters) If she's possible of love.
Janice: Hey! What was that!
Frodo: He said nothing! Janice! (looks around frantically) Look a convenient distraction!
Janice: Where?! (runs off)
Legolas: I'm glad she doesn't own us…
I'm working on making the chapters longer. I really couldn't think of a way to make this longer. Sorry!
Thank you: tomato sauce, lotrelves, ClumsyElf for reviewing. A muffin for each of you.
Shards of the Future
Chapter 3: Heads or Tails?
"What we call the secret of happiness is no more a secret than our willingness to choose life."--Leo Buscaglia
I yelped as I watched Erulissë dropped apples down to me, catching as many as I could and putting them in the basket. It was early fall and the apple were already ripe. I was happy, for I loved apples. They often reminded me of my friends.
"Gwen!" Raina said, pointing up to a bright red apple in the tree. Sarah and Glenys licked their dry lips. I peered up at it. It looked awfully delicious, but it was so high up in the branches…
"Can you get it?" Glenys asked, grabbing my arm.
"I can try." I said.
Slowly, I climbed up the branches. I got close to the apple. I grabbed for it and felt to branch slide out from under me. Time slowed but it happened so quickly. I hit the ground and heard a snap and Raina's scream.
"Glenys, go get Eruaistaniel!" Sarah said.
Time passed so quickly, all I remembered was seeing my mother say "It's okay." and waking up in the hospital, where I woke up with my arm in a cast.
When I returned home, Sarah, Glenys and Raina glomped me and signed my cast. My brothers followed them. My parents, neighbours and everyone else had a huge party for me. No one blamed my friends for the incident, except themselves. I forgave them and gave them each a large piece of cake.
Somehow, apples often caused a lot of misfortune for us. On our first day of school, everyone had brought an apple for our kindergarten teacher, except for Sarah and me. At church (when we were nine), we learned, even though apples were the gift of knowledge, they were evil. I told my mother this, and she chose the Celtic path almost immediately. When I was ten, Leon threw an apples at us.
"Miss. Gwen, is something wrong?" Erulissë asked.
"Huh? Oh no. Why do you ask?" I asked, looking up at her.
"You went off again." She hopped off the branch and landed, cat-like, on the ground. "You have been doing that a lot lately, Miss. Gwen."
"Sorry, I really am. It's just…" We began walking back to Rivendale.
"You are thinking of your home. It is normal to be homesick."
"More like friend-sick."
"Friend-sick?"
"You know, like when you're home sick and you miss your home, only this time I miss my friends. I'd been travelling a lot, you see, and I had just returned home, happy to see my friends, and I came here."
"You regret ever coming here." Her voice was sad.
"No! No, I like it here, I really do. I just wish some of my closest friends were here to enjoy it with me."
"And this is friend-sickness."
"Yep!"
Horns sounded in the distance at the arrival of guests. I looked at Erulissë and nodded. The two of us sprinted over the green swept earth. We saw two mares and their riders travel along the worn path that leaded into the elvish settlement. My friend gasped at the sight of them.
"Who are they?" I asked her.
"Gandalf the Grey, a powerful wizard and the man is Aragorn, it is his real name. I prefer to call him the Man of Many Names, as it seems he has quite a few though out the land."
"And how do you know?"
"The Hobbit Bilbo. You've met him, nice old chap, shorter than you with the grey hair."
"Ah. He's really funny. Ever hear his joke about the orc and the cave troll?"
We watched from the sidelines as Lord Elrond greeted his guests. It was obvious they were quite welcome and at home here in Rivendale. Bilbo, the kindly old Hobbit he was, showed up, oceans more chipper than I had ever seen him before. They talked of the world and of a ring of some sorts, and how the ring was needed.
Erulissë grabbed my hand and muttered a "Come on!" We trailed before them and took a sharp turn. I had left the apples behind the bench we had been hiding behind, forgotten. I knew I would come back and find them later, but I was kind of hungry.
We nearly collided with them group. Erulissë quickly bowed and apologised. I bowed too, but I studied them. Now that I was up closer, the two didn't seem all that special. Both looked human enough to pass in the real world, but the old man, Gandalf, had a certain feel about him. I felt I could trust him, yet at the same time, I had to be wary of him.
Elrond frowned upon us. However, Bilbo and Gandalf greeted us warmly. Aragorn simply said, "Hello." and bowed.
"Erulissë , please go and prepare rooms for our guests." Elrond said to his daughter's handmaiden. Erulissë , curtsied, and scurried off.
She normally would have been helping Lady Arwen, but she had given my friend permission to be with me and help me with anything I fancied or needed. Arwen and I had taken a liking to each other almost instantly. I knew she liked my dry humour. She had a calming feel about her. She was one of the few elves I liked.
"Gwynovir, we have something to ask you." I blinked.
"Gwynovir," Gandalf said, "you are new to this world, correct?" I nodded. "Would you like a chance to see it?" My eyes brightened.
"I'd love to!" I said. Gandalf chuckled.
"Good, good."
"It'd be a year before you'd be back here in Rivendale." My spirits were dampered slightly. I had a choice, leave Erulissë for a great adventure or stay and miss out on a great adventure. I kind of wished I had a coin to flip, but a coin can't solve all my problems, can it? I'd let destiny take it's course.
"Take the chance!" shouted my mind.
"Stay here!" bellowed my heart.
I closed my eyes and thought. I'd never get this chance again. I'll do it, I'll go on the great adventure. It's be much more exciting then reading a bunch of old scrolls and books, looking at maps, and sitting, twiddling my thumbs waiting for my friends to find me. I'd apologise to Erulissë and Arwen.
"I'll… I'll go." I said. I knew I was in for something great, especially in the late September. I had a feeling something was going to happen but what it was, I didn't quite know yet.
Janice: Sorry that this is up kind of late in the day I was busy.
Sarah: Yeah, that and you only started working on this yesterday!
Merry: Not true, she was working on it though out the week, she just didn't start typing it until yesterday.
Sarah: Whatever.
Janice: I love the Celtic ways. Anyone know any good books or websites?