The Road to Middle-Earth
A fanfiction by MushrooomsPTook
Disclaimer: I own nothing. You might as well say it owns me!
Chapter Seven: Out of the Frying-Pan, Into the Fire Pt. 2
"Ouch!" I cried, rubbing the area around my ankles. I was sitting right next to the witch's sleeping area and waited for the usual nightly events to unfold. The witch had gotten into her sleeping garments, had brushed her straggly hair into a beautiful mess, and was just climbing into bed. She picked up a book—something about how to tone down the bitter taste of man by mixing in a variety of herbs and spices—when I began putting on my act. I massaged my swollen ankles and groaned in mock pain.
The witch sighed and propped the book open on her lap, allowing her arms to fold frustratingly. "What is the matter?"
"Oohh, it's my ankles. They've become most uncomfortable under my shackles, and I don't suppose I'll be able to sleep much tonight."
"You've slept fine the other nights without carrying on such a fuss."
I hesitated. "Well, but I've gained some weight and I'm sure my plump, juicy ankles are bruised. Such a shame, really. If I were eating—" I gulped "—children, I would hate to have them bruised."
The witch eyed me suspiciously, and I knew with some certainty she had an idea at what I was getting at. But just in case, I made one last attempt to get her to pull out the little key that she had repinned in her hair.
"It's too bad I won't have any more freedom before I'm cooked; I just want it to be done and over with already." I swallowed and stole a glance at the witch's face. "Listen to me. I think I'm actually looking forward to it."
There was a moment of silence between us and the witch studied my face hard. I was a little nervous that I may not have fooled her and that she would pour out another beating on me. But after a while her face relaxed.
"Well, I suppose I could take them off for tonight." She chuckled, surprisingly. "After all, the front door is locked and seeing that you've come to your senses, I think there's no harm."
I grimaced when I realized I hadn't the faintest idea where to find the key to the front door. But I had to focus on one thing at a time, and she pulled out a very small silvery object from within her messy locks and turned it in the small hole of my chains. My heart bounced when I heard the click and I was afraid she would hear it beating rapidly out of my chest. After she had removed the restraints, I rubbed my ankles soothingly, noting the large indentation on the skin. Now to find that other key. Unfortunately, that would be a challenge I had foolishly overlooked.
"Now," she said, "go to sleep. You have a very big day tomorrow. In fact, we all do." And with that, she giggled and blew out the candle on her bedside table. I pretended to sleep for the better part of an hour, but it was extremely difficult, what with the witch tossing and turning every few minutes. Of course, of all nights she had to have insomnia. After the first hour, the witch's movements subsided and presently, I heard snoring.
This was it.
I threw off my thin blanket and began searching the room for a key, any key. I opened drawers, checked in webbed-covered pots, and even opened some books. The only thing to be found was dust.
Finally, I put off my search to see if I could pick the lock, and after I exited the room, I bumped into two small shadows. I nearly gave a yelp of alarm, only to realize they were Tom and Alice, having escaped from the cage.
I motioned for them to follow me and the three of us, in single file, crept quietly to the door, finding it blocked by the slab of wood as it had been during our entire stay. I tried Tom's key on it and after that failed, I tried to find something else, something small to stick into the little hole. As I worked silently, I mentally scolded myself for not having all the preparations made. But it was hard to come up with any good plan, when you knew that you'd be eaten in just a matter of time.
"Are we stuck—" asked Alice, a little louder than I was prepared for. Tom rushed to cover her mouth with his hand.
"It's not working," I whispered. "I'm going to go to the kitchen and try to find something else. You two wait here."
I left the children, briefly glancing over my shoulder to see two small shadowed faces staring back at me. The kitchen was only just down the hall, but there was a thin wall that lay between it and the witch's bedroom. I would have to act fast and quietly. I began roaming the small area, looking in cupboards and opening drawers. When that failed to produce any results, I started opening some rusty pots and pans, and even dug through some very old flour. Making no discovery there, I dusted the flour off my hands and restarted my search. I had just adjusted my feet to where I could bend down to examine the bottom cupboards when I heard a creak. I paused, listening for a second sound. I stood fully up again and took a step when I heard it again! Creak. There was a loose floorboard somewhere. I got down on all fours and began to feel the wooden surface for any loose floorboards. At last, I caught the loose slab of wood and peeled it back, careful not to make too much noise. There, hidden underneath, lay a small rectangular box of copper. I pulled it out and opened it. The contents consisted of only one large key. It was silver, except for the gold that ran down the middle. In the center of the head of the key was a type of piercing red gem. All in all, it was a beautiful find, and more to the point, a hopeful one.
I got to my legs again after putting the piece of floor back into place, and swiftly made my way back to the children, only when I got there I found no one. A moment of panic tickled down my spine and I at once set out to look for them. The search didn't last long, however, for when I walked back to the caged prison, thinking to myself, 'surely they wouldn't be in there,' there was no need to look any further. There they were, sitting with pale faces, hands bound together and gagged.
"Tom! What—"
At that moment, Tom's eyes grew large and he managed to get out a stifle cry. Before I could turn around, a blow hit me across the back of my head, blurring my vision. The last thing I saw were the floorboards rushing up to greet me. It was over.
1I awoke to the sound of the rhythmic chanting of beating drums. I shuddered as a soft breeze of cold air caressed my skin. My head throbbed and my arms felt incredibly sore. I opened my eyes, hoping to make sense of my situation, but I didn't see much better than when they were shut. After a couple of blinks, I felt the fibers of an itchy fabric just above my nose that ran all the way around my head. I tried to remove the blindfold, but my arms would not budge. Having cleared my head of the fogginess and come to my senses a bit more, I came to the realization that I was leaning up against a rough, circular object and behind it were my hands, bound stiffly together by thick, immovable ropes.
After fruitlessly struggling against my bonds, I heard a soft rustle on my left, and a small voice followed it. Alice.
"Alayna? You're alive?"
"Yes, Alice." My voice came as a shock, as it was scratchy and hoarse. "Are you all right? Where's Tom?"
"I'm here, 'Layna." The voice came from my right. There was a hesitated silence. "I—I'm right sorry. I thought I could lick that witch when she found us. It's my fault you got hurt."
My eyes filled with tears. "No, Tom. I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have left you guys behind." A tear made its way out of my eye. "But...but we're together now. That's all that matters."
"Alayna?" asked Alice. "I...I don't want to die."
"Alice, dear. You—I—" My breath caught in my throat. "I love you."
The silence that followed was broken by soft sobs that came from my left. I wanted to reach Alice's hand, to comfort her, to hold her. But the stubborn knots prevented me.
"Well, I ain't givin' up!"
"Tom?" I asked curiously after sniffling. "What do you mean?"
"Well, hell, I still got a life ta live," he said struggling. "An' I ain't leavin' this world or the next without a kiss from Becky Thatcher."
"Kiss? Oh my gosh! Alice, remember you've been kissed by the good witch, Glinda. We can't be harmed!"
"'Layna," said Tom. "D'ya think you could reach my pocket? I stole that witch's knife when I was soakin' her."
"Tom, you genius!"
I furiously began groping around, feeling the air for a long while. As I stretched my hands in Tom's direction, I tried to ignore the burning pain that injected itself into my wrists. She had tied us down well. But I bit my lip and with a last effort, shot my hands out as for as they could. I could tell that the ropes had broken my skin, but the pain was momentarily overtaken by fortune as I caught hold of Tom's clothes.
The drums grew louder and the fear that integrated itself into the music prompted me to hurry. I scrabbled to search blindly for the knife, when at last my finger grazed a sharp object. I strained my hands a little more to seize it, the ropes biting into my skin.
Having snatched the knife, I desperately started sawing away at the ropes that imprisoned my wrists. At that point, the drums stopped their rhythmic chorus and I heard a chilling, yet all too familiar voice.
"Have you ever seen a more pathetic sight?" The witch. "Feast your eyes upon our supper!" And she wasn't alone.
The drums began beating again, except this time they were singing a different rhythm. The witch began to cry out a chilling song and I could hear clapping.
"Sing a song and dance along
to the tune of a marvelous feast
Arms and legs cooked with eggs
We'll all have something to eat
Let's have a bite of children tonight
Oh! Gather around, my kin
Quench your desire and light the fire
For the feast is about to begin"
2The song repeated as more voices chimed in to sing, and when they finished the song, they would start over, ever growing closer and closer to us. I bit my lip, frantically cutting the ropes. I managed to get one cord cut, when I heard the noise of several different things being tossed at our feet. Hearing the sound of paper crackling only increased my anxiety when I picked up the scent of fire. We were tied to a stake, and the witch and her followers were burning us alive!
As the flames grew, I became increasingly hot. I could feel Tom struggling furiously on the right, and I heard loud sobs and screaming on my left. Another cord cut. But it wasn't enough. I began to sweat profusely and the smoke overtook my state of mind. I was coughing continuously, desperately gasping for oxygen. The knife fell out of my grasp. Tom's struggling ceased, and Alice had stopped crying. My brain was spiraling out of control. Finally, my mind began to fog and I slipped into a state of unconsciousness.
I dreamed that I saw the witch and other skeletal figures dancing around us, circling us with greedy eyes. I saw the drums that were being beaten. They were very large and were shaped like none I'd ever seen before. I could see the flames surrounding us, increasingly growing at a fast rate. They had thrown their torches, but some still held theirs while they danced. I could hear the witch bellowing out a screeching laugh.
The dream progressed and I thought I saw, through the flames, a different sort of creature. It was crouched behind the celebratory gathering and it shone of bright gold. Though it was far away from me, I thought I could see its eyes very clearly and they looked right back at me, piercing my very soul. I was terrified, yet I felt safe.
Next thing, it opened its mouth and out of it came a thunderous sound, one that was loud enough to wake the dead. Suddenly, there was chaos within the gathering. People were screaming and running around, frantically. The noise continued and all the while, the strange creature kept my gaze. That is until my mind clouded over and I felt the hold on the stake release. I fell to the ground and collapsed. After that, I remembered nothing more.
Next Chapter: What happened that the gathering was disturbed? And do they survive? (Well, of course you know they do. ;) ) Will probably be updated sometime next week.
Just A Mad Woman With A Box: Updated. I'm very pleased to see that you are enjoying the story. I hope this chapter didn't fall short of your expectations. :)
Lynn-o-chan: I'm glad you like it—and updated! ;)
Seafarer: That is quite a possibility. And you're right; she should have known it was a witch. But I suppose when you're famished and you're tempted with free food, your stomach can get in the way of your thought.
Purple: Wonderful!
Purple Rabbit: 'Really? The wizard of oz? WE WANT MIDDLE EARTH!' Well, let me assure you that so do Alayna and Alice, so you're not alone! Thanks for reviewing.
1Soundtrack Chronicles of Narnia, Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (Harry Gregson-Williams), "The Stone Table"
2Soundtrack continue with "The Stone Table", or Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Nicholas Hooper), "Inferni in the Firestorm"