Elfling

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that Tolkien owned except for a love of language and pure genius.

It began with falling and an increasing sense of darkness. I had always tried to imagine what a free fall would be like. There's a sense of weightlessness, you feel as if you'll keep falling and falling. At first I was scared; I'm surprised my heart didn't stop. I was waiting for the impact, expecting it, wanting it- anything to make the terrible suspense end. But it didn't come, and it didn't come, and after a while I calmed down because I wasn't hitting anything. And all the while everything seemed to become darker and darker as if I was alone in a space completely void of everything. No sound, no light- just me and the darkness. Slowly, my mind became clouded and I drifted away from consciousness.

Everything came back at once and I sat up with a jolt--My heart racing. What I saw did not make sense- my mind screamed and I snapped my eyes shut so that it was only me and the darkness again.

"Ok, umm....Breathe-yeah, that's what I was forgetting to do. In, out. Ok, now slowly open your eyes? Nope, not quite ready to do that yet. Right, so we use touch..."I felt around. "Soft blankets, I think I'm on a bed...." My fingers touched something else. "Whats this?...a pillow - a really fluffy pillow." I tried it out. "Hey! This is a nice pillow. So whatever this place is – it's not bad." I reasoned.

Not very good reasoning I admit but I did just wake up. I grabbed my arms. "Soft flannelly sleeves?" I opened my eyes. Unfortunately, the room looked exactly the same as it did the last time I had opened them. The light was dim, its only source being a small fire place. The furniture was all made of dark wood. Many of the things were made from whole branches. The whole room seemed to bend and curve like it was a living forest. The blankets were silky and embroidered with flowers.

"Pretty bed, nice room, oldish/a little bit strange looking. I seem to be wearing some type of nightgown. There is a door! That's a good thing, doors are good....The door is shut. Maybe it's locked? I'm wearing a nightgown so someone changed me and that means there are people-that's good! Or bad? Maybe that's bad. These people have money, because everything in here is very nice and they like the woods because everything in here is made out of sticks." Pleased with my deductions, I got out of bed.

"First things first! Clothes. I'm not walking around in this nightgown. Hmm...." My eyes scanned the room and landed on a small wooden chair. "Aha! on the chair. And they're folded and washed. This puts another tally in front of 'nice'. If they weren't nice they wouldn't have washed and folded my clothes."

I breathed a sigh of relief and got dressed. It's reassuring to be among nice people. Then I noticed my denim backpack next to the chair.

"That is my backpack....I definitely didn't bring my backpack, so someone else must have. My backpack was at my house. Someone went to my house! Wait, I was at my house. They probably got me and the bag at the same time. So, somebody arranged for me to come, and according to the bag they expect me to stay for a little bit." I looked through my bag. "I didn't pack any of this stuff, so someone went through all my stuff and packed me a bag. Hmm..."

I put on the deodorant I had found in the bag and snapped a hair tie around my wrist. Then, I made the bed. "Can I use anything else in here?" I looked around. "Nope."

"What next? Well, you'd better not adventure on an empty stomach. Breakfast. Now, where do you find food? In a kitchen. And how do you find a kitchen? That is a trickier question....Well, it's not in here, so we can check this room off the list." I observed brilliantly. "If it's not in here it must be out there."

I opened the door and was surprised to see a guy with weapons standing outside.

"Woah, why is he standing there? He looks like a guard. The question is, why is there a guard standing outside my door? Maybe I am dangerous? Yes, definitely dangerous. Armed and dangerous. His clothes are a little odd, but they match that room I was in."

My gaze switched from the guard to my surroundings. The hallway was dark and long with the same branches and curving lines as my bedroom had. It also felt alive which was slightly creepy. It was as if the walls were watching and did not approve.

"This hallway is too big to be a hallway; more like a corridor. Corridor? Than this isn't a house. Or it's a big house? A big house with guards. A castle! Or something.

The guy is looking at me. Maybe I should say something. Now, should I be mean and scary to make sure they don't mess with me, or nice? Are they mean? I don't know yet, so why be mean if they might be nice. If you're mean, they'll be mean back, it will infect the world and the earth will be overrun with mean people. Bad idea, be nice."

"Hi, could you please give me directions to the kitchen?" I said with a smile. He looked at me rather amusedly.

"The kitchens are down the hall. Go straight, turn left at the second hallway, then turn right, and it should be on your left."

"Woah"

"Thank you! My name's Marilla by the way," I said as politely as I could. "Mine is Grendling, my lady," he answered with a bow. "Just call me Marilla," I said. "Yes, Marilla" he replied with a nod looking more amused than ever. I waved good bye and set off.