Ding! Ding!

The alarm clock sounded suddenly, breaking the silence in the quiet yellow-painted room. Marae slowly opened her still-blurry eyes, without even bothering to lift her head. But instead, she closed her eyes again and buried her head even more deeply into her pillow.

Ding! Ding!

“Darn! I forgot to set the alarm off! Its only 6:30 in the morning! she thought to herself. She usually set the alarm clock at this time. And since it was a Saturday, it meant she has no work today. Without even looking at the clock, she slammed her hand over it to turn it off. Closing her eyes once more and covering her head with a blanket, she dozed off to sleep.

Suddenly, a little beagle quietly crept into Marae’s room. Tiny footsteps can be heard coming towards the bed. It then stopped at the end of the bed, staring at it for a brief moment. It then jumped up onto the bed and approached Marae. It gradually pulled the blanket off her head and started licking her ears and cheek.

“Pepper, stop it!” she said sleepily. She futilely tried to cover her face while her slobbering little pet continued trying to baste her in her sleep.

“Okay! Okay! I’ll get up now.” The dog continued licking her. “Now stop that!” she said irritably. Pepper suddenly stopped and gave her that sad-puppy eye look.

“Don’t give me that look now, hmmm? Okay let’s go down and have our breakfast.” Marae stood up from her bed still wearing her pajamas. And went down to the kitchen. Pepper immediately followed her downstairs.

It’s been 4 months since she has settled down in New Zealand. She had Pepper for almost 3 months now. Pepper is an English Beagle with brown, black and white coat. And she has kept her company in the single-room apartment she’s been renting in Auckland. Miranda Mitchells, who originally came from Brisbane, gave Pepper to Marae. Miranda was one of her co-workers in Little Feet Preschool. She has been her close friend ever since she came to Auckland. They have been working in Little Feet under the supervision of Mrs. Elizabeth Walters.

Marae started wiping the kitchen counter while Pepper went to front door to get the morning paper. Pepper brought the newspaper in and put it on Marae’s lap. She was sitting on a stool, busily brewing coffee.

“Thanks Pepper,” giving her a little rub on the head. She started reading the newspaper and came across an article in the Entertainment section of the New Zealand Herald about a new movie that was being shot all over New Zealand. The article read:

“A new movie is being shoot all-over New Zealand right now. It is based on JRR Tolkien’s trilogy of novels Lord of the Rings, Fellowship Of The Ring, the first full-length features shot back-to-back with an all star-cast including Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler and Cate Blanchett. It will be directed by our native New Zealander, Peter Jackson, whose previous works included ‘Heavenly Creatures’ and ‘The Frighteners’. The first installment will be released in December 2001, followed by The Two Towers in December 2002 and lastly Return of the King in December 2003.”

“Interesting.” Suddenly her phone rang. She put the newspaper down and headed towards the phone.

“Hello?”

“Rae, it’s Miranda. How are you today?”

“I’m fine. And I was getting ready to eat my breakfast.”

“Do you have any plans today?”

“Oh, just stay at home and take Pepper to Karekare beach in the afternoon. Why did you ask?

“Have you heard of ‘Lord of the Rings’?”

“Yes. That’s the movie being shot all over New Zealand right now, isn’t it? I just finished reading about it in the Herald.”

“Yeah. It’s all over the papers now. Anyways, guess what? Peter Jackson’s production team are going to our school on Monday to select a few children to play the Hobbit and Rohan kids in the movie.”

“Wow! That’s great!

“I’m excited too.” Her friend was so ecstatic over the phone. “Did you know that Mrs. Walters is related to one of movie’s producers?”

“No I didn’t. Whom is she related to?”

“Um… a certain Fran Walsh I think. She called Mrs. Walters last Thursday.”

“But wouldn’t they require the children to work long hours?”

“The children will be called in only for a few days to shoot a few scenes. And the parents requested that someone should accompany the children.”

“Like a chaperone?”

“Well, something like that. Actually, Mrs. Walters asked me to call you about it.”

“Me? Why me?

“Well, most of the kids they’re getting for the movie will be coming from your class. I guess it would be best that you accompany them.”

“Me? Why don’t you do it, Mira?”

“You know I can’t dear. I have other obligations that I have to attend to.”

“Obligations? Or are you just making up excuses to go and meet Michael?”

“Hell no! The guy is so dense and he doesn’t care about anyone beside himself. I think he is gay or something.”

“Hahaha!”

“And I think this would a good opportunity for you to meet guys.”

“Aha! So that’s the main reason why you’ve been so adamant in convincing me to accompany the children, huh?”

“Well, I’m not the only one who thought of that. Mrs. Walters suggested it, you know.”

“Yeah right! Try dragging Mrs. Walters into this too!”

“Oh come on, Rae! It’s been almost a year since you even met a guy. You may even meet a cute actor there”

“Oh don’t remind me, Mira. Besides, I’m not too keen on meeting some obnoxious stuck-up actor.”

“Please?”

“Okay! Okay! I’m sure if I declined to your request, you wouldn’t stop pestering me about it. But remember I am doing this for the children and our school. And not for anything else.”

“Fine. Okay, gotta go now. My mom is asking me to buy some stuff in the hardware shop for the garden we’ll be fixing up later. Enjoy your stay at the beach.”

“Thanks!”

“Give Pepper a hug for me.”

“I will. Bye!”

“Bye!” Click. Marae went back to the kitchen. The coffee maker had stopped brewing coffee. Pouring the coffee into a mug, she then went to the kitchen cabinet to get a box of Cheerios. She then poured it over a bowl and put some milk on it. Sitting by the kitchen table, she started preparing her cup of coffee. As she stirred it slowly, her mind wandered off again.

She couldn’t help but think again over what Miranda said earlier. “Oh come on, Rae! It’s been almost a year since you even met a guy.” Those words suddenly hit her like a brick falling on her head. It was true. It had been a long time. Unconsciously, she slowly grabbed the silver ring that was dangling from her necklace and gripped her hand around it, enclosing it, holding it near to her heart. She closed her eyes.

How I tried to get you of my mind
but you return - all the time
I believed I could just let you go
like the fool I am

Every time I look away I see
the ghost of you

Why do his memories still haunt me? A tear fell down on her cheek. Releasing her grip on the ring, she wiped the tear away from her face. She sensed that Pepper was right beside her looking at her intently.

“Don’t worry girl, I’ll be okay.” Giving her a slight pat on the head. Marae continued eating her cereal, then finished drinking her coffee. She immediately went back up the stairs and took a long bath.

Feeling the soothing sensation from the water trickling down her body, and with only the tapping of the water surrounding her, she stared blankly at the bathroom wall. Marae steadily pressed her forehead on the tiles. She felt something building up inside her. She needed to release this once and for all. Tears flowed freely from her, with the water from the shower, it trickled down her face.

Why do I still cry for you
dying to get close to you
Why do I still fear to face
the ghost of you?

Somewhere in the suburb of Hamilton, Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd and Orlando Bloom are currently working on their recent movie project, The Lord of the Rings. But since they had the day off from the shooting. They were about to go and leave for Kapiti Coast to surf. The guys started surfing because Orli, as Orlando was fondly known, couldn’t stop raving about how great it was. None of them actually knew how to surf. Still, Orli was able to convince the guys to try it out. So, whenever they have time off, they would go surfing around some of New Zealand’s famous beaches.

“Oy! Come on! We better hurry, lads! shouted Billy while he was loading his surfboard into his roomy, red Cherokee Laredo.

“Hang on, Billy!” answered the tall, lanky British guy behind him. “Lij and Dom are still getting their stuff inside the house. They’ll be out in a minute,” he said as he was putting his surfboard on top of Billy’s board. Orli was wearing a plain white shirt, black shorts, and black Chuck Taylor sneakers. Hiding his brown, tired eyes was a pair of designer shades.

“So, who’s going to drive now, Orli?”

“I can drive going to Kapiti Coast. At least it can keep me awake for a while. Lij! Dom! You better get your arses down here or else we’ll never get there by 3 pm. It’s a 2-hour drive you know!”

“Would you stop whining like a little child?” shouted Lij, who was coming down the front porch.

“Oh shut up. That’s so easy for you to say. You’re not the who will drive for 2 hours.”

“Well, well, aren’t you in a joyful mood today, mate?”

“Sorry, mate. I really don’t know what’s wrong with me today.”

“Well, don’t you worry, Orli! Once you see those gorgeous chicks on the beach, you’ll be fine” Lij chuckled, giving Orli a pat on the back. “Come on let’s go.” Dom loaded the rest of their stuff at the back of the jeep.

After driving for almost an hour, the four of them seemed to be lost, with Billy and Dom were busily deciphering a road map, which seemed to defy understanding. Lij was still asleep in the passenger seat. He was startlingly awakened by the ruckus that the three guys were making.

“Now, what the hell’s wrong with you guys?” asked Lij.

“These two can’t tell me which expressway we’re supposed to take,” Orli shouted angrily.

Billy and Dom are busily fumbling over the map, turning it around and around, constantly grabbing it in turns from one another.

“Billy, would you give that map to me? We’re about to approach the expressways. Are we going to take the expressway going to Huntly or Papakura?

“Wait! Wait! I think I got it,” Billy cried excitedly while still looking at the map.

“You think you got it? Please, you must be sure.”

Orli gave out a sound of frustration. “Hurry up guys!” He was getting really frustrated because those two frickin idiots couldn’t decide on which road to take.

“Okay, Orli take a left there when you see Huntly,” said Billy finally.

“No, that’s the not right. I’m telling you Billy, that’s the wrong way. Orli, go right to Papakura.”

“Shut up Dom!”

“Well, you’re leading us the wrong way, you twit!”

Orli couldn’t stand those two arguing behind so he immediately turned the jeep towards the left expressway to Huntly. The two immediately stopped arguing.

“Hey, where are you going mate? You took the wrong expressway. Now we are heading up to Auckland.” Dom said.

“Don’t blame me, okay? You and Billy can’t decide on that stupid map. We’ll find a beach somewhere near Auckland. Think your map’s any good at helping us find a beach over there?”

“Okay.” Dom scanned through the map around Auckland. “Oh, this looks like a good beach. It’s called the Karekare Beach and it’s about a few miles from Central Auckland. That’s about an hour drive from where we are.”

“Finally!” mumbled Lij and he went straight back to sleep, covering his face with his baseball cap.

It was a perfect Saturday afternoon to go to the beach, with hardly any clouds in the clear, blue sky and the sun shining beautifully in the horizon.

Karekare Beach can be reached by an hour’s drive from central Auckland. It is one of the beaches that Marae loved to visit from time to time. Ever since she was young, she had always had a penchant for beaches. She loved staying in the beach especially during sunset. The tranquil scenery always brings to her a sense of calmness within herself. And surely New Zealand was a great spot for these kinds of beaches.

Marae parked her black Nissan Verita in the parking lot. Pepper, who was still sitting in the passenger seat of the car, got a bit excited and she can hardly sit still. Marae reached out over the back seat to get her small black knapsack, picnic basket, and beach blanket.

“Okay, Pepper we’re here.” then she opened the door and Pepper immediately jump out of it. Then, she started walking across the beach. Good thing that were only a few people staying by the shoreline. She immediately went straight to her favorite spot in the beach. There was this particular rock formation, which she always goes to and she would sit on it for hours. She sat down on the rock, getting a green journal from her knapsack. And started writing down her thoughts into it. As she listens to the waves of the open sea and the sound of the seagulls flying overhead. Pepper ran around the beach for a while. Marae didn’t worry about Pepper coz she always comes back after a few minutes of running around.

Just then, the Red Cherokee Laredo parked near the black Nissan Verita. Lij, Dom, Billy and Orli got out of the jeep. They were arguing a bit coz Orli accidentally took the wrong expressway going to Kapiti Coast and now they ended up in the Karekare beach.

“Hey! Don’t blame me if I inadvertently took the wrong express! Dom and Billy were the ones to blame. Honestly, I don’t think those two know how to read maps.” Orli said irritably.

“It wasn’t my fault! Dom was the one interpreting it the wrong way,” explained Billy.

“Me? Why me? You’re the one who kept on grabbing the map from me!” pointing a finger at Billy.

“Woah! Okay, let’s stop arguing. And make the most out of this. There is no use blaming each other. It’s nobody’s fault. Besides, the place is great…look” pointing towards the beach. The three of them turned their heads at the same time and looked at what was Lij was pointing at.

“Great job Orli!” Dom patted Orli’s shoulder as he headed off to get his surfboard from the Cherokee.

“Wanker!”

The boys gathered their surfing gear and they headed off towards the beach. Dom and Billy were running crazily like a bunch of kids who just got released from prison. Dropping off their surfboards on the sand, they immediately jumped into the water. Orli and Lij were left behind still carrying their stuff.

“Hey Lij. I think I will stay here by the beach for a while. I’ll join you in a couple of minutes.”

“You sure?”

“I’ll be fine here, mate. I’m just tired from all the driving.”

“Okay.” Lij joined Dom and Billy who were now getting their surfboards. They immediately raced towards the incoming waves. Orli just watched them make of fool of themselves. He gave out a snort. Then, he got a small blue towel, placed it over his face and lay down on the sand.

Pepper was roaming around the beach when she came about a certain blue object caught her attention. She slowly approached it. Then she pulled it and out came a man’s face that was sleeping. Pepper quickly ran away with the blue object inside her mouth. Running back to Marae.

Orli suddenly felt that the towel on his face was being removed. At first he thought one of the guys was playing a trick on him.

“Billy? Put the damn towel back!” Orli demanded. But the towel was still moving away from his face. He opened his eyes…

“Billy I said…” he was surprised to see a small dog running away with his towel. He instantly stood up and run after the dog. When he was about to catch up with the dog, it stopped by the rock and gave it to a woman who was busy writing.

Marae was so focused on writing her journal that she was startled when Pepper dropped a blue towel on her lap. She picked up the towel from her lap.

“Pepper where did you get this?” The dog was panting so fast and she just sat beside her. “You shouldn’t get things that are not yours.” She was disciplining her dog as if it was a child. The dog looked at her again with those puppy eyes.

Orli laughed at the way she talked to her dog. He approached her and said, “Ummm, excuse me miss. I think that is my towel there,” as he scratched the back of his head.

Marae looked up and saw this guy asking for his towel. “Oh I’m sorry. My dog must have taken it from you.” She handed him the towel.

“Oh its okay. Thanks.” answered Orli with a smile.

Marae went straight back to writing on her journal and then ignored the man who was still looking at her. Orli was about to ask her name when Lij called out to him.

“Umm…. what’s your…?

Marae looked back at him again, looking at him meticulously.

“Orli! Come on let’s go and surf man!” shouted Lij.

“Yeah! I’ll be right there!” Orli hesitated on asking the woman her name. “Um I’m sorry but I have to go now.” He smiled at her and slowly backed out away. Damn! He thought to himself. Orli started walking towards where they guys were. He was just a few meters away from her, when he suddenly stopped and took one last look at her. He couldn’t take his eyes off her coz never in his life he has seen too much sadness in somebody’s eyes. He couldn’t explain why he’s being drawn towards her.

“Who are looking at Orli? asked Lij.

“Oh, it was nothing. Just this woman I saw here in the beach.”

“You’re hormones are acting up again huh?”

“No it’s not like that, Lij. There’s something in her eyes. Too much sadness.”

“Well, what’s her name?”

“I didn’t have a chance to ask her.”

“How did you meet her?”

“Well, her dog got my towel while I was sleeping. And I followed the dog and it lead me to her.”

“Hmmmm, smart dog. I think the dog sensed that you need to meet someone huh?”

“Oh shut up Lij”

“Well, you can approach her again later after we surf.”

“You’re probably right.” The two of them headed off and surfed.

Too much sadness in my life
Too much emotions bottled up inside
I don’t think I can hide
How can I survive?
If only to fly away and escape all this hurt
When will the day come?
That tears will stop billowing out

That was the last entry that Marae wrote in her green journal. She stared at it for a moment, tracing her fingers over the page. She closed her eyes and felt the wind breeze against her face. Then she placed it inside her black knapsack. Then she watched the ocean for a while as the sun set over the horizon. But before leaving her special spot, she got a small shell from her bag and placed it on the rock.

“Come Pepper. Let’s go!” she started walking towards her car. And drove back to her home.

While surfing with Lij, Dom and Billy, Orli couldn’t seem to take his mind off the woman he saw by the beach. So, when he reached the shore he decided to walk back to where she was sitting earlier. As he approached the rock, she was already gone but he noticed the shell that was on the rock. He picked it up and looked at it closely. He was curious as to why she would leave a shell on the rock. Why am I being drawn to her? He returned the shell back on the rock.

“Orli! Let’s go!” shouted Dom.

“Yeah, I’m coming.” Orli then gathered his surfboard and his stuff. He joined the other guys in the parking lot and loaded their gear on the jeep. Billy droved them all back to Hamilton. Orli was now staying at the back of the jeep with Dom.

“Guys! I think we better go back here sometime. Right, Orli?” asked Lij.

“Definitely!” replied Orli. Thoughts of the woman at the beach filled his mind. I wish I could see her again. I want to see her again. He then closed his eyes and all he could see were her sad eyes looking at him.