Blood roaring in my ears I stopped my eyes from sliding down the page and could hardly believe what I was reading. Elves wanted? But there are no such things as elves! What folly was this! Still, the creative student within reminded me to remain open-minded when it came to things like fantasy creatures. Elves? I gulped noisily (Ms. Ross looked up from the counter with a mean look), and read the other twenty-four words carefully.
Students Applying for Scholarships. Full tuition opportunities available for Elf studies. Send resume and letter of reference to Rivendell Academy of Fine Arts. Interview required.
Elf studies? What were elf studies? I frowned and re-read the advertisement. Full scholarships sounded promising, but to study elves? Had I once previously thought all my other subjects to be earth-shatteringly interesting? Surely they would want ME to apply for this! They would be proud to have this hardworking ex-Massey graduate within their walls!
Looking up to be sure that the librarian was looking the other way, I carefully cut out the little rectangle and slipped it into my copy of Two Towers before hastily refolding the Brandon Sun and sliding it back across the counter. Ms. Ross looked up and frowned to see it was not properly folded. Well, I had other things on my mind! True, patience is a virtue, but I always find that I am quite short of it, especially in my academic pursuits.
Rummaging in my very not-quite-tidy binder I ripped out an old letter of reference from Ms. Clement and hastily smoothed out a rumpled edge before slamming it into the photocopier to make a Photostat, followed by the resume. Across the silent library, Ms. Ross had finished refolding my paper and was giving me the evil-eye. Ah, most of my relationships with my peers were quite engaging and communicative, but with her, it seemed more uncertain.
Halfway between shoving both things into an envelope, a thought stopped me dead in my tracks. Rivendell Academy of Fine Arts? But I had never heard of it! There was no such place! How odd was this? There had to be more instructions on that newspaper clipping! I whipped out the ad so quickly, I slammed it onto the table and the librarian�s eyebrows shot up so far, I was afraid that they would fly through the roof. No, there was nothing. How odd! This seemed to be a beginning of a humorous relationship!
No sooner had I thought of it that way was the envelope whisked out of my hands as though by a sudden gust of wind which could not have possibly existed within the walls of a school. I stared down at the fresh paper cut I had received and wondered if in my klutzy ways, I had somehow dropped the darn thing. A quick glance in my books and down at the ground revealed nothing. How odd. I frowned as the chicken-zapper sounded the end to my spare and the mystery of the disappearing envelope passed out of my conscious mind, dismissed as being too weird to be happening. Someone must have been tampering with the matrix.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Walking down the sidewalk from the bus stop to my house, I fumbled with my keys in my freezing hands and muttered something about wind chill. Stupid Canadian winters! My neighbor waved cheerfully to me and I returned the gesture, more to keep our long-lasting and respectful relationship as opposed to the fact I really was glad to see him. No sooner had I pushed open the cold-warped door with mittened hands did my large black dog pounded down the stairs and in a flurry of tail-thumping and pink tongue flapping, seemingly truly thankful of our enjoyable relations. The burst of our phone ring caused Elf to growl and flick his tail about, but I took the stairs three at a time and made a lunge for the phone as missing a call was virtually suicide for those not-quite-deep ties to others.
"Hello?" The voice at the other end of the phone was lightly accented, and falsely cheerful, without asking for me, "Are you there?"
"Yes," I replied crisply as I had just run in from the freezing cold of February, "Who is it?"
"Ah, it is you I seek." It seemed to be a male voice, although I could not particularly distinguish this, "You were inquiring about our scholarship."
"Are you calling from Alberta?" I tried again, thinking that this was from one of my academic excellence scholarships, "Finally!"
"Not your measly Earth," With a small laugh, the other answered as Elf drooled on my socks, "Middle Earth." He cleared his throat, "I am Lindir and am calling on the behalf of our headmaster who is very pleased with your application. When would be the earliest convenient time for you to grace us with your presence at a private interview?"
"Um . . ." I swatted at Elf�s ears for drooling on my socks again, wondering if this definite and rather inspiring relation with Lindir was going to last. After all, he was an elf! "Do you run on office hours at Rivendell Academy?"
"Elves do not have a sense of the passing time as do you, men." Lindir replied ominously and I growled as Elf had migrated to drooling on my backpack, "Anytime will be fine. The headmaster is very keen to see you."
"I am quite glad he is so . . . keen." I faltered, "This seems to be a very promising and inspiring opportunity! To study with elves?"
"Mmm." Lindir sounded as though he was laughing, "We�ll send for you, then, when you are ready."
"Why not right now?" I patted Elf on the head as he pulled his tongue back into his jaws, prowling across the carpet to search for some leftover doggy kibble in his bowl from lunch, "I do not have much homework."
"A little eager, are we not?" The elf laughed, "Telephones are so stupid."
"I suppose they are." I looked at the phone, never really thinking about the technology behind it, "Who is the headmaster? Are there really such things as elves?"
"You�ll see." The line clicked. I cradled the dead phone in my arms, with a frown on my face, and nearly did not notice as Elf sank his large teeth down onto my TI-83 PLUS which exploded with a sickening crunch. I growled at my dog, and he tucked his tail between his legs, giving me a mournful little expression, which soon melted away to more drooling and gleeful tail-thumping as soon as I gave him a warm and loving hug.
"What am I going to do with you?" I stared at the remains of my graphing calculator and removed my backpack from the floor where I had dropped it, "You see, if I were studying in Rivendell, at least I would not have YOU to contend with!"
Not understanding human speech, Elf wagged his tail and left the room, off on his own doggy business. I pulled out Two Towers again and tried to aimlessly fix up the dog-chewed corner of the paperback, wondering why I did not go hardcover. It would have made so much more sense. The dog came back into the room as I was re-reading that advertisement again, with leash clamped between his jaws and pointy ears flickering happily.
"No, Elf. Go away." I snarled, "It�s not time for a walk." Technically, I was supposed to walk him after school, but I had a mystery to solve. Perhaps some of my Internet buddies would know what to do. Or even . . . Call display! How thick was I! Running back to the phone, the display was flickering and my heart sank with disappointment as I read �Rivendell Academy � 1-800-ELF-ARTS.� There was actually a phone number? Then why did not anyone before me ever try calling this number? To discover the secret of the elves?
The dog barked again, and I grabbed the pooper-scooper from the broom closet and shooed the dog down the stairs. Fine. If he need a walk, I would give him a walk. Fresh air was great for thinking anyway. Elf happily tugged on the Mallorn-leaf pattered leather leash and although he was a well-trained dog, I did not feel like pulling out the silver whistle to ask him to obey. Over-obedience was never what I had expected from him, although my dad had trained him with the basics and some neat little tricks. To each their free will.
Entering the freezing air again, I wasn�t all that sure I should have chosen to take this walk, and coughed loudly. Elf�s ears pricked up and trotted with tail flapping at my side, quite oblivious or uncaring to the cold, only pausing to sniff at all the other dogs who had passed through the area. Elves. I frowned again, and wrapped the leash tighter around a hand. Why had I even bothered to apply to such a hoax? Probably some criminals were on the other end of this scheme and simply wanted to steal my money through the request of real cheques to phony companies. What was the world coming to?
A small whimper brought me out of my thoughts and Elf tugged on the leash, big brown watery eyes peering into mine, then off into the little path through the now barren woods. I tugged on the leash lightly, but the dog would not come, staring and whimpering, pawing at the snow. Often, in the summer, he had traveled this way as it was one of the best bush-whacking trails to mountain bike in Brandon, aside from driving out to the Hills. The dog still would not budge.
"Come on, Elf," My breath formed into clouds of fog before me, "No one has been in there." Even as I spoke, though, little light footprints could be barely made out on the surface. "Wow. New technology. Snowshoes."
Curious, I walked over cautiously and peered at the prints. Although I am no tracker, it was quite obvious that they were made by a full grown, albeit very light man, barely imprinting the freshly fallen snow. My own prints and those of Elf, in comparison, were canyons. I gulped nervously and Elf tugged at me, taking a step into the woods. Against my better judgement, I let the dog lead the way and with a happy flap of the pink tongue, Elf picked his way carefully through the heavy snow, crunching twigs in his wake, but always keeping his nose to the ground, sniffing.
It seemed that through the woods, a fresh path had been carved, and all too soon, the familiar trees no longer looked so familiar, but grew in diameter and density, crowding onto the path of thinning snow. The dog seemed at home here, although he kept his ears flicked back and pulled onwards at a frightening rate. More than once I tried to tug him to a stop, but Elf seemed quite determined and I was in no mood to lose my dog in the freezing woods. "Elf," I muttered finally, "Where are you going?"
The woods around my house could not have possibly been this large, and to me, it seemed as though we had been walking for hours. Shivering far too frequently, the dog still pressed on and to turn back would seem to admit defeat, something my determined nature would not allow me to admit. Nose still to the ground and tail in the air, Elf prowled along as though after some long-lost prey, but finally, he paused in his tracks.
A light snow had begun to fall, and knowing Brandon weather, I shuttered, and tugged on the leash, not wanting to get stuck in the middle of a forest in the middle of a February snowstorm. The dog, still, though, would not listen. Sniffing the air experimentally, Elf barked cheerfully and looked onwards along the trail, as though eager to continue on.
"I do not think so, buddy," I growled and stared at the ever-continuing light footsteps, "I do not have the ability to step as lightly as that individual and would like to get home before dinner and before my fingers freeze." Elf waved his tail, "And if you do not turn around now, you will have NO KIBBLES!" Cringing as though he understood, my dog whimpered, but remained steadfast.
"Alright," I unwound the frozen leather from my hand, "I�ll LEAVE you here!" Often the threat worked, but this time, although I tossed down the leash, the dog didn�t even move. Elf wrinkled his nose as though calling my bluff and I walked over to his side, tossing my arms around his neck for a warm hug which he appreciated with another thump of the tail.
Being ever organized and optimistic, I chose a rather wind-free spot by the base of a few large trees I could not identify and pulled out one of many granola bars I traveled with and fed half to Elf, who drooled all over my mitts. "Well," I finally heaved a large sigh, "What a fine pickle you've landed us in. Beginning to snow and what am I to do right about now? There isn't even the end of this trail to show for our troubles! I may do many things in this life, Elf, but everything I choose to do, I choose finish." Standing once again and brushing off granola crumbs from my lap, I tightened his leash, and he stood once again. Perhaps his drooling was not all that admirable, but his courage surely was (considering that we were fairly LOST), and I was inspired. "Now let us finish what we have started." With a slight growl, Elf hovered his nose over the light tracks again and pulled me after him, and to discover, surely, the unknown.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quite glad that my parents and my sister were on vacation in Hong Kong and would not come home to an empty house, I wondered if they would call home. I had secretly changed the answering machine to say, 'Hello. You have reached the residence of Legolas Greenleaf. He is currently preening in front of a mirror and unable to take your call. Please leave a message after the beep . . . BEEP!' and I did not think that finding their old house transformed into an elf's residence would appeal to them. Elf's tail still flickered of his will as he led the way through the forest, and seemingly, the night's dusk was uniquely delayed. How odd. But then again, the passage of time is only what we make of it.
Up ahead, with the light snow falling, Elf entered a large circular clearing, void of all trees save for one at its center, a young little sapling quivering in the winter's chill and the sniff of my dog. The light little footprints which we had been following circled once around this little tree and then, simply vanished. Elf's big black nose was thrust at the little tree, and suddenly, the dog began to whimper, sinking low upon the snow with his tail tucked quite safely away. I looked around cautiously, but warily, hardly believing that I would meet up with anything that could cause me any grief.
"Come on, Elf." I tugged at the leash, "You can hardly believe that the tree has feet." It had been a wary experience and suddenly, the thrill of the mysterious footprints had worn away, "Let us just go home." The dog gave a whimper of response to acknowledge me, but did not move. I tugged a little harder, but still, Elf seemed to wish to remain where he was.
~ You have finally come. ~ The faint, silvery voice seemed to come from within my head, but I still turned in surprise, and Elf sprang in front of me, ~ We have been waiting. ~
"Waiting?" I sputtered aimlessly and the voice seemingly rung a bell, but I stared at the other individual in the clearing with a sense of awe and although I had a wild imagination, I could hardly believe the other's existence. "For me?"
As though my senses were suddenly heightened, the clearing became cold again, the frigid cold of a Manitoba winter and across the sparkling white plain, unspoiled save for the my own tracks and that of the dog, a fair, tall man stood. Yet, then again, everything I perceived his mortal features was matched by that immortal, the most evident of all, peeking out from long, light golden locks which were slightly carried by the cold wind, were the most unique set of ears I had ever seen in my life. I gulped nervously, "But you are . . . you are . . . an elf!" His cold, gray eyes surveyed me with an amount of amusement and a small smile appeared on his otherwise solemn features.
"Nice ears." Was all I could think of saying, "Know where I can get some?"
"I am Lindir of the House of Elrond," The other was surveying me, seemingly at a deeper level than appearance, "I believe we have conversed over an instrument of false metal."
"Telephone." I squeaked, heart pounding as I stared at his feet. Actually, the light imprints in the freshly fallen snow he barely made with lightly shoed and elegant feet, "I have big winter boots and I get frostbitten toes. In that footwear, do you even have any toes left?" The elf seemed to smile again.
"You have arrived in our woods," He continued, "Will you proceed?"
"Is this a red and a blue pill thing?" I squeaked, and Elf still hovered about, tugging on his leash, "My dog seemingly does not like you."
"Yes," Lindir answered, having abandoned his silvery mind-voice, "And why did you bring that . . . Yrch with you? Had you not believed that you would have been well guarded?"
"This is a dog." I motioned to Elf, "His name is . . ." I faltered, "Elf."
Lindir looked ready to laugh, but seemingly as though he feared it as laugh-wrinkles, he smiled only with his eyes, "Then I shall take you further into our world, a world which you are soon to study."
Seemingly unaware of the cold, he turned without a further word and for the first time, I noticed that he was clad only in flowing robes of light gray with a similar cloak across his shoulders. I growled and wondered why we stupid humans could not learn to dress like that, but rather had to lug around gigantic parkas, ski-pants and big furry mitts.
Elf was no more at ease with the elf than I was, but remained obediently at my side, tail held oddly stiff. At first I had feared that Lindir would be a rather silent companion, but he soon spoke again. "There have been many applicants. You should be honored that you were selected for an interview."
"To see an elf would be enough!" I gasped, and suddenly realized how stupid I sounded, "Er . . . . I mean, because . . . they are so . . . um . . . pretty . . ."
"PRETTY?" Lindir laughed out loud, but suddenly remembering the laugh-wrinkles, stopped as suddenly as he had begun, "You have heard of our fair House, have you not?"
"I live, eat, sleep and breath Tolkien." I growled in response, "Rivendell. Established by none other than Elrond Half-Elven. Father of two sons, one daughter. Foster father to Aragorn, last heir of Isildur. I know the story. Watched the movie thirty-three times."
"Stupid man, that Peter Jackson!" Lindir fumed, "Took me entirely out of that motion picture." The elf seemed to know where he was going, and where he walked, the trees and bushes magically parted their branches to allow him passage, although this was quickly closed behind the paws of Elf. "Both your imagination and academic talents have been factors of our choice. The Third Age has long since passed, and the Fourth is drawing to a close."
"Fourth Age?" I gawked, "The age of men? What will remain after that?"
"Precisely why we wish to study more of your race," Lindir answered, "To see what promise remains."
"I am not a typical person, Lindir," I quickly warned him, "Unique, dreamy and different would hardly sum up my personality, but more STRANGE and CRAZY."
"You are interested in music?" He quickly changed the topic, and I nodded, a gesture which I suppose he 'heard' rather than 'saw', "It will be interesting, watching your clumsy fingers trip over a harp of the elves." He laughed softly to himself, remembered the stupid laugh-lines and grew silent once again, only to speak once more, "Tell me more about yourself."
"Well," I could not see what harm this would do, "If you are even thinking of training an archer, I would say it would be best to give up now. I have the aim of peanuts. Maybe one day, though, I will be able to do something with a bow besides burn it. I also wish to train my big black mutt here so that he will stop drooling all over the place. Also, I would like to travel New Zealand a bit, and to see an elf." I paused. Already had done that. As though I had offended him, Lindir slowed in step. To earn back a bit of approval, I hastily added, "Maybe learn a few more musical instruments. Such as those elven ones you had mentioned."
"Ah," Lindir seemed to approve, "Yes, as I had stated before, that will prove interesting."
"I had planned on graduating from the University of Alberta," I continued, "But I suppose that goal should be changed to graduation from Rivendell Academy with top honors. Afterwards, I plan to have a little successful business with a nice clientele and a private practice. Perhaps if I graduate with even higher marks, I could be part of distinguished facility and stay on to research!"
"HA!" The elf snarled, "Whoever heard of a man residing at the House and to teach?"
"Well, I am teaching you right now." I replied pertly, "Teaching and learning is a life-long experience. I also plan never to stop learning, and to never stop teaching. To know all that I can would be the ultimate and achievable goal for me."
"You have a unique definition of success," Lindir responded, "It does not mention either good nor evil."
"Yes, in a way it does." I tried to explain, "To learn what is good and what is evil, and to stop what I can of the evil."
"With what weapons?" The elf suddenly turned to survey me again, "You hardly look as though a warrior."
"You fight with bows and spears," I sighed, "I with a pencil and keyboard. There are many battles to be fought in this world, both mine and yours, Lindir."
"The wisdom of men." Lindir replied, although not with that familiar snarl, "Your parents know that you have chosen this route?"
"Not quite." I heaved a larger sigh, "But I believe they have always known that I wish to run away to live with elves." The other seemed amused, "I want my parents to be able to see that I am pulling off the highest marks I can and that I am quite an academic student, and for them not to simply believe that I receive the credit which I do because it came 'naturally.' Also, I want to get my parents to accept the fact that I need someone, or something, to confide in." I patted Elf's head fondly, "Lastly, there's the matter of my siblings."
"Man-children always fight." Lindir growled, "Never peace within a house."
"Not quite," I tried again, "My sister and I usually get along quite well, although it would be nice if we got along all the time. And there is the matter of my long-lost older brother. My parents always liked to joke that I did have one, although I am not quite sure of his existence."
"Many questions." The elf muttered, "You have many questions."
"Yes, I like to ask questions." I answered, "It is how I learn."
"Questions." Lindir repeated again, "To question the unknown is dangerous."
"To not question it, would ensure that it forever remain unknown." I replied delicately not wishing to offend the elf which I had just noticed carried a quiver and bow across his back, "The more knowledge I gather, the more unknown there is."
"Then why would you gather knowledge? To reduce the unknowns is to tighten the grip on victory." The elf turned around again, but was still walking onwards, "I am not a scholar, and can not contemplate that. You, however, seem to be."
"That seems to be a compliment." I grinned brightly and the elf gave me a ghastly look, as though warning me of smile-wrinkles. "Why do you not choose to study?"
"The answer to that question," He seemed amused, "Is among the unknown." Lindir stopped suddenly, and with a wave of his hand, parted the bushes ahead of him to reveal a fresh path of cleared snow. "This is where I must leave you, I have come to the end of my journey on your road." I gulped and Elf bounded forward, onto that new road, waiting.
"Where does this lead?" I asked, shaking slightly, "What is at the end of it?"
"Is that not the unknown?" Lindir allowed himself a small smile, "Is that not what you love and seek?" He gave the dog a small pat on the head, "This yrch is not like those I have seen in the past." The elf fixed his attentions on me again, "There is no one, not even one here, or in Rivendell that can ever tell you what lies in the future. Yes, the unknown is a danger, but one you are destined to explore. Perhaps that is why the Age of Men has lasted so much longer than that of the Elves. Answers can only be found, found only to lead to more questions. May the stars always light your way."
Lindir waved me onwards.